[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3725-S3728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                    THE CHALLENGE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, over the past year, some 
remarkable developments have taken place at the University of South 
Dakota (USD) involving the advancement of public service. The South 
Dakota Board of Regents has designated the University as a public 
service center of excellence,'' the Farber Fund which is committed to 
assisting students with experiences helpful to a future in public 
service has continued to grow, and the University's political science 
program has prospered.
  There are a great many people responsible for these positive 
developments, but undoubtedly the person who has contributed the most, 
both in terms of effort and vision, has been Dr. W.O. Farber. I have a 
special fondness for Bill Farber because he was chairman of the USD 
political science department (then referred to as the government 
department'') when I was completing my undergraduate work there, and 
later Dr. Farber was instrumental in assisting me with my graduate 
studies. But beyond personal friendship, Dr. Farber has become an 
unequaled institution in our state--a voice for reason, progress and 
integrity respected by all.
  Dr. Farber presented an important lecture this past year at the 
dedication of Farber Hall in the beautifully restored Old Main on the 
USD campus. I believe that all Americans would benefit from Dr. 
Farber's wisdom shared with us at that time and also by the Farber 
Testament'' which dates to our nation's bicentennial in 1976.
  Mr. President, I ask that excerpts of Dr. Farber's speech, ``The 
Challenge of Public Service'' and the Farber Testament be printed in 
the Record.
  Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to recognize the 
contributions Dr. Farber has made to the advancement of public service 
and I encourage all of my colleagues to take the time to read these 
important observations.
  The material follows:

              Excerpts of the Challenge of Public Service

  (By Dr. William O. Farber, Professor Emeritus (Political Science), 
                      University of South Dakota)

       Note.--This lecture, presented August 1, 1997, was the 
     first to be given in the newly dedicated Farber Hall in Old 
     Main. Dr. Farber was introduced by President James Abbott.

       USD Alumni and Friends: As you may well imagine, this 
     moment has been on my mind for a long time. H.G. Wells, the 
     fabled historian of my generation, once described the

[[Page S3726]]

     eternal tragedy of a teacher to be that a teacher is a sower 
     of ``unseen harvests.''
       Today, I have the greatest of good fortune. For I am able 
     to witness a ``seen harvest.'' In my wildest fantasy I never 
     thought that some day, on a single spot, I would witness such 
     an assembly of those who, during a sixty-year period, would 
     have brought me such inspiration, challenge, and 
     satisfaction. It is a great day, in this building, in this 
     hall, for us to celebrate.
       This is certainly a special event for me for more than one 
     reason. There had been a rumor that there had never been a 
     Farber family, that I had appeared out of nowhere. Here this 
     afternoon are seven Farbers, including two brothers, my 
     special critics. I am especially happy they are here.
       The presence of all of you makes me realize the 
     extraordinary nature of USD. The credentials of a university 
     are its alumni and, as I survey this audience, I appreciate 
     that the University of South Dakota has much of which to be 
     proud.
       There are those who think that ``politics'' is a dirty word 
     and ``government'' is synonymous with incompetence. But you 
     know and I know better, that ``politics'' is determining the 
     problems facing the world and deciding what can be done to 
     improve humankind's lot, and ``government'' is the agency 
     through which, when individual efforts fail, we collectively 
     make our nation and world a better place in which to live. 
     And that is what democracy and public service are all about.
       While you were a student and, even now, I think of us as 
     partners in a goal to improve government and the world. We 
     know that if government is bad, all other human endeavors 
     will fail. We subscribe to the Athenian oath that we will 
     seek to transmit our community to the next generation 
     greater, better, and more beautiful than it was transmitted 
     to us.
       We are here today then as partners in an especially 
     important enterprise, as contributors, indispensable 
     contributors, who have made this renovation of Old Main and 
     this event possible. Many of you, like myself, have great 
     memories of this building. I believe a superior restoration 
     job has been done. I am especially proud of the Governors' 
     Balcony. The idea came to me in June 1996, when, on the 
     retirement of Bob Dole from the Senate, the decision was made 
     to designate a Senate Balcony as the Dole Balcony. USD has 
     had ten of its alumni serve as Governor of South Dakota--
     Norbeck, Gunderson, Jensen, Sharpe, the two Mickelsons, 
     Anderson, Foss, Farrar, and Janklow. I have been fortunate in 
     knowing six of them. They serve as models of what can be 
     done. Students of the future can receive their inspiration in 
     this room as well as this building. We owe much to many.
       Fortunately, USD now is at the threshold of what can be a 
     great future. It reminds me of Shakespeare's ``tide in the 
     affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to 
     fortune.'' We are now lucky to have a USD graduate as 
     president. I was tempted to say a ``coyote'' for president 
     but somehow that didn't seem quite right. Jim Abbott was a 
     political science major and is a member of the Farber Fund 
     Executive Board. One wonders why we didn't place more 
     emphasis on selecting one of our own sooner. Jim knows the 
     territory.
       There are three other developments which bode well for USD 
     in achieving its goals. The Farber Fund is now approaching $1 
     million in assets and it takes only my death to put it there. 
     (This is not a suggestion.)
       The Fund has done much to stimulate ambition among our 
     students and cause them to heighten their goals. The second 
     development, thanks to Ray Aldrich, is the Chiesman Fund for 
     Civic Education, which has over $400,000 to promote civic 
     education through research and public forums. The third is 
     the selection, by the Board of Regents of the Political 
     Science Department's proposal, for a Leadership Training 
     program as a Center of Excellence providing some $340,000 
     annually, including the recruitment of new staff.
       Thus the Political Science Department and the University as 
     a whole have some unusual opportunities in the near future. 
     Already planned for next year is a lecture program, which 
     involves some of you. The initial response from alumni has 
     been excellent. Old Main is to be the center of student 
     activity, an emphasis much to my liking.

                           *   *   *   *   *



                         the background to know

       What is this business about? It's about preparing ourselves 
     and others. There is an awful lot of garbage out there being 
     passed around as information, on the tube, on the web, on the 
     newsstand, and, indeed, in the classroom. We need to ask the 
     right questions. We need to determine priorities. We need to 
     help others to take little for granted.
       I had a jolting experience with respect to the background 
     to know. I took a minor in education at Northwestern where I 
     received my BA and MA. To complete the minor, I took 
     ``practice teaching'' and had the luck to do my 
     ``practicing'' at New Trier High School in Winnetka, 
     Illinois. I was an understudy to Laura Ullrich. Although she 
     was a high school teacher, she had a Ph.D. In my evaluation 
     session with her, she was very laudatory, said I had good 
     command of the class, etc. But then she said, ``You have one 
     fault. You don't know your subject.'' That stinging rebuke I 
     have never forgotten. You do need to know your subject. The 
     need for the background to know is imperative. As part of the 
     background to know, you must learn and love to read and 
     write.

                           *   *   *   *   *

       My favorite quote is from Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 
     ``Every common bush is afire with God, but only he who knows, 
     takes off his shoes. The rest sit round it and eat 
     blackberries.'' The point is that it is possible to see in 
     every situation intriguing and challenging forces. But you 
     need to see. And that is what education is all about.
       In addition to giving a stimulating lecture for all to hear 
     collectively, the teacher must provide individual 
     recognition. If a student calls for an appointment, I do my 
     best to say, ``Can you come over now.'' The student calls 
     when the problem is disturbing him. I like to go to class 
     early, walking down the aisle in large classes, to invite 
     access.
       I came from a family with a strong work ethic. My dad, for 
     some 50 years, owned and worked in a grocery store. . . . I 
     worked in the store on Saturdays and summer during high 
     school and during summers through seven years of college.
       The experiences in the grocery store taught me many things. 
     the first is the constant need to be a salesman, including of 
     yourself. When Mrs. Peterson came in the store with her list 
     of needs, I always thought, what does she really need that is 
     not on her list, and I made the applicable suggestion. Now, 
     when a student comes into my purview, I think what is a 
     potential career he or she has not thought about, which might 
     be even better than present goals?
       In attaining goals it is important to give encouragement. 
     Some time ago, I was going to Pierre by plane from Sioux 
     Falls. A good looking fellow sat down beside me and said, 
     ``Do you remember me?'' I fumbled and said ``Your face is 
     familiar, but I do not recall your name.'' He identified 
     himself and then said, ``I want to tell you what you did for 
     me. Inside the cover of a bluebook, a test I had taken, you 
     wrote `It begins to look as though you are getting the hang 
     of it.' You have no idea how encouraged I felt at a time 
     I felt discouraged. I have gone on, graduated, and have a 
     successful business in Sioux Falls and Denver.'' I was 
     happy with the compliment, but then I thought of all the 
     other bluebooks that had deserved a similar statement. The 
     position of a teacher is a delicate one.
       One of the things I have done at graduation time has been 
     to encourage students by rewarding them with a token gift. 
     Originally, it was a marble owl from Italy, later an onyx 
     turtle from Mexico, and more recently a Dedo gargoyle from 
     Notre Dame. This past year a former student called me from 
     Boston. ``Doc,'' he said, ``when you gave me a turtle, you 
     said, like the turtle you will only make progress when you 
     stick out your neck. Doc, I've made it, and I want you to 
     know I have kept that turtle in sight for twenty years.''
       The background to know, fortunately is now easier to 
     acquire, but at the same time there is much more to know. 
     Thanks to technology we have greatly expanded our ability to 
     know. We have access to global knowledge almost instantly. 
     The shortcuts in acquiring knowledge are many and in this 
     fast world the shortcuts are necessary. If you wanted to, you 
     could get up from your seat, walk out on me here and read 
     parts of my speech later on the Farber Fund web page. In the 
     background to know, you must learn and love to read and write 
     and cherish the value of both. As educators and public 
     servants, we must not only acquire and dispense information, 
     but also develop in ourselves and in others the inner hunger 
     and imagination to use information meaningfully. Thus 
     research in all areas including political science is a must 
     and thankfully the USD Governmental Research Bureau, 
     established in 1939, still exists and continues to provide 
     needed studies in government. The Chiesman grant will make it 
     possible to expand our research activities. It is a wonderful 
     opportunity also for USD to promote civic education through 
     public forums not only in Vermillion but throughout the 
     state.


                           the vision to see

       The second important point is for one to have the vision to 
     see. The background to know provides the pieces of the 
     puzzle; as with a jigsaw puzzle, the vision to see puts the 
     pieces in their rightful places.
       Vision often comes easily. There are obvious reforms that 
     should be made. In the early thirties Jane Addams, the 
     founder of Hull House in Chicago, pointed out the 
     ridiculousness of the American policy of killing little pigs 
     to decrease supply when we had a nation of 12,000,000 
     unemployed and people starving. Justice Brandeis used to 
     plead for ``education in the obvious.''
       I have been enchanted with how the devil took Jesus to the 
     top of a mountain to show him the kingdoms of the earth.
       Thus from time to time we need to get to the mountaintops 
     and examine our own problems. Look at South Dakota. The 
     single most important political fact is our population size, 
     only a bit over 700,000, less than the population of cities 
     like Indianapolis, Phoenix, or San Antonio. Yet here we are 
     to govern the 700,000 saddled with 66 counties, 300 
     municipalities, 900 township governments, and an 
     increasing number of special districts. It is just plain 
     nuts. Compared to Arizona with 16 counties, we should have 
     10 at most. Cities with populations of under 500 should be 
     disincorporated. And townships have long since lost their 
     reason for being.
       E.A. Ross, a prominent University of Wisconsin sociologist, 
     once said, ``Rural Wisconsin resembles a dried up fish pond 
     with nothing but the bullheads and the suckers left behind.'' 
     I wouldn't put rural South Dakota in

[[Page S3727]]

     the same category as Wisconsin, but there is no doubt that 
     the drain out of population with two-thirds of our counties 
     losing population every census for the past thirty years has 
     caused a loss of leaders.

                           *   *   *   *   *

       It doesn't take too much vision to see that on the national 
     level we should make certain that every child up to age 18 
     has adequate medical attention. And the tuition costs of 
     college students are a national disgrace. Even our best and 
     brightest are graduating with debts in many cases of more 
     than $50,000. If China and Cuba can provide free educational 
     and health costs, we, at least, could drastically reduce 
     tuition costs.
       In 1935, when I came to South Dakota, I was impressed by 
     the vision of many of the local leaders. Governor Peter 
     Norbeck was still alive and his record of accomplishment and 
     his belief in what government could do was still remembered. 
     In Vermillion, in the midst of a depression, the town could 
     boast of a recently completed municipal swimming poll, a new 
     Union Building, and a new hospital.
       I had the good fortune to know Doane Robinson quite well. 
     His vision of South Dakota included the building of the 
     Missouri River dams, widespread irrigation including much of 
     the land east of the Missouri and west of the Jim, extensive 
     electrical power almost certain to attract a Henry Ford 
     plant, and the use of the Missouri for transportation.
       Many of these dreams have not been realized, but some have 
     been. I am impressed with the great potential South Dakota 
     has today. Look at Vermillion. The bridge to the south will 
     open up new economic possibilities along the river itself. 
     The example of Gateway stands out as an example for other 
     industries to emulate. The caliber of our labor supply, the 
     low crime rates, the quality of our labor supply, the low 
     crime rates, the quality of living, the educational system, 
     all make the state and its cities attractive places in which 
     to live. Now is the opportune time to set up think tanks in 
     South Dakota. Some of you have expressed a willingness to 
     serve.
       What we need for many of our problems is thus the vision to 
     see. It is absurd to think that the governmental structure 
     the founding fathers created in 1787 in Philadelphia, scared 
     by a pending French revolution, is the best possible for the 
     year 2000. And that much of state and local government should 
     remain, two centuries later, relatively unchanged.
       But there is another important ingredient to the vision to 
     see. It is to secure human rights and equality of 
     opportunity. One of the memorable events in my life was 
     sitting beside Phil LaFollette at a graduate political 
     science student session. We were considering at length First 
     Amendment rights. He turned to me and said, ``We are 
     discussing the wrong rights. More important than these are 
     the right to feel secure, have a decent job with just 
     compensation, the right to an education, a home and a 
     family.''
       Thus, I think we can conclude that while education is the 
     basis of what we need to know and see, there is another 
     important ingredient, to think of human values and the need 
     to be caring. Life is not worth living if there is not a 
     constant concern for others. I am reminded of one of Senator 
     Karl Mundt's favorite quotes: ``The hermit of God who shuts 
     himself in, shuts out more of God, than he shuts in.''
       One of the best ways to provide a new dimension to one's 
     vision to see is to be acquainted with a different culture. 
     That is why the encouragement given to students to travel 
     with funds from the Farber Fund has been so significant. One 
     of my favorite quotes, an inscription on the old Pennsylvania 
     Station in Washington, DC, is: ``He who would bring back the 
     wealth of the Indies must first take the wealth of the Indies 
     with him.'' The requirement of a report upon the student's 
     return has helped to implement that advice.


                             the will to do

       This brings me to my third and final point, the will to do. 
     Without action, without implementation, all else becomes 
     pointless. But most of us, burdened by needs of everyday 
     life, are reluctant to do more than will make our own life 
     more comfortable. The lesson from Toynbee is the need to 
     insure that our civilization, our government, reflects 
     citizen involvement, so that future developments of the 
     Hitler type can be and will be resisted. That demands 
     participation of a high order, the lack of which even now 
     threatens our government.
       What I am pleading for is a will to do, not only for one's 
     own self but as well for one's community, one's state, one's 
     nation, and indeed, the world. None of us attains his fullest 
     potential. We can be more than we are. We should sacrifice 
     what we are for what we can become.
       Winston Churchill said, ``we shall never surrender, never, 
     never, never.'' And, ``There are no hopeless situations, only 
     people hopeless about them.'' There is a need for all of us 
     to continuously explore alternatives. There are many ways to 
     skin the proverbial cat.
       George Bernard Shaw's famous quotation provides an 
     important clue: ``You see things as they are, and ask `Why?' 
     But I dream things that never were and ask `Why not?' '' I am 
     confident that most of you present here today are ``Why not'' 
     leaders. Part of the will to do is to accomplish through 
     others. I have always believed, as you know, that a college 
     education is a partnership between teachers and students and 
     the success of much of life depends on partnerships. And as 
     Pat O'Brien has noted in his essay in Dig Your Well Before 
     You Are Thirsty, Farber Fund contributors have been an 
     amazingly successful network.
       An essential ingredient of leadership is enthusiasm. A 
     teacher not sold on the importance of the subject is doomed 
     to be a poor stimulator of students. The key to Nelson 
     Rockefeller's success as New York governor was described as 
     his ``exuberance.'' I like Eisenhower's statement: ``It is 
     not the size of the dog in a fight that counts, it is the 
     size of the fight in the dog.''
       The will to do involves leadership. I feel this afternoon 
     that I am surrounded by leaders. The challenge today for 
     professors and students has changed mightily since 1935. The 
     complexity of modern problems demands a higher degree of 
     expertise. Computers have opened up vast areas of information 
     heretofore not available. In some ways, we are swamped. 
     Leadership with guidance is increasingly important. In this 
     world we need to speak out. In politics, if you don't blow 
     your own horn, there is no music.
       I have great confidence in South Dakota's potential. But I 
     am equally convinced that without governmental changes of the 
     sort outlined in the Vision to See, that potential will not 
     be realized. I know that the conventional wisdom dictates 
     that it is difficult to make changes in South Dakota. But we 
     have, in my opinion, a population that can be sold. Remember, 
     in 1936 the size of South Dakota legislature was reduced by 
     public vote from 180 to 105 with the loss of 75 legislative 
     seats--an astounding public victory.
       I was a participant in the constitutional revision effort 
     from 1969-1975. From a governmental point of view, the 
     reorganizations of the executive and judicial branches of 
     government were remarkable events that received popular 
     approval. It is amazing what little things can help to bring 
     about reform. Ted Muenster recalls that it was a letter from 
     the State Snake Exterminator, who held office with no other 
     employees, asking for a new pickup that made him realize the 
     stupidity of a state administrative organization with over 
     100 reporting units. Action followed.
       In 1982, I had the good fortune to head the successful 
     drive, using the initiative, which changed the basis of our 
     system, of electing legislators, abolishing the block system. 
     It took time and effort but we did the job. What is needed is 
     leadership. I am convinced that we have the ability to change 
     our outmoded method of taxation. There are those in this room 
     who could do it.
       This emphasis on leadership is why, as we look to the 
     future, the opportunities now open to USD and especially in 
     political science are indeed attractive. Key to this program 
     is the recruitment of a core group of superior students whose 
     leadership has been demonstrated in high school. As you can 
     readily appreciate this is why scholarship money is a 
     critical need.

                           *   *   *   *   *

       With rising tuition costs, few superior students can afford 
     university training without scholarship aid. South Dakota can 
     well afford the investment in such aid. At the present time 
     this state, of its total revenue, devotes 6.5 percent to 
     higher education, the lowest of any state in the region. 
     North Dakota provides 10 percent, Iowa 8.4, Minnesota 6.8 and 
     Nebraska 8.3. As a consequence, compared to surrounding 
     states, our in-state tuition is the highest with the 
     exception of Minnesota.

                           *   *   *   *   *

       And thanks to many of you, the support of the Farber 
     Internship and Travel Fund has made possible funding that has 
     enabled more than 500 eager political science students to 
     receive internships, attend state national conferences, and 
     study overseas. It has raised their sights, stimulated their 
     study, and attracted many to careers of public service.


                               THE FUTURE

       It is my hope that here in Farber Hall past traditions will 
     guide future activities to motivate students to become 
     involved and reap the many rewards of public service.
       In the evening, I often walk to the Shakespeare garden and 
     then pause at the Quirk carillon. There I am encouraged as I 
     read from Longfellow's Psalm of Life:

     Let us then be up and doing,
     With a heart for any fate,
     Still achieving, still pursuing,
     Learn to labor and to wait.

                           *   *   *   *   *

       One final thought: It is my hope that in that wonderful and 
     exciting twenty-first century in which you will have an 
     important role, that sometime when the merry feast is on, you 
     may reflect on what we did here on August 1, 1997, and 
     celebrate by imbibing a strawberry daiquiri!
       God bless you all and thanks much for attending.
                                  ____


                          The Farber Testament

       To My Students: I believe that dedicated public service is 
     the noblest of the professions. To enter it, whether as 
     academic or as practitioner, is the greatest of good fortune. 
     Thus, I have sought to encourage all in my purview to share 
     the joys and rewards of this commitment.
       You who came to me with some inner flame, it has been my 
     mission to nurture, to

[[Page S3728]]

     feed that flame, and at all costs never to kill it. With all 
     the world's contemporary challenges, the chance to motivate, 
     to stimulate, to kindle, remain the high calling, and ever to 
     remind that in catastrophe there is opportunity, out of 
     weakness can come strength. My hope has been that none of you 
     has left my presence feeling the worse for the encounter.
       The keys to a happy, acceptable, and productive life are 
     participation, involvement and concern for others. I have 
     hoped, by example, to inspire you to be change agents. Often 
     your intellect, I know, has been superior to my own; only my 
     experience has been greater and that I have tried to permit 
     by association ``to rub off on you.''
       To broaden one's horizons, travel, experimentation, and 
     bold thinking must be the goals. I have sought to teach the 
     importance of the background to know, the vision to see, the 
     will to do. Like others before me I have often learned more 
     from you than you from me. But always, for more than 40 
     years, has the joint educational venture been intensely 
     human, exciting, and worthwhile. (May 8, 1976).

                          ____________________