NEED FOR WORK

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 100, 18 December 1931, Page 2

NEED FOR WORK

PROF. MURPHY ON CHANCES OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT GENUISES THE SUCCESS MARGIN "You may be a genius, and not have to work; but the chances are 10,000 that you are not a genius," said Professor B. E. Murphy, Professor of Economics at Victoria University College, when speaking at the prize-giving ceremony of Wellesley College last evening. Professor Murphy advised the boys to endeavour to learn all that they could, for the task before them would be considerably more difficult than that of those who left school a generation ago. . t He declared the great majority of' boys in school who were indifferent as t-o whether they earned a prize or not eonstituted one of the problems of the community. It was the duty of every boy to himself and to the community to be as successful as he could, Observing that he was a professor, and therefore something of a pedattt, Professor Murphy said that he could not keep off his subject, and therefore would introduce to the audienee one of "the hid'den doctrines of economics" — that of the margirf. When anybody was successful, they Avon by a margin. If it were in k 100 yards sprint, they did not win by 10 or 20 yards, but hy 10 or 20 inches, and they were lucky if they won by that. In the same way, a man did n'ot win a prize by 40 per cent., but by two or three. Sticcess was not won by being imminently superior, but by being just that little bit better, in 99 per cent. of cases by heing a little more diligent and not because the winner was endowed. Narrow Margin "My opinion is that a man remains the head oi" the leader in any field of social activity only by the narrowest of margins," Professor Murphy said. There were exceptions to this, but geniuses were very rare, and luck usually evened itself. If the boys worked reasonably hard, there was no reafeon why they should not become reasonably successful men and reasonably good citizens. It had to be admitted that most of the problems facing the community were harder than those which had occurred earlier. In the civilised world, there was a natural heritage which should not be impaired, an obligation on each generation to go forward, and leave the world as well off, or better off, than they found it. Problems that occurred were ultimately solved by general opinion, and he regarded education as true preparation for citizenship as it was going to help solve those problems. Education was no good unless it cured intolerance, snobbery and superstition. If it did not do that, it was not doing its job.