Bridgewater State University - Alpha Yearbook (Bridgewater, MA)

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To the Class of 1947 It is quite evident that the accomplishments of all Sciences having man as an object remain insufficient and that our knowledge of ourselves is still most rudimentary. Man should be the measure of all things. On the contrary he is a stranger in the world that he has created. He has been incapable of organizing this world for himself because he did not possess a practical and a spiritual knowledge of his own nature. Thus the enormous advance gained by the sciences of inanimate matter over those of living things is one of the greatest catastrophes ever suffered by humanity. Every advance of science now brings the grim reminder that new powers can be used for evil as well as for good. The environment born of our intelligence and our inventions is adjusted neither to our stature nor to the needs of humanity. Therefore the natural conditions of existence have been destroyed by modern civilization, the science of man has become the most necessary of all science. Here is a special need that must be met in our time. It will be met in part by our schools, colleges and institutions of higher learning. It will also be met by professional men, skilled and unskilled labor, and man- agement. Surely by this time we ought to know something about human nature. We ought to know man ' s basic needs. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this question, What do 1 want from life? One of our first needs is security, not merely economic security that will pro- tect us against hunger or want, but the emotional security which comes from knowing that we are efficient in discharging the duties of our positions as teachers that we have been well trained to do what is expected of us, that we are worthy of our hire. We want a senseof security in our family relations, in our life with our neighbors, with our students, and in our relations with other nations. The basic human need is not the security of the body but of the spirit. It is this need that we encounter in all problems of race relations. It is this need that makes for high or low morale among people. It is because of this need that men seek to escape from themselves. May success in your chosen profession be measured by your contribution of service to those you instruct and to your fellow-man in their quest for spiritual security: the fundamental philosophy of your Alma Mater. fel All 1 1

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I Q U DR. JOHfl J. KfLiy President

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To III. HflTHflflint HILL teacher of literature and speech, we dedicate our book in loving appreciation for her inspiration and guidance to her classes through the years.