The Commerce of Culture
"T H E COMMONWEAL A Weekly Review of Literature, The...
...These set the pace and estab- criminals could be established...
...nothing the federation could do, if it aspires to serve Why must the educated be forever thinking and living America and the spirit, is half so important as en- in their own world...
...The graduation...
...And from time quarters...
...From the Catholic point of view, one might zation has understood the word, is a matter of supreme argue that students at religious colleges-and also importance to a considerable percentage of educated students drawn together by the Newman Clubs-are Americans...
...More important, In such an environment the Catholic educated conhowever, is the effect which the dominant quality of sciousness might triumphantly escape the present uniuniversity-bred people has upon an individual after versal impression of bondage and insignificance...
...His conclusion would then be that in so far outside university walls...
...They faculty...
...Were knows this federation idea is a good thing, a neces- the members of the hierarchy to agree upon the sary thing...
...At citizenry...
...If that right sort of encouragement is taking a fling at a de- harried sum-total of factors can be improved a little gree, which means that the foundations they patronize through the agency of cultural training, the final imhave an excellent opportunity to mold the national provement of the colleges themselves must follow...
...We affirm here and now that the college-bred is a concession to intellectual snobbery...
...and by those who feel that religiod is a basic element df open finally to any other university-bred people who civilization...
...some distinction...
...We this point, it becomes interesting to consider briefly have just read Mr...
...but no guild pull against the stream...
...Percy Marks's reply to the ques- certain reflections contributed to the Christian Century tion, "Which Way Parnassus...
...What is the good of laboring to append might enjoy association with a group to which they to elementary education a few lessons in Christian doc- do not belong in body, but to which they are attracted trine if the final result is to be a university lady or in soul-the effect would surely be to prove, what is gentleman completely emancipated from religious con- no* glaringly unevident, that faith as western civilicerns...
...Does that undoubted fact fied to join the club are already abundantly supplied...
...he bears down still harder on the most of them do not go back after graduation...
...Consciously or otherwise, student- expected of a centralization of leading intellectual bodies in the most carefully isolated religious schools activities...
...A gested again by the convention of the National Catho- foundation of adequate character would cost less than lic Alumni Federation, to be held in Philadelphia dur- another college-much less than a number of coming the three days following November 12...
...Granted that the idea briefly outlined here is valuThereby a problem of supreme importance is sug- able and worthy, its practicability is a mere detail...
...It seems a sane by Mr...
...A few could ever have the significance, the solidarity, or the statistics on this subject might induce apoplexy in some influence of a guild of the educated...
...In addition to the steadying social insafeguarded against the effects of the general trend...
...cation-after education has formally ended...
...august proportions of structures socially, in thought, in literature, in economics, in art dedicated to Harvard and Yale...
...difference...
...Here the offices of such a movement as are influenced by the atmosphere which prevails in Cardinal Hayes has sponsored for the reclamation of the leading universities...
...he bears down hardest of all on the alumni...
...This fact, however, does not and intellectual facilities available to their graduates...
...seem of any significance to you...
...Leav- Suppose it were open to all the men and women now ing all comparisons and side-issues out of view, this eligible for membership in the two federations...
...Its real problem-as also its real hope-lies man or woman who can get anything like the in its own reaction upon the world outside...
...ing, or the mechanics of yelling...
...Well, something can be said for dowing itself...
...What follows...
...and anew the sense of comparative insignificance, of social through college it is gradually, steadily but surely losand civic inferiority, with which most of those quali- ing its interest in religion...
...Lynch might have added The details singled out in his volume for denunciatory that during these same four years, students have much mention are all pretty nearly true, but one cannot help to do with ideas and practices hostile, not merely to wondering a little if the general effect could not be the church, but to the nature of morality and religion improved by venturing a comparison with the world as such...
...We draw your attenAssume that a little club is started somewhere in a tion once again to the reflections of Mr...
...After all, students, profes- as the majority of American colleges are concerned, sors and alumni, in their turn, view alma mater as a the influence of higher education is destructive of prac...
...open fact cannot be denied even as it cannot be condoned also to Catholic graduates from secular colleges...
...Heaven paratively unnecessary institutionalized luxuries...
...dispose of a burning question...
...Frederick large city...
...Watch him or her...
...and the headquarters of several or?Note, if you are inclined to be incredulous, the spread ganizations in which educated persons art expected to -of the college humor magazines, the etiquette of drink- take a particular interest could be adequately housed...
...Marks has in some university towns the churches are reaching taken the colleges too seriously...
...These statistics are nevertheless badly out of memory the guild has had a guild hall...
...American youth is going to college...
...Frederick Lynch : "Never mind the fact that and philosophic response...
...are lost to the church...
...fluence such a foundation could exert, much might be But are they...
...needed...
...Michael Williams 577 The Play R. Dana Skinner, H. L. S. 586 The Conclusions of Max Scheler Books Mary Kolars, Robert R. Hull, George N. Shuster 579 Agnes Repplier, Walter V. Anderson, The Consequences of Chaos Bertram C. A. Windle, Thomas Walsh, Theodore F. MacManus 581 Lurton Blassingame, Roderick Gill, T. C. 587 How the Garden Grew F. M. Verrall 583 The Quiet Corner 593 THE COMMERCE OF CULTURE T HE colleges are filled to the brim...
...Every young ment...
...pleasant retreat from that world-which apparently tical religion, or at least provocative of complete inargues for something...
...UnIf there could be established in one of the major less we are very much mistaken, you will, after carecities-preferably in New York, because whatever fully weighing these inquiries, conclude that no miselse one may think about it, New York does set stand- sionary activity now open to the Catholic Church in ards-a really representative Catholic university club, America is more necessary than the salvaging of eduthe resulting influence would be of incalculable value...
...Does the Catholic man or woman, edu- point is not magnificence, but efficiency...
...A lad at Siwash is always instinc- university extension work could be carried on with tively curious about what the boys are doing at Yale...
...Are you at all conA dingy little corner somewhere may anneal a few cerned over the truth that the lives most universityworthy and loyal hearts, but it will make many others bred people lead and the influence they in turn exertsee very clearly the...
...But a good many people seem to feel project tomorrow, work toward carrying it through that it is wholly an academic thing, the chief prac- might begin next week...
...lecture courses and even lish the standard...
...There is really only one obtical purpose of which ought to be a drive for some- stacle: the feeling that doing anything definite for body else's endowment...
...tion is, academia does rise superior to its environ- Theodore Dreiser and such persons as the very wobbly 568 THE COMMONWEAL October 20, 1926 Will Durant are the great university preachers...
...Perhaps Mr...
...Volume IV New York, Wednesday, October 20,1926 Number 24 CONTENTS The Commerce of Culture 567 I Shall Try to Pretend (verse) Week by Week 569 Nora B. Cunningham S84 Modern Study Clubs 573 Communications 584 Blasphemy and Bolshevism 574 Poems Wilfred Rowland Childe, Margery Atwood Todahl, Raymond The Course of Conversion, I Kresensky, Mary Carolyn Davies, G. K. Chesterton 575 Catherine Parmenter, Norman Johnson 585 This May Amuse You...
...The result will primarily be to emphasize Lynch...
...A good many inflated little victims of pered though many religious schools are, they are the collegiate system are really not worth any great fabulously plutocratic in comparison with the social expenditure of energy...
...Poverty-stricken and pitifully ham- this feeling...
...He bears down hard on the After four years of having nothing to do with church, student body...
...Mencken, Mr...
...is governed by a negation of spiritual values...
...In a good many quite a few students-the fact remains that in the places, his criticism seems more applicable to human great universities where church attendance is volunnature than to those peculiar expressions of human tary, students do not go to church...
...nature called campuses...
...We talk of cated and thtown into the company of his equals, restoring the feeling for cooperation...
...T H E COMMONWEAL A Weekly Review of Literature, The Arts, and Public Affairs...
...Blind, foolish and ineffective though much of educa- This conclusion is correct...
...Are they meeting this opportunity...
Vol. 4 • October 1926 • No. 24
