COLLEGE "UNEDUCATION Jorge Bocobo About the Author Dr. Jorge Bocobo was born in Gerona, Tarlac in 1896.

He studied in the pri ate and public schools o! his town during the "panish regi#e, and he resu#ed his education during the earl$ part o! the A#erica occupation. %n 19&', he was a#ong the !irst group o! go ern#ent pensionados sent to the (nited "tates on a scholarship. Dean Bocobo too) up law at %ndiana (ni ersit$ and returned to the *hilippines a!ter co#pleting his studies. He began wor)ing as a law cler) in the e+ecuti e bureau o! the go ern#ent. ,ater, he was dra!ted into the newl$ !ounded -ollege o! ,aw where he taught -i il ,aw He is the principal author o! the -i il -ode o! the *hilippines. He was appointed as *resident o! the (ni ersit$ o! the *hilippines in 19'. and later resigned to beco#e "ecretar$ o! *ublic %nstruction under *resident /ue0on A proli!ic writer, *resident Bocobo wrote boo)s o! general interest as well as articles on ci il law. The !ollowing speech was deli ered to the students o! the (ni ersit$ o! the *hilippines in "epte#ber o! 1911. % wish to spea) on 2-ollege (neducation2. %s it possible that our college education #a$ 2 uneducated rather than educate3 % answer 2$es2. %t is a parado+ but nonetheless the truth, the gri#, un#erci!ul truth. 4e belie e in higher education we should not be in the (ni ersit$. At the sa#e ti#e, college education 5 li)e all other hu#an de ices !or hu#an better#ent #a$ build or destro$, lead, or #islead. 6$ ten $ears o! hu#ble ser ice in the (ni ersit$ o! the *hilippines has a!!orded #e an opportunit$ to watch the current o! ideals and practices o! our student bod$. %n so#e aspects o! higher education, #ost o! our students ha e #easured up to their high responsibilities. But in other !eatures alas, ital ones7 The thoughts and actions o! #an$ o! the# tend to stunt the #ind dr$ up

the heart, and s8uelch the soul. These students are being uneducated in college % shall brie!l$ discuss three wa$s in which #an$ o! our students are getting a college uneducation, !or which the$ pa$ tuition !ees and #a)e unnu#bered sacri!ices. Book Worship %n the !irst place, there is the all but delirious worship o! the printed page. 24hat does the boo) sa$912 is b$ all odds, the #ost i#portant 8uestion in the student9s #ind whene er he is !aced with an$ proble# calling !or his own reasoning B$ the ta)ers, #an$ students !eel a sort o! !ren0$ !or !acts till these beco#e as huge as the #ountains and the #ind is crushed under the#. Those students thin) o! nothing but how to accu#ulate data, hence, their capacit$ !or clear power!ul thin)ing is paral$0ed How pathetic to hear the# and discuss7 Because the$ lac) the nati e reasoning and straight thin)ing. %t is then that #an$ o! our students surrender their indi idualit$ to the te+tboo)s and loss their birthright 5 which is to thin) !or the#sel es. And when the$ atte#pt to !or# their own :udg#ent the$ beca#e pedantic. (nless a student de elop the habit reasoning, his college these o! his -o#pare :usti!$ How weight penetrating o! independent and sound education is a sole#n sha#. college students with Juan de la is !ree !ro# the o erwhel#ing, unassi#ilated boo) )nowledge. perception how unner ing his italit$ o! unha#pered reason, their disclosure s#ac)s o! cant and sophistr$ rather than o! health$

-ru0 in the barrios. His #ind

:udg#ent, how solid his co##on sense7 Professional Philistinism The second #anner o! college education that % want to spea) o! is

this, #ost students #a)e pro!essional e!!icienc$ the be all and end all o! college education. The$ ha e set their hearts upon beco#ing highl$ trained law$er, doctors, engineers, teachers, and agriculturist. % shall not stop to in8uire into the 8uestion o! how #uch bla#e should be laid at the door o! the !aculties o! the (ni ersit$ !or this pernicious dri!t toward undue and e+cessi e speciali0ation That such a tendenc$ e+ist in undeniable, but we ne er pursue to count the cost. 4e are all o! one #ind. % belie e that college education is nothing unless it widens a #an9s ision, broadens his s$#pathies and leads hi# to higher thin)ing and deep !eeling. ;et how can we e+pect all this result !ro# a state o! a!!airs which reduces a law student to a code a prospecti e doctor to a prescriptions and a would5be an engineer to a #athe#atical !or#ulas3 How #an$ students in our in our pro!essional colleges ate doing an$ s$ste#atic reading in literature. 6a$ we not, indeed serious whether this !etish o! speciali0ation does not s#other the inspiring sense o! beaut$ and ennobling lo e o! !iner things that our students ha e it in the# to un!old into !ull blown5 #agni!icence. The Jading Dullness of Modern Life 2A thing o! beaut$ is a :o$ !ore er2, sa$s <eats. But we )now that beaut$ is a #atter o! taste, and unless we de elop in us a proper appreciation o! what is beauti!ul and subli#e, e er$thing around us is tedious and co##on place. 4e rise earl$ and go out into the #orning, but our spirit is unresponsi e to the hope!ul 8uietude and the dew5chastened sweetness o! dawn. At night, we behold the #$riad starts but the$ are :ust so #an$ bright spea)s, their so!t !ires do not soothe our troubled hearts and we do not e+perience that aweso#e, soul5stirring, !ascination o! the i##ense ties o! God (ni erse. 4e ate bathed in the sil er sheen o! the #oon and $et !eel not the beatitude o! the #o#ent we ga0e upon a ista o! high #ountains, but their silent strength has no appeal !or us. 4e read so#e und$ing erses, still, their ibrant cadence does not thrill us, and their transcendent thought is to us li)e a ision

that

anishes. 4e loo) at a #asterpiece o! the chisel with its eternal

grace!ulness o! lines and properties, $et to us is no #ore than #ere hu#an li)eness. Tell #e, is such a li!e worth co#ing to college !or3 =et, #$ !riends, the o er speciali0ation which #an$ students with 0eal and de otion is bound to result in such un!eeling, dr$ as dust5e+istence. % #a$ sa$ in passing that the education o! the older generations is in this respect !or superior to ours. >ur older countr$#en an$ with reason that the new education does not law!ull$ culti ate the heart as the old education did. Misguided Zeal ,astl$, this sel!sa#e rage !or highl$ speciali0ed training with a to distinguished pro!essional success, be clouds our iew

ision o! the broader

perspecti e o! li!e. >ur philosoph$ o! li!e is in danger o! beco#ing narrow and #ean because we are habituated to thin) al#ost wholl$ in ter#s o! #aterial well being. >! course we #ust be practical3 4e cannot ade8uatel$ answer this tre#endous 8uestion unless we thought!ull$ de elop a proper sense o! alues and thus learn to separate the dross !ro# the gold, the cha!! !ro# the grain o! li!e The ti#e to do this tas) is not a!ter but be!ore college graduation, !or when all is said and done, the su# and substance o! higher education is the indi idual !or#ulation o! what li!e is !or, with special training in so#e ad anced line o! hu#an learning in order that such a li!e !or#ula #a$ be e+ecuted with the ut#ost e!!ecti eness. But how can we la$ down the ter#s o! our philosoph$ o! li!e i! e en5one o! our thoughts is absorbed b$ the dail$ assign#ent, the outside reading, and the laborator$ e+peri#ent and when we continuousl$ de our lectures and notes. 2(neducated2 Juan dela -ru0 as Teacher Here, again, #an$ o! our students should sit at the !eet o! #eagerl$ educated Juan de la -ru0 and learn wisdo#. Ah7 He is o!ten called ignorant, but

he is the wisest o! the wise, !or he has unrelated the #$steries o! li!e. He is the happiness o! the #an who )nown the wh$9s o! hu#an e+istence. (nassu#ing, Juan de la -ru0 cherishes no 2 aulting a#bition which o erleap itsel! His si#ple arid hardl$ irtues put to sha#e the studied and co#ple+ rules o! conduct o! highl$ educated #an and wo#en. %n ad ersit$, his stoicis# is be$ond enco#iu#. His lo e o! ho#e, so 8uite !aith!ul is the !ir# !oundation o! out social structure And his patriotis# has been tested and !ound true. -an our students learn !ro# Juan de la -ru0 or does their college education un!it the# to beco#e his pupils3 %n conclusion, % shall sa$ % ha e obser ed a#ong #an$ o! our students certain alar#ing signs o! college uneducation, and so#e o! these are ?1@ lac) o! independent :udg#ent as well as lo e o! pedantr$, because o! the worship o! the printed page and the !e erish accu#ulation o! undigested data. ?1@ the deadening o! the delicate sense o! the beauti!ul and the subli#e on account o! o er speciali0ation and ?'@ neglect o! the !or#ulation o! a sound philosoph$ o! li!e as a result o! e+cessi e e#phasis on pro!essional training.