DILEMMA

The revived discussion of the liberal arts college is reflected in the news by the Rollins Conference, of which Professor John Dewey is chairman, and an attack on the part of the General Secretary, International Student Service, on University indifference, social isolation, and exaggerated specialization. In both cases the purpose of the college is outlined in the latest educational phraseology and in both cases education is extended beyond a four year assimilation of facts into a relationship with world history and "social harmony." In both is found regret that the University has so little effect on world events and thought, and that modern usefulness should still be considered incompatible with the old classical idea of dignity.

One of the most interesting phases of the discussion appears when the curriculum is brought into question. In every case, progressive commentators deplore "the principle of immediate utility" and advocate less emphasis on the acquisition of "mere facts" at the expense of thinking and the application of knowledge. Yet, the University must influence the world, and the world is governed by utility. The twentieth century with its emphasis on speed and utility is not an age of leisure. A University that promotes knowledge only for cash utility accepts this typical modern imposition. The difficulty arises when nonfactual culture is demanded together with a participation in a highly factual world. It appears that the experimental educators demand the rather difficult compromise of being both a combatant and a conscientious objector.