The Scholar in a Republic

This is the text of a speech delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard University. There are many of these 'honor' societies in America, all dedicated to excellence in the literary arts. In this speech, Wendell argues that educators should be agitators. They should look at society and pull it to pieces in order to see the flaws and set about putting them right through constant agitation. Wendell was once described as, 'a thorn in the side of complacency.'