Goshen College - Maple Leaf Yearbook (Goshen, IN)

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lli GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD. indifference toward them, he may isolate himself from what is going on about him, but even then he is taking an attitude. These are but ways of expressing disapproval, contempt and condemnation. There is no neutral ground. It is impossible to react nega- tively toward one's environment. When you reject one thing you accept another. lf a man disbelieves one theory he gives evidence that he be- lieves some other theory. lt is one of the marks of a human being to pass judgment on the things about him. Unconsciously a man will decide for himself whether the motives of others are worthy or unworthy, whether their opinions ought to be accepted or re- jected, whether their conduct is good or bad. Besides such fragmantary, and instinctive judgments, he may, if he is inclined to reflect, attempt to answer such questions, as, What is the ultimate meaning of life? What are the things in life that have real value? If he formulates some theory by which he proposes to explain the scattered, chao- tic and contradictory elements of his daily experience we give him the digni- fied appellation of philosopherl', and call his theory his 'tphilosophy of life . Most individuals, however, do comparatively little reflecting, but every one is impressed with the com- plexity of life and has formed a more or less fixed manner of reacting toward its problems. The characteristic man- ner vvhich anyone adopts of reacting toward the thought and activity of the rest of mankind we may modestly call his attitude toward life. ' With each successive age life be- comes more complex. The activities of life become more numerous and thoroughgoing. We are living in an age of unparalled activity. Radical changes are taking place in every de- partment of life. A rapid succession of discoveries and inventions has trans- formed social, economic, and industrial conditions. Some have suddenly at- tained to positions of wealth and leis- ure. Others have been reduced to poverty and drudgery. The govern- ments of the world are not today what they were yesterday. Absolutism no longer exists. The ideas of political freedom ' 7, 4 4 responsible governments ' ', and 'cpopular sovereigntyw, have found lodgment in the hearts of all peoples. The few monarchies which re- main are being diverted of their pow- er. Government everywhere is becom- ing more democratic. This is a time of intense interest in education. Schools are springing up everywhere. The curriculum is constantly being modifi- ed. The edueational ideal is continual- ly being revised. Through the efforts put forth to dissminate learning, il- literacy is gradually decreasing. Even morals and religion have not escaped the influence of the dominant spirit of the age. Men have entered the realm of the spiritual and are boldly making inquiry in regard to their superhuman relations. The grounds of men 's faith is being critically examined. A thing is no longer tolerated simply because it is old. lnstitutions which have lived for centuries are being put to practical tests. Traditions and customs can claim no merit in themselves. The only excuse for their existing is that they contribute to modern life. Other wise they are cast aside. The fact of this unremitting activity is everywhere evident. flt domes not require any great capacity of comprehension to perceive the intense restlessness of the age. We hear the question asked every- where, What attitude shall I take to-

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GOSI-IEN COLLEGE RECORD than the CIIOICG oi vocauou 18 H111 LHOICG of adf1pt.f1t1o11 to GIIXIIOIIIIHHI, fO1 as 11 sten0g1aphc1 01 1111111S'fl1, V011 max wus those about Xou as 111111101 and Sfdlld off and tlv to shxue and dm O1 as .1 clerk or S'ffLl6SII1d11 vou max 5118111 NOHI bust 111 humblg helpiulucsa llftlllg bx thu 1nsp11f1t1o11 ot XOLI1 cu1 ture and IUIICUIIIQSQ and hvn X011 have hnfud of thu studmnt of Greek who became engaged to 11 12111117111 111g Xouug ladx and one ex eumg .12 he was s1t'r1ng xx 1th hu 011 the hm 11 nmdp the lemark My dear, I m flhald we VV111 11tV81 be happv unless vou 1111111 Gleek and you relnelnnu the ladv HGVGI dld study Gredx, but 1 few years later xx EN the happ1est wife and 111OThpl to be iound anywhere Wlth another man lhls 1S exactb the attltude we ale tempted to take as we begm oul hfe XV1th the World 10 travel and lead and get Lnowlndge of alt and muslc and 11teratu1e and scuence, to g1VC lectures or mute 01 XXO11x out some 1Cf0I'D1, to bgloug above and apart from the tO11111g, suffeuug IIIASSQB oi humfmlty, to eugoy 0111 hfe and hlgh ldeals and to hope our 6'11V11011lI1G1lfI w111 somehow acquue 0u1 111tB16Sto tlus scum a beautlful H1631 but he who possesses thu, ldeal has not begun 10 fldgust lumseli to IHS 6HX110111116I1t H-1 must 101113111 alone, lsolated, dwfuied and lou 111s mal hie Shall you sflv as d1d the G1 eek student 111 substance, My deal xx Olld, I am df1fl1dWC shall not be lmppx unless 1011 acquug my mter asts them IS thv mme Mason to b hexe the xx 01111 too V111 somehow con 'une to be lmppx wuth someoug elsb and hflvg wou blttu lt hcfut, unlmppv half dnfld as xou dnsuue to be Shaq xou nn 011 the Otllll hand, MV new world I am fxfuad l shall 1101 by com pletcly happy llllfll I hang madu you 1ute1 wth mum Shall you lnstead of Stdlldlllg aloof f1Oll1 em 110111111-31111, clasb 1fS hand and fuel Us heartbeat, Just so surdy shall Xou be happy shall you hve and hvc the iull 1110 that 1S con stautly 6Xp3I1d1I1g 111 beauty and pow 11 and hu ganess f01 V011 are hvmg in the 1111 gel hfe 01 l1u111a111ty 'lhough you may not be recognued as a publlc benefactcu 111 a speclal Way, as you 11V6 XVITLI1 5 0111 tued and weary vet HS1J1I'111g and 11fQ1OV1I1g b16thI'6'1 thex V111 ied a ee1ta111 touch tha comes from S0111 11V1Hg' and they too V111 hvn anew 'lhus you accolnphsh the 1311113086 of hfe by hvmg and thub X ou IGCCINC the rlchus of hte by hvmg Lx 81 V touch xx 1th 5 oul fellows expands your own hfe and tl1G1I'S, every con tact xx 1th the Tanner 1I18Chfl111C, factory hand SGQUHSTILSS bungs a thull, GVQIV Lxpeluuee xx 1th the meanest thlllg' and louhwt pexsou eulzuges fol these an 10111 CI1V11OI1lH61112, and the bettel ad Justed to thuu vou become the more the deeper you hve The Indlvldual and Progress ohn F1sher Y ERX 1Hd1V1dU31 must take an at neu d1bCOV6I1GS new theoues and hypo tltude t0XVE11d the thought and ac 'theses are dCIY12LIld1llg hls seuous con t1v1ty 01 h1S age lhey folm 21 mosf sldelatlon He may lefuse to recog leal pzut of h1S euvuonment Ddllff, 11146 these demands, 118 mag assume an , 15 , ' ' K ' ', ',, . 1 1 1 1 . 1. 1 1 1, 1 11 1 1 . ' ' 1 . ' v'- , '. - ' 7 7 - a -1 1- ' l I A 7, A ' A lj J 1 1 1 11 f. 1 - '- , , 5' A 7 1 1 ,1 1 L- . 1 fi v 1 v .1 ' ',1' 1 v v - 1 1 v - I 4 lc ' I l V-1 ' 7 ' ' Y ' ' 1 A , 1 ' .1 K 1 1 . . . 1 . - . 1 -f 1- 1 Y 1-E ',f '-N 1 ' ' ' '7., . f' .7 ' .17 1 v 1 1 I , ' 'fu A l Q' 1 v wgnv t 1 ,I , , lx N - 1 ,sk K ,L 1. L 1 1 ' 1 Y ' ' ' ' 1 1 '- . . 7 Y JC1 . X A 1 Y K f YI 1 Y Y' . . ,, . t , , , x, . , ' ,' ' ', - f- 1' . . c 1 . v y. y ' . p - 1 1 1 ' ' 1' A1 1 . v 1' - V A ' I 4 ll , I lla. V K A 7 ' Y 7 1 .1 7 1 1 1 1-1 - 1 - 1 U ' 7 1, 77 1 X, , 1 , ' '. 1 7 , ' ' 1 1 ,Y 1 1 ,1. . 1 1 1 1 1 1 7 U v . Y. 1 I I 1 .. . I . 11 1 ,V 7 1. 1 - 1 , y r 'X ' I f 5 . V I 1 v 1 v ' 1 1 ' ' y 1 '1 ' ' . . 7 . . . M 4 4. . I .1 . 1 , . . . L 1 1 , 1 . 1 1 1 . '., U ' ' 1 ' . . -1 '1 1 1 1 1. 1 ' A 1- 1 1 -v v 1 ' ' x 1 A I ' I . . . v 'D u. 1 1 Y I 'V ' Aw .A . l ' f ' , ' 1 ' ' iv 1 1 7 1 1 A I ' 1 t i . -.1 , YV 1. . . I 1 .1 u D x 11. v. ln 1 1 . . 7 7 ' 1 ' f ' 1 7 - -A f- 1 . 1 ' 7 ' ., '1 ' 1 4 1 Af -.1 rx , ' ' ' v 1 1 1 , 1 1 1 11 . J 1 , . ' ' I. 1' 1 1 1 f 1 - 7 .1 1 11' 1 K - 1 1 7 - .1 1 .1 7 ' 1. , V . H ' 7 ' 1 n jr 7 ' ' ' 1 - v 1 . 1' , 7 ' 1 , - r - - - I ' rw, , ' 1 ' V 1 , , , U . - 1 ' ', 5' V . 77 f

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GOSHEN COLLEGE RECORD. 17 ward the thought and activity of the age J! It is constructive or destructive? Will it maintain itself or end in disas- ter? And finally shall l ally myself with it or shall l hold myself aloof? We need but look about us to find those who look on the present state of affairs as portending a most disastcrous outcome. They reject everything new, hold tenaciously to the old, and absolutely refuse to keep company with the untried. They lack vision, per- spective and the ability of comprehen- sion. For them things exist only in the present, bearing relation neither to the past nor to the future. They are only acquainted with local condi- tions, they see only one thing at a time because they do not have the capacity to see things in the large and discern the relatedness of the parts. They are the extreme conservatives. Among them you will find the pessemist, and the reactionary. The progress of whole nations has been arrested be- cause of such an extreme reverence for the old. India., and China are classical illustrations. lndia has for centuries been steeped in ignorance and supersti- tio11, and is just slowly awakening. History gives no record of the beginning of C'hina's slavery to custom and tradi- tion, making her impervious to the in- fluence of tl1e rest of the world. She is just arousing from her lethargy. Such an attitude toward the thought and ac- tivity of the world is depressing, fos- ters a dejection of spirits, and is wholly unsatisfactory. There are others who take an en- tirely different attitude toward the restlessness of the present age. They are the extreme liberals, imtpractible optimists, the advocates of revolution and Sedition. To them the present age of unrest is one of stupendous achieve- ment, announcing the approach of ideal conditions. Through their fanciful, chimerical, thinking they construct a lltopia soon to be realized. Among them you will find the advocates of the impracticable reforms, and those who look forward to an impossible state of perfection in society. They reject everything that bears thc stamp of oldness, seize eagerly everything that is new, and gladly accept every pro- duct of the modern age whether it be tried or untried. They make no contri- bution to the world 's progress. Either they are too tickle to complete a11y un- dertaking or else the project becomes top heavy and tumbles of its own ill proportions. We are no more tolerant toward the extreme liberal than to- ward him who dogmatically abides by the old. These are the extreme attitudes which the individual may take toward the larger group. But man seems to be inclined to extremes. lt is a difficult task to think independently o11 a sub- ject and be entirely free from the in- iiuence of the radical views. Careful deflnitition and a. proper use of rela- tives terms requires effort. It is al- ways easier to accept or reject the whole than select the good from the bad. The individual finds that he must apply himself strenuously and be willing to expend energy if he is to select the elements from his environ- ment, which he wishes to make his own, hence he is inclined lazily to pass judgment on things collectively, and thus takes an extreme attitude toward life rather tha11 investigate. The individual does not develope his powers by calmly allowing himself to drift with one or two extremes, but by exercising his capacity on compre- hension, descernment, discrimination