COMMENTARY
December 2016
THE WABASH
ADVANCING IDEAS & INSIGHTS ABOUT TRADITIONAL WABASH, EST. 1993
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December 2016
COMMENTARY THE WABASH
E ditor J acob R oehm ‘18 S taff Nathan Muha ‘18 Jared Cottingham ’18 Nolan Callecod ’19 Brandon Johnson ’19
CONTENTS
5| Dress Like a Gentleman
by Jared Cottingham ’18 & Nathan Muha ’18
7| Wabash’s Forgotten Peacekeeper by Nolan Callecod ’19
9| Tragedy in the (far) Southland by a Nation in Mourning
10| The One Rule(s)
by Brandon Johnson ’19
12| Lost & Found
by C&T Syllabus Committee
14| What Do We Mean by a College? by Rev. Joseph Farrand Tuttle
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The Wabash Commentary is published by the Foundation for a Traditional Wabash, Ltd., and is distributed free to Wabash Students (limit two copies per person). Donate $25.00 or more and receive a subscription! All contributions should be made payable to the“Foundation for a Traditional Wabash.” The Wabash Commentary is a member of the Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA) and the Collegiate Network. Special thanks to the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Leadership Institute, Young America’s Foundation and USBIC.
Who We Are: The Wabash Commentary (TWC) is a student-run journal of news and opinion dedicated to advancing ideas and insights about Traditional Wabash. Since its inception in 1993, TWC has fiercely maintained its editorial independence, free of administration or faculty control, not beholden to any social, partisan, or religious agenda. Drawing from both classical liberal and traditionalist thought, TWC’s mission is to foster rational discussion in the common pursuit of Scientiae et Virtuti, on campus and beyond.
Permanent Things
Hello All,
Since this my first issue as editor I should introduce myself. My name is Jacob Roehm, a Philosophy and Political Science double major from southern Indiana. I take over the reins of The Wabash Commentary after a couple of tumultuous years in our leadership, and one of my first goals has been to get us going the right way forward. 2016 marks the 22nd year that the Wabash Commentary has been on campus. As we reflect on the work that has been done by our predecessors, we look forward to our own place in the history of this magazine. It is our hope that the Commentary will serve to enliven campus debate and provide an outlet for those students who want their voices to be heard. As we have been told over and over again, ideas have consequences, and the end result of an absence of reasoned debate on campus is pernicious orthodoxy. As editor I hope to continue the best traditions of my predecessors and help the Commentary make whatever positive impact it can on the life of the College. Since our last issue, we have been hard at work putting our house in order, making sure that the Commentary will be around for another decade or more. This semester has been filled with email wars, tasteless menswear, and scolding chapel talks. The events of this semester have revealed a willingness amongst some to demonize our fellow Wabash Men. The Wabash Commentary seeks to defend not only the students, but the cherished history and traditions of the College. Any institution, but especially a college, exists to fulfill certain purposes. When it no longer meets them, or seeks to adopt new ones, those who are loyal to the original mission are obligated to speak up. I regard the efforts of this magazine as being in that spirit. To quote Wabash’s third president, the Rev. Joseph Tuttle, “The old faith is good enough for me, and I am sure that I speak to the profoundest convictions of the founders and patrons of this college in saying it is good enough for you.”
Yours for a Healthy Wabash,
Jacob Roehm ’18
Cheers Jeers to the Ur’nal Review for the recent compliments. Sometime this last spring, The Wabash Commentary published an article titled “Dress like a Gentleman: Summer Edition,” just like the title you recently published. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you know. Cheers
Jeers to the Student Senate. They’ve done something wrong. We just don’t have proof, yet.
Jeers to the rhetoric department for losing the Bell Game for Wabash.
to the freshmen that are tasting winter for the first time. Cheers
to the most hardcore ‘political activists’ on campus— no, not the MXI or Campus Republicans— the local anarchists armed with chalk. We fear that spray paint would have created mass hysteria, and, boy, that would destroy all order and sensibility at this Cheers
institution. Next time, we recommend Jeers to the administration for overusing crayons in the halls of Center. stepping their bounds. That’ll really stick it to the man, man. Cheers to all campus emails from Jeers to the student body for fi- the president, we love being scolded nally crawling out from your computer when someone else was wrong! bunkers and into the open air of email wars only after a 108-year long curse Cheers to Professor Morillo, if only was broken. The Cubs won the World we could elicit such a swift response Series, great! Now, can we get back to from the administration. the important matters like who is ballin’ at 8? Cheers to The Bachelor for hiding their plagiarism. What class, what cunJeers to the Cubs for breaking ning it must take to hijack “Cheers and tradition. Jeers” and turn it into that bastardized creation you call “High Fives” without Cheers to the Sphinx club for fully inspiring the wrath of professors and embracing a religious ideology as an the Academic Honesty Committee. institution. It’s comforting to see such a wide Jewish population prancing Jeers to ‘shOUT for embracing the around in little yarmulkes on campus. same sort of backwards thinking they oppose. Once an all-inclusive safeJeers to Ethan Buresh for talking space for the questioning student, now about the administration overstepping a members only club after creating retheir bounds in the Monon Bell Chapel quirements to maintain membership Talk. That’s our job. status.
Got Opinions? We can help! Contact the Editor at : jrroehm 18@ wabash . edu
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Couture
Dress like a Gentleman Winter Style Edition
J ared C ottingham ’18 & N athan M uha ’18 | jtcottin 18@ wabash . edu & namuha 18@ wabash . edu Mssr. Cottingham: Ah, what a wonderful time of year for dressing one’s self. As the crisp air of autumn begins to chill further and Old Man Winter creeps upon us all, take relief in the fact that your wardrobe will be as versatile as ever. Trying to keep warm requires wool and heartier fabrics make a return to gentlemen’s closets everywhere after a long, hot summer. This time of year reintroduces the elegant gentleman to my own personal favorite article of clothing: the sweater. Whether it be your sole top layer on a warmer afternoon or worn over a crisp oxford or under a sport coat when it’s a bit balmy, the sweater can add many possibilities to your day-to-day dressing. The true beauty of the sweater lies within its acceptability in both casual and formal contexts. The weekly grind presents the perfect opportunity to reach for a well-made cotton option in one’s preferred style. I myself primarily enjoy the crewneck and cardigan variations, usually opting for a cardigan in most casual settings. Not to say that the cardigan is inherently a casual style. Rather, I just tend to wear them as primarily a casual article. As your appointments and social obligations become more formal, it is best to reach for a woolen or cashmere sweater. Obviously, both wool and cashmere work marvelously in a casual context as well, however,
these fabrics tend to lend themselves to formal wear more so than a cotton option. Though it is tempting to purchase rather unsightly sweaters upon the invitation to events such as an “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party,” I humbly implore you to keep your sweaters, and their patterns, tasteful. This does absolutely not condemn holiday
positive numbers. Much as with sweaters, suit fabrics should get a bit more toasty so as to keep you safe from those pesky indoor drafts. Mssr. Muha and I tend to reach for woolen options when it comes to suiting. Dark hues such as navy and grey look wonderful in the bleaker months. However, as variety is the spice of life, the occasional glen plaid or herringbone jacket or trouser can be a marvelous option for a gentleman. For our more sartorially inclined readers: go ahead, reach for the tartan trouser or dinner jacket. Such avant garde options really hit their stride starting in December. Perhaps the trickiest article to adapt to the chillier weather is one’s footwear. As overexposure to snow and slush can put your favorite Goodyear-welted brogues out of commission, it is vital to have other options. Though I do still wear leather soles on dry days, I have found it best to opt for rubber soled shoes in the winter. They simply respond better to a bit of AMI wool sweater moisture and still come in a fair favorites such as Fair Isle or Nordic amount of fine silhouettes. prints, rather, it speaks more to articles In all reality, no other option works that resemble emesis, or need to be quite as well as the boot in winter. plugged in so that the attached lights Whether you prefer the Chelsea can illuminate your chest. variety or primarily enjoy the sturdier As usual with fit, try to keep Red Wing, boots can help the modern sweaters fairly slim. However, it is gentleman conquer the frigid terrain. always nice to have a cozy, oversized Love them or hate them, L.L. Bean option for when the mercury in the boots will save your finer leather shoes thermometer can’t seem to reach an early retirement.
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In addition to sturdy footwear, it is important to account for the weather when one needs to trek to class or simply take a winter promenade. To keep your ears safe from frostbite, a watchman cap will do the job quite nicely. I tend to reach for the woolen variety, however, cotton will do just fine. If you feel like treating yourself, perhaps opt for cashmere. For lack of a better phrase, the topcoat makes the best top layer for venturing out into the weather. A topcoat possesses the same versatility as that of a sweater in that it pairs beautifully with both a formal and casual ensemble. Whether you choose the iconic camel color or instead decide on a patterned number, the topcoat will fulfill the gentleman’s desire for warmth and taste. Nowadays, there is no need to spend a great deal on a topcoat, as they are offered by many reputable design houses and makers. If you can catch a sale or simply can’t contain your desires, the Ludlow topcoat by J.Crew is perhaps the finest choice in regards to both quality and price. Mssr. Muha: Naval-inspired peacoats also provide one with an option in a variety of colors and patterns. Usually crafted from wool, peacoats began their lives as standardissue military wear for sea-faring naval troops facing bitter cold and wet weather. Now, accessibility to these rugged yet handsome outer coats isn’t just for enlisted men, but for anyone with access to a local department store. For an affordable yet stylish option, opt for the Polo Ralph Lauren peacoat in tried-and-trusted navy blue, available at Macy’s (even better if you’re able to catch a sale - or a sail). Winter is also a time for the more
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conservative dressers amongst our readers to experiment with some of the easiest - and most underutilized - sartorial boosts one could find: Accessories. Scarves are practical and fun, with many offerings of sizes, patterns, colors, and styles available.
J Crew wool-cashmere blend topcoat
Mssr. Cottingham and I usually tend to keep things neutral with our scarves, opting for base colors such as grey, navy, or black to maximize usage, but introduce some flavor into the mix with textures and patterns. A knit scarf in a cable knit pattern will boost any black scarf from boring to interesting in no time. Much like your clothes, heavier fabrics like wool, flannel, or cashmere are optimal for scarves in the wintertime. Just be sure to retire them once spring arrives, and switch over to your lighter cotton, silk, or linen varieties. A good pair of gloves should fit snug against your fingers, with a soft fabric lining for good insulation. Sturdy materials like leather and wool are go-to favorites for gloves. I would suggest going with a leather glove
with cashmere lining, which is offered from a variety of stores such as Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, or J.Crew (whose variety is also smartphonefriendly). If you’re not so bold as to reach for the tartan scarf or bright orange gloves just yet, another way to optimize bold bursts of color and energy into your outfit is through your socks. With a grey wool suit, dusty blue dress shirt, grey flannel tie, and a pair of sturdy leather brogues, any pop of color at the ankles will elevate your whole look to another level - all the while being fairly modest about the whole thing. Much less than the same can be said about Truman Capote and his Black and White Party, and your socks will only cost you a few dollars. Just like everything else, although cotton socks are fine for sneakers, an upgrade to heavier fabrics in dress socks will help to keep your feet warm (and I’ll even wear them with my sneakers to boost a casual crewneck jeans - sneakers look). On the whole, dressing with style comes with time and practice, but you’ve got to be willing to take that first step into sartorial euphoria. E. E. Cummings said, “Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” So listen to Messrs. Cottingham and Muha. As for us, we’ll be enjoying the wonder and spontaneous delights of the fifth essence of the Christmas spirit (Port) and some Laphroaig beside the fire.
M e m en t o
Wabash’s Forgotten Peacekeeper N olan C allecod ’19 | nlcallec 19@ wabash . edu It is curious and vexing when good work is lost in time. Wabash is known for its alumni and all they achieve outside of college. One alumnus embodies the example of a gentleman and a scholar has been lost with time. I speak of Edward Price Bell, a journalist who went above and beyond the call of duty. Starting at a young age with humble beginnings at the Terre Haute Evening Gazette, Bell began his career in journalism as a delivery boy and later progressed to a reporter. After leaving Terre Haute, Bell came to Wabash College but did not complete his studies according to his folder in the Wabash College Archive. Bell received an Honorary Degree from the college in 1906. Bell eventually was hired to developing position of Foreign Correspondent, and ultimately to a position called the Special Foreign Service of the Chicago Daily News, now defunct. The foreign correspondent position, in the early 1900’s, was a growing form of journalism and later was developed by Victor Lawson and Bell at the Chicago Daily News. Bell was deemed the Dean of American Foreign Correspondents later in his career by his fellow colleagues. In Bell’s writings for the Chicago Daily News, he traveled to China, Japan, England, France, Germany, and Italy, where he interviewed prominent historical figures in his book World Chancelleries. In a collection of Bell’s interviews with world leaders in 1920s titled World Chancelleries, President Calvin Coolidge wrote, in the forward, “World peace, a world affair, stands or falls by
world opinion.” Edward Price Bell was a Wabash Man who labored around the world to document different opinions for world peace. According to Bell’s memoir, Journalism of the Highest Realm, during his career he interviewed Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Bell was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel
Peace Prize in 1927 for his contributions covering the events in the World War I. And to the world of journalism and to the Wabash campus – Edward Price Bell is just as miraculous and uncommon as the busloads of women that come to Wabash every weekend – little to non-existent. Even though Edward Price Bell is not mentioned in the history books – what can Wabash do to commemorate a man reported the atrocities in Europe? Also, why has a gentleman
and scholar like Bell been hidden on shelves to collect dust and wither away with age? Even though every Wabash Man should be congratulated for his successes, this man, in particular, exemplified what it means to be a gentleman and responsible citizen. In his memoir, Bell stated, “I’d rather be a writer than an angel.” This is what Bell was, a writer that covered the calm before the storm by interviewing historical figures that now are now seen as some of the most evil men in history. On the surface, Bell looked like a renegade by speaking to these evil men like Mussolini and Hitler – but in the end Bell was a seeker of truth to change world opinion for world peace. But before all of that, Bell’s history at Wabash is story to tell. Bell studied English and was a member of Delta Tau Delta. He also wrote Short Stories and Poetry and was a writer for The Bachelor. Bell’s fondest memories of Wabash include his studies in Greek and Latin, Prof. Arthur Bartlett Milford, and the Class Fights. According to the Biographical Sketch of Arthur Bartlett Milford, “In Professors Milford’s long career at Wabash he ranked as one of its ablest teachers and his courses were very popular.” Bell agreed, and stated in his memoir that, “Of all the professors I have known in my life, Professor Milford of Wabash was the least professional, the most human.” On Wabash, Bell stated, “Hot times [class fights] were not uncommon at Wabash when… I lumbered to campus. He-manhood was a tradition there.
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The he-ness of it came out on Washington’s birthday. We had cane-rushes in the corridors of the college, busting heads right and left. We bloodied noses on the campus.” Later in Bell’s career, he covered the savagery of World War I and had the privilege to interview Lord John French, the commander in chief of the British home forces. Bell reminisced
that, “And what did we men of the Press see and hear? We saw the painstaking and proficient of wild animal savagery and hate… Never afterward had I the least trouble in appreciating the absurdity of the idea of attempting to make war humane. War has nothing to do with humanness… War is the exact and absolute contradiction of peace.” Even though Bell remembers the horrors of the First World War, it put him in a place where he was able to speak to rising leaders in Europe. Once the war was over, the Chicago Daily News sent
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Bell to Europe and Asia to discuss with world leaders their thoughts on peace, which was published in a book titled World Chancelleries. During this time, Bell interviewed Mussolini for his book World Chancelleries. According to an old issue of The Bachelor, Mussolini told Bell during the peace time that, “a war in today in Europe would mean 50 years of night without day. With modern planes and bombs every large city could be wiped out within a few hours. The damage a war would do would be irreparable.” And in World Chancelleries, Bell quotes Mussolini observing, “Blood has been the necessary historical wheelmover… because only blood could clear the road to human existence.” In 1935, Bell spoke to Hitler about how Germany would go about peace after resurrecting itself out of World War I. Bell inquired how would Germany gain peace and whether Hitler wanted war. Hitler stated, “Economic equality among the great manufacturing and trading nations is heavy with the fate of peace”. On the matter of war, Hitler boasted, “They who say I want war lie.” Bell observed this contradiction when he heard a radio report that Germany had invaded Poland from his home in Mississippi. Bell stated, “Peace-seeking and peace hopes, I fear, are somewhat ironic.” What Bell was trying to do between the years of WWI and WWII
was to promote peace efforts in Europe so the worldwide public could understand what steps were made to promote peace. But because peace efforts were ironic to Bell, war again took Europe. Towards the end of Bells memoir, he asked himself, “Did I do it? Did I mobilize the Press of the world? Did the interview, a great series certainly, have any molding effect whatever on world events?” The answer is yes, but the one question that Bell did not ask himself is “Will I be remembered for my contributions to cover current events between the World Wars?” And that answer, is up in the air. Edward Price Bell was indeed a gentleman and a scholar. Bell’s attempts at creating peace may have failed but his efforts should not go unheralded. Towards the end of Bell’s life, he wrote from his home in Gulf Coast of Pass Christian, Mississippi: “As I sat again viewing those wide and wonderful sands and the white-capped waters sparkling beyond, I ran back in mind over what I had tried to do for world peace…. Then, in imagination, I saw the war-clouds ever-thickening about Europe. I wrote: My plans are built on a shelving beach By the hands of a boy grown gray; By the soundless wash of a waveless tide They are broken and borne away. “
Mori
Tragedy In The (far) Southland We at the Commentary join the Cuban people in mourning the death of President and Prime Minister Fidel Castro. We know, in our hearts, that the South captures the essence of America. Please join us in remembering a man more southerly than us all.
Fidel Castro, August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016
Fidel Facts: President Castro was a learned man and an avid author. His most famous works include: • 4,000 Leagues Under the Mason-Dixon Line • A Separate Peace (1959) • A Tale of Two Revolutions
• Gulag on my Mind: Lessons from the First 150 Years of Communist Prisons • Prolegomena to Any Future Economics that will be able to Present Itself as Equitable The Wabash Commentary - 9
E x p u r g at e
The One Rule(s)
B randon J ohnson ’19 | bjjohnso 19@ wabash . edu
“The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen.” The community here at Wabash College is built primarily on one virtue: tradition. One of the universal things that everyone at this college shares (besides being male), is something that we value highest. If we see someone walk down the steps of Lily Library without patting Eli’s head, they are outside the norm. If someone walks under the arch, they are shunned. If someone steps on the W, they are made to kiss it. Yet if someone breaks the oldest tradition of Wabash College, we sit idly by and allow him to crush the pieces even further. We at Wabash College pride ourselves as gentlemen, leading ourselves through college with true self-government and regulation. We have been blind, however, to the reality that the Gentleman’s Rule which we pride ourselves on, the oldest tradition of Wabash, is effectively fading away. This development – that the administration is moving away from the “one rule” – has become more and more apparent throughout this year. Where we once had the right to free speech and productive discourse, students now find themselves being censored. Rather than having the ability to
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openly talk about current events – the elephant in the room being this past election season – students instead find themselves sitting alone in silence, lest they state their opinion and receive an invitation to the Dean’s Office. I have a singular question as to the cause of this change: Why? There must be a reason for which we are moving away from the Gentleman’s Rule, the oldest tradition of the college, when tradition is something we hold so near and dear to our hearts – to the degree that we have an organization entitled “The Keepers of Tradition” (and where is their outrage, might I ask, except for hiding from the fear of admonishment). Indeed, the political and cultural climate of the world around us is shifting, but hasn’t it always? You would expect that other regulations would have surfaced over two hundred years, was the Gentleman’s Rule not sufficient to account for the everchanging world in which we live? The coverage of the Gentleman’s Rule is not the issue, rather it is the interpretation of what it means to be a gentleman – and more importantly, who this interpretation is up to. This issue of interpretation is not
solely the fault of the administration – there does seem to be an air of complacency settling over the current students, some of whom would rather have things done and decided for them. That said, the interpretation of “gentleman” seems to be monopolized by the Dean’s Office. Each student should have his own thoughts as to what the rule means to him, yet there seems to be an objective right and wrong held by the powers that be. This rule is intended to prepare every man who makes the journey through Wabash for the outside world, to be able to lead, doing what is right and wrong. Where, might I ask, in the outside world is the supervisor watching over each of us to tell us what is right and wrong? There is none. It is up to individual interpretation. People, in general, act upon what they believe is good, what is right in the terms of their own moral compass. How, then, does having someone tell us what we are allowed to do help to prepare us for our futures, as this college so vehemently claims to do. There indeed are actions taken by students that do not fall in line with cultural norms, and might be seen as wrong, and those
are the times to admonish individuals (and here I highly stress individuals) with the hopes of reform, however each student following the views of someone above them does not encourage future ability to decide right and wrong for themselves. You can show someone a solution to a math problem and he will know the solution to that one problem, or instead you can show him how to solve problems in general. If you tell someone what is right and wrong, it in no way develops his ability to determine future rights and wrongs.
[
sored and silenced – even as recently as after Thanksgiving – with no reference to any sort of rule, whether it be in conflict with some power above control of Wabash, or the Gentleman’s Rule itself. One thing I remember being told as a prospective student, by both students and faculty alike, is that one of the joys of Wabash is that if you have a disagreement with something, you can openly voice your disagreement in the hopes of coming to some sort of conclusion or middle-ground. Perhaps they were simply speaking fondly
rather than offering empty promises. We must either stop claiming to have only one rule, the Gentleman’s Rule, or we, as a college, both students and administration, can accept that we only have the one rule. While I would truly hate to see all the things of old become fond and faded memories, it makes absolutely no sense to claim to have one rule if we indeed have a multiplying number of them. Maybe the college no longer wants bright young men who are capable of thinking for themselves and discussing real issues,
]
If you tell someone what is right and wrong, it in no way develops his ability to determine future rights and wrongs.
Aside from the general interpretation issues of the Gentleman’s Rule, is the much larger issue of it changing from being the “one rule.” One of the largest recruitment tools the college has, and one of the things we pride ourselves most on as our only regulation as a largely self-governing student body, appears to have gained a few brothers – the most recent to have surfaced being the new regulations about uses of the college email services. While the college’s current 501(c)3 status as a non-profit institution does prevent the use of college resources to support political candidates during an election period, as we have been told, it in no way prevents its use for the purpose of productive discourse, even on such matters. Not only that, as the election period has ended for the presidential election, there is no way that even discussing the presidential election through college resources could be in violation of our 501(c)3. Still, however, students are cen-
of days past, or perhaps times have changed, and we are no longer trusted to self-govern so long as we did so gentlemanly. I, for one, see nothing inherently against the nature of a gentleman to promote discussion and productive discourse. Perhaps I am incorrect in this assumption, and bottling up our disagreements is the much safer option (it certainly seems to make things easier on the administration if they don’t have to worry about their students having unique opinions – taking this away from us would mean there is no possible way we could disagree with their regime). As the college seems to be rebranding Wabash, employing new recruitment strategies and tools, it seems tradition may have lost its place. No longer can we state that we only have one rule, that “The student is expected to conduct himself at all times, both on and off campus, as a gentleman and a responsible citizen.” It is our responsibility as gentlemen to be decisive,
who are able to have disagreements yet still live in harmony with one another, so long as we are able to talk about these disagreements in order to understand them, as this past year we all have clearly been shown that we should not speak about such things in a public setting – it assuredly would be much easier on the faculty and staff of the college if there were no freeminded individuals in attendance. Or, instead of abandoning the culture of Wabash, we could stick to what made it what it is: tradition.
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C ar togr a p hy
Lost & Found
Cultures, Traditions, & Real Diversity
J acob R oehm ’18 | jrroehm 18@ wabash . edu In light of recent events surrounding the Bell Game that have led the College faculty to consider a multicultural studies requirement in the curriculum, we at the Wabash Commentary have a lot to say on that subject but for this issue we think it appropriate to revisit an old friend of ours. Cultures and Traditions (C&T) was a full-year, college-wide course that every student was required to take during his sophomore year. For 37 years, C&T endeavored to give every student of the College a firm footing in the great works of the world. It included seven modules which covered The Odyssey, Classical Greece, the Ancient Hebrews, Classical China, the birth of modernity in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the African American experience. Comparisons between C&T and its replacement, Enduring Questions, are likely to leave the student feeling cheated and robbed in some way of a more rounded education. This syllabus is a reminder of a day when the College practiced what it preached in terms of a liberal arts education, and took seriously the sharpening of independent minds. But the real benefit of the C&T syllabus is its commitment to real diversity; not trendy academic diversity that changes from one edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education to the next, but diversity that exposed students to thought from across the ages and from around the world. To Cultures, and Traditions!
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88 MPH
What Do We Mean By A College?
Excerpts From Inaugural Address, Reprinted From These Fleeting Years R ev . J oseph F arrand T uttle | JT uttle @ yeolde W abco . edu
You, Sir, have just committed to me the keys to Wabash College as the symbol of the authority with which you have invested me. And these keys shall open to me the lines of thought proper to be pursued at the this time. And where is Wabash College? This college is in the midst of a land so good in the prodigal bestowments of God that its chief danger is thought to arise from “Fullness of bread and abundance of idleness.” In this fine locality a college was founded. And what do we mean by a College?... Your college must be the sacred place to which the scholar and the man of science shall resort, both to get and to give light. And now that you have selected the site and planted your college, what do you propose to do through its agency? … What is your college for? Mainly to train young men for usefulness in any pursuit requiring a disciplined and well-furnished intellect, but especially for the learned professions. But what kind of training is our college to give in order to meet this design? The place and the age in which that training is to be used must help us in answering this question. Hence it is to train men for the “West.” A few may find their life work at the East or in foreign lands, but Wabash College is to give the most of her sons to the Great West…. What kind of training must this college impart in order to meet her duty to God and mankind? The are three elements which must enter into this training and I propose to discuss these, not because they are all but because they are principal. 1st. -- Thoroughness, as the antagonist of the superficial. Our age and country are experiencing crises of unspeakable moment and the demands for men will not be less for a long time to come. We need men who are thoroughly trained in every respect, and the want is not easily. The untrained mind may be vigorous enough for every excursion suggested by caprice, but to learn how to bow its imperial neck to the yoke of discipline to do, not what it wishes but what it ought, this is the most difficult yet the most blessed of lessons. Whilst we need most urgently this thoroughness of mental discipline, it seems to me that there are special temptations in our day and country to the opposite vice of superficialness. And is not one of our greatest dangers to be detected precisely here? The masters of thought in old times had but few books and no newspapers, and by a blessed necessity were thrown back upon themselves in an unaided wrestle with the problems of thoughts and existence. The movable type of Gutenberg has scattered the printed leaves over the world. Genius, these three centuries past, has been engaged in restless and amazing explorations…. And genius is not a tight-fisted miser. She is a light-bearer among the nations; and so has she dispensed light in these latter ages, that the title-pages of here books would fill an encyclopedia and the books themselves the shelves of her largest library…. Now, if one undertakes to read all these books, or even any considerable part of them … where, then, is his time for serious thought, earnest communion with his own spirit? How is he to analyze and classify the thoughts of others?... These remarks are not made in a captious spirit, but to show that in the very prodigality of our literary treasures is a temptation very much to be dreaded…. We need thinkers trained to investigate thought patiently and unerringly, able to uncover the eternal foundations of truth on which we may build superstructures for this life and the future. This thoroughness imparted to the youth will shape his scholarship, his pursuits, his aims, his labors, his life…. Thoroughness must enter into everything, and as such it is one of the noblest gifts this college can bestow. 2nd. -- Closely allied with this is Manliness. Is not physical manliness too much overlooked in our system of education? If we rise to the highest level of manhood, it is evident that we want men and not babes. You will understand me as referring to man as an intelligent and moral being in his relations to society and to God. What now are some principal elements of this manliness which is made so prominent in the training of young men here? I will mention three.
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(1) Manliness of Purpose. This is a discerner of spirits and unerringly divides people into two classes -- those who are floated down the current of life without any settled purpose, and those who are impelled to action in order to fulfill some daring and ever present purpose. Thousands belong to the first class. The other class have the heart purpose to be and to do something and that purpose becomes to them a higher power beckoning them onward and inspiring them to action…. (2) There must also be Manliness of Thought. I refer not now to the purpose of the mind but the ailment on which it feeds. Without vitiating my argument I may admit the fact of great differences in the natural faculties and tastes of people. But after all, one main difference is the training which they give themselves or receive from others…. Here is a capital element in the manliness of a true man. Let him be moved by a noble purpose to be and to do something noble, and let him that purpose with manly thought. The world has had some manly thinkers and it is good to commune with them. Depend upon it, my friends, this is one the most important works which this college can do.
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Here is a capital element in the manliness of a true man. Let him be moved by a noble purpose to be and to do something noble...
(3) This training must also develop Manliness of Life. thus far I have discussed this quality as pertaining to the inner life; I now apply it to the practical concerns of life…. Life is made up of action and suffering, and thousand facts assure us that there is such a thing as manliness in each. 3rd. Faith I used the word as indicating that religious life in the human heart which our Lord meant when he spoke of the soul’s new birth, and which the Apostle Paul meant in saying, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature.” I do not propose to prove this truth but merely to state it as necessary to complete the virtues by which this college asserts her right to the confidence of her friends and the community at large. She cannot be satisfied until her ideal is realized by the addition of a practical Christian faith as the central principle of the soul. I do but echo the feelings of the patrons of Wabash College in declaring it to be a main aim to lead young mean to that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom in order that thus the noblest qualities of an educated mind may combined to bless the world. If I have not misinterpreted the signs of the times, the pendulum of popular opinion is swinging towards skepticism…. This conviction has grown stronger with years, that the real dangers to faith are found in the insidious processes by which these brilliant thinkers in Europe and this country are striving to undermine a simple and childlike faith in God’s Word, and to beget the belief that there are better books, greater philosophers, more reasonable hopes than The Book, its sages, and its Heaven. We are not yet ready to surrender faith in Jesus, for what we see in the lives of those who ask us to make the sacrifices are not of the sort to win our hearts… The old faith is good enough for me, and I am sure I speak the profoundest convictions of the founders and patrons of this college in saying it is good enough for you…. As to my own personal relations to this college, it becomes me to bear myself modestly, remembering that he that is putting on the harness is not boast himself as he who is putting it off. I am here to contribute my share to the success of this enterprise, and if God helps me I will be faithful….
The Wabash Commentary - 15
Gregory Hess
Scott Feller; Michael Raters; TWC;
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