Coolidge on Education

 
This is the third installment in the Calvin Coolidge series from his persistence quote.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

As many of you know I have spent the majority of my teaching career teaching at Christian/private schools. One of the mantras in Christian education is that we don’t just teach the mind, we teach the heart. Teaching good moral values can go a long way, but it can only go so far. In science we normally talk about what can be done. Many classes stop at this. I have strived to explain to the students that they are not just scientists who are there to categorize, observe, explain, and in some cases manipulate nature, but also free moral agents who must decide the proper use of what they learn. Science can tell us how, which, when, and why things are or do what they do. It is up to the scientist to determine if the knowledge gained is appropriate to use in a certain situation. There have been many great discoveries that have later haunted the discoverer because they ended up being used in ways unimagined by the scientist. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who among other things, revolutionized blasting in mining and engineering by inventing Dynamite. Dynamite and the blasting cap made explosives a great deal safer and more predictable. It was a great discovery. Yet when a newspaper article erroneously publishing his obituary after the death of his brother Ludvig stated, "Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday" he was appalled. It was then that he decided to, after his death, donate most of his wealth to create the Nobel Peace Prize. Was Nobel wrong to invent dynamite? I would say no. It revolutionized mine safety and saved many lives. It was those less educated who applied his discoveries to more nefarious pursuits. I remember one of my professors in Bible College saying that “it was his job to also educate the heart. Otherwise we are just creating clever devils.” The science is great. How you choose to use it is greater. Talent, genius, and education are all important, but what is more important is what you do with it.

That being said, there is one part of Coolidge’s quote that I have some trouble with. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Science has arrogantly exalted itself as the final answer. Frankly, most of the time it seem more like for every new discovery, we make three more new problems. Science is simply a tool that can be used for good or bad. It needs properly educated scientists to use it correctly. Always remember that Jesus is the answer to the human race.

 

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”  - Calvin Coolidge

 

Coolidge on Genius

 

(This is part 2 of Calvin Coolidge’s larger quote on Persistence.)

This week the musing is about genius. Genius is defined as: 1. extraordinary intellectual power especially as manifested in creative activity. 2.: a person endowed with transcendent mental superiority. specifically: a person with a very high IQ  Merriam-Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › genius

It has often been said, “Smart people learn from their mistakes; geniuses learn from other people’s mistakes.” By either definition, there are not many geniuses around.

 Coolidge said “unrewarded genius is almost a proverb”. Throughout history, there have been many examples of very smart people (often called wise men) who have spoken up and still been ignored. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction”. A wise man’s ideas are only useful if they are accepted and put to good use. Some geniuses were shunned because of new and strange ideas. Some were ridiculed because they went against the social norm and even posed a threat to the perceived welfare of the economy. Albert Einstein (the one sticking out his tonge) was once asked what it was like to be the smartest man in the world. His reply was that if you really wanted to know you should go ask Nicola Tesla.

I would consider both geniuses. So why did Tesla die a poor man living in a run-down hotel? Many did not understand his genus. Others seemed to be threatened by it. Now there is no end of conspiracy theories around Tesla, but it was clear that his idea of free electricity for all did not sit well with the established tycoons. He ended up poor partly because he did not want to control the power grid but had a vision of sharing it with all. Others decided to either ignore his wisdom, or misuse it.

Sometimes genius is wasted on terrible people. Without throwing and pasts geniuses under the bus, I can say that many geniuses from the past were less than nice with anyone who disagreed with them. Edison, Newton, and Churchill often come to mind.

So how can we not waste genius? First we need to determine if it is God’s wisdom or man’s wisdom. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere." James 3:17 (NIV)

Once we find it, we need to listen and apply it. Enter, persistence and determination from the quote. Genius that is hidden or not heeded is unrewarded and useless.

  “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”  - Calvin Coolidge

Coolidge on Talent

I recently ran across a set of great quotes from Calvin Coolidge, the 30^th President of the United States. This time I won’t bother you with the convoluted trail that lead me to him. He rose to notoriety as Governor of Massachusetts during his cool handling of the Boston Police Officer’s Strike.  His stance during the strike probably lead to the surprise nomination of the Republican National Convention  to be Warren G. Harding’s Vice Presidential candidate. After Harding’s sudden death he was sworn in as President. He was known as keen mind and a cool head.  In fact in 1924, his reelection slogan was “Keep Cool with Coolidge”. In the same year he passed the Indian Citizenship Act, granting Native Americans citizenship. He worked hard to improve their treatment and condition.

He was known as a man of few words. While he was President Harding’s Vice President, a society matron once said at a dinner party, "Mr. Vice President, I made a bet with my friends that I could get you to say at least three words this evening." Coolidge fixed a steely glare on her and said: "You lose." https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-life-and-presidency-of-calvin-coolidge

 

In the next few weeks I plan to muse about the three words, Talent, Genius, and Education. This week is talent. Every so often I hear a high school student say “I’ve got skills”. The question I usually ask is “But do you have the character to use those skills?” Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Think about your high school yearbook. Almost every class votes on standout students. It could be most best smile or best dresser. Invariably, there will be something about most talented, or most likely to succeed. But where are they now. Most did not really stand out. Some ended up mediocre; some even failed miserably. I can’t even count the athletes who claimed they will be the greatest and then never even finished college. I do see many “average guys” and “average ladies” who are tearing it up out there. So talent does not automatically equate to success.

Even Jesus told a parable about it. Yes, I know that the “talent” He mentions in Matthew 25:14-30, is technically about money, but the same principle applies. Without hard work (persistence as Coolidge notes) is a huge factor. If we bury our talent in the ground and don’t practice it, it will gain nothing. Stay with it and don’t quit. In the words of Coolidge, Press On!

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”  - Calvin Coolidge