The original text of Cai Yuanpei's "Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Peking University"?

Five years ago, when Mr. Yan Jidao was the principal of our school, Yu Fang served in the Ministry of Education and made contributions to the school on the first day of school. Most of you have graduated from preparatory school, so you must have heard about it. After three days of separation, we met each other with admiration. After reading for several years, you must have made great progress compared to the past. I would like to tell you three things about Chang Si School today: One is to have a firm purpose.

Everyone who comes here to study must have a certain purpose. If you want to know whether the purpose is upright or not, you must first understand the nature of the university. Nowadays, people go to vocational schools and work after their studies. This is inevitable. But this is not the case in universities. University scholars are also those who study advanced knowledge. Every time outsiders accuse the school of corruption, those who seek to study here have the idea of ??becoming an official and getting rich, so they graduate from preparatory courses.

Most of them enter the law field, but very few enter the liberal arts field, and even fewer enter the science field. This is because the law field is the shortcut to career success. Because he is passionate about being an official, he does not ask about the depth of his knowledge as a teacher, but only about his official rank.

Those with high official ranks are especially welcome, as they may have someone to support them after graduation. Nowadays, most people in our country who are good at politics and law enter the political circle, and there are very few full-time professors. Therefore, it is a last resort to hire part-time teachers. I don’t know whether the accusations made by outsiders are justified or not. However, it is better to self-cultivation to refute slander. If people ridicule me for being corrupt, I have a clear conscience. What should I fear?

If you want to achieve the goal of becoming an official and making a fortune, there are many vocational schools in Beijing. Those who major in law can study in law schools, and those who major in business can also enroll in business schools. Why should they come to this university? Therefore, you must have a determined purpose and come here to study. Those who enter the legal field are not there to become officials; those who enter the business field are not there to get rich.

The purpose is set, and we are on the right track. You may study here for three or four years, and the time is not long. If you can cherish Fenyin and study diligently, you will strive for attainment and tolerance. . If you aspire to be an official and make a fortune, your purpose will be good but your direction will be different. In normal times, he indulges in leisure activities, and in exams, he reads the lecture notes carefully. He doesn't care about his knowledge, but only strives for the number of points he can get.

After the test is over, the books are shelved in a high cabinet without any hesitation. After three or four years of perfunctory work, scribbling and filling in the responsibilities, once you have the diploma, you can use it to participate in society. Isn’t it completely contrary to the original intention of studying? Time is wasted and knowledge is lost, which is self-mistake. Moreover, during the Battle of Xinhai, the reason why we revolutionized was because of the corruption of officials in the Qing court.

Even today, many of us are dissatisfied with our country and its moral decay. If you, gentlemen, do not establish your foundation and study diligently at this time, if you are forced to work in official positions due to livelihood constraints in the future, you will be a disservice to the students if you hold a lectureship; if you are in the political field, you will be a disgrace to the country. This is misleading. If you mislead yourself and others, how can you really do what you really want? Therefore, the purpose cannot be unfair.

This is what I hope for you. The second is to sharpen one’s moral character. Nowadays, customs are changing day by day, morals are declining, and Beijing society is particularly bad. Morality and bad behavior are everywhere, but they are rarely tainted by popular customs unless they are deeply rooted.

Everyone who is studying in college should restrain himself and love himself. However, the rise and fall of a country depends on the thickness of its customs. With such a popular custom, the future is unimaginable. Therefore, there must be outstanding people who set an example and strive to correct the decadent customs. You are university students and have a very high status. You shoulder this important responsibility and have no shirking responsibility. Therefore, you not only think about what you feel, but you must also encourage others.

To be virtuous and not to learn is to be like the vulgarity of the world and to be despised by others, so how can it be touching? However, all of you have to sit in front of your desk all day long, working hard, without any entertainment, and you must feel physical pain. For your benefit, it is better to use legitimate entertainment than improper entertainment, which will not impair your moral character and will be beneficial to your body.

When you entered the branch, you filled out a petition and abide by the rules of the school. If you follow the right path and violate it, isn't it contrary to the original intention? Therefore, conduct cannot be lax. There are two other things I hope for from you. The third is to respect teachers and friends. The teaching of teachers and the tasks of staff are all to facilitate your study. Can you remain indifferent? You should treat each other with sincerity and respect.

As for classmates who live in the same room, they should especially love each other so that they can learn from each other. Not only should we be open and honest, but we should also communicate with each other morally and righteously. We should be in the same school and not be criticized or praised. Among the classmates, there are those who have bad morals and wrong conduct, and are scorned by the society. Even though they behave in a well-behaved manner, they cannot be distinguished, so they must encourage each other.

In Germany, every time I go to a store to buy something, the shopkeeper treats me attentively, pays the price, and thanks each other. Although this is a small detail, it is also necessary for communication. It is like this for ordinary people, but how can it be like a college student? Regarding the respect and love for teachers and friends, there are three other things I hope for from you. I have been at the school for only a few days, and I haven't learned much about the school affairs in detail. I have two things planned: one is to improve the handouts.

Since you are studying advanced knowledge, it is different from middle school and higher education. You not only rely on the teacher's teachings, but also rely on your latent study. The lecture notes that will be printed in the future will only outline the outline, the details, and the essence and secrets, either dictated by the lecturer, or referred to by oneself, in the hope of gaining insights and practical use. I will buy more books. Although there are many books in the school library, there are very few new ones. If they are not widely purchased, they will not be enough for students' reference.

I plan to raise funds and buy more new books. In the future, the shelves will be full of classics, and I will be able to read and learn from them without any fear of shortage. This is all I am going to tell you all today. We can discuss it again at any time when we meet for a long time.

Extended information:

About the author:

Cai Yuanpei (January 11, 1868 - March 5, 1940), also known as Heqing, also known as Heqing Zhongshen, Minyou, Jiemin, whose nickname was Apei, and also had the pseudonyms Cai Zhen and Zhou Ziyu, Han nationality, a native of Shanyin County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang Province (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province), originally from Zhuji, Zhejiang Province. Educator, revolutionary, politician. Democratic progressive, member of the Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang, member of the National Government and president of the Supervisory Yuan. The first Director-General of Education of the Republic of China. ?

From 1916 to 1927, he served as the president of Peking University, reforming Peking University and promoting "academic" and "freedom"; from 1920 to 1930, Cai Yuanpei also served as the president of the Sino-French University. He participated in the struggle against the Qing imperial system in his early years. In the early years of the Republic of China, he presided over the formulation of the first decree on higher education in modern China - the "University Order".

Baidu Encyclopedia-Cai Yuanpei