Coe College - Acorn Yearbook (Cedar Rapids, IA)

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DEAN OF MEN It takes considerable courage to talk of progress in a period of great de- pression. Retrenchment is the order of the hour. I presume the very book in which this is printed is not as pretentious as the former annuals issued by the Board. The Faculty is somewhat smaller. Some courses of study have been eliminated. The program has been curtailed in many respects. It has all been done in order to cut our garment according to our cloth. Notwithstanding, the real efficiency of the institution has not been affected. The essentials of a college education are all intact. Though instruction may be less costly it is just as effective, perhaps more so. I. therefore, congratulate the publishers of the Annual for sufficient courage to call this the Progress issue of the Acorn. For it is a heartening recognition of an oft forgotten fact that things are frequently not what they seem. There are things upon which we have put a greater emphasis than they deserve. Education along with religion has often been criticised that it has been too easy. And all too frequently we have evaluated progress in terms of the material. It would not be surprising, in fact it is altogether likely, that real progress is most real when the times are difficult. At any rate knowing as I do the handicaps to progress under which the majority of Coe students work, I desire to congratulate them on their courage and progress alike. Harry Kremers, 4r:= Page 21

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DEAN OF COLLEGE COE-OPERATION If there is one characteristic of our college Hfe here at Coe that stands out above all others, I think it is that which is suggested by the above caption, Coe-operation. A great industrial plant whose purpose is to furnish a product or set of products for the markets of the world must be perfectly organized, and there must be complete subordination of individual will and initiative to one master mind, the head of the organization. The ideal of a college is precisely the antithesis of that of a factory or an army. The college aims at no standardized product. On the contrary it seeks to develop individuality, independence, initiative, self-control. It would turn out men and women of character. The only standardization it seeks is a uniform and unswerving sense of loyalty to honor and duty. The organization of Coe College functions well for its purpose which is to afford an environment where young men and women may develop themselves through the exercise of all their powers of mind and body. It is fully as im- portant that provision should be made for the self-e.xpression of the students as that there should be provision for leadership and the teaching function of the faculty. To develop power as individuals and to learn co-operation with other individuals for great and worthwhile ends is of the essense of education. The writer is proud to be a product of Coe-operation and happy to be a Coe- operator. S. W, Stookey. I n tf It :■ II I I II n tp N H I rn-irft ' r- Page 20

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DEAN OF WOMEN What fun to look back over the past fifty years! How difflcuU is it to realize that in 1882 college education for women was an anxious experiment. The few girls in the colleges and universities were studied by others and even by them- selves a little unduly. They could not take what each day brought as a matter of course. Since they were pioneers and representatives of many who would come afterwards, they were burdened with a sense of responsibility. According as they conducted themselves their sisters would have ampler or narrower opportunities. How different is the situation today when a girl thinks of going to college as naturally as does her brother. The only sense of responsibility now lies in a personal and family pride. How little the modern girl comprehends the debt she owes to those who have prepared the way as much by enduring the social ostracism then prevalent as by mastering the contents of the curriculum. As one looks back at Coe ' s fifty years, it is apparent that Coe always has been co-educational, and to a surprising degree. The very first graduating class in 1884 was comprised of two members, one man and one woman. The second class in 1885 likewise numbered two, one man and one woman. And every graduating class since then, e.xcept that of 1891, has had in it one or more women. ' Tis true, there is no royal road to learning. The road may be smoother today than in earlier years, but even though rough at times, at Coe the path- way has been open to all young people. Capable and trustworthy guides have been at hand, rich and varied nutriment has ever been provided. However, the actual steps up the path must always be taken by the student herself. In a spirit of gratitude and appreciation for Coe ' s first fifty years, let us continue upward along the pathway, eager to surmount obstacles and to open up new and interesting by-paths in the realm of human knowledge. Mary Bell. Page 22