Montana State University Northern - Northerner Yearbook (Havre, MT)

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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT In last year ' s annual. I wrote about the 25 years of service which Northern has rendered. A number of words were devoted to the philosophy of the school and many more to physical plant improvement and future expansion. I hope, as I dictate this brief message, that by the time it is read much improvement will have become a reality rather than a dream, m- cluding the basic work on the development of an athletic field, the starting of the armory- gymnasium, the men ' s dormitory, and the addition to the automotive mechanics building. I am sure there will be much joy on the campus when some of the projects we have talked about for so long are finally completed. We can have more fun along with our work when adequate facilities are available. Much as we like to see evidence of tangible accomplishments, we need to remind ourselves continuously that there are values in areas which cannot always be reduced to highly-specific things. The constant repetition of certain ideas or concepts is very boring to some people. Yet the poet Goethe observed; All truly wise thoughts have been thought already, thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again -honestly, till they take firm root in our personal experience. Among the wise thoughts which have come to us and have been developed by our own leaders. I would include freedom, the idea that people are important, the ideal of brotherly love under the Fatherhood of God. fair play, and the importance of the appreciation of beauty and the rejection of all that is ugly. Values that endure tend, at first glance, to seem intangible and sometimes impractical; but I assure you they are not. Freedom is difficult to see in tangible things, but it is vital to all of us. The dignity of the human individual was never so important as it is now. The ideal of brotherly love under the Fatherhood of God seems to be our only hope when an H-bomb is able to blow us off the face of the earth. Fair play, good sportsmanship, righteousness have meaning for all of us which can be significant and appreciation of beauty is a comforting ex- perience when so much around us has been made ugly by the negligence or despoliation of man. The study of life values is a continuous one and does not end with the completion of college work. It is our hope here at Northern that students will find encouragement, strength and cultural enrichment as they work diligently at building a life worth living; and we trust, too. that there has been much fun and high adventure during the process. Sincerely, c f