Truth and Beauty vs. Success

To the Editor of the CRIMSON:

I was greatly interested in Mr. Bell's editorial (in Wednesday's issue) criticizing President Lowell's statements concerning, "the glory of a university." However, Mr. Bell rather missed the point.

Mr. Bell is arguing against something that it is useless to argue against, for as any student of sociology knows, the desire for approbation is a fundamental of human nature, and further that this desire serves as an incentive and stimulus to make men great scholars and scientists. Mr. Bell implies that we should pursue truth for truth's sake, on the contrary, we should pursue truth for society's sake. Mr. Bell's distinction between a man who desires to become eminent in his field and a man who desires to "seek after beauty and truth for the sake of beauty and truth", is an impossible one for a man who achieves either of these two is often driven by the desire of approbation toward such achievement, and society naturally encourages such achievement by bestowing honors and pecuniary rewards to such men. Kenneth L. Myers '34.