英语演讲稿《the social value of the collegebred》.docx
- 文档编号:6862169
- 上传时间:2023-05-10
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:5
- 大小:20.72KB
英语演讲稿《the social value of the collegebred》.docx
《英语演讲稿《the social value of the collegebred》.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《英语演讲稿《the social value of the collegebred》.docx(5页珍藏版)》请在冰点文库上搜索。
英语演讲稿《thesocialvalueofthecollegebred》
英语演讲稿《thesocialvalueofthecollege-bred》
OFWHATUSEisacollegetrainingWewhohavehaditseldomhearthequestionraisedmightbealittlenonplussedtoansweritoffhand.AcertainamountofmeditationhasbroughtmetothisasthepithiestreplywhichImyselfcangive:
Thebestclaimthatacollegeeducationcanpossiblymakeonyourrespect,thebestthingitcanaspiretoaccomplishforyou,isthis:
thatitshouldhelpyoutoknowagoodmanwhenyouseehim.Thisisastrueofwomen”sasofmen”scolleges;butthatitisneitherajokenoraone-sidedabstractionIshallnowendeavortoshow.
WhattalkdowecommonlyhearaboutthecontrastbetweencollegeeducationandtheeducationwhichbusinessortechnicalorprofessionalschoolsconferThecollegeeducationiscalledhigherbecauseitissupposedtobesogeneralandsodisinterested.Attheschoolsyougetarelativelynarrowpracticalskill,youaretold,whereasthecollegesgiveyouthemoreliberalculture,thebroaderoutlook,thehistoricalperspective,thephilosophicatmosphere,orsomethingwhichphrasesofthatsorttrytoexpress.Youaremadeintoanefficientinstrumentfordoingadefinitething,youhear,attheschools;but,apartfromthat,youmayremainacrudeandsmokykindofpetroleum,incapableofspreadinglight.Theuniversitiesandcolleges,ontheotherhand,althoughtheymayleaveyoulessefficientforthisorthatpracticaltask,suffuseyourwholementalitywithsomethingmoreimportantthanskill.Theyredeemyou,makeyouwell-bred;theymakegoodcompanyofyoumentally.Iftheyfindyouwithanaturallyboorishorcaddishmind,theycannotleaveyouso,asatechnicalschoolmayleaveyou.This,atleast,ispretended;thisiswhatwehearamongcollege-trainedpeoplewhentheycomparetheireducationwitheveryothersort.Now,exactlyhowmuchdoesthissignify
Itiscertain,tobeginwith,thatthenarrowesttradeorprofessionaltrainingdoessomethingmoreforamanthantomakeaskilfulpracticaltoolofhimitmakeshimalsoajudgeofothermen”sskill.Whetherhistradebepleadingatthebarorsurgeryorplasteringorplumbing,itdevelopsacriticalsenseinhimforthatsortofoccupation.Heunderstandsthedifferencebetweensecond-rateandfirst-rateworkinhiswholebranchofindustry;hegetstoknowagoodjobinhisownlineassoonasheseesit;andgettingtoknowthisinhisownline,hegetsafaintsenseofwhatgoodworkmaymeananyhow,thatmay,ifcircumstancesfavor,spreadintohisjudgmentselsewhere.Soundwork,cleanwork,finishedwork;feeblework,slackwork,shamworkthesewordsexpressanidenticalcontrastinmanydifferentdepartmentsofactivity.Insofarforth,then,eventhehumblestmanualtrademaybegetinoneacertainsmalldegreeofpowertojudgeofgoodworkgenerally.
Now,whatissupposedtobethelineofuswhohavethehighercollegetrainingIsthereanybroaderlinesinceoureducationclaimsprimarilynottobenarrowinwhichwealsoaremadegoodjudgesbetweenwhatisfirst-rateandwhatissecond-rateonlyWhatisespeciallytaughtinthecollegeshaslongbeenknownbythenameofthehumanities,andtheseareoftenidentifiedwithGreekandLatin.Butitisonlyasliteratures,notaslanguages,thatGreekandLatinhaveanygeneralhumanity-value;sothatinabroadsensethehumanitiesmeanliteratureprimarily,andinastillbroadersensethestudyofmasterpiecesinalmostanyfieldofhumanendeavor.Literaturekeepstheprimacy;foritnotonlyconsistsofmasterpiecesbutislargelyaboutmasterpieces,beinglittlemorethananappreciativechronicleofhumanmaster-strokes,sofarasittakestheformofcriticismandhistory.Youcangivehumanisticvaluetoalmostanythingbyreachingithistorically.Geology,economics,mechanics,arehumanitieswhentaughtwithreferencetothesuccessiveachievementsofthegeniusestowhichthesesciencesowetheirbeing.Nottaughtthus,literatureremainsgrammar,artacatalogue,historyalistofdates,andnaturalscienceasheetofformulasandweightsandmeasures.
Thesiftingofhumancreations!
nothinglessthanthisiswhatweoughttomeanbythehumanities.Essentiallythismeansbiography;whatourcollegesshouldteachis,therefore,biographicalhistory,thatnotofpoliticsmerely,butofanythingandeverythingsofarashumaneffortsandconquestsarefactorsthathaveplayedtheirpart.Studyinginthisway,welearnwhattypesofactivityhavestoodthetestoftime;weacquirestandardsoftheexcellentanddurable.Allourartsandsciencesandinstitutionsarebutsomanyquestsofperfectiononthepartofmen;andwhenweseehowdiversethetypesofexcellencemaybe,howvariousthetests,howflexibletheadaptations,wegainarichersenseofwhatthetermsbetterandworsemaysignifyingeneral.Ourcriticalsensibilitiesgrowbothmoreacuteandlessfanatical.Wesympathizewithmen”smistakesevenintheactofpenetratingthem;wefeelthepathosoflostcausesandmisguidedepochsevenwhileweapplaudwhatovercamethem.
Suchwordsarevagueandsuchideasareinadequate,buttheirmeaningisunmistakable.Whatthecollegesteachinghumanitiesbyexampleswhichmaybespecial,butwhichmustbetypicalandpregnantshouldatleasttrytogiveus,isageneralsenseofwhat,undervariousdisguises,superiorityhasalwayssignifiedandmaystillsignify.Thefeelingforagoodhumanjobanywhere,theadmirationofthereallyadmirablethedisesteemofwhatischeapandtrashyandimpermanentthisiswhatwecallthecriticalsense,thesenseforidealvalues.Itisthebetterpartofwhatmenknowaswisdom.Someofusarewiseinthiswaynaturallyandbygenius;someofusneverbecomeso.Buttohavespentone”syouthatcollege,incontactwiththechoiceandrareandprecious,andyetstilltobeablindprigorvulgarian,unabletoscentouthumanexcellenceortodivineitamiditsaccidents,toknowitonlywhenticketedandlabeledandforcedonusbyothers,thisindeedshouldbeaccountedtheverycalamityandshipwreckofahighereducation.
Thesenseforhumansuperiorityought,then,tobeconsideredourline,asboringsubwaysistheengineer”slineandthesurgeon”sisappendicitis.Ourcollegesoughttohavelitupinusalastingrelishforthebetterkindofman,alossofappetiteformediocrities,andadisgustforcheapjacks.Weoughttosmell,asitwere,thedifferenceofqualityinmenandtheirproposalswhenweentertheworldofaffairsaboutus.Expertnessinthismightwellatoneforsomeofourignoranceofdynamos.Thebestclaimwecanmakeforthehighereducation,thebestsinglephraseinwhichwecantellwhatitoughttodoforus,isthen,exactlywhatIsaid:
itshouldenableustoknowagoodmanwhenweseehim.
Thatthephraseisanythingbutanemptyepigramfollows,fromthefactthatifyouaskinwhatlineitismostimportantthatademocracylikeoursshouldhaveitssonsanddaughtersskilful,youseethatitisthislinemorethananyother.Thepeopleintheirwisdomthisisthekindofwisdommostneededbythepeople.Democracyisonitstrial,andnooneknowshowitwillstandtheordeal.Aboundingaboutusarepessimisticprophets.Ficklenessandviolenceusedtobe,butarenolonger,theviceswhichtheychargetodemocracy.Whatitscriticsnowaffirmisthatitspreferencesareinveteratelyfortheinferior.Soitwasinthebeginning,theysay,andsoitwillbeworldwithoutend.Vulgarityenthronedandinstitutionalized,elbowingeverythingsuperiorfromthehighway,this,theytellus,isourirremediabledestiny;andpicture-papersofEuropeancontinentarealreadydrawingUncleSamwithhoginsteadoftheeagleforhisheraldicemblem.Theprivilegedaristocraciesoftheforetime,withalltheiriniquities,didatleastpreservesometasteforhigherhumanqualityandhonorcertainformsofrefinementbytheirenduringtraditions.Butwhendemocracyissovereign,itsdoubterssay,nobilitywillformasortofinvisiblechurch,andsincerityandrefinement,strippedofhonor,precedence,andfavor,willhavetovegetateonsufferanceinprivatecorners.Theywillhavenogeneralinfluence.Theywillbeharmlesseccentricities.
Now,whocanbeabsolutelycertainthatthismaynotbethecareerofdemocracyNothingfutureisquitesecure;statesenoughhaveinwardlyrottedanddemocracyasawholemayundergoself-poisoning.But,ontheotherhand,democracyisakindofreligion,andweareboundnottoadmititsfailure.Faithsandutopiasarethenoblestexerciseofhumanreason,andnoonewithasparkofreasoninhimwillsitdownfatalisticallybeforethecroaker”spicture.Thebestofusarefilledwiththecontraryvisionofademocracystumblingthrougheveryerrortillitsinstitutionsglowwithjusticeanditscustomsshinewithbeauty.Ourbettermenshallshowthewayandweshallfollowthem;sowearebroughtroundagaintothemissionofthehighereducationinhelpingustoknowthebetterkindofmanwheneverweseehim.
Thenotionthatapeoplecanrunitselfanditsaffairsanonymouslyisnowwellknowntobethesilliestofabsurdities.Mankinddoesnothingsavethroughinitiativesonthepartofinventors,greatorsmall,andimitationbytherestofusthesearethesolefactorsactiveinhumanprogress.Individualsofgeniusshowtheway,andsetthepatterns,whichcommonpeoplethenadoptandfollow.Therivalryofthepatternsisthehistoryoftheworld.Ourdemocraticproblemthusisstatableinultra-simpleterms:
WhoarethekindofmenfromwhomourmajoritiesshalltaketheircueWhomshalltheytreatasrightfulleadersWeandourleadersarethexandtheyoftheequationhere;allotherhistoriccircumsta
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- the social value of the collegebred 英语演讲稿the social value of the collegebred 英语演讲 collegebred