St Olaf College - Viking Yearbook (Northfield, MN)

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gf W G-NZ N. X 5 1 ri ,f 1.LaQff.'qG'tfx-T-dff' f J -f--: f--,..,,, -zfrzav-' . .- 1. S,--C:- ,u-..- L. ..,..-:-. W for more money. Fortunately, there seems to be a growing conviction among peo- ple, that many, if not most, of the social problems of to-day can most efficiently be solved by educational methods. Consequently, there is an increasing tendency among those who have means and the disposition to use them for the good of society to make use of educational institutions as the agents. The numerous and large donations annually given to the cause of education give abundant proof, that an institution which performs a worthy service and does not keep its light under a bushel need not fail on account of the lack of financial support. A college that shall prove its right to exist and grow must, however, have more to its credit than the things which have been mentioned, indispensible as they are. It must be an institution that stands for definite ideals and offers a definite and real service. It must be the bearer of a specific message to the growing gener- ation, a message which is peculiar to it as an institution and which it can voice bet- ter than any other institution, a message which will stamp itself upon the charac- ters of teachers and students, control the spirit of the school, and form the center of its life. In olden times, when educational work was less organized than it is now, and the individual teacher counted for much more than he does at present, it was cus- tomary for students to wander from one place to another in order that they might listen to this or that famous teacher, who was not a school master only but a teach- er in a wider sense, a prophet with a message for his time. He was best taught who best succeeded in carrying forward the spirit and the message of the master, and so definite was the influence of the teacher over pupil that people could tell by it whose disciple a young man had been. While this is yet true in certain lines of special education, such as music and art, it is no longer true of education general- ly. The individual teacher is merged in the institution. As there seemed to be a loss of soul when the individual business man was lost in the corporation, so there has apparently been a loss of spirit when the teacher was lost in the institution. We are beginning now to complain of the fact that the corporations are so soul- less. Will it not be well also to inquire of institutions as to what manner of spirit they have? And, will not that inquiry, whether expressly and consciously made or not, be an opportunity for the college that can meet it well? St. Olaf College is an organ of the United Norwegian Lutheran Church. As such its possibilities for service are merged with the life and the ideals of the church. Two distinct opportunities may be discerned in this relation. One con- sists in conserving the present ideals of the church and transmitting its message so as to make it a vital force in the coming generation as it has been in the life of the one that is passing. This service aims principally at the continued existence of the church. There is another and more difficult opportunity for service. Its aim is not only the conservation but also the growth of the church. The demand is made of public education to-day that it shall not only transmit to the coming generation 15 -W .adggf 5 , N f be 9 . 4- I x 15 .1

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K ssr9g,,lgiliI5-l-i:frf?f.'ftS-1ieiir-- r ,ME 7, A.: ti T-C, -fy-22 . r. -5? Opportunities of St. Olaf HIS topic bids us think as idealists and optimists about our college. The realist is too much interested in things XX as they are to think of the opportunities of the X future, and the pessimist does not see the oppor- tunities. However, we must not be idealists to ' 'I - such an extent that we forget the realities of the ' present and proceed to build our castles of oppor- tunity in the air. The small colleges in our country are apparently facing some serious conditions. On the one hand we note the remarkable development of the public high school. By the multiplication and lengthening of its courses, by seek- ing a close adjustment to the rural schools as well as the grades, and by adapting itself to the special needs of the people it is fast becoming a people's college. On the other hand we see the professional schools increasing both in numbers and species and offering economic advantages that attract many. Between these two classes of schools the pessimist sees the small college of the future lose its being as if between the upper and nether millstone. A struggle for existence does not mean, however, the absence of opportunity. The multiplication of high schools will mean an increasing number of young peo- ple ready to seek an advanced education, and the constituency of the college will increase rather than decrease, provided the college offers the education that the future high school graduate wants. As technical schools develop, in which only specialized training is given, and more and more people take advantage of them, there will also be greater demand for the more general and liberalizing education which the college tries to give. Someone will say, that in the struggle to meet the new demands many of the present colleges will fail. This will no doubt be true. Some so-called colleges will cease to exist altogether, others will become academies and junior colleges, some will become technical schools. But this very struggle will be an opportunity for the colleges that can meet it. It will compel them to advance and adapt them- selves to the changing conditions, and this compulsion is the very essence of op- portunity. What are some of the specific demands which in this struggle will come to St. Olaf College and which, if it meets them properly, will constitute its oppor- tunities? Will, there be a demand for more buildings, better equipment, more efficient teaching? Undoubtedly, and all of these will result in a general demand By PROF. JULIUS BoRAAs 14

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X WX xx T' 'N,f- A . i xy-. sjtm.f?Fe'ElTT-'S'7.' - live?-3 JSZ xy' ' ' ' ' 'if'-A19 V4 the heritage of the past, but that it shall so interpret the message of the past as to Q 42 create an inspiration which will make the life of the descendant better than that of Q? the ancestor. As a good steward it is not to return its talents without interest. That church college is an unworthy servant which does not make possible a better church than the one which laid its foundation. This is an opportunity before which any college or institution needs to stand with humility and reverence. St. Glaf College is also a Norwegian-American institution. As such it has a unique service to render. An individual, as a race, must be well rooted in the past to live completely and effectively. By circumstances of immigration the Nor- wegian-American has been separated from his ancestry and his country. He adopts his new country as readily as it adopts him, but it is for him a country without a past in any real sense such that he can feel the influence of its history as a stamina in his very marrow and bone. He needs some agency which will con- serve and interpret for him the history, the spirit of the two civilizations that he represents and so adapt the one to the other that the joint result shall excell either constituent. just such a work is a part of the functions of our college, and, if it is performed not narrowly and selfishly, but broadly and ideally, it will constitute a very valuable service not only to the special class to which it ministers, but also to the citizenship, the intellectual and spiritual welfare of the country as a whole. One of the criticisms made concerning American colleges in general is, that they lack individuality, show no variety in type. Our college is fortunate in hav- ing a particular work to do, a definite message to proclaim. It is not a duplicate of any other college. This prevents destructive competition and at the same time gives a specific character to the institution. It will be noticed that we have spoken of opportunity almost exclusively in terms of service. There are no better terms. According to this view our college will have its greatest possibilities and be worth the most when it renders the great- est service to mankind g for it is true of institutions as of individuals, that whoso- ever will be great let him be as one that serves. Our age is rich in inspiration for service. We are experiencing in this coun- try a revival of righteousness such as the world has scarcely seen before. Educa- tional, social, economic, and political problems are urgently demanding solution. All of them are vital to the welfare of the mass of the people, and all spring from a quickened conception as to the duty of a man to his neighbor. Our country is literally hungering for righteousness. In business, in labor, in professional life, in politics, in social relations, everywhere is heard the question, Who is my neigh- bor and how may I be to him as a brother? Ou-r time needs men and women who have much real knowledge, who have broadness of vision, who are dominated by high ideals, and who are filled with sympathy and the spirit of true service, to study and analyse these problems and to give themselves to the labor of their so- lution. 16