Word: mathers
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...While Mather's grandfather expressed grave doubts as to the value of an education "in that God-less University of Chicago," Mather himself, began to get bored "peddling my bicycle back and forth from my home to college and not getting anything out of college," so he switched to Denison College where he majored in Geology...
...didn't become interested in politics until I came to Harvard in 1925," and Mather considers the Teacher's Oath Law of 1936 one of the most important battles he has undertaken. "The bill was proposed while I was a member of the Newton School Committee; I was aware of the effort being made by the politicians to control school policies and the teaching programs. To me, the law was the first step in putting the educational system under the control of the politicians. It seemed that we should take our stand then and refuse to permit state officials...
While appearing as an expert witness in the 1925 Scopes anti-evolution trial in Dayton, Tennessee, Mather saw "the bigotry of so-called religious men." He has tried to adapt his scientific research with a striving for higher ethical ideals. Writing in the Christian Century, he notes: "No wonder there is a widespread desire for more Christianity in higher education. If civilization is to be saved from catastrophe, the ethical and social consciousness of each individual must be greatly strengthened, renewed, and improved. Where better to concentrate upon that task than in our colleges and universities...
...Mather is just as concerned about present trends in the political world as he is of the relation of religion and science. Recently, the House Un-American Activities Committee berated Mather for sending out letters to ministers requesting that they "get acquainted" with Dirk Jan Struik, M.I.T. professor under indictment for sedition. "I have often wondered what caused the House committee to focus its machine guns on me, and I think now it was because I was the first scientist who came to the aid of Edward Condon who was blasted by the same committee. They said...
...Mather, what happens to this country depends on two factors: "catastrophe for the world through war or accepting the fact that we will have to live with communist countries. I think we will have to find a modus operendi between the United States and the Soviet Union. We should not try to change the internal government of these communist countries--it isn't our business to do this. There is damn little we can do about relations but it is not too early to start adapting our feelings to accepting Russia...