[00:00:26.640] [music] [00:00:43.760] Alenda lux ubi orta libertas, [00:00:46.640] "Let learning be cherished where freedom [00:00:48.840] has arisen." [00:00:52.200] Today, as never before, do we realize [00:00:54.760] that the liberties of free men go hand in hand [00:00:57.360] with institutions of higher learning, [00:01:00.200] which are free to seek and to teach the truth. [00:01:04.440] In this nation, [00:01:05.600] the small college has produced far more [00:01:08.440] than its share of leaders in all walks of life. [00:01:12.160] Leaders which have kept our nation on an even keel, [00:01:15.600] strong and free. [00:01:18.320] What is the secret of these fine little institutions [00:01:21.640] which are found here and there all over our nation? [00:01:25.600] Let's look at one of them. [00:01:27.560] Let's look at Davidson. [00:01:31.880] Buildings which date back to the Old South symbolize [00:01:35.120] the one hundred and fifteen year old history [00:01:37.720] of this Presbyterian college. [00:01:41.760] Today, with a modern campus and educational equipment, [00:01:44.440] the original sturdy ideals [00:01:47.560] of religious faith and rigorous scholarship are maintained. [00:01:52.600] It is a matter of pride, for instance, that these [00:01:55.200] boys can be Baker Scholars because the George F. [00:01:58.640] Baker Foundation, in selecting six [00:02:01.160] colleges in the United States to receive grants [00:02:03.960] for scholarship aid, chose Davidson [00:02:07.120] as representing the southeastern region. [00:02:12.240] Davidson was proud, too, when the announcement [00:02:14.880] was received by Jim Murray, class of '51, [00:02:18.640] of his award of a Rhodes Scholarship for graduate [00:02:21.000] study at Oxford University, England. [00:02:25.520] Picked by judges from candidates from universities [00:02:28.200] and colleges in all the southeastern states, [00:02:31.800] his selection is a conspicuous honor [00:02:34.560] for Davidson. The second year in succession [00:02:38.040] and the ninth time in all that this has occurred. [00:02:44.240] How is such a reputation for high scholarship achieved? [00:02:48.400] The answer is clear. [00:02:50.400] Able students and able teachers. [00:02:54.200] Teachers who combine professional competence [00:02:57.000] with culture and Christian character. [00:03:00.240] A liberal education gives the strong general [00:03:03.040] training which prepares men for careers [00:03:06.000] where thinking counts. [00:03:08.720] Along with literature and languages, history, [00:03:11.280] economics, and the Bible, an understanding [00:03:14.240] of science is necessary for the educated [00:03:16.920] man in the atomic age. [00:03:19.720] Science is preparation, too, for different [00:03:22.400] kinds of professional careers. [00:03:25.280] Medicine attracts the largest single group. [00:03:28.680] Among all Davidson graduates, [00:03:30.800] one out of every seven is a doctor. [00:03:34.920] Davidson's Department of Chemistry has recently [00:03:37.680] been recognized by the American Chemical Society [00:03:40.800] by inclusion on their approved list [00:03:43.440] of colleges meeting their high standards [00:03:46.480] for high quality of undergraduate offerings in chemistry. [00:03:54.640] Directly across from the Martin Science Hall is the Hugh A. [00:03:58.080] and Jane Parks Grey Memorial Library. [00:04:01.520] As President Emeritus Walter L. Lingle [00:04:03.680] used to say again and again, [00:04:05.920] the library is the central workshop of the college. [00:04:10.560] This well describes the part which the Grey Library [00:04:13.400] plays in supplementing the classroom work of the college. [00:04:18.680] The shelves of carefully selected volumes are [00:04:21.320] all accessible to the students and many a boy [00:04:24.080] dips into unexpected riches [00:04:27.120] while browsing through the stacks. [00:04:30.320] He may be interested in the rare volumes in some [00:04:33.000] of the special collections. [00:04:37.560] There is inspiration to every would-be writer [00:04:40.800] in the shelves of volumes written by alumni [00:04:43.760] of Davidson College. [00:04:46.520] Such examples of scholarship, and the nearby [00:04:49.400] portrait of a former student who became our [00:04:52.080] nation's president, are part [00:04:54.720] of the Davidson tradition. [00:04:57.560] Another service, which deserves to be better known, [00:05:00.400] is the vocational guidance program conducted [00:05:03.080] by Professor J. H. Ostwalt. [00:05:07.000] The student is first [00:05:07.320] given a series of tests. [00:05:09.560] This one measures hand and eye dexterity, [00:05:13.120] while others are designed to bring out [audio skip]. [00:05:15.840] Commonly found in a small college, is the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. [00:05:20.280] In a period where some sort [00:05:21.320] of military service appears to be inevitable [00:05:24.080] for all able bodied young men, [00:05:26.480] these courses, sponsored by the Department of the Army, [00:05:29.000] enable a student to attend college [00:05:32.280] and to get a head start in military training [00:05:34.920] at the same time. [00:05:38.000] Since 1928, the Davidson ROTC unit [00:05:41.360] has received [?] by army inspectors. [00:05:46.680] In the great university [00:05:48.120] it has been said [00:05:50.640] more boys go through the college, but in the [00:05:53.600] small institutions, more college [00:05:56.400] goes through the boys. [00:05:58.680] One reason for this is the friendly [00:06:01.200] personal relationships between students and faculty. [00:06:05.920] An impromptu [?] session on the steps with Professor Beatty, [00:06:09.800] it might have been any of the faculty, [00:06:12.320] can supplement the formal classroom instruction [00:06:15.160] with overtones of knowledge and wisdom. [00:06:20.560] This is a college, too, where every student [00:06:23.200] can know the president and gain friendly [00:06:26.040] console, which he will remember for the rest of his life. [00:06:32.320] Davidson is a family college [00:06:34.920] and President and [00:06:36.240] Mrs. Cunningham are an integral part of it. [00:06:40.760] On Sunday evenings, not only the Cunninghams, [00:06:43.720] but all of the faculty, hold open house for [00:06:46.240] the students. [00:06:49.040] In their homes, or in the classrooms, [00:06:50.640] it is these teachers who mold [00:06:53.360] the lives of young men. [00:06:55.943] [audience cheering] [00:07:10.560] Athletics form an enjoyable aspect of college life, [00:07:13.880] and the Davidson spirit is not dependent upon [00:07:16.680] big time competition. [00:07:20.440] Baseball and tennis are [00:07:23.080] representative of the ten varsity sports carried on at Davidson. [00:07:27.600] But there is more than competitive athletics [00:07:30.240] in the physical education program at Davidson. [00:07:33.560] All students take this scientifically planned series [00:07:36.480] of tests to measure the degree of development [00:07:39.520] of each part of the muscular system. [00:07:44.320] The results are checked over by members of the department [00:07:47.280] and if a boy is found to be underdeveloped, [00:07:50.040] say in his arm and shoulder muscles, [00:07:52.760] a series of suitable corrective exercises is prescribed. [00:07:57.600] Better health throughout life is [00:08:00.120] the aim of the department. [00:08:02.280] This is a sensible and a valuable program [00:08:05.240] and requires ample gymnasium facilities. [00:08:11.320] It was only a few years ago that the ground was broken [00:08:14.080] for this new building, which had been so greatly [00:08:16.640] needed for so long. [00:08:18.760] But today, the Charles Worth Johnston [00:08:21.440] Memorial Gymnasium stands as a magnificent [00:08:24.320] tool for developing physical vitality [00:08:27.360] and health. [00:08:29.920] On any pleasant afternoon in season [00:08:31.360] one can see this mass recreation program in action. [00:08:37.520] Virtually the whole college participates [00:08:40.040] either in intramural sports or in [00:08:42.560] practicing for some varsity sport. [00:08:46.640] Davidson has its social side, too. [00:08:49.440] The annual Old South Ball brings out the costumes [00:08:52.440] of another generation and Southern belles [00:08:55.280] and their gallant escorts throng the campus [00:08:58.040] for the weekend festivities. [00:09:02.280] The extra curricular campus life is augmented [00:09:05.120] by the new David Ovens Student Union. [00:09:10.360] Every week the Davidsonian rolls off the presses. [00:09:12.960] Student journalists [00:09:15.600] cover the campus and the paper provides [00:09:18.240] a running history of college events [00:09:20.760] and the announcements of things to come. [00:09:23.480] As, for instance, the Red and Black Masquers' [00:09:26.120] production of Julius Caesar. [00:09:30.680] Beware the Ides of March. [00:09:38.320] Students govern their own affairs through the [00:09:40.960] student council. [00:09:42.760] One important function is to uphold the honor system. [00:09:46.960] This is well illustrated every time there is an examination. [00:09:50.920] Cribbing and cheating just isn't done [00:09:53.880] because the boys know that the honor system [00:09:56.680] is their own responsibility. [00:10:00.280] Hence, there is real significance [00:10:03.160] in the professor's empty chair. [00:10:08.520] The Davidson YMCA has a varied program of activities. [00:10:13.120] Every Sunday, [00:10:14.360] student deputation teams bring cheer to [00:10:17.000] hospitals and sanitariums, and conduct [00:10:19.600] services, and help with young people's work [00:10:22.520] in churches, and Sunday schools all over the state. [00:10:28.280] Another highly constructive activity, are the [00:10:31.120] Y sponsored forums on such timely topics as [00:10:33.640] the pitfalls of communism, [00:10:36.920] courtship and marriage, or international understanding. [00:10:41.680] The panel speakers present different viewpoints [00:10:45.760] and then have to maintain their positions against [00:10:48.520] spirited questions from the floor [00:10:50.840] in the good American democratic tradition. [00:10:54.600] The YMCA sponsored a noteworthy expression [00:10:57.480] of everyday religion recently [00:10:59.800] when the Town of Davidson suddenly [00:11:01.560] became conscious of its Negro slums. [00:11:05.120] The college Y took on a big share of [00:11:07.720] a new housing project. [00:11:09.560] And today, the students can see for themselves [00:11:12.920] the tangible results of their effort and generosity. [00:11:17.240] The Charlotte Observer's editorial writer said of this, [00:11:20.880] "It has revived our faith in the American character." [00:11:26.560] Where you find good works, you will find [00:11:29.240] a firm spiritual faith, too. [00:11:32.720] President Cunningham expounds this Christian faith [00:11:35.680] at the Sunday evening vespers. [00:11:38.240] Guest preachers, too, some of the finest in the country, [00:11:41.640] occupy the pulpit many Sundays in the year. [00:11:47.120] Davidson College has been truly called, [00:11:49.920] "The child of the Presbyterian Church." [00:11:53.000] And so there was great anticipation [00:11:55.600] as the generosity of alumni and friends [00:11:58.160] made it possible to bring construction of an appropriate [00:12:01.440] and beautiful place for student worship. [00:12:05.000] As the new church began to take form, [00:12:07.920] even the framework against the sky [00:12:10.560] gave promise of the final magnificent reality. [00:12:18.960] It is both a house of worship and a center [00:12:21.840] for religious activities. [00:12:24.320] This structure rounds out the physical equipment [00:12:27.280] of the college. [00:12:29.920] Facilities for the spirit, [00:12:33.560] for the mind, [00:12:36.480] and for the body. [00:12:38.680] Truly, the dreams of our founders [00:12:41.280] have been realized in the Davidson of today. [00:12:44.640] As this distinguished college, in the words [00:12:47.520] of the charter of 1838, promotes [00:12:51.000] the more general diffusion of knowledge and virtue. [00:12:57.520] Here is infused into the heart and mind [00:13:00.520] of young man after young man, that [00:13:03.360] welding of [audio skip]. Inner genius of the church [00:13:06.200] related college. [00:13:08.080] This is American higher education [00:13:10.720] at its best. [00:13:13.280] In so far as such colleges can remain strong and free, [00:13:16.720] they will continue to pour character and leadership [00:13:19.880] into the life stream of America. [00:13:22.360] Proof of the profound truth of [00:00:43.760] alenda lux ubi orta libertas. [00:13:29.440] Where liberty has arisen [00:13:31.480] let learning be cherished. [00:13:33.880] [music]