Humanism and Science in the Cathedral of Learning - No. 7 - Address

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Theodora

An address by John Duncan Spaeth on Humanism and Science in the “Cathedral of Learning,” delivered during Charter Day Exercises at the University of Pittsburgh on February 27, 1925. The text traces the university’s institutional development from the Pittsburgh Academy through later transformations, emphasizing a forward-looking spirit. It contrasts enduring educational adventure with changes in the intellectual “temper” of the time, noting shifts in faith, progress narratives, and public ideals in modern industrial life.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time29 min

AccessFree to download

Front Elevation

The Cathedral of Learning

The Temper of Our Time

97-84062-25Spaeth,John Duncan Ernst Humanism and science inthe cathedral of learning Pittsburgh,Pa. 1925 # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISIONBIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Reproductions may not be made without permisslon from Columbla University Libraries. RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mmBEDUCTION RATIO:10:110:/ IMAGE PLACEMENT:IA INITIALS: 追 DATE FILMED: 4-2917 TBACKING\#: FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. # BIBLIOGRAPHIC IRREGULARITIES Spaeth,John Duncan Ernst … …Humanism and science in the cathedral of learning…… MAIN ENTRY: Bibliographic Irregularities in the Original Document: List all volumes and pages affected;include name of institution if filming borrowed text. Page(s)missing/not available: ___Volume(s)missing/not available: Illegible and/or damaged page(s): Page(s)or volume(s)misnumbered: ___Bound out of sequence:_ __Page(s)or volume(s)filmed from copy borrowed from:_ X2 unnumbered plates between page 14 and 15__Other:_ ______Inserted material:_ # INTENTIONALSECOND EXPOSURES DUE TOPHOTOGRAPHS # UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHBULLETIN 8OZ # HUMANISM AND SCIENCEIN THE CATHEDRALOF LEARNING By JoHN DuNCAN SPAETH,P.D.,LITT.D.Professor of English,Princeton Universily An Address Delivered at Charter Day ExercisesUniversity of PittsburghFebruary 27,1925 PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA # UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGHBULLETIN HUMANISM AND SCIENCEIN THE CATHEDRALOF LEARNING By JOHN DUNCAN SPAETH,Pa.D.,LITT.D.Professor of English,Princeton Unipersity An AddressDelivered at Charter Day ExercisesUniversity of PittsburghFebruary 27,1925 PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA No.7 VoL.21 MARCH 20,1925 The Uniersity of Pittsburgh Bullerin is published by the Uninersity ofPiltsburghand is issued tri-monthly.Entered March 13,1914,atthe postofice al Pilsburgh,Pa.,as second-class matter ander ad of Congress ofAngust 24,1912. ## FRONT ELEVATION # THE CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING HUMANISM AND SCIENCE IN THECATHEDRAL OF LEARNING ONE hundred and thirty-eight years ago the Legislte oe the m gle rs aPo egni-lature of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaniaincorporated on what was then the Western frontiera school known as the Pittsburgh Academy.Thirty-two years later,this academy became the WesternUniversity of Pennsylvania.After eighty-nine years,the institution identified itself in name once morewith its city and became the University of Pittsburgh. Charter Day commemorates the stages of thisgrowth.From the handful of boys who conned theWestern Spelling Book under Joseph Stockton in thedays of the Conestoga Wagon,this school has growninto a populous community of learning which,if it hasnot improved on the spelling of its ancestors,is,atleast,wrestling with problems beyond the ken of theauthor of the Western Calculator and the WesternSpelling Book. For us the inspiration of the day lies not inlooking back but in looking ahead.We are gatheredto celebrate the youth,not the age of the Universityof Pittsburgh.The best chapters of her history arestill to be written.No one can come into the atmos-phere of this place without becoming aware of a moodof high adventure,of eager expectancy,a spirit vibrantwith daring and steady resolution to achieve,like aship that frets to break out her anchor and sail “....beyond the sunset and the bathsOf all the western stars,...." ## FRONT ELEVATION # THE CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING HUMANISM AND SCIENCE IN THECATHEDRAL OF LEARNING 节 ONE hundred and thirty-eight years ago the Legis-( tnore thn

FAQs

Who delivered the address and where was it delivered?

John Duncan Spaeth delivered the address, presented at Charter Day Exercises of the University of Pittsburgh.

What historical development does the address describe for the university?

It recounts growth from the Pittsburgh Academy to later institutional identities, culminating in the University of Pittsburgh.

How does the address characterize the intellectual climate of its time?

It describes a tendency to challenge existing order and re-examine the foundations of civilization, including the decline of earlier faith in progress and inevitable perfection.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Theodora