2 Making of the Complete Citizen
hand to mouth. But in addition, the artisan, artist, scientist,
professional person, or one in any calling has other duties
to fulfill as a citizen; therefore he is to be bred as a
member of his community. But even here is the supreme
end of education attained? Surely not, for the man himself
is greater than his calling, or his citizenship, or both com-
bined. Education must breed men. There are moral qual-
ities which are essential for the person who is to walk worth-
ily of his vocation and to be a good citizen.
The purpose of these lectures is not to consider all the
factors that go to make a citizen, but to select a few essential
principles that enter into the making of the man who will ful-
fill in the Completest manner his function as a member of the
community. We shall treat of qualities that are inherent in
his culture. The word is not quite a safe one. It may seem
to betoken exclusiveness, a preciousness of mind and spirit
parallel to what “good form” is in society; an exotic plant
the hues and fragrance of which are enjoyed only in well
tempered conservatories. An individual quality culture must
indeed always have, but to be genuine it must be a much
more robust bloom than that of a hothouse plant for the
select few. True culture is like the flowering of plants that
can stand ordinary climatic conditions around the dwellings
of average educated people; often indeed just wild-flowers
developed by skill into richer and more prolific garden vari-
eties.
The culture of a nation should be the expression of its
soul. In its totality it is more than the sum of the cultures
of its individual members; men in the mass take on some-
thing that is not found in the units. So the culture of a nation
or an age, while dependent upon the culture of individuals,
and even upon the intenser culture of the relatively few in
groups, is an atmosphere that rises out of but also envelops