Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-01-02
OPPOSES STUDENT CONTESTS.
A. J..Whiting Goes on Record as Against
Athletics and Donates

A. J..Whiting Goes on Record as Against
Athletics and Donates
At the meeting of CITY school super
| intendents and supervising principals,
| held in connection with the state
| teachers convention in Milwaukee
| last week, A. j. Whiting, assistant
principal of the Watertown high
school, took a decided stand against
the custom Of holding interscholastic
debates and athletic meets, which has
grown so popular among high schools
in recent years. Mr.. Writings ideas
were clearly brought out in paper
which he read before the meeting, the
same causing a very lively discussion
and forming the most spirited and in-
teresting feature of the days pro-
gram. The prevailing feeling among
the perintendents and principals
was apparently strongly opposed to
Mr.. Writings stand. The speaker
started out with the statement that
lnterscholastic contests will remain
in vogue ''until something else comes.
equally well adapted to satisfy am
bilious teachers and restless pupils,''
and he regretted that such restless
ness was apparently gaining foot
hold. Public sentiment. he said, was
SO favorabl to such contests, that the
opponent is apt to call forth criticism;-
though in spite of this fact it W 0uld be-
his aim to show that they we're detri-
me tai to the cause of education, and
were unwise and Improbable.
In regard to intellectual contests
debates and declamations-Mr. Whit
ing maintained that the selection of
contestants gave rise to disappoint-
ments and jealousies; they likewise
had the effect Of filling the fortunate
victors with an undue sense of false
pride and cOnceit; while the contest
itself stirs the partsans to a pitch of
excitement which he considered far
from beneficial. In reference to the
scene at the contest Mr. Whiting
said 1.-The hideous bawling and
senseless yelling of the irrepressible
and irresponsible mob make life a
burden to the sensitive and the re-
fined who believe that education
should add dignity and grace to the
genus homo, instead of making him
more like rampant, roaring, below
ing beast of the Jungle" The
dangers of faculty coaching and a
tendency to devote too much time to-
preparation were touched upon also.
The speakers objections to the in
teilectua' congests he likewise applied
to the athletic. He believed in
athletic training. he said, but opposed
interscholastic contests. The latter,
be maintained, "consume time, en-
ergy, interest and money wholly dis
proportionate to their importancer
interfere with proper mental ana
moral training; directly minister
to many vices and apparently tend
toward a moral decadence similar to
that which characterized ancient
Rome" The betting feature was
used as an argument against the
game. Mr.. Whiting said in conclu-
sion:
''Put before your minds the most
violent forms of interscholastic con-
tests you have witnessed. with the at
tendant betting and dissipation, and
with the determination evident, some
times even expressed, to win Or kill
Tell me whether we who condemn the.
degrading scenes of the cockpit and
the brutal spectacle OF the prize fight,
are not countenancing and encouraging
something which differs from these
only in degree, not in kindp"
w. H. Schultz. of Merrill, and H..
A. Simonds, of Oshkosh, who we're
the members to open the discussions,
took view quite opposed to that OF
Mr.. Whiting. They held that while
there were some Objectionable feat
ures that grew out of the interscholas-
whole led to beneficial results. The
problem, they held, was how to con-
troll athletic and debating contests,
and to bring out their best features,
rather than to find u'eans of stamping
them out, and in this view the large
majority concurred. The football
advocates had an enthusiastic cham
pion in H. F. King, of Evansville,
who said that the disappointment and
discouragements which Mr. Whiting
objected to, were. in his opinion, very
desirable and beneficial. "Life is too
tame without contests of some Sort"
said Mr.. King. Football may be-
marked with some betting, but so are
presidential elections. Would you
abolish the latter for this reasona
Contests give pupils a chance to meas
ure their own ability, and to broaden
their characters. l heartily endorse
them.'