Albion Woodbury Small: An Appreciation
| Autor: | Annie Marion MacLean |
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| Rok vydání: | 1926 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | American Journal of Sociology. 32:45-48 |
| ISSN: | 1537-5390 0002-9602 |
| DOI: | 10.1086/214023 |
| Popis: | The flags of the empire that is our minds, and of the democracy that is our hearts, are at half-mast today because of grief over the loss of a profound thinker and a vivid personality. Yet it is not the note of sorrow that he would have us stress; he would ask us to unfurl the colors of scientific truth, and to emphasize the value of a life. He needs no encomiums now to insure his place among the great. He made that place for himself, but it gives us who knew and admired him while he lived a mournful satisfaction to pay tribute to his worth. For a long time Dr. Small was to me master, colleague, friend, an enriching triple experience which, on account of surging emotions, I find it difficult to put in words. Perhaps in a composite sketch I can best portray the threefold relationship to indicate what he meant to me and to many others. As a teacher he impressed his personality on casual students as well as upon those who stayed with him through to higher degrees. His vigor, humor, trenchant thinking, happy phrase, amazing erudition placed him at once high above the average. Scorning pretentions, he always treated the humblest auditor with intellectual respect. By giving courteous attention to puny opinions, he fostered confidence in the timid. While he could flay with vitriolic words, he knew how to temper those words with justice. This attitude bred in the student a devotion to learning and to the personality who represented it. Research under him became a zestful enterprise. It mattered not how far afield our investigations carried us, his interest followed. "You will have to decide for yourself what your special niche will be, but whatever it is, make the work worth while," was his guiding word. The preciousness of decision was left with the individual. He gave his students the inspiration |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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