Text of speech delivered by Franklin J. Lunding  at the UND Spring Commencement on June 11, 1948. He entitled his remarks:  A Picture For Your Future

Lunding, Franklin J.

English

UND Scholarly Commons (University of North Dakota)

University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons UND Commencement Programs Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections 6-11-1948 "A Picture For Your Future" by Franklin J. Lunding, UND Spring Commencement: June 11, 1948 Franklin J. Lunding Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/und-commencement-programs Recommended Citation Franklin J. Lunding""A Picture For Your Future" by Franklin J. Lunding, UND Spring Commencement: June 11, 1948" (1948). UND Commencement Programs. 99. https://commons.und.edu/und-commencement-programs/99 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in UND Commencement Programs by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact und.commons@library.und.edu. Com~encerent Address University of }-ort_1 Dal:ota June 11, 1948 Franklin J" Lunc'.ing T 1i s is t~rn day that J'lark:s the b eginni f4?.: o: ye,1:..r sear,~h for the re,'!e..rC:. ~ of a full, mature l i= e.. You !lv\',· have ex11er l enc~ gachered. frcm bcoks" Such is but of the natu.c9 of learn5ng., ~·~hat '"l1ich yuu wi:'...J [ain from actual living after your fine prcp2.-·ation l.1.e1·e at t:ie Uaiversity of lfortl1 Dakot.a 1-rill be of the nature of uis(wm., Yem· fut,ure, based on ;rour so~nd educational foundation, from this poi 1t oa, w:i.11 c.epend upcn yau-::- accur.":ulati0n of a store of worthwhile ex-perience.. H is my nv::_)e t::.1.at I sha2..l be able t~ :9aiir', for you a cornposi te pic-ture for your futur8; a uordpicturu map sl1mv::.ng the roads that lead to t~1e real satisfactions of lifeo lfnen you J eave this auch torium tonight, you. will have two very valuable assets. A diplcmu test1fyin[; to the successful com}letion of an imJ?orto..nt pro-ject in yor.r life, an.d the must valuable asset the w0r1d has to offer, OPPORTUiJITY :-Ol)l)Ortuni t:;- for every individual. I :i.1aV'e read that there is no synonym for this truly Ar.1erican word in the Russian lane,ua.ce or the German or even in the Swedish la'16uage. :But her-e in America we h~.ve in this one i:·!Ord the found.at ion for our contribution to tr..e advancement of civiliza.tion, tl1e basis for ou.r way of life that guarantees those individual freedoms that make a people ru1d a civilization strong and ha~py. It is doubtful if any group of college graduates in recent history has stepped out into a rnrld of f:;reater confusion than c.oes the class of 1948 of our colleges and 1rniversities, t~1e country over. iforld War II ended nearly three years ago. Instee.d of resuming our normal life and proGress with confic·te::1ce and a sure sense of c:.u·ection, v e find ourselves gropLiG in a world in which the very atmospher·e ue breathe is char6 ed with sus}:)icion, hostility and uncertainty. It is thi.s situation that worries us; but it should also give us couro.ce. I believe it is no exag6era.tion to s~:r t:rnt the entire future of the world de:._?ends upon how wisel~r ·Je use the next ten years - t 1e first decade in wl1ic:1 your in-fluence ·rill cou:.1t to a measurable degree. If ,.-,e cannot penetrate the fog ,·rhich obscures the world's future, at least we can attempt to crystallize our mm hopes for our future as individuals. 'l'he more effective trn can make our 0,1n lives, the happier and jnore useful we will be as citizens, a.J1d the greater influence each of us as individuals 1·1ill have on our tines. First, t::.1en, ue should face the future ·rit~1 a sound and hopeful philoso:_Jhy. I know of none better suited to the tines than that e:c:_Jressed by the late Dr. Charles U. 3liot of 5arvard, who at an advanced age attributed his long, serene life and l1is raany accoml)lishments to -oeing blessed \·Tith a calm tem:Jerarnent, ex-pectant of cood.. If 1·1e do not naturally possess such a temperament, we can co11-sciously cul ti vr~t e Dr. :Jliot I s wise philosophy. i3ut to cultivate a rise philosophy is not enougl1.. One's }JhilosoJhy merely serves as a lubricant to make life roll more smoothly. :Te have greater need tl1an any :;?revious ge:!eration has :1ad, to ,-rork to a picture: a picture of ,·r~1at ·re, 2.s individuals, want our oun future to be, set in the broader picture of the con-munity, the state, the country, the ,-rorld in which ,.,e wal1t to live, r:i:he hro -2-pictures are inseparable, for ·That ,,re o.o in our personal and home lives i::.1fJ.uences tl1e life of t~1e comnuni ty in t'lhich ·Te 1i ve; and thd comnuni ty' s influence syreads to tl1e state, the natio.n and the outsic.e world. Few of us realize the cumulative impact of our individual actions" We ca11~1ot esca:9e our individual responsibility, ano. we should not overlook our op1)ortu:1ity, to fashion a better i:1orld.. 'le need not - and should not -acce~1t t~1e uo1~1d as it is, but rather ,·Tork to a picture of the \·rorld as we ·rnuld like it to be. The young man or uomG.n i:,i th the clearest ~)icture of this better ,·1orld, and the part he 01· she wants to play in it, will make the swiftest perso:1al )regress , and exert the greatest influence on our timeso I appreciate that feT college graduates know 1 in advance of their ex-posure to life, exc.ctly the kind of work they are best fitted to do. As an example, I started as a lawyer and i.1ave beco:.1e a business man. There is no telling uhere any of us ,-,ill eventually end Ul), so far as our life work is co.1.1ceraed . But I am convinced thts makes less difference than you or I may thL'll.:. The important question is: Uhat kind of a picture aI·e we uork-ing to in our daily lives? Do i.·re see, in our mind's eye, a better world? Do we visualize a still better America, ,-Tl:ere our children will l aye scope and op,ortuni ty to work out an even finer life t:1an our own generation is enjoying? Do we keep before our eyes a picture of t:1e better community in which vrn \·rant to live? If t:1is seems to you to be visioi1ary, suppose we bring the probler1 do1:n.1 to your personal plans as you leave this auditorium, follo\'ling these graduation exercises . You young men can start working to a picture such as I have sketched sim2ly by thinkinc of yourself, not merely as starting to work in a good job, but as setting out to live a good lifeu And you. young ladies ,-,ho look forward to a home and children are wise enough, I am sure, to realize that you are in quest, not merely of ail attractive mate, but a good life-2.)artner with tThom you can ,-rork to a picture that will demand your finest home-making abilit.ies . One of the Greatest forces in the world is the support, synr_)athetic understa:.1ding and encouragement given so freely by the mothers and wives of America. The key question is not, Ul1at can I get out of life? but - What can I ~)ut into it tl1rough tlrn best use of my education, my time, ~ energy and rzy talents? Fix before irour eyes the :place in life you want to occupy. Do not be too modest about it . Then set out for your desti11at ion, not necessarily a particulc~r position or calling, but in terms of the kind and quality of life you want to live. You can know in advance that to arrive at your pictured objective will take patience. You cannot avoid :i:1ard work. It will be difficult to esca~Je period.s of discou.rat;eraent. It tTill take time to accumulate the benefits of ex:)erie·1ce . But if you kee2_) t:1e picture of ;rour choice before you, you are bolmd. eventually to enjoy tl1e .:;ratifications of a full life. -3-And nou a 1.·10rd as to your manner of life. It \·Till make less diffe1~ence u:1e:re you live t}1w.1 t:1e spirit in which :rou adjust yourself to your surround.inc;s. If you have a choice between city, to,..m, or cou.ntry - settle where you want to lives ,-Thetller it be a lc.1rge c.;i ty or its environs, a small city or town, or 011 a farm or ranch. In larbe cities wage and salary rates are relatively high; but so are living costs. T:iere are a great many uonderful advantages, but you l1ave to buy ma11y of your pleasures, D .. t a city scale of prices . T11ere is little neighborliness; you live pretty much to yourself, in the midst of thousands of people who are indif-ferent to :rour e;dstence . In a small city or town, living costs are 101.·rn:r, but so are vTage and salary rates. TJ.rnre may be no theatres, night clubs, museums, or city-type amusements. But it is easier to engage in s1Jorts and community l)astiraes. You live among :people ul10 are interested in you for yourself, and not for what you have. You can more easily cultivate fine friendships. Life is simpler and more leisurely, oJith less tension.. And you can visit some larger city occasionally to san1~Jle its excitementso Life on a farn or ranch has its limitations, and the money income may be relatively sl·,1DJ.l.. But money is not so necessary to the living of a good life. The whole out-of. 4 doors is yours to enjoy, at little or no cost. Neighbors are not plentiful, but they become close friends, with a true community of interest. Wi tl1 the automobile and the airpla..:1e, the advantages of the nearest city or town are available as desirede So, if the choice is yours, plan to live where your natural inclination dictates, realizing that it is your life you are living. On the other ~and, if your job or profession dictates the place you must live, or in the case of you 3roung lacUes, if the man you marry must locate L.1 a place not of 3ronr choosing, there are advantages in every location to offset the disadvantaces. In any event, wherever you r.iay live, throuGh choice or necessity, make up your mind to like the place for everybody ana_ everythir..g in it that is likeable. Take an act i vo 110.rt in local D.ff air n. Do everyt:1ing 1i thin your i)OvJer to malce every wortlrnhile cor.munity 1Jroject successful. You can make a Good life any1·T:1ere if you do an iiltelligent job of living. I stress your stake in comr.mni ty life because, it is becoming iHcreasiagly h1portant t:12.t all of us learn the fine art of living and working togetl1er. In the course of a ge:..1eration souething has taken place which :i.1as attractec1 less notice tl1an its significance ,,Tarrants; this country - and indeed the \·Thole world -has graduated from the era of inadeq_uate self-sufficiency of the indi via_ual ii1to an age in w:1ich l::re;e numbers of mej_l D.nd women must work together tow2.rd a coll1lTion aim or goal. Applying t:1is to n.:"tions, vrn see today the begin:1ing, perhaps, of a United States of 3u.ro~Je, to replace a score of \·That were, day before yesterd3y, ver;/ i:1-dependent :1ations. ifot from choice, for 11atio:1alism a_ies hard, but for security and probress , men are being dra,m together to work to a picture of the international future. In t~1e lives of individv.als, men have learned that by poolinf; their icleas and abilities, and b·r combining their resources, they can multiply themselves to t:1eir mutual adva~tage. -4-In t·1e fifteen years from 1885 to 1900, working in ~roods:i.1eds or small uachine shops, :.Jh10od r:aynes, R. Z. Olds, Henry Fora., .A.Jexande:r 1Tinton (to :iaention but a few of the llioneers) developed the automobile. Today our automobiles are }_)reduced b~r large grou1)s of skilled men t-Torking toget:1er under nanegements responsible (almost tlit~1out e:;~ce~1tion) to lal'ge f;roups of stockholders who O\'lll tl1e vast mass-production plants Hithout which the cost of a motor car would be prohibitive. In the field of a6riculture, too, men have learned the st~ength of pooled interests. lfot so many yea.rs ago raost fruits and vegetables were taken to na1--ket bJr the fan.1eTs wl10 raised then. S:oday ue i ave asso~iations of g:rm·Te:i. .. s of citrus fruits, ap:i_:>les, :._Jrunes, nuts: and a score of other proc.ucts of nature, 1·Thicl1 :_)ro-cess, pack~Ge, advertise and in sone instances market the crops of their men0ers. These groups, in turn, deal with canners, pacl::ers and frozen food processors, ,1ho mass-market tr .... e srowers 1 products. iiot so nci.ny years back, the public health was served largely by the family doctor, a gene1 .. al practitioner.. Today the trend is to ·Tard. medical centers arow.1d which are gat:iered ~1hysicians and surgeons of all skills and specialties, with equipment ~nd resources such as no individual doctor could command Does groupins of men's energies and interests mean that in the future of a man or ,,,0111an Hi'ti.1.1 a new idea, a unique talent, or some snecial e;enius uill have no chance; that the~e is no longer any place in the scheme of things for the bold tl1inker or the a.arin{; dreamer? Or cloes it mean that there is no neec.. for the small business, or for the in~ividual ~ractitioner in the professions? By no neans l The uorld moves fonmrd on bold ideas' and daring dreams. The business \·Torld needs .many acorn-businesses to sro ,, into tomorrow's indust:r-ial-oaks. And the individual practitioner of today may set a ne,·r i_')attern in his science or art that \·rill advance his profession. It is to be hoped tl1at sone of you young men and wornen will build small enterpriscrn of ~rour O\·m - retail shops, service or manufacturinc businesses. And that others of you will be ge:1eral :practitioners in medicine, the law, and the sciences. Tiut it d.oes mean t i1at you of the new £e!1eration ,·rill do uell to learn to ,·10rk ui tJ.1 and through croups of men and wor1en wllo are moving in the sane direction as you are traveling. r:2 .. ey will help you to carry out your ideas, to make Jrour drear.as come true, more surely, and often more swiftly. You, in turn, may sup)ly t~ie ideas or im~Jetus to motivate t:1c 6 rou~). If you \·rill bear this in mind as you step out into the world to work out your future-picture, :rou vrill have little trouble adjusting yourself to tl1e ·rorld of business, or building a clientele in one of the professions, or making a successful place for :~olli."self in your s,ecial art or science or in your home. You \·fill find it easier, also, to fit into the life of the city, to,m or rural commm1ity uhere you may live. You cannot be as effective or as important, alone, as your father and grand-father uere. 3ut you can be more effective t:i.1an they uere - if you ,,.rill set out to learn to nultiply your lJersonal skill and ability and energy by t:1e skills and ab~i.li ties a:i.1d el:.ergies of the people among Fhom ;/"OU live and work. The ir.1portance of learninf; to uork and live \·Ti th others cannot be over emphasized. I read re-cently that 87;; of all perso:-is who lost their jobs lost them because they can't get alon~ wit~ other people. This is tl1e Art of Living which you must master. It offers pionecri!.1g O})-portunitiea for t110se of you who have, or ca}.1 develop, t]ie ability to solve t:10 problems of crou:1 living and ,-TorkinG which are res:.:,onsible for today's international -5-tensions, ~1c. for labor and political strife in our oun country . Too many men and \·10men of the present generation are living on the edce of life. Instead of livin~ out in the strean, they let thenselves be crowded close in to shore, o.nd cling to security for all they are worth . Only the darin6 have the courage to let go and push out into the current, ,-,here they experie~1ce the full s,-rcep of life. Yet that is 1:L1ere tl1e satisfactions are .. I s:10uld also like to leave \·Ii th you an encouraging statement made by Admiral Richard 3. :Byrd, who in his Ana.retie explorations had the fullest opportunity to test human endurance and capacity .. He saidt ~ 11,Feu men duri::i;ig_ :their lifet i~c como any-where near eX:.1ausi:;:.i.r1g the resources dwelling within them.. There are deei) ,·rells of strength t.i.12.t are never used. 11 Ancl nm·r let us take one last look at t~1e :picture of your future - and the future of our country - and the whole confused world . In child:.1ood cloubtless all of you read the Arabian 1Tights stoty of Aladdin and his i.·rnnderful lamp. You will recall that the possessor of this magic lamp had but to rub it to summon a e:;e;.1ie ·.rl10 would erant his every ·Tish . You will recall, also, th2.t an African magician, desiring to :posses this fabulous lam-.._), boug:1t a dozen sl1iny ne,·1 la.Mps, put them in a basket, and paraded before Alc.ddin 1 s palace in his absence, crying 11 ~'lho will change old lamps for nei.·r? 11 One of the slaves ran to her mistress in great excitement to tell her of the wonderful offer, recalling to her an old la.n}) on a shelf in the absetlt .Aladdin1 s robiUG room. 11 If the ~)rincGss chooses," said the slave, 11 she may have the pleasure of trying if this fool is so silly as to give a new lamp for an old one. 11 ifot knowing t:1e mngic of .Aladdin's lamp, the ~)rincess ordered it exchanged for a ne1.·1 oao - ,.,i th the unhappy result known to all of you. That fable is being rGpeated today in our national life. There are 1eople, some of them merely ibnorant, others with evil desit;n, \!ho continually urge us to accept a new ideological picture in exchange for our fine old symbolic painting of Indepe-.1cle:.1ce Hall , Birthplace of our Freedom. Witl1 the ins1)iration of this freedom-picture, c.nd in its spirit, our country has developed a way of life, and achieved a neasure of i;,ell-being, \·rhich the rest of the ·10rld envies. Let other :i.1ations ,rork to vrhatever picture tJ.1ey wish, no matter how new or allurin~, or ho,·r cr.aftily varnisl1.ed wit~1 transparently false promises. Our free-dom-picture has t:10 maf;iC to keep our country \1orth living in. You are fortunate to be starting yonr new life in tl1e United States of Ane1,ica . But our Ar10ricx1 Freedons cannot s2fely be taken for Granted. If :rou are to 'be free to ,._,ork out your })ersonal picture for the future, you will have to stanc_ out staunchly against repeated attempts, often by uell-intcntioned peo:ple, -to restrict these freedoms, usually on the most plausible pretexts, and nearly ali..·rays ,,,ith the promise -tl1at the restrictions will be only 11 temporary 11 on account of some particular II emergency • 11 . , . --6-In short, t~rn picture for your future and tile future of Anerica, \·Till be bri6ht only so long as you and all of us live up both to our opportunities and our responsibilities, in our business or professional lives and as citizens . You will be surprisec"'.. to discover hO\·J much you can do, and what a c;ooa_ life you \·!ill have, as a result of investing yourself fully and hopefully . 

A Picture For Your Future  by Franklin J. Lunding, UND Spring Commencement: June 11, 1948

https://commons.und.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1098&context=und-commencement-programs

A Picture For Your Future by Franklin J. Lunding, UND Spring Commencement: June 11, 1948

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UND Scholarly Commons (University of North Dakota)