The log cabin Democrat., 1913-09-11
URGES IMPORTANCE
 OF SCHOOL CONTESTS
PROF. M'KNIGHT SAYS MOTH ING OF WORTH IS GAINED
 WITHOUT COMPETITION.
Editor Log Cabin Democrat:

While won m tnlS world WltnOQU contest. Life itself is made up of contests. If the infant should never kick it would never walk, if it should never cry it would never talk. Ev erything in nature has it's opposing force. We have light opposing dark ness; fire opposing water, etc. When the farmer sees his corn in contest with the winds, waving back and forth, he knows that it will begin to grow rapidly. So with his wheat and other crops. Now, since We are nat ural beings ourselves, and in a great world of nature, we as teachers should be considered foolish indeed if we fail to give due consideration to the contest side of life, in the train ing of the boys and girls under our guidance.
 The Greeks had their athletics, painting, debating and oratorical con- tests, which constituted the major part of their education. And Greece has produced the greatest artists, philosophers, and orators of all ages.
 Periods of great physical combat in war have invariably been followed by periods of intellectual giants in which our eminent philosophers, authors, statesmen and orators have flourish ed It has been true of other coun- tries. It is true of our own. Long, fellow, Emerson, Holmes, Whittier, Irving, Webster and Hawthorne lived during the period immediately follow ing the great struggle for independ- ence.
 1 It is the consensus of both history and public opinion that Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln are the four greatest American charac- ters. All were brought up under cir cumstances that try mems souls. Washington's athletic feats in youth, and his later great struggles against the mother country developed within him that great character which stands -four square to all the winds" the most collosal world figure of his time.
 Our grandest model both in war and
 and in peace,
 The greatness of his name but in-
 crease,
 And when at last our nations course
 is run,
 It's greatest name will still be Wash
 ington."
 Franklin must always be rated among our great inventors, organiz- CTS, writers, statesmen and philoso- phers.
 There stands Jefferson, the sepa- rater of church and state in Virginia, the founder of the Virginia Univers- l ity, the author of the bill of rights in our constitution, the purchaser of 1 Louisiana territory, and the writer of / the Declaration of Independence-the most aStute American statesman, and for that, the greatest statesman of all time To add brightness to the sun and glory to the name of Lincoln | is alike impossible. In awe pronounce his name and in it's glowing deathless splendor leave it shining on. You take the great world fairs and they are only contests, showing which counties and states are leaders in the different lines. And how patriotic we grow when we think of Arkansas hav- ing carried off awards on cotton, ap pes, zinc, marble, diamonds, etc.
 And in this age of keen competi tion, when we are in such sore need of contests of a preparatory charac- ter for the greater contests of life, Faulkner county should feel justly proud of the fact that she has been the pioneer in this student contest work in our state. Competition IS said to be the life of trade. Compe- tition is no less the life of school. Friendly rivalry in school work is splendid, athletic contests create school spirit, and these recitation and declamation and other contests are I indeed great
 I Let us as teachers take greater in- terest in these contests which broad en the mental plain, unfold original lity, inspire self-confdence and devel- on greater ease and fiuency of expres-