Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

A Tribute To Dr. W. W. WeirI am happy to be present tonight at this joyful familygathering of the American Academy in honor of Dr. andMrs. Weir and to be given the opportunity of paying atribute to a man of profound intellect and constructive action.And also to his wife Elizabeth who provided the inspirationand the encouragement in his noble work.My country owes to William Weir a debt of gratitudefor his dedicated work in promoting true education andimparting to the youth of Cyprus the spirit of disinterestedservice as the real meaning of life. He devoted his time andenergy to teaching a system of creative living and to extend itinto the cultural and spiritual areas. With moral vision, socharacteristic of his teachings, he strove to instill in theminds of the Cypriot youth, of whatever origin ordenomination, spiritual truths that would help them achievea satisfying and meaningful life.This is the vital task in education, acquiring informationand knowledge useful and necessary; but only inso far as it serves a higher purpose in life can it be reallybeneficial. And this is what Dr. Weir set himself to do.T. S. Eliot in one of his poems wrote: "In living wehave lost our lives; in knowledge we have lost our wisdomand in information we have lost our knowledge."In imparting knowledge to the youth of Cyprus Dr.Weir aimed at creating a spirit of service and of love, whichis the essence of wisdom. He laid emphasis on the joy ofgiving rather than receiving, on the fulness and satisfactionin doing more than is expected of you. Thus he strove tomould the characters of free men and of enlighted citizens sothat they could one day bring a true contribution to themoral progress and material advancement of their homelandin freedom and in peace. At the time he was in Cyprus theisland was under foreign colonial rule. That was, no doubt,felt as an encumbrance; and it was one of Dr. Weir's sayingsthat "there can be no true education without freedom." Itwas, however, also one of his sayings that "beyond theimmediate ends, the more distant aims should be keptconstantly and clearly in sight." Beyond, therefore, theobjective of liberation from foreign rule, there is the aim of astill greater liberation: the liberation from self. For, as Dr.Weir said, "No man can be really free if he is a slave to hispassions and to his selfish pursuits." Thus the real worth ofman depends upon the degree of his liberation from self.To be an educator is one of the greatest and highestmissions in life. The task is so important to the future ofmankind that it cannot be measured in words. Yet Dr. Weirwas even more than that. He was an apostle of virtue. Virtueas the true way of fulfilment and human happiness. He thusHis Excellency Zenon RossidesAmbassador of Cyprusto the United NationsFebruary 24, 1968followed the philosophy of a great Cypriot, the Stoic Zeno ofKitium, who gave to the world the best system of organisedthought, next to Christianity. The practice of virtue conceivednot as a burdensome duty, but as the supreme joy inlife. The blissful serenity of mind that comes from being inharmony with nature and the moral flow of the cosmos.It may perhaps have been more than coincidence thatDr. Weir came to Cyprus. He was destined to develop in theland of Zeno his moral teachings, which approached thatphilosopher's thinking.At the same time he brought to our island the truespirit of America conceived in the moral background of thefounding fathers of this great country.Indeed the Cypriot youth is deeply indebted to Dr.Weir. They have drawn so much on his vast store ofknowledge and wisdom. We have reached now a time in ourcivilization when through the instrumentality of the UnitedNations the national independence of the nearly all peoples,at least in form if not in substance is slowly becoming areality. The resulting expansion of freedom offers new andwider scope for true education. At the same time theastounding rapidity in scientific and technologicalachievement has created crucial problems for mankind inwhich its verv survival may be at stake. Man possessesillimitable power of global destruction. Commensurate withhis rise in material power should be spiritual rise and a globalsense of responsibility stemming from higher moral standards.This is whv true education of character in enlightenedpatriotism and with paramount allegiance to humanity isnow more than ever a compelling necessity for the continuanceof life on this globe. Such education is needed thatwould steer away from engrossed self-interests and antagonisticpursuits of power and domination and would leadto international cooperation in peace and progress. Moreintensive education, therefore, is needed on the pattern andquality that William Weir followed in his academic life. I canonly wish that there were more Weirs in Cyprus and in theworld so that the gospel of true education could be spread tothe four corners of the globe.On behalf of my country I do wholeheartedly paytribute to William Weir for the remarkable work he hasperformed in Cvprus with outstanding dedication and integrity.Those who were privileged to know Dr. and MrsWeir will never cease to remember them with deep affectionand admiration. And mav I wish them many happy andproductive years in good health and in vigor as they are now.Larnaca Academy HeraldFEBRUARY 3, 1971 :i