Show THERE is a widely diffused opinion 1 extant at the present time that progress progress progress pro pro- gress of whatever kind depends upon the competition of individuals for the highest places in society Doubtless this opinion my he traced to the b beginning beginning begin begin- ginning gin gin- ning of individual liberties for its cause caus Whenever emancipation from any sort of oppression takes place those who have been heen oppressed are apt in many directions to make wrong uses of their newly acquired liberties Men still have much of the child about them and often use newly-acquired newly rights as children use new toys with which they are not familiar they familiar they commit all sorts of absurdities with them until their true truce uses are discovered So SO it seems to have been with the acquirement of individual lib lib- erty Often men have made the mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take of believing that their freedom is isto isto isto to be used against everybody else In England and America especially this idea seems to have gained ground The Thein in tensest and ann very often the most destructive com competition petition has raged each individual being thoroughly im imbued with the idea that his success necessarily implied the downfall of someone else This idea clearly analysed is found not to agree at all with a true conception conception conception concep concep- tion of freedom It lacks the insight which shows that the interests ts of men are not necessarily an antagonistic that antagonistic tagon that that when we are doing the best possible for our own advancement we are doing just that which is best for the community community community in which we live and for humanity at large The spirit which prompts men mento mento to struggle for power over their fellowmen fellowmen fellowmen fellow- fellow men for its own sake whether that power is one of direct dictation or exercised through wealth and influence is an evil we have inherited from the unenlightened past it is the exact opposite opposite opposite op op- of true freedom under whose cloak it so often masquerades It is evident eviden t therefore th that at egotistic self-seeking self is not the true ideal of civilization civilisation It is self-destructive self since by working ill to ones one's man fellow-man as may be seen from a stu study y of social relations relations re re- lations s one is sure to prejudice ones one's own welfare in the end What is needed is a closer sympathy between men in all walks of life not only in their devotions and their moral notions but hut in their every-day every transactions That this closer sympathy should result from an increased knowledge of social relations is what anyone with tV en optimistic tendencies les must allow Indeed Indeed Indeed In In- deed as shown by the great store of altruistic literature which the last decade has accumulated this is just the result which is following enlightenment on social and political questions The watchword of the beginning of the century century century cen cen- tury was self-effort self for self that of the end of the century is self-effort self for all This change of sentiment marks the theline theline theline line of right advance The altruist armed with knowledge of what is needful to the race leads the advance of nineteenth century progress Having thus indicated the direction in which the most advanced thought is tending let us ask ash ourselves the question question question ques ques- tion to what extent are our colleges and universities in line with it Are they not retaining and fostering much that that- thatis is the direct opposite of this al altruistic altruistic altruistic al- al thought Many of our higher institutions professedly train the youth who come to them to to II battle with the world and the instruction is in some courses at any rate of such a nature that the student g goes es from the college halls full of the idea that society is either his inveterate enemy or his legitimate prey What can be expected of such instruction as this Why just what results an increase in the number of human wolves that prey upon their fellow fellow men Then too we consider it the correct thing to stimulate a spirit of intense rivalry among students before th they y leave college on the absurd and pernicious theory that this is what they must meet in actual life It is strange that it so seldom occurs to our sage educators that the colleges themselves themselves themselves them them- selves are the most powerful agents in creating and fostering this very spirit outside their own walls which they deem it so necessary to arm students against Against ona ond levi the colleges oppose an evil and a half Like they call into being the f monster against which they contend and which may nay ultimately devour them In this connection it is is interesting to note the opinion of an experienced director of college gymnastics s regarding regarding regarding regard regard- ing the effects of competition in ics Dr Sargent who has had wide experience during twenty-five twenty years at Bowdoin Yale and Harvard maintains that the competitive spirit is detrimental detrimental detrimental detri detri- mental to true culture Wherever r competition was encouraged the sure result was the total abandonment abandonment abandon abandon- men ment t of physical training It lilt leads says Dr Sargent to a separation of the stars from the average students and the discouragement of the latter while the stars pay no attention to harmonious development but concentrate concentrate concentrate concen concen- their efforts upon the over develop- develop men of certain muscles Is it not at least possible that competition has the same effects on mental development It Itis Itis Itis is a question well worthy of serious consideration j and whose answer may throw some light upon many failures in college education as well as upon many of its questionable successes |