Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

Page 16 text:

12 THEttROCKETY-IH the ehiirL-h. aunt of society. 'lthi: it. perhaps the greatest EUI'ViCD any institution at teaming m' any ether :igem-y Q1111 render to humanity. Sir Humplnw Davy 011 one occasion was died what he considered his greatest discovery. The reply in i'Michael mehly? in the ehemimt lzihmiitory were insigniiiennt eonipauenl with the dist-m'm'y 0t 21 personality that would stilt more enrich the worhi with new discover 3 in science An 111Fiihiii0n like ours, whose patronage so much depends upon :1 Continued active canvassing of its territory for stmiei e, nut: only accomplishes its immediate end, but renders the world :1 service whose mine 1m Finite arithmetic eiui estimate. It discovers young men and young women who are hidingr in obscurity, uneonseinus of their gifts and hurting their talents, and it starts them on the upward wni' of greater usefulness and respectability. It helps such souls to find themselves; it serves to reveal to them their capabilities, and i0 kindle them with the have at knowiedge. it its ' ts cultivated young people to know rind to appreciate their opportunities in this age and country. This Vs 2111 age 01' wonderlul nehievements. but the agency which generates unil directs. the forces hehind the nehievements is still more weuderfni. We admire the works that distinguish 0111' age, but there are still greater works to he done which call for the highest gifts of mind and the utmost skill of hmiit 'i'hete ttl'c greater things than the Eliscoveities of terrestrial poles. the building of the Panama Canal. the tunnelingr of the iiieiliitnins. the bridging of the rivers. the Heating of gieiit nm'ies, the mm'slmliing of the forces of nature These are material conquests. There are spiritual achievements far greater than all these. The disr-orery ut' wiftud personalities the revealing of souls to themselves, the unfolding of their p0 'iiiities, the training: of souls for the sari'ice of immkinri-these are the supreme m-hievements 0f ei'ei'y age and of every cmmtn- An ii 'tution that discovers the host talents of the eeuiitrys How true mid how suggestive this 11-11111th His liiSPOYGI'iGS youth, trains. them fills their minds with a nuhle vision, and inspire: them with El sense of their opportunities, makes a contribution to human civilization which eclipses all material achievements. 2. It is a power of conduct. Augustuna Coilege stands for the host: in H respects. Giving due emphasis to the intellectual side of education, appreciating at its full value the power of knowledge, and earnestly striving tu promote heSt intei'erx-ts 0f lilieral culture, it mines conduct above the adornments of intellect. It puts character, which is the spring of conduct, superior to knowledge, and it emits a godly and upright life into a position of highest excellence. his institution. is a moral force of stupendous importance in this enmmuuity and in the whole country. It: is a clear and steady light set upon a hill that it may Sheri its l'adimiPO all around to make it pleasant to live. It is not an agency that incites riot anti genemi lawlessness, and makes military iuw ii necessiti : it is the uncompromising enemy of every form at vice, and the faithful friend of everything that makes for gend order, peace, prosperity, eleal'ness 01' life and integrity of r-hm'at-ter. It is 21 iiiig'hty constructive power in the state, in the church, in so It creates the nation's best defense. namely, virtuous character. It makes iilteiiigent, honest. patriotic, and Gnd-fearing

Page 15 text:

THEHROCKETY-I 11

Page 17 text:

THE'tROCKETY-i' 13 nitiznns. It liJls om- lJllijJiiS with nhie preachers nmi gives the churrh faithful nmstxn's whose lives are devoted to the cure of thc iim-k. It builds homes halving godly parents and obedient. sclfvrespecting children. It semis efficient servant into all prochsions and cuilings of life, and supplies society with clean and honorable men and womt-n. A11 ngenty that performs such :1 work must he :1 powl-r 0E cimlization whose infhmncu extends to the enc'l5 of the earth. 3' H: is H. power of beauty, The present: age is rzimi'ncturizetl by a nmtel'iuliziiig tendency Tho cmnmcrciai aspect of education is often unduly uiiiplansizvrh as if the dollar was its chief unit 01' T211110. Others again make the scientific habit everything in education; the eager, persistent: study of phenomena, the search 1701' fat 1.4 the tliiiilllllol'tmlt thing. In earlier days they used ta deity mints mni herucv now we :leil'y mutter. Once Plato gave laws for thought and conduct; now Pinto is the lawgivor. But this is not true education; true culture means more than the him at money. more than the knowledge of facts and phenomena. Thu.- hest: education i: spiritual and :Psthctic. 1t. rechgnizes and exalts hcuuty in nature and alt as :L pnu-ei- nt' civiliza- tion, and seeks to cultivate the msthetic l'aL-ultics of the souli it mines the beautiful in the world far its own sake and for the sake of its influence upon human life. It appreciate! the softening, rotining, humanizing inliuenms of the fine arts as the proper interpreters of homily and the host means for cultivating a i-etined iastm If we know only facts, phenomena, material values, we are only half educated, We are Phiiistines, we are barbarians still. Augustanu College stands for :1 glwiritual and aesthetic culture. It encourages the training at the avstiietic powers of the soul, well as the intellectual and moral. It shapes its poiiuy according to the ideal of new education. The spirit of the new education is that of iDTgClJCSS, the full and symmetrical development of the whole psychic nature, enlargement and enrichment at 50111 life, strengthening and beauti- fying of personal character. To accomplish these ends the institution has i Conservatory of Music, its Art department, its School of Exp: :Sirm: and its courae in Aesthetics in the College depnl'hnmlt. d. It is a power of social life, Augusfmm Coiiege i$ a school family united hy a strong hand of sympathy. and actuated by the spirit of mutual helpl'uhmss. This in: a conspiruous feature DE 0111' institution and 2111 clumvnt of strength. It seeks to build up :1 harmonious. mutually supporting satiety, in which each individual. the weakest as well as the strongest: h his place anti performs his Diiice. Them is here no kind of caste. 110 spirit of aristoei'ut-vh there is only an uouommodnting democracy of congenial spirits, in whiL-h each for the ether lives and in which is realized the service of the best, for the good of all. An institution whose life is dominated hy such a spirit must he a power of civilization whose worth to nur country and to mankind cannot he estimated.