Castleton State College - Castletone Yearbook (Castleton, VT)

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Excerpts From SOMETHING HIDDEN BEHIND THE RANGES Commencement x ddress of Dr. Francis L. Bailey Commissioner of Education of Vermont Principal, Gorham Normal School . . . The thoughtful student recognizes the fact that he has now acquired only a few of the tools that will be needed in his life work and that purposeful and persistent learning will always be required of him who would use his know¬ ledge effectively and measure up to his own potentialities. Let this school continue to serve as a fountain-head of inspiration and as a source of practical help as you undertake your new problems. . . . The abundant life is one of exploration of unknown areas and of surmount¬ ing the difficulties which arise as barriers to achievement and happiness. “Learn or perish,” says Dorothy Canfield Fisher in a book by that title written with teachers especially in mind. . . . Of the many obstructing peaks which arise forbiddingly among our ranges of experience, one of the first to confront you will be Ignorance, perhaps the greatest barrier to human progress. . . The chief function of the school is not so much to teach the children how to make a living as it is to teach them how to live. The trail which leads over the barrier of Ignorance is the Open Mind, the Desire to Learn. Beyond the range lie Truth and Understanding. A second great obstacle, which lies in wait to ensnare one’s desire to learn, is the drag of Inertia, which has reduced many worthy aspirations to mere day ninety-four

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portunity. There is no reason why the mistakes of the past, responsible for the troubled world of the present, should be repeated in the World of Tomorrow . . . Preparedness is often on our lips today; I do not need to tell you in what sense . . . Preparedness for construction, not for destruction, learning how to live together, not how to destroy one another, that is the problem of the century, the problem which must be solved if civilization is to endure . . . To the words of Dr. Valkonen I add the words of Robert Sherwood: “We are conscious of our past failures. We are conscious of our present perils . . . We are armed with more bitter experience, more profound knowledge, than any generations that ever were in the history of the world. If we can’t use this ex¬ perience and this knowledge, then the human history is really finished, and we can go back and achieve forgetfulness and peace in the ooze from which we ascended.’’ Life based on the ideal of the Sermon on the Mount, or life based on the lack of ideals which today is making of Europe a shambles, . . . which shall it be? A race of human beings, believing in love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, good¬ ness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control, or a race of robots, the individual simply a cog in a mechanized world? The power of the spirit, it is the supreme need of the world, the hope of a new world order. May we be ready to meet this test in the World of Tomorrow. ninety-three

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dreams. . . The trail across this menacing barrier is the straight path of self-discipline and zeal. . . Beyond the barrier of Inertia lies Achievement. Still another prominent peak whose treacherous sides have spelled defeat for many is the obstacle ot Fear; fear of one’s lack of ability, fear of physical danger, fear of failure—-the most demoralizing and crippling factor in life. Fear breeds fear . . . Dare to take the risk when necessary. You will gradually develop con¬ fidence, self-reliance and the necessary stamina for negotiating the path of Courage which surmounts the barrier of Fear. Beyond this barrier lies Self-Fulfillment. Overshadowing these three peaks of difficulties is the lowering outline of the obstacle Ill-Will, with its sharp shoulders of Greed, Bitterness and Disloyalty . . . A persisting faith and concentration upon the goal must be your compass. Beyond this range lie the happiness and peace of mankind. ... As explorers and discoverers, in rhe field of human relationships, we must follow the trail of Goodwill or we shall never be teachers, we shall never be worthy citizens . . . Earnest citizens everywhere are demanding superior qualifications of character and citizenship in the kind of person chosen to teach their children. More than ever before we must realize the important role of the school in building character and goodwill. In the past too large a share of the responsibility, perhaps, has been placed upon the school, with insufficient cooperation from home, church and community . . . How short, then, is che time we have in school hours to do our part in building character and world-citizenship! . . . We must make these hours count. . . this must be the main objectives of our schools, that the barriers of Ill-Will and Greed may crumble beneath our feet as we pursue a steadfast course ot Good-Will. Let the difficulties which may confront you ... be a challenge to you as the ranges were to Kipling’s “Explorer”—drawing him on over the heights to new attainments and fuller understanding. “Something hidden , go and find it. Go and look behind the ranges; Something lost behind the ranges , Lost and waiting for you , go!” ninety-five