36 On the Campus 



but is of supreme practical importance and so of high 

 value to our social and political life. 



The subject proposed sometimes makes less appeal to 

 men. Loud objections to colleges and culture are heard 

 betimes ; in short, it is notorious that all our colleges and 

 universities are just now under severest scrutiny and 

 criticism, at the hands of friends. The University of 

 Wisconsin, for example, and the whole State, are torn 

 into factions, in such fashion that years will hardly 

 suffice to restore a condition of further progress and 

 power. Every college in the country is sure to be called 

 to account ; colleges are declared not practical, or, judged 

 by their product, even vicious; it is said that they serve 

 neither the citizen nor the state; that they are a waste 

 of time; that they teach nothing useful; that the boy 

 never does anything until he gets away ; and so on. 



Now colleges of old were set for what we term culture ; 

 and if present objections hold, the case is bad enough. 

 We are indeed wasting both time and money ; and lovers 

 of their fellowmen should immediately face about and 

 turn their efforts to some more practical employ. The 

 problem is of serious import. We can not afford to 

 make mistakes. The state is the one terrestrial thing for 

 which we live; to it all our loyalty goes out; and if in 

 any way our colleges are less serviceable to the great 

 republic, to the commonwealth, or even to the indi- 

 vidual citizen, we should know it, submit the case to the 

 great ' * committee on retrenchment and reform, ' ' and do 

 something better. Perhaps we may see the situation 

 more clearly if we study for a little just what is meant 



