President Carl Gregg Doney Was Inspirational in 1910
In the 1910 Murmurmontis, President Doney wrote a letter “to the student.” He begins by congratulating them on being college students and then proceeds to explain the qualities of a student and the opportunities and responsibilites that are involved.
Since the font is quite small, I have transcribed this letter into a more readable format.
I congratulate you upon being a college student. A college student is no ordinary person. He is a chosen vessel. He has chosen himself by virtue of his love and appreciation of scholarship and ideals and inner power. He has chosen himself to be discontented with average attainment. A vision somewhere fell upon his life and he has gone out to realize it.
A student is an investment. A hundred generations lay their treasures at his feet asking him to take them up and to possess them. A grateful and expectant nation has expended wealth untold to make him possible; and parents lavish love and hope and prayer and sacrifice upon him. Home and business and church and state are under burdens which he must learn to bear with strength and courage.
You should clearly tell yourself why you are here. Motive always counts; and with you it will be either a high-souled melody to make life a glory or a dull discord to drive you to unworthy tasks. Your motive must lie outside a selfish interest. The self-centered man has chosen a poor sun for his universe; it can neither hold his planets in their proper orbits nor light them on their way. You are here to make a big success of life; and that is well, provided you measure success with the right yard-stick. You must know that greater problems await you than ever engaged a former generation. If you solve them merely to obtain applause or wealth or ease the black line of selfishness will mar your monument; if you truly serve your generation by the will of God and for love of men your statue will be pure and white.
You should know that knowledge means consequent power and this is to be interpreted in terms of responsibility. Each year you will find yourself camped upon new heights. If you are true, you will use these captured bulwarks for still finer conquests, making your strength a servant which promotes the good of all.
You should get the spirit of your College. A college has a spirit as you have a personality. No college whose spirit is sordid or unchristian is worthy to be your alma mater; leave it; go where the ruling purpose, the thing which the college most wants to give you, is to have you live out the life that is brave and clean and strong. I think that is the spirit of Wesleyan. I am sure it is the spirit of every teacher and nearly every student; and you will play yourself false not to allow it to become your spirit, too.
Do not starve your spiritual nature. Character is the cornerstone of every lasting structure and character does not grow out of neglect. It is nurtured and brought to light in Jesus Christ. It would be a poor outcome for you if with all your getting of knowledge, you did not give your deepest feelings and best thoughts to the culture of that which is fundamental. Make up your mind that here in Wesleyan you will fully realize yourself, that you will be educated to a rich, full, strong life of which the world shall get the benefit.
The Inspiration Continues Today
The following is written by Paula McGrew and her WVWC History students in response to President Doney’s letter.
Each fall I have my First Year Seminar students to read this letter. Over and over it has been a powerful inspiration to them as well. They use words like inspired and motivated, and some even indicate gratitude that he wrote it and that I made them read it. Some of the sections that they highlight every single year include:
- You should clearly tell yourself why you are here.
- Make your mind that here at Wesleyan you will fully realize yourself, that you will be educated to a rich, full, strong life of which the world shall get the benefit.
- A college student is no ordinary person.
- The self-centered man has chosen a poor sun for his universe; it can neither hold his planets in their proper orbits nor light them on their way.
- A student is an investment.
- You should know that knowledge means consequent power and this is to be interpreted in terms of responsibility.
- That the spirit of Wesleyan is the desire of all of your faculty members to have you live out the life that is brave and clean and strong. I think that is the spirit of Wesleyan.
President Carl Gregg Doney’s Message For the Ages
At the end of each semester, many of my faculty colleagues find that some students have fully embraced the opportunities to learn and the responsibilities of using that knowledge. They are also often frustrated by those students who have not taken advantage of the opportunities before them.
I encourage us all to take a look at President Doney’s Letter to the Student. The one that he wrote in 1910 and that still speaks to students today. It is timeless and powerful.
Click here to read more comments from students about how they are inspired and motivated by these words. Names have been withheld, but these are all actual submissions from students in the years between 2019 and 2024.
