Valparaiso University - Beacon / Record Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

Page 30 text:

pick out the brightest pupil of the class and have him stand and deliver a hortatory valedietory winding up with gLet us then be up and doingK or words to that effect. As I recall these valedietories CI never. gave one myselfl, they ran something like this: HWe should all have high ideals. Where would XVashing- ton have been without high ideals? Where would Lincoln havebeen without high ideals? Therefore, let us all have high idealsfi Valedictories in lzzie years,hmvevenhave said their vales, and their return is little more desired than would be an encore of tie Fourth of July. I 15nd myself at this time. altlioz'gh fully appreciative of the courtesy of this Class in asking me to speak to them and to you, alnutst wit:- ing that baccalaureate addresses might pass into a siiniliar desuetude. I may note, though, this distinction lGl'xZOOn valedietories and baeealauretories. The valeiieter- ian in all his pride had, nevertheless, to assrine a modest and becoming equality, and say: Let us. The baccalaureate speaker, on the contrary, is not subject to the same limiting conditions, but may speak authoritatively, and say: Do this; shun tltat. Although perehanee a flat failure himself, none the less he is supposed to be, at least apparently sup; poses himself to be, capable of giving safe and sound exhortation to tens or hundreds of young persons of various temperaments, capabilities and ideals. If an occasion of this kind were not naturally solemn, one would be tempted to say that this is a big, hoaxy joke. I have wondered sometimes what the effect would be if a baccalaureate speaker were honestly to say: Young people, I do not know enough about anything, least of all about you, to give you anyi sensible advice, so I believe I711 just talk about other things. To be sure, in more recent years there has been less direct advice to members of a graduating class, and now the tendency is toward pointing out to the Nation its pitfalls and pet follies. Ilin not at all sure, though, that the Nation listens very attentively or pays any heed to this gratuitous admonition. When I think of the thousands of such addresses given yearly in Grammar Schools, High Schools, Colleges and Universities, I cant help thinking of blank cartridges, those noisy things whose only Vir- tue is comparative harmlessness. I have read a good many of these recent addresses in whole or in part. and I note a generally pessimistic tone in many of; them. Summarized, they amount to about this: The Country is in a bad way; it has been leading a riot- ous, prodigal life. until not only is its voice husky. but it has really lost its pristine health and Vigor as well as the moral tone of earlier years. It has moral and physical diabetes, sarcoma, appendicitis, gall- stones and gout. It must diet religiously for a time. and then submit to the surgeonis knife. Well, this is an old tune. Jeremiah and Isaiah sang it. Cicero industriously tive-iingered it, and in modern times it has been the favorite solo number of Carlyle, Ruskin and Tolstoy. Naturally it is in the minor key, and makes liberal use of diseords. A young man is buoyant, hopeful, idealistic; so is a young nation; a niicldleeaged man is thoughtful, prac- tical, prosaic; so is a iniddle-aged nation; an old man tends toward pessimism. distrust, inelaneolia; so does an old nation. But America is not an old nation, and just as we dislike to hear a young man or a man of niiddle-age always speaking as if he were an oetogen- arian, so this pessimistic outlook in America seems premature. Change is not necessarily deterioration, but rather is the law of life; and the spirit of honor- did not die with Jefferson and Lincoln. These later addresses generally close with a little well-meant flattery to the graduating classes, telling them that though the country has lost its savor, it is through them, the salt of the earth, that the savor may be restored. This doubtless does little. harm; and anyhow one is entitled to feel proud and important on two occasions of his life: namely, on graduation and e on one other occasion. So far, too, as I am able to discover, this feeling of importance is usually ephemeral, and it is therefore only fair that one should not be cheated out of his rightful inheri- tanee. Nevertheless, when we stop to think of this mat- ter of giving advice in allopathie allotments, we can- not help noticing seine amusing inconsistencies and ineongruities. In the first place, a man in giving ad- Viee must speak either as a superior to inferiors, or from the standpoint of admitted failure. In the one ease, he impliedly says: See in me the benefieent re- sults of living according to the principles which I now urge upon you. I have fought the good fight; go thou, and do likewise. This attitude involves a naive, unconscious, Rooseveltian egoism the humor of which repays the one who takes the trouble to think about it. ttThere is nothingf says Addison. Hwhieh we receive with so much reluctance as ad- Viee. XVe look upon the man who gives it as offering an affront to our understanding, and treating us like children or idiots. We consider the instruction as an implicit censure, and the zeal which any one shows for our good on sueh an occasion, as a pieee of pre- sumption or iinpertinenee. The truth of it is, the person who pretends to advise, does, in that particu- lar, exercise a superiority over us. and can have no other reason for it, but that, in comparing us with himself. he thinks us defective either in our eonduet or our eharaeterY, In similar vein are Thoreauis Clever, eaustie words in Walden: ltIf I knew for a eertainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my lifeW In the other ease, he will practically say: My life has been an ignominious failure. I was indiffer- ent in youth to education, and always I have been a shiftless spendthrift. careless of my money, my time, my reputation, my character. Look at me as a hora rible example. and profit by my experience. Be stud- ious, economical. industrious, deeorous and'you will have your reward, as I have had mine; As to this

Page 29 text:

ON GIVING ADVICE BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS TO THE CLASS OF 1910 B. F. Williams Members of the Graduating Class of 1910, Ladies and Gentlemen: MAN and his son were once going with A their donkey to market. As they were walking along by its side a countryman passed them and said: MYou fools, what is a donkey for but to ride upontw So the man put the boy on the donkey and they went on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, - one of whom said: HSee that lazy youngster. he lets his father walk while he rides.H So the man ordered his boy to get off and got on himself. But they hadnit gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to the other: tiShaine on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge alongfi Well, the man didnt know what to do, but at last he took lis boy up before him on the donkey. By this time .they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and point at them. The man stopped and asked what they were scoffing at. The men said: HArenlt you ashamed of yourself for overloading. that poor donkey of yours you and your hulking sonti, The man and boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and they thought. till at last t1 ey cut down a pole, tied the donkeyis feet to it, and raised the pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to Market Bridge, wl en tl e donkey. getting one of his feet loose. kicked out and caused the boy to drop his end of the pole. In the struggle the donkey fell over the bridge, and lis fore feet being tied together he was drowned. The authorship of this sad and tragic, bit of fie- tion is popularly ascribed to a man named Aesop who lived in Greece a good while ago. Those patient plodding scholars who like to be exact tell 11s that very little is known about this Mr. Aesop. and some of them say that there is little probability that he had much if anything to do with the fables passing under his name, Isee little reason, however. for making a fuss about it, and so I shall assume that to Aesop belongs the honor. And since so little is known for sure about him, I am practically unhain- pered by facts and can say of him whatever I please. This Aesop, then, I take it, was a specialistahis specialty being tabloid morals for obtuse mortals. There is a tradition that he wrote for kings and dig- nitaries, but I am inclined to think that he wrote for the tplain peoplef whom American politicians so much admireEsinee there are so many of them and each one has a vote. Aesop apparently was no mys tic, but had a prosaic, sehoolmastensort of a mind with a redeeming touch of humor, and was bent above all on being understood. ' I have often regretted that Aesop hadn,t lived in England in the nineteenth century so that Robert Browning might have taken a course in composition and rhetoric under him, and I can even imagine a recommendation that he might have given Robert at the end of the course: To whom it may concern: This is to certify that Robert Browning has been under my instruction in composition and rhetoric for two terms, and he has made such rapid progress that not only is he able to distinguish between a syneedoche and a parabola, but also to write a line now and then the aesthetic and moral meaning of which is intellie gible even to himself. He is, in my opinion, especial- ly well qualified to teach in a Young La-diesi Semin- ary, or to give interpretative lectures to Literary Clubs, and I feel confident that no mistake would be made in choosing him for such a position. Very sin- cerely yours, Aesop. Well, this Aesop was unwilling to take any chances even on the wayfaring 1112111780 he always carefully explained what his fables were meant to teach. For example the story I read to you has a moral coda appended which is to this effect: Try to please everybody and you will please nobodyenot to mention the loss of donkeys and things. But what Aesop didnt see. what the average moralist usually doesnt see, was the inconsistency in his own little preaehment. If I were to offer a prize of three pack- ages of Grape-nuts, the modern brain-food, to every one in this audience who could point out the incon- sistency, 1,111 afraid an extra force of workmen would have to be imported into Battle Creek. How- ever. as I also wish to be understood, I. too, will take no eh anees and will say that Aesop was advising peo- ple not to take advice, which fact renders the moral null, void and of no effect. For if they were not to take advice, then they wouldnt take his advice not to take advice,-whieh statement ought to be as dear as one of Aesopis own morals. Now while I am speaking in this thoroughly transparent fashion-in which I swear I use no art at allel ought to an- nounce my theme. so far at least as I may choose to stick to a theme. and it is this: HOn Giving AdvieeW It appears to me that this ought to be a very; appropriate subject. for a baccalaureate address. yet strange as it may appear I do not remember ever to have heard or read one on this topic. Appropriatee for the chief ingredient of most baccalaureate sera moms and addresses is certainly advice; the rest is only flavoring extract and effervescent fluid. Or if not appropriate, then at least it ought to be permis- sible for one such address to consider for a little. while the substance of which many of the others are composed. It. used to be customary at graduation time to

Page 31 text:

latter, why should we believe that a man who is an acknowledged failure-eand even this pathetic ad- mission reveals a peculiar vanity, saying, as it were: I had great innate capabilities, but alas l-why, I say, should we believe that a man who has failed at every- thing else can be a success at giving advice? Then again, advice must be general or specific. It must deal with broad generalizations supposed to be applicable to everybody, at least to a elass or group of persons, such as principles of character and conduct; or with particulars suitable for the indi-r Vidual. Now, the diftieulty in the one instance is that few things in the way of advice are universally ap- plicable, and these few have become haekneyed by wearisome and trite iteration. Suppose I advise you to be honest. You have heard that a thousand times and it falls cold and dead; and besides I do not wish to plagiarize the Ten Commandments. Or suppose I tell you to work hard. You have also heard that; before, and, moreover, many of you work too hard already. As to individual advice, it would seem that the one who essays to give it is obsessed with a pre- sumptuous, overweening self-eonfidenee. How can I; or how can any man pretend to have the wisdom necessary to offer advice to you as a sort of guide; book for this interesting tour which we call life? In the first place, we havent been over the whole road. Then, too, how can we be sure that we have chosen the best or the worst read? About all we can do is to tell you some of the pleasures and dangers, the- wayside shade, the winding streams and the undu- lating plains lost in the mystic haze of the horizon that we have seen; or the ruts and stones, bad bridges and worse hills that we have found. But you know already that these will likely be encoun- tered on any road. We can, indeed, suggest a good equipment in the way of extra tires and accessories, or, in other words, reserve Vitality and reserve preparation; or the need of careful renewals of gasoline and lubricating oil, which is to say continued watehfulness that head and heart do not run dry; or we may advise caution and patience and taking no more than your share of the roacl-whieh needs no interpretation. This we can do, and little more. How can I be specific and urge you to choose a certain profession, to be a farmer, teacher, physician, lawyer. banker? Do I have any extraordinary intuition, any nlagie insight into your capacities, inclinations and ideals that enables me to tell in which you would succeed best? Shall I ad- vise you individually to marry early, late, or not at all; to live in the country or city; to seek many friends or few; to save money like a miser or spend it generously like a prince? This would be specific advice, but what possible value could it have ? Seareely any man has the wisdom to guide his own life aright, can see failure after failure. mistake after mistake along the back track. That sharp turn he should have taken on low speed; he should have remembered that a COW is naturally phlegmatie and non-exeitable; he should never have tried to make the big Packard take his dust. Memory and Medi- tation, one would think, might be parents to Mod-i: esty. To you young people starting out with your new machines, can I say with becoming humility much more than that I have found the game of life worth the candle, or the tour worth the garage bills, and to wish you heartily a safe and happy journey? Well, if it be presumptuous to proffer individual advice, either general or specific, what sublime assur- ance must the baccalaureate speaker, or the popular platform orator. have who engages to tell the country what it should do and forbear doing? I have noticed that such speakers usually believe in the provi- dential guidance of nations, but they also apparently think that Providence is occasionally negleetful, or that He is on a vacation; or, as Elijah Inoekingly said about Baal, Heither he is talking, or he is pursu- ing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleep- eth, and must be awakedfiaand therefore offer themselves as a substitute. Without experience as statesmen, often with a superficial knowledge of the fundamental ideas of government and law and offi- cial responsibility, they point out in glaring, garish rh etorie the derelietion of the Senate and the House, of the justices of the Supreme Court, of mayors and aldermen and policemen. This thing of telling other men, especially men in otlieial position, their duty, in- stead of tending to ones own, is getting to be a pre- valent and contagious mania in this country. Only a few weeks ago Mayor Gaynor of New York City wrote a significant letter to the district superinten- dent of the International Reform Bureau who had protested against the exhibition of the Johnson- Jeffries fight pictures tthey wrote it Jeffries-John- son before the fightl ciIf it lay in my power? wrote Mayor Gaynor, ttto say whether the pictures sliould be exhibited it would not take me long to de- eide it. I do not see how it can do anyone anyagood to look at them, but will you be so good astonemem- her that ours is a government of laws and not: of men? Will you please get that well into your head? I am not able to do as I like as mayor. I must take the law just as it is. and you may be ab- solutely certain that I shall not take the law into my own hands. The growing exercise of arbitrary power in this country by those put in office would be fan more dangerous and is far more to be dreaded than certain other Vices that we all wish to minimize or be rid off, HWill you please get that well into your headtW he said. That letter. I think, is well worth getting into anybodyts head. This is not saying that there are not social and economic evils under our government, or under any government, but I should be very loath. if such a tling were possible, to turn the government over to the nopular orators and self-appointed reformers. Florid, popular oratory at so much per is as much, of a menace, one may honestly think, as the graft and corruption which serve as such profitable themes. The man who diagnoses national or social ills, and,