Washington and Lee University - Calyx Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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circuins( riliod coiloi e world for the wider activities of life, tliat tlie stii lcnt will now fully a])|)reeiate liis true worth and iiis lastinj; ' influence unoii their lives. In this class of tea -hers, Mr. Willis helonj rs. When the student leaves the shelterinir walls of Washington and Lee, and takes up the duties ami burdens of life, his estimate of Mr. Willis ' worth as a teacher and ruide grows in retrospect as the college gate recedes farther and farther from view and the possible problems of livelihood and citizenship demand solution. Mention might be made of Mr. Willis ' work as a |)ul)licist and journal- ist, for the same aims ami characteristics are apparent there as in his service as a teacher. Hut here we are concerned only with his work and influence for the students of Wasliington and Lee and for the broailcr interests of the South. Tims far his efforts have been all that could be desired. They will have a lasting value. With the further facilities made ])ossibleby the Wilson Memorial Fund, and the ])ropose l plans for extending the work and for providing a permanent home for the department of economics and politics, we may expect to see under tiie direction of Mr. Willis the scope of its influence expanded, the ideals of its founder given wider circulation, and an ever increasing numl)er of young men given a sound preparation for citizenship in a self-governing republic. W. Jf.TT Ij. UCK. W SHINGTON AND Lep: UnIVKRSITY.

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To the mind of the writer this hitter faet — tlic inspiration of a year ' s association with Pres. Wilson in fouiuhni; the econoniie department — has been the most significant factor in Mr. Wilhs ' work at Washington and Lee. Since the lamented death of President Wilson, the spirit which constrained him in establishing the work in economics and politics, has been the spirit which has animated Mr. Willis in carrying forward the work. In other words, one of the chief features of Mr. Willis ' work has been preserving and putting into practice the ideals enunciated and cherished by President Wil- son. The mantle of the patriotic beloved college president fell upon the shoulders of Mr. Willis, and he has shown himself to l)e a faithful follower and e.xecutorof his leader ' s wishes. Among the young men of the South and the country at large who have come under his influence, he has sought to generate and develop the desire and power of independent, original re- search, to foster the habits and ability of independent judgment, to ac- quaint them with the origin and historic growth of our institutions, with the fundamental principles of government, and so to enrich them with the re- sults of human experience fliat they can decide on thin or that policy as it may .strengthen or weahen our freedom , upon tli is or that econom ic doctrine, us it may advance or impair the genercd welfare; above all, to make them intelliyent and strony leaders, not servile and ill-informed followers of popular opinion or self beneficiaries of popular delusions. But, as has been said before, Mr. Willis ' work has not consisted alone in being the conservator and executor of President Wilson ' s ideals. He has brought to this important task a distinct personality of his own which has formed a fitting supplement to the influence of President Wilson. His in- tellectual honesty, his high conceptions of civic duty, his unceasing energy, and, as it were, unlimited capacity for work, have been not only a stimula- tion, but an ins])iration to his students. The men under his directions have felt the necessity of seeking after truth, and of aciiuiring right principles of thought and action. They have also felt a broader sympathy with men and affairs. The real teacher, like the poet, is born not made. His functions are not comprehended in the setting of tasks, the hearing of rec- itations, and in the delivery of brilliant and interesting lectures. On the contrary they consist in the impress of character, the implanting of high conceptions, and the stimulation to independent and correct habits of thought. Such a teacher will make a distinct impression upon his students during their college days, but it is in looking backward after leaving the

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) [NOTE.— lit reply t. plans for iti future. IL ' To The Editoks of the Calyx: ' I CCEPT my appreciative tlianks for your action in dedicating to me A I your annual volume — the permanent record of student life and I thought at Washington and Lee University. This recognition of the work which has fallen to my hand and of its significance for the future pleases me as evidence that a true conception of the need of econ- omic teaching has become diffused among your undergraduate body. It is now nearly eight years since I first joined the faculty of Washing- ton and Lee University, entrusted with the duty of organizing as a separate department the instruction in economics which, from a true appreciation of its importance, had already been instituted by Dr. James A. Quarles. There are none of you, I believe, who will recall the early work of the De- partment. Three main difficulties were presented — that of enlisting stu- dent interest in a subject for the first time separately organized at Washington and Lee, that of adjusting the new courses of instruction to the needs of the students, and that of securing the inaterial resources which would ensure the maintenance of an independent department. The first two of these obstacles have been gradually overcome. That they have been surmounted at all was very largely the result of the unselfish interest and personal sacri- fices of President William L. Wilson. His permanent and never-failing desire to impress upon those with whom he came in contact the real need for economic knowledge gave vitality to the department, directed attention to its courses and furnished the inspiration and support needed in perfecting