Page:Czecho-Slovak Student Life, Volume 18.djvu/27
KEEPING ABREAST OF THE TIMES.
The college student of today is a failure—at least in one respect, insofar as he is failing to keep abreast of the time. The greatest handicap that the graduate suffers as he sets forth to conquer the world with his diploma is to supply the events that have happened during his period of studies. And why? In the first place the student has been supplied for so many years with pre-digested, and well-arranged summaries of past events that he is unable to select and arrange them for himself as he should.
Accordingly, as the young graduate steps out into the proverbially cruel world, he seems to be on a desert island far from civilization, with only his books to read. The world did not stand still when he was at college; and in consequence he cannot find it where he last left it.
Not that the student is entirely ignorant of what is going on in the world; newspapers are read, contemporary events scanned, the sport page well culled, but there is a universal vacuum when it comes to interpreting and analyzing contemporary events.
The reason for this is that the student has found in college little incentive for individual thought. He read what was selected for him, and thought only when he had to. There was no premium upon personal initiative; and the result was that this quality withered and died, and when the student found himself unable to get along without it, it was too late. Out in the world he had no one to do the selecting and digesting for him, and the bewilderment that ensued overwhelmed him, while only a few individuals awoke in time and took cognizance of actual conditions.
Take for instance students who are voting for the first time. Most of them are absolutely ignorant as to how to vote and why. Many do so because of the “kick” in the first ballots; but there is not attempt at reasoning about the issues at stake, the candidates and their principles.
The only solution for the situation is to wake up now. Let us have courses that deal with contemporary events and conditions, and urge students to enroll in them. As matters stand now, the student steps forth into the world—and stands watching it go by. The world does not pause to beckon him on, it does not stop for him to get into ranks. Hence, catch the world on the jump, young man, get into the pace, in order to be ready to run with the rest when the time comes; for the one who waits gets the dust in his face.
Five things observe with care;
To whom you speak, of whom you speak,
And how, and when, and where.
—Anonymous.