Evening star., 1941-04-10
The Connino
| Tower
An Undelivered Address,
Nv HEVW0nn RpnTrN

have not been asked In this
year, or any other, to talk at a
college commencement. but II ever
had the opportunity think would
like to make an address about az
follows:
Seniors OF Ooffus University, you
are about to be graduated into an
extremely lukewarm world. The
chances are that not one OF you
will get any decent sort of job for
the next two or three years. Now.
what are you going TO do about it?
Two tragic things can happen
to young college graduate. He
may come to utter failure before he
Is able to endure it or by some mir
acle he may strike sudden and un-
expected success.
Possibly / will be regarded as
little whimsical II I maintain that
the latter is perhaps the greater
tragedy. In support OF my posi-
ton I will seek Solace in scripture.
which has often been quoted at
commencementS. / think 1t Is true
that it does not avail a man very
much to gain the whole world and
lose his own soul. And, after all.
when I spoke of unexpected sue
cess I did not quite intend TO in
clude all that territory.
What I have in mind is that the
bright youngster of 2l or %, who
Immediately makes his mark. is al
most certain to be dependent upon
luck, influence or some SNOWY tall
ent. None of these factors is to be
enduringly priced. Genius. or even
good second-rate ability, takes long,
er than that.
The man who succeeds fortui-
tously is apt to become convinced
that he lives in the best OF all
possible worlds. or something very
/ close to it. He is likely TO found
congratulations upon happenings
which are, after all, no more than
lucky turn of the dice.
But perhaps it is not necessary
to waste much time on these excep-
tions. The average college man
will find himself on the wrong side
Of a wall of joblessness and indif-
ference. Nobody, as far as know.
has any next Monday morning
remedy to save him from discom-
fort and actual physical suffering.
The best that any commencement
orator can do is to urge him not
to blame himself for conditions
over which he has as yet no control.
"A few voluble people still go
about the world saying that the
unemployed are victims of their
own folly and sloth and that they
would easily find work if they only
wanted to. This is an evil thing.
but it is much more evil if any OF
the diSposseSSed can be induced TO
believe such nonsense even for
moment.
IT hope that college has taught
you the undoubted truth that prac-
tically nobody fails without activs
collaboration. I would warn every
one Of you against the practice OF
self examination and the recital OF
your own mistakes and short
comings.
do not spend very much time
in searching your own soul, but try
instead to understand the psychol-
ogy OF the group or class in which
you belong. BY the help of this
process you will probably find that
the thing which you miStook for
personal weakness or ineptitude is
characteristic of most OF your fell
lows in like circumstances.
College itself is a token of a new
order of society. Though individual
worth is recognized and encour-
aged. the rewards are not in terms
of financial preferment. Every coll
lege or university is to large ex-
tent communal enterprise. In any
educational institution worthy OF
its name and fame an effort is
made to apply the rule of From
each according to his ability; to
each according to his needs
1T is right and very logical that
the colleges of the world should
be the places of inspiration for
radicals and visionaries. In rough
and inexact way the fellowship of
colleges is a working experiment
in the practical possibilities Of
brotherhood. There are few places
where the student who flaunts
wealth and special privileges is
highly regarded.
| Even the over-emphaSis on sports
has in it at least the saving grace
that the individual does his best
not for himself but for the team.
And so it would seem to me that we
might be much better of if alumni
remained collegiate and sophomore
and did not swallow whole the
standards of a world which is based
upon conception of human nature
far more artificial than that which
prevails in college.
II would not have you seniors OF
Ooffus go out to learn from the
world. 1t would be much better to
make the world learn from you.
You are going into a community
which Is illiterate. Some of them
can read and write, but the vast
majority of your fellow countrymen
are wholly illiterate economically
and politically. Keep your heads
up. Do not be patient in that state
of society to which it has pleased
the depression to call you. Be
skeptical of the authority of the
wise men. Your professors, perhaps.
were not so smart. The same will
go for your bosses. You can't make
mutton broth of your sheepskin, but
keep it handy, just the same. Don't
take the world as 1t is. This is no
impregnable line Of giants. Call
your signals and shoot a play of
tackle. r. p. A.
released by the Bell Syndicate Incl