University of Western Ontario - Occidentalia Yearbook (London, Ontario Canada)

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, s. ra-M 70 Zfze 01644 of '-44: Veritas et utilitas s it is fitting in the circumstances of to-day that these words from the University crest should be chosen as Occidentalia's theme. The principles they represent deserve constant emphasis. ln placing Truth on its crest, Western followed a precedent in education. The word is found in fitting quotations over the doorway of one historic sister University, and in the corner-stone of another. Education is envisioned as a search for truth and Uni- versities as dedicated to that search. Truth must be defined, however, as it is an ambiguous term. lt may designate merely veracity as opposed to falsehood, and as such, it, at times, reveals little more than good intentions. Qn the other hand Truth may imply reality in contradistinction to illusion, and it is in this sense that it appears as a supreme good. The Truth shall make you free , proclaimed the great Teacher, and human experience has shown that it is in the search for reality that man has been gradually emancipated from the bonds of fear and the consequences of wrong think- ing and living. lllusion and half truths are the seed plot of disaster. The life of the present student generation has been tragically disrupted because of the failure of men to seek Truth in its fundamental sense. Strange ideologies and political philosophies have been instilled iito the minds of untold millions. Fanciful racial theories and conceptions of the state led men astray and humanity and civiliza- tion are paying a ghastly priceg for after all, ideas, both good and bad, may become dynamic when they are motivated. An unworthy kind of education called propaqanda gave life to these wrong ideas and Truth was swept from its high estate. The present generation and many succeeding ones will inevitably reap the consequences of this wrong thinking, this disregard of reality. To re-establish Truth will be a prerequisite to that better world of which many dream. Members of this year's graduating class will, as have others, look back to three or four years in which information and skills were acquired. Some of these may be applied and some may not but the ability and urge to seek Truth and recognize it when it is found is a prize of inestimable worth. The president of an American university holds that it is impossible in the present unpredictable times, to train students specifi- cally for an unpredictable future. He believes, however, that they can be trained to think so that no matter in what circumstances they find themselves in after life, they can face new problems quietly, cooly, and think them through to the end. To develop an enquiring and an independent mind, a disciplined and a furnished mind is an achieve- ment of the highest order. lt is a major step in the search for Truth. lt is a strong

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-10 zz., qwewzm, emi of 1944.- As an unremitting search alter truth is the prime characteristic oi a good college land who is there to say that Western is not one?l, so are its graduates marked by a burning desire to hold to the things that are fine and true in the culture that is the product ot centuries of progressive civilization. Your exit from the academic quiet ot these cloistered halls is made at a time when one oi the great tasks ot enlightened mankind is to maintain the permanence of that culture for which'so much is now being sacrificed on the battle-fields by your own generation. lt must be your high purpose to assume that responsibility and to bring truth into the service oi humanity. Never has there been a time when Western's heraldic ideal has been a more appropriate guide for her alumni. Veritas et utilitas. Congratulations on your success so tarp and Godspeed. ior the future. DOROTHY TURVILLE, Dean oi Women.

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defence against the insidious attacks of propaganda. lt is a promise of better things. ln a changing world where many new patterns of life will be established and new values set up, it is the truth-seeking mind that will rank high and make the worthy contribution. Fortunately the training of such a mind does not necessarily stop with the acquisition of an academic degree but may continue and become a habit that will add immeasurably to the interest and value of all later life. Service is a less appealing word than Truth but it is none the less challenging. The phenomenal development of Service Clubs indicates the feeling abroad that, with the increasing complexity and interdependence of life, there is a responsibility laid on all to serve the common good. ln our complex order the college graduate may be considered from two angles. With his greater knowledge and skill in the professions of law, medicine, theology, pedagogy, nursing, engineering, etc., he is in a position to render such service as to place the community under obligation to him. lf conscien- tious, he has a right to expect honour, respect, and even more tangible recognition of his social contribution. There is, however, another point of view. ln a peculiar way the student is the pampered child of society. For him others toil and spin P- and pay taxes. l-le makes little or no contribution to the tangible needs of his community. The student, through the ages, has been protected and privileged. Great institutions of learning and research have been reared for the training of the few. Public and private gifts have kept fees infinitely below the level of cost and have, in cases, provided scholarships and other aids. ln times of crisis the student has, on occasion, been restrained from making a major sacrifice. lt is true that this is for the sake of his potential contribution at a later date but meanwhile, a playing field is infinitely more comfortable than a battle field. These benefactions are a wise investment on the part of the public even viewed selfishly, but on the other hand, the recipients are obligated to the Public in a peculiar way. The products of our Universities have as much, if not a greater right, to be imbued with the spirit of service than have any other portion of the community. lt is true that many of our students have made valiant efforts to achieve an education but these efforts would be in vain had they not been met and matched by the contributions of those who strove to establish and support adequate educational facilities. As honorary president, may I extend my congratulations to the graduating class on the achievement of a coveted goal. You have come through a shadowed period in university history. Much of the fun and carefree good times, usually considered to be the heritage of the student, have been denied you. You have never known the Uni- versity apart from the mounting sense of tension responsibility and loss that overhangs such a place in the time of war and sacrifice. The future, despite promises, holds count- less problems and challenges. Every new era does. lt will be a brave time calling for brave people. My hope is that your stay at Western has helped you to develop that high courage, that consecration to Truth or reality, that willingness to serve the best, for which a better order calls. Without these virtues there will be no better order. Good bye and good fortune. S. F. MAINE, Honorary President, Arts '44,