Four broad fields of modern civilization were covered in last night's symposium at the Metropolitan Opera House on "Our Expanding Horizons," attended by close to 3000 Crimson Alumni. Harlow Shapley, Paine Professor of Practical Astronomy and Directory of the Harvard Observatory, dealt with the world of science; Francis T. Spaulding '17, Dean-Elect of the Graduate School of Education, discussed the problem of our secondary schools; Wallace B. Donham '98, Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration, described industrial conditions in America; and Bruce C. Hopper '18, associate professor of Government, gave a rapid survey of recent events in Europe. President Conant, who was introduced by Thomas W. Lamont '92, presided at the meeting.

Shapley Defends Science

Discussing our expanding horizons in science, Professor Shapley decried the view that science is the cause of the "present tragic world order". "It is philosophy and religion that have betrayed us, not the engineers, he said.

"Science has an important social job on the horizon, namely the intrusion of rationality and logical methodology into non-scientific fields," he continued, "I do not know how to intrude, successfully--perhaps by education, perhaps by example.

"If you do believe that the present tragic world order should be charged to physicists, chemists, and engineers, then I insist that you have not thought it through."

The charge that science has outrun itself and that it has brought more woe and pain and disorder than happiness, comfort, and order is almost exclusively made by vain people whose failure to understand the simplest techniques has produced an inferiority and a defense.

Use of Rays

Professor Shapley emphasized the importance of the use of rays and radiation in many fields of science, such as the studying through invisible glass of the heretofore invisible storms of hydrogen, iron, and calcium on the too-visible surface of the sun. He told how scientists apply their research to practical work, using their rays in clinics, biological laboratories, agricultural experiment stations, and testing bureaus for textiles, guns, and even fake paintings.

Reviewing the role of science in the defense of civil liberties, Professor Shapley mentioned the radio as "the acme of scientific advance."

"But, you may say, the radio helps the charlatan to reach his dupes and to control them. It should help still more in releasing people from their natural dupehood."

In conclusion he defined the two most important "arcs of the horizon" in modern science: first, the public explanation of the bearing of our past and current discoveries on the current problems of life and society; and second, the encouragement of the use of at least semiscientific methods in the treatment of confused human problems in the hope of eventual emancipation from the slavery of slogans."

Spaulding Asks School Reform

Dealing with the question of opportunity for high school students after graduation, Dean Spaulding recommended several radical reforms of the present educational system, in which "there is little direct connection between success in school and success in making a beginning outside of school."

"The average secondary school of today," he declared, "is . . . planned with a view to the educational needs of high-school pupils a generation ago." Recent investigations of typical American schools in New York and Maryland show conclusively that in the world of today the ability of a high school graduate is no longer an important factor in obtaining a job, that "economic circumstances, not pluck or ability, are the chief determiners of eventual success," he said.

Help Student Find Talents