PAGE TWC Text of President's Address 1955 Grads, Guests Hear Eisenhower Following is the text of the address delivered to the 1955 graduating class at the University by President Dwight D. Eisen hower at the commencement ex ercises during the institution's Centennial eYar. The ceremony was attended by 25,000, includ ing 1828 students who received degrees. Commencement speakers, by tradition, scan the future. They strive to predict, in general terms at least, the sort of success that awaits the graduates who prop erly apply themselves to their jobs and professions—and, of course, follow the advice of the speaker! But the man who spoke at my commencement did not hint that I should be the first in a half century to receive an honorary degree here. Certainly I could not foresee; by the widest stretch of imagination, that one day the faculty and trustees of this Uni versity should consider me worthy of honorary membership in the Class of 1955 at Pennsylvania State—the Centennial Class .of this most distinguished school. I am grateful for this honor and de lighted by my association with this class. I am particularly grate ful that my youngest brother— younger brothers being confirmed skeptics about their elders—rais ed no objection and in person made the presentation. Earlier this week I joined in reunion with my own class of 1915 at West Point. Most of us had grown gray and some of us more than a little bald; but these changes were slightly compensated. I thought, by an appearance of wisdom that we did not possess forty years ago. I am sure we all felt privileged, greatly privileged, to have lived in a day of marvels and of tre mendous growth in America's stature. Although we were si lent about it. I am certain that every one of us envied the men in the Class of 1955 as much for the opportunities and discover ies ahead of them as for their youth, their boundless energy, and their idealism. And in this feeling I am doubtless joined by thousands of alumni here as they applaud and congratulate you of this Class of 1955. Of course, you men and wom en venture forth into a world where human nature differs little, if at all, from human nature in 1915 or in the Age of Pericles. Human relations—the art of get ting along with the people who work beside you and with those who live thousands of miles away --does not change in its essence with the centuries. But the age of nuclear energy, in its industrial and economic aspects, will likely bear no more resemblance to the age of steam than a jet-powered plane to an old-fashioned box kite. Indeed, the social pattern of living may be transformed be yond recognition, for I think it can be stated almost as an axiom, demonstrated by the history of mankind that: Out of the use of a new and great energy source, along with boundless opportunities, come new and great numan problems that require new and great so lutions produced by broadly in formed, wisely sympathetic, :loir itually inspired minds. On this campus this morning, I had the privilege of inspecting the first atomic reactor of its kind established under university au spices. This research facility was made possible by the foresight of the trustees of this University who financed the structure and its operation. The Atomic Energy Commission provides only the fuel. In consequence, within sev eral weeks, the atom will be at productive work here at Penn State. Here also the economic and human problems created by this energy will be simultaneously studied by the distinguished fac ul" •:• r ' fitution of learn ing. • __y t too new to: any man to chart its limits or pre dict it course with accuracy. But in ten short years the curtain has been pushed aside sufficiently to afford glimpses that have aroused atomic hopes commensurate with the awful dimension of atomic fears. The extent of the economic and industrial changes that we can anticipate is indicated by estimates that world sources of uranium potentially available contain as high as twenty times the energy of the known world reserves of coal, petroleum and natural gas combined. But pow er is only one of the results of nuclear fission. Many engineers and scientists believe that radia tion and radioactive isotopes may provide even greater peace time benefit. They are already opening new horizons in medi cine, agriculture and industrial processes. Our nation has no desire for a monopoly on the knowledge and practice of these possibilities. We want the world to share—as we always have. Moreover, we know that the human talents essential to the advancement of sqience are , not restricted to thi count r y. Throughout the free countries there are men and women of great abilities who, given the op portunity, can help further to ad vance the frontiers of knowledge and contribute to the peace and progress of the peoples of all nations. Progress to date in nuclear sci ence is not, of course, exclusively an American achievement. An in ternational cooperative e f for t broke the barriers and made pos sible man's use of atomic energy. For maximum progress in the fu ture, we must work for a contin ued partnership between the world's best minds in science, engineering, education, business and the professions. In recognition of these facts, I proposed before the General As sembly of the United Nations on December 8, 1953, that Govern ments begin then and continue to make joint contributions from their stockpiles of fissionable ma terials to an International Atomic Agency. Although a year later, the United Nations adopted the resolution recommending th e formation of such an international agency, the Soviet Union has in dicated no willingness to share any part of its nuclear stockpile with such an agency. Our offer still stands. But we cannot wait on Soviet decisions. Already we have made sub stantial progress under Con gressional authority toward agreements with friendly for eign governments for participa tion with us in the task of for warding peaceful atomic prog ress. Agreements with Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Colour ' •?, " ' 1 wed the Argentine • a-le been initiated. I Others are being negotiated. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA Now we move in further action. We have developed two new programs that I shall submit to the Congress in the conviction that they reflect the spirit and intent of law and of the Amer ican people. First: We propose to offer re search reactors to the people of free nations who can use them ef fectively for the acquisition of the skills and understanding es sential to peace atomic progress. The United States, in the spirit of partnership that moves us, will contribute half the cost. We will also furnish the acquiring nation the nuclear material needed to fuel the reactor. Second• Within prudent secur ity considerations, we propose to make available to the peoples of such friendly nations as are pre pared to invest their own funds in power reactors, access to and training in the technological pro cesses of construction and opera tion for peaceful purposes. If the technical and material resources of a single nation should not appear adequate to make ef fective use of a research reactor, we would support a voluntary grouping of the resources of sev eral nations within a single re gion to acquire and operate it to gether. Our purpose is to spark the creative and inventive skills lat ent in the free world, to pool them and to put them to work for the betterment of the conditions un der which men must live. • The research reactors acquired under this program will be fer tile seeds for progress sown in the receptive soil of the free nations. The cost to the people of the Unit ed States will be small indeed when measured against the cer tain returns, tangible and in angible. The second proposal will be of immediate interest mainly to the power-short areas of the world where atomic power may be economically feasible even today. Some of the countries, however, lack the knowledge and experience needed to con struct and operate a commercial power reactor. This we can share for constructive purposes with friendly countries without real risk to our national secur ity. Such sharing is expressly contemplated by the new Atom ic Energy Act. Together, these two provisions are designed, within the limits of prudence, to clear away some of the obstacles that have impeded progress in nuclear science and to permit its peaceful application by all who propose to make it serve mankind. Here is an invi tation—to scientists and engi :leers, to industries and govern ments—to pool their energies and •reative talents that this great chievement of the human mind ay bear the fruit of its infinite promise. The people of the United States instinctively reject any thought that their greatest scientific achievement can be used only as a weapon. Our increasing progress in its peaceful applications as evi dence of that fact. While we build atomic-powered ships for war—because we must —we have the desire, the determ ination to build atomic-powered ships for peace. And build them we shall! The first atomic-pow ered merchant ship, at its ports of call, will be a laboratory dem onstration that man can harness this unlimited energy for normal, peaceful, prosperous life. While we design bombs that can obliterate great military ob jectives because we must we are also deSigning generators, channels and reservoirs of atomic energy so that man may profit from this gift which the Creator of all things, has put into his hands. And build them we shall! The two proposals I have out lined here are the gateway tb a broad avenue of world progress in the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Surely those of the Russian people—who, despite their Com munist overlords, still think for themselves and who still retain respect for human dignity—are moved by the same feelings as we. I still hope earnestly . that the Soviet Union may jo in in an international effort to harness the atom for man's gond. But I hhve such unlimited confidence in the creativeness of free minds and in the capacity of free men that I know we will, with or without the Soviets. achieve a more abundant life for those who join togther in historic venture. As fora the social and political problems that will accompany this development, their outlines can be forseen but dimly. Their solution will be k task in which you men and women who grad uate today will be engaged in tensively, probably throughout your lives. Some qjiestions im mediately suggest them Selves. Will there prevail the deep de sires shared by the vast majority of all people on the earth who want peaceful use of this ' and all other technical advancements? Can they defeat the designs of those few evil men who would use command of this energy for their control of human destiny? In this question are involved such vital alternatives as war and peace, armament in disarmament, death and life. Another group of questions is of a somewhat different charac ter. As nuclear and other techno logical achievements continue to mount, the normal life span will continue to climb. The hourly productivity of the worker will increase. How is the increase• in leisure time and 'the extension in life expectancy to be spent? Will it be for the achivement of man's better aspirations or his degrada tion to the level of a well-fed, well-kept slave of an all-powerful I state? Indeed, merely to state that question-sharply reminds us that in these days and .in the years ahead the need for philosophers and theologians parallels the need for scientists and engineers. These two questions merely hint at the enormous problems and possibilities that will confront your generation. Scores of others will present themselyes in the changing picture in agriculture, industry and the arts. The an swers can be found only by broad ly informed, wisely sympathetic, spiritually inspired minds, the product of general education that properly blends the practical and technical with the liberal and cul tural. In this country we emphasize both liberal and practical edu cation. But too often it is a liberal education for one and a practical education for another. What we desperately need is an integrated liberal, practical edu cation for the same person—for every American youth: who can possibly obtain its blessings. Hand and head and heart were made to work togeher. They must work tooth's. They should be educated together. In colonial Philadelphia, there was a printer who was likewise a scientist and who was hailed the wisest man of his day—a builder of international under standing and friendship. In nine teenth century Illinois, there was a rail-splitter who was likewise a lawyer and who was hailed a SATURDAY. JUNE 11'. 1955 champion of humanity—a builder of• freedom for all men. Despite their lack. of formal schooling, they were educated men. Educa tion today can nurture for us the possibility of a thousand Frank lins and a thousand Lincoln in a generation, where before we were fortunate to have one. To gain proficiency, sometimes even world acclaim in a special ized skill or profession, knowledge and training are the principal requisites. But to understand how one skill fits into another, how one profession complements and depends on another, how all hu man enterprises constitute an im mense, interdependent society— only education can develop that understanding. In our modern higher educa tion, we have, I believe, three principal difficulties. First, in its practical aspect, we simply are not providing it to sufficient num bers of young men and women. Second, we are not as proficient as we should be in providing a broad citizenship education to those who specialize in the many technical fields. And third, even in liberal edu cation, we have permitted it to become too much a specialization, rather than a broad, liberating in fluence on the mind, the attitude, the character of all students. What we need is general edu cation, combining the liberal and the practical, which helps a student achieve the solid foun dation of understanding un derstanding of man's social in stitutions, of man's art and cul ture, and of the physical and biological and spiritual' world in which he lives. It is an edu cation which helps each indi vidual learn how to relate one relevant fact to another, to get the total of relevant facts af fecting a given situation in per spective: and to reason critic ally and with objectivity and moral conscience toward solu tions to those situations or prob lems. I repeat: This kind of educa tion is sorely needed in this coun try—and throughout the world. The peoples of this earth share today a great aspiration. They all have a common dream of lasting peace with freedom and justice. But. the realization of the dream calls' for many types of coopera tion based upon sympathetic and thorough mutual understanding. In turn, such understanding is dependent on education that pro duces disciplined thinking. Throughout the world, mutual suspicions flourish in ignorance and misunderstanding. They can be dispelled only with knowledge and wisdom. If we are to have partners for peace, then we must first be part ners in sympathetic recognition that all mankind possesses in com mon like aspirations and hungers, like ideals and appetites, like pur poses and frailities, a like demand for economic advancement. The &visions between us are artifi cial and transient. Our common humanity is God-made and en during. I know that you who today complete your education at this great university, in its centennial year recognize that truth. As you apply it to the problems you meet —as productive leaders, as Amer ican citizens, as members of the free world community—you will grow in personal stature and in your contribution to human peace, human independence, human ad vancement. Taft Visited University William Howard Taft is the only chief of state other than President Dwight D. Eisenhower who has ever come to the Uni versity campus. After leaving of fice,' he spoke in Schwab Audi torium while on a nation-wide lecture tour. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN Successor to THE FREE LANCE. est. MT Published Tuesday through Saturday mornings inclusive during the University Yea, by the staff of The Daily Collegian of The Pennsylvania State University. Entered as second-class matter July •. 1934, at the State College, Pa.. Past Office under the act of March 3. len. 411110- Dialll MeKalip. '45 William Devon. Editor Etisinoss Mgr STAFF THIS ISSUE: Phil Aus tin, '55; Mary Bolich, '55; Mary Lee Lauffer '55; Dick McDowell, '55; Phyllis Propert, '55.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers