Princeton (1949, clipped at end)

[Music] [Music] back for class reunions year after year why  do Princeton men keep coming back what is it that keeps this loyalty alive it's not just  for good fellowship that they return nor is it simply to revisit the old familiar places  it's not for the quiet dignity of the famous campus nor for the architectural beauty of  its buildings yet each Vista conjures up a chain of memories and even the strips  of pavement have names and significance stone itself can come to life when it is a  symbol of the things live men have done or hope to do what nourishes the Ivy through the  years and keeps it fair and firm is something that went into the soil along with the seed  for age alone does not have our tradition to each succeeding generation of students  old Nassau represented something new today they see it as they first saw it they see it  as a symbol of their youthful hopes just as they see in the dormitories a reminder  of their student days of classmates who became friends of a spirit of learning  to live with equals in an atmosphere of cordial rivalry and brusque affection  the highlights of a Princeton memory can include the hubbub of a battle with the  sophomores or the serenity of the campus dusk bright lights glowing through the leaded  panes the good cheer in crowded bull sessions the fun of doing things together the occasion  might have been the rally for a football game now forgotten but it is the single song  that rose from all the voices the common thought in all the minds the one rhythm in all the  hearts that is remembered for a lifetime [Music] remembered like the warmth of the Sun  on a brisk November afternoon for the bustle of students and visitors  on their way to a big game [Music] [Applause] feelings can be remembered long  after the game itself has been forgotten when did we play that day doesn't matter as long as  we cheered ourselves hoarse as long as we gave as good as we took as long as we could sing  to the honor of our side at the game's end [Music] the day after we showed our parents the new Chapel  we can still remember the pride we felt in acting as guides to them or perhaps we remember the  academic splendor of Princeton's 200th birthday celebration the most illustrious leaders of our  time had come to be honored by Princeton but in their very coming they had paid a tribute to the  University's position in international learning as the president of the United States crossed  the campus in New Jersey that afternoon he was accompanied by a predecessor and surrounded by the  leaders of the nation these men statesmen warriors scientists had just led a world of victory over  the enemies of truth how fitting that part of their victory celebration should be a tribute  to an institution celebrating two centuries of devotion to that truth it was a procession where  men of action walked side by side with men of learning in the realization that only by working  together could they make sure that peace would bring happiness to the peoples who had fought for  it men of learning the line was long behind the leaders came the men who had trained some of them  for leadership the Princeton faculty the teachers the first part of that unique combination that  makes Princeton what is a teacher knowledge first acquired over many years the wit and wisdom  of a developed mind that can give of itself without losing anything that grows indeed in the  very act of giving or facts carefully selected and ordered into a useful tool for living and  working or feeling just as carefully ordered into the strengths and talents that can make  for beauty or spiritual wisdom insight into the motives and aspirations of mankind the kindness  and patience that are the teachers first gifts finally it is the specialized technique of  sharing all these things with generation after generation of students students they make  up the second half of the combination at Princeton Bishop is rich in variety every section of the  country and many foreign lands are represented they come from every social group every religion  from high schools and prep schools Princeton doesn't try to press them into a common mold but  rather encourages them to develop as individuals it offers them all the same opportunity to  learn and to develop the ability to give what they know to their own community they have been  selected carefully for the promise of such giving what holds their interest outside the  classroom reveals the full measure of their variety for some it is the quality of the  campus itself the setting in which they live and work for many it is the athletic facilities  close by the living quarters playing fields where hundreds of students can find room  for exercise beside the large number who participate in intercollegiate sports 85%  of the Princeton undergraduates take part in the program of intramural athletics the  choice of the sport is left to the students [Applause] most students are interested in the  changing face of the Ageless campus behind their traditional facades the new  buildings reflect the modern spirit the new library is the last word in the functional  use of space equipment and material it makes books more accessible and provides a  better setting for study and relaxed reading these halls may be a preview of how  Princeton will look in her third century another sign of our times is the opportunity  that an undergraduate now has to learn how men explore the universe with cyclotron and  Telescope undergraduate at Princeton it means a man not a boy it means someone who is  held responsible and someone who is respected perhaps of all Princeton institutions the one most  symbolic of the relationship between teacher and student is the honor system in lieu of being  supervised by a proctor the student writes on every examination paper I pledge my honor  as a gentleman that during this examination I have neither given nor received assistance the  system works because the students take direct responsibility for making it work this is the  combination with both its parts teachers who keep increasing their knowledge and sharpening  their minds and their students bent on acquiring that knowledge and learning how to use it  it is an older man and a younger man whose relationship is based on mutual respect it's  a good way of opening windows to the world it's been working at Princeton ever since this  bell for signal the hours of the college day [Music] some 20 years before the Revolutionary  War the first generation of students used this room as a prayer hall perhaps it was here that  they first learned the principles of freedom for which they later fought well there has been  a close connection between America's history and Princeton's history America's first president  visited Nassau Hall when the Continental Congress was sitting there the college's Charter was  granted by an English King but to the war against that King Prince too not only provided  fighters but also a battleground and a rallying point the men who founded the College and shaped  its policy men like Jonathan Dickinson and like Aaron Burr were also shaping the policy of the  little nation that was to grow big they were teaching men like James Madison who was to frame  the constitution of our country three signatures beneath the Declaration of Independence indicate  Princeton's part in the making of that historic manifesto they include John Witherspoon's the  college's president during the Revolution later on in the war between the states john mcclane  students fought for their ideals on both sides while the students of James Mecosta part in the  vast development of the American continent that followed it was Makka Shu laid the foundations for  the university but then is now the same men taught both graduate and undergraduate students never as  a teacher at Princeton been considered too wise are too important to address a freshman class  in fact Woodrow Wilson went far afield to get more teachers to supervise undergraduate study  with his precept Oriole method he did much to formulate the attitude of mutual respect between  teacher and student the installation of a Wilson Memorial room in the new library was supervised  personally by Harold Dodds his present successor who has repeatedly expressed his devotion to the  ideals of one of America's most honored teachers how Wilson's ideas and ideals are maintained  in our own time makes the latest chapter in Princeton's history we can see it for ourselves  on the steps of the sundial sacred to members of the senior class is a group of young men who will  soon be leaving Princeton let's stop and meet them Richard Arkwright is from the Middle West Michael  Salters from Texas George Parker Hammond came from a Boston family William Acton Browns home is  Baltimore together these four are the product of Princeton three and a half years ago when Bill  was first admitted to Princeton he felt pretty lucky the son of a newspaper editor he was a  serious lad who considered himself quite a thinker Princeton to him was a great treasure house and  he expected automatically to be given the key to it he thought his own role was merely to fill up  on the wisdom and tradition around him philosophy was all he really wanted to study Princeton  however requires that freshmen begin with a well-rounded program so bill chose physics as his  required science course not that he was interested in physics it was too practical watch the point  up while I hang these equal weights on the spring there are loads one two three look at the marks  what's the story about the stretches stretch is proportional to the load you know mr. Hooke  was simply delighted when he discovered that because it shows something clear and simple about  nature we call that relationship Hookes law and we can show it on a graph with a straight line  like this when we say Springs obey Hookes law we don't mean obey like a man in a car obeying a  policeman scientific laws don't compel agreement they give a clear summary bill heard the words of  that lecture but because of his attitude he was not prepared to understand them it wasn't until  the next day in the laboratory that he made real contact with the professor's ideas all right sir  my experiments gone wrong what do you mean well I've loaded my spring with more and more weights  and with the heavier load the spring does no big Hookes law does that make your experiment wrong  well yes yes see the last two points on my graph here wrong wrong do you want to compel nature  to be simple and obey Hookes law well no but the book says that Springs do obey Hookes  law and you showed it in lecture which are you really going to believe your measurements  here oh the line which shows Hookes law oh the straight line of course don't you trust your own  measurements well these measurements are facts they are your scientific work they rank with  hooks work and everyone else's in the study of Springs why don't you load up your spring more  then you will see if those points for mistakes you mean go farther with the spring of course  find out all you can and build your knowledge on real experimenting why don't we look at someone  else's graph you see he gave his spring a terrific workout and plotted the facts now he knows  that Hookes law only applies within limits you know you want to experiment boldly trust  your own observations then you have to think about what they really mean and then your lab  work here will be worth a lot to you you mean all this is is just as important as the physics  are learn what happens this experimenting is your physics physics around here doesn't just  tell you how pulleys work or it's been romantic stories about atoms it shows you what scientific  work is really like raises questions about the meaning of truth it makes you think about your  own knowledge that day bill began to learn that thinking is weakened unsure unless one examines  the evidence on which it is based the professor had not given him a magic key to a treasure  house but he had given him an implement to test and increase his knowledge bill then to use  it is going on using it for the rest of his life Michael Salter was in his sophomore year when a  teacher played an important part in his growth in Mike's case it was a personal rather than an  academic problem that was troubling him Mike was one of the large number of boys at Princeton  who are working their way through his mother ran a book shop in Dallas and there wasn't much of her  income that could be spared for tuition and living expenses but by working in Commons as a waiter  Mike managed to make both ends meet the job was strenuous but it left him plenty of time for his  studies and for extracurricular activities too for Mike was beginning to show more than usual talent  in the arts he became interested in scenic design and was soon helping to provide sets for campus  productions here he could work with his hands and with his head and his talents too he knew when  a set was right and better still how to get it right but on decisions affecting his own life he  found the going a little tougher now at the end of his sophomore year he had to make a definite about  the department he would work in he always thought it would be English but well there were problems  then came the time for a meeting with his faculty advisor who happened by chance to be an English  teacher and you're sure that you still want to major in English yes I'm sure it's gotta be  English you say I want to be a writer and as I see it I want to take the shortest distance between  two points I've gotta learn how to write Mike what about these grades in English well I guess I  just didn't settle down to work that's part of the point what do you want to write like I don't know  essay poetry I don't know well how do you know you well I've always wanted to be a writer like you  like this hat Dodger I'll say I do I've admired that head ever since I came to president cert and  that article in the Kenyon review on WH art and I think you said you liked that too why sure well  which of those two would you rather have done I mean you yourself inside the head of course and  you still think you want to be a writer my mother used to say that look Mike but what you told me  about your mother I'd gather that she lives in a world of books and because authors are at the top  of that world she'd like you to be an author but I'll bet you that if she knew how much you wanted  to major in graphic arts she'd be the first to say go ahead Mike yes but I've got to start thinking  about making a living you're just talking yourself out of what you want most in the world why don't  you go over to the counseling service tomorrow and find out about careers in a world where you  really have something to give Mike the counselling service could tell him about jobs in architecture  in the theatre and in motion pictures in visual education and in museum administration jobs that  paid well with the help of the service he was able to begin right at for the university art museum  could use his combination of energy and good taste he's done well in the department of art  and archaeology and he's going on to study architecture in finding a career Mike found  himself dick Arkwright rarely had troubles and if he did he could usually push his way through them  he relied on toughness in his own particular way with people but it was a way that made him as many  enemies as friends fellow members of the swimming team and members of the football squad with which  he played in the fall relied on his muscles but often they didn't care for his manner he tended to  be cocky and dogmatic possibly because he wasn't very sure of himself then one day in his junior  year a skillful history preceptor brought him face to face with his problem the precept Oreo is  a regular classroom function at Princeton in which a teacher meets with a handful of students in an  informal way today's assignment was the 30 Years War it began with his usual bluster oh no all wars  are fought for economic reason any other reasons are wrong how would you say that was true of the  last world war Arkwright no ideologies involved all I know is my brother didn't fight for any  ideologies he fought because he was drafted maybe so but the men in the army would have revolted  if they hadn't believed they were fighting for something the Nazis certainly believed they were  fighting for something they were fanatics for National Socialism well that's an ideology isn't  it something you might fight for well sure but Sir you know there were economic factors in the  last war were there well I think so and the 30 Years War was no different that's right now tell  us what were the causes of the war oh well first the hapsburgs control Germany and they didn't  want anyone to take it away from them the leaders on both sides used religion as an excuse to cover  up their ambitions go on well in the second place the French were killing off Protestants at home  but they thought nothing of making alliance with Protestant Germany tell them at home and love them  someplace else well that does seem inconsistent doesn't it how do you explain it they wanted  to get the Catholic Habsburgs out of Germany so they could take over well then the 30 Years  War was caused by good hard boiled imperialism is everyone agreeing wait a minute sir I'm not  finished yet Sweden entered the war to make the Baltic Sea a Swedish Lake you call that religion  well then our cred has made his case has he no sir our Christ made some good points but there was a  religious issue to the Calvinist emphasized the Bible and the Catholics believed in the church  but why fight about that because salvation was very important a man worried as much about his  soul in those days as he does now about where his next meal is coming from only in those days  well it may be true today to remember what we said about the Nazis people fight for democracy  too I suppose it's all pretty complicated ideals and economics get all mixed up in politics I'm  right and Green is too the discussion went on but they could learn that a person could be  wrong without losing dignity he had learned he didn't have to push people around to make them  believe him after that lesson he got along better with teachers and students boat and he's going to  get along with his business associates next year George Hammonds personality never needed  help from the day he came to Princeton he was a success both in class and on the campus by  the time he had reached his senior year he had the admiration of teacher and fellow student  alike in wig Hall where the Princeton Senate now holds its sessions George could always  be counted on for a speech where good sense was expressed and clear and forceful words he  could write with the same ease and facility he started as a reporter on the undergraduate  daily but moved up to become managing editor he looked forward to writing a thesis on labor  relations which would be the major assignment of his last year at college but his plans had to  be approved by his supervisor he must have worked hard to build this up the bibliography  - I like her idea of interviewing you