THE ETHICAL AND ÆSTHETIC ELEMENTS IN EDUCATION.
A historic sentiment is associated with the
laurel tree, sacred to Apollo; with the laurel wreath
which crowned the victor in the Pythian games,
was the emblem of the poet, rested upon the heads
of victorious generals, later indicated academic
honors, and has become a figure of speech and a
gem in poetic literature. The Baccalaureate Day—the
day when victors in the endeavor to reach
the graduate's goal figuratively are crowned with
the fruited laurel—we would preserve. We would
preserve it for its history, its significance, its associations,
its sentiments, its memories, its promise,
and its religious suggestion. We would preserve
it, not only to celebrate scholastic honors
already won, but as a fitting occasion to consider
some of those deeper lessons whose meaning
will appear through experience in the School of
Life.
Higher education ever enlarges the borders of science and leads forth into new fields. It transmutes superstition into knowledge. It is the spirit of civilization and the leader of progress. It stands at the summit of human development, represents the aggregate of human knowledge, is the goal for
