Colleges and Public Life 77 



was none. There should be no avoidable compro- 

 mise about any great moral question. But only a 

 few great reforms or great measures of any kind can 

 be carried through without concession. No student 

 of American history needs to be reminded that the 

 Constitution itself is a bundle of compromises, and 

 was adopted only because of this fact, and that the 

 same thing is true of the Emancipation Proclamation. 

 In conclusion, then, the man with a university 

 education is in honor bound to take an active part 

 in our political life, and to do his full duty as a 

 citizen by helping his fellow-citizens to the extent 

 of his power in the exercise of the rights of self- 

 government. He is bound to rank action far above 

 criticism, and to understand that the man deserving 

 of credit is the man who actually does the things, 

 even though imperfectly, and not the man who con- 

 fines himself to talking about how they ought to be 

 done. He is bound to have a high ideal and to strive 

 to realize it, and yet he must make up his mind 

 that he will never be able to get the highest good, 

 and that he must devote himself with all his energy 

 to getting the best that he can. Finally, his work 

 must be disinterested and honest, and it must be 

 given without regard to his own success or failure, 

 and without regard to the effect it has upon his own 

 fortunes ; and while he must show the virtues of up- 

 rightness and tolerance and gentleness, he must also 

 show the sterner virtues of courage, resolution, and 

 hardihood, and the desire to war with merciless 

 effectiveness against the existence of wrong. 



