Education and opportunity

Title

Creator

Mayo, William J.

Language

English

Year

1969

Subject

Education.

Opportunity.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

From Vital Speeches of the Day.

Fulltext

Vol. XXI THE PHILIPPINE MAGAZINE OF 6000 READING Entered u second class mail matter at the Manila Post Office on Dec, 7, 1HS Dr. M. Carreon cor. A. de las Alas, Sta. Ano, Manila MANILA, PHILIPPINES No. 3 EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY A smart column writer recently said that culture is what a person has left when he has forgotten what he learned in college. After I had my laugh, I began to wonder whether there was not a good deal of truth in this definition of culture, for, after all, college education is supposed to teach us how to think as well as what to think. It is supposed to develop the power of reasoning and observation, to fire the imagination. To repeat what we have memorized, of itself is not more in effect than is done by a phonograph record, and 'perhaps is just about as informative. I sometimes question whether the present tendency to depend so much on memorizing knowledge gives a sound basis of education for the future. Knowledge is static, wisdom is active and moves knowledge, making it effec tive. As 1 think back on my own classmates in college, I am impressed with the fact that many of them who had fine memories and stood at the heads of their classes, in some way in the after years missed acquiring wisdom and did not come up to our expectations. Some students can fill their minds with any given subject, book, chapter, and page, and can regurgitate this knowledge at examina tion and thereby win class leadership. Such memorizing (Turn to page 29) leaving no room for them to doubt his sincerity. This in fact is the crux of lea dership. Critics are human. They will not see any point in heaping encomiums and encouragements to leaders who say one thing but do another. They would like tc see a display of raw courage by the leader who can stick to his world. Since the Speaker comes from Batangas he just may have that cour age. — Manila Daily Bulle tin. EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY . . . (Continued from, page 1) of knowledge has not necessarily relation to wisdom. After all, the best the college can do is to give the students breadth of knowledge, not necessarily depth of knowledge. Personally I have not been in sympathy with the view that because there are already so many well-trained men, something must be done to prevent younger men from entering our professional schools. It certainly is a sad commentary on our times if we introduce unnecessary obstructions and obstacles to prevent students from enter ing the professions or to trap unwary students, so that they may be prevented from continuing their studies after their course is started, unless such procedures result in turning out better men and are not merely evidence of an unconscious trade-union state of mind which tends to make a profession an aristocracy. Let us not get the idea that there are too many doc tors, too many lawyers, architects, engineers, nurses, gro cers, coal-miners, and what not As a matter of fact, it would appear that there are too many of all of us, yet that assumption of itself refutes the argument that we must reduce the number in each class. It is almost a paradox that when we have too much of everything col lectively, we worry most because we have too little indi vidually. — By William J. Mayo, M.D. in Vital Speeches of the Day. March 1969

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