Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-04
EISENHOWER TExT
Understanding VitoI,
President Declares

GETTYSBURG, Pa, April 4
(AP) Following Is the text OF
s---Aaent Eisenhower's speech
today at the Gettysburg College
spring convocation:
President Paul, members Of
the Board Of Trustees, members
Of the faculty. alumni. student
body and friends Of Gettysburg
College. ladies and gentlemen:
As one who first visited
Gettysburg College when / was
still q West Point cadet, who
years later had the great dis
tinction Of receiving from this
institution its honorary DOCTOR
ate, and who. in recent years.
became an official resident of
Adams County and your neigh
Dor, ! congratulate Gettysburg
College on having recorded 127
years Of faithful service to the
community and to the Nation.
personal Debt" Recalled
I am reminded also that I
owe to this institution a per-
sonal debt Of gratitude. Dur
ing the 86th year Of its exist
ence Al years ago Gettys-
burg College, through some of
its fraternities. made available
a home for my family and me
during the months we served
here in World War I. am
happy to have the opportunity,
again, to thank the entire
Gettysburg College family for
its thoughtfulness in arranging
for us, in the crowded COM
munity Of that war year, a
much-needed place to live.
Like any other individual
invited TO speak on q subject
Of his own choosing before a
collegiate group, I have been
confronted with the need for
making one or two decisions.
One Of these has been the
selection Of a subject that. you
here might consider to be both
current and interesting.
Another has been the length
Of the time I might need for
les exposition.
Development Of Understanding
Napoleon. rejecting upon the
desirable qualities of a polit-
ical constitution, once remarked
that such a document should
preferably be short, and always
vague in meaning. Unfortu-
nately he did not comment
upon the appropriate length
and character of a talk COM
memorating founders day for
a liberal arts college: but if I
do not wander too far from
my text, I can, at least, attain
reasonable brevity-and / as
sure you there will be nothing
vague about the convictions l
express. ! am not going to talk
to you about education, but I
shall speak of one vital pur-
pose OF education-the devel-
opment of understanding-so
that we may use with some
measure Of wisdom the knowl-
edge we may have acquired.
whether in school or out.
No matter how much intel
lectual luggage we carry around
in our heads. it becomes valu-
able only if we know how to
use the Internationally if
we are able to relate one fact
OF, a problem to the others, do
we truly understand them.
Rule of United States
This is my subject today
the need for greater individual
and collective understanding of
the international facts of to-
days life. More specifically we
need to understand our coun-
try'S purpose and role in
strengthening the worlds free
nations which, with us, see our
concepts Of freedom and human
dignity threatened by atheiStic
dictatorship.
In the last analysis, in a re-
public such as ours, the poll
ctes that are effectively carried
out by government are those
supported by the people. If
through education-no matter
how acquired-people develop
understanding of basic issues,
and SO can distinguish between
the common, long-term good
of all. on the one hand, and
convenient but short-sighted
expediency on the other, they
will support policies under
which the nation will prosper.
This applies to the policies
we adopt in the conduct of our
foreign affairs as we'll as the
wisdom and self discipline we
need to exercise in the opera
ton Of a free economy. If peo-
pie should ever lack the dis
cernment to understand, or the
character to rise above their
own selfish Short-term inter-
eStS, free government would
become well nigh impossible
to sustain. Such a government
would be reduced to nothing
more than a device which
seeks merely to accommodate
itself and the country's good
to the bitter tugs-of-war of
conflicting pressure groups.
Disaster could eventually re-
suit.
"Study, Think, Decide"
Though the subject that
assigned myself is neither
abstruse nor particularly diff
cult to comprehend, its impor-
lance to our national and indi-
vidual lives is such that failure
to marshal. organize and an
alyze the facts pertaining to it
could have for us all conse-
quenceS of the most serious
character. We must study,
think and decide.
Specifically, ! am addressing