Gunnison news-champion., 1918-02-08
WAR AND THE SCHOOLBOY
C 6. y. s. News Letter.

] ne war mas haI the eiIect OF clar1-
fying the thinking of both old and
young. It has forced upon all alike
the importance of things formerly
regarded as trivial and common
place-food, coal, the work of the
day-labOrer, economy in daily living
the COW, the hen, the pig, soap. old
clothing, shoe-soles,- pennies, dimes,
nIckels, the knitting needle, and all
the other pfosalc objects and facts OF
existence.
Il has outlawed parasItism in SO
clety and made only the man who
pulls his own weight and contributes
mis- own share TO the worlds essential
products, the respected member of so
clety. The CRATER dare not show his
head. The profteer, II identified
would surely be moObed. The idle
rich are changing their mode of life
and llberatIng their useless, tho num-
-rous, rctinues Of servants to become
helpers in the worlds crisis. II is a
disgrace 70 be idle; il i a disgrace to
spend money needlessly; 1t IS a dis
grace and q crime TO BE- wasteful or TO
seek ones case al the expense of 9TH
ers. At last our country has begun to
come 10 its senses and to place first
things first.
A premium is placed upon honesty,
honor. productive labor devotion to
the general good, and high loyalty.
All men feel the need OF these things,
and as never before are striving to
-ehabilitate wha; was an unstable
and wavcrng democracy by adopt
ing the ideals Of personal responsible
l.ty and personal efficiency that alone
can make democracy desirable and eff
frctlve.
The schooIboy has caught the spirit.
II he fails at this critical time to do
his duty, his is only a failure of judg-
mcnt and not q defect Of VIII. His
energy and enthusiasm. his loyalty
and courage impcl him TO make the
supreme sacrifice. There is no mis-
taking his patriotism. He compre-
hcnts with a viyidness seldom real
zed by older heads that the hu-
man race can purchase the most holy
possession only by paying the price
literally in tern- Of the best. He is
therefore eager TO sacrifice his fu-
turc for the future OF postcrity. He
holds life dear; but he realizes that
death is 10 be preferred to dishonor.
He, therefore, ru-hcsf 10 place him.
self upon the altar to purchase for
mankind the priceless gift of liberty.
He pledges himself. as a citizen of
the world. to unite his strength with
that of l!kcmindcd comrades, and to
mingle his dust with that of Gods
noblcmcn who shall hcnccforth live
suprcmcly and forever in the grateful
memory Of redeemed race. He Is
the essence of the pure motive and
moral brightness but for the clarity
ing presence Of which our civilization
would be hopeless indeed.
If the boy is the victim of any err
ror of judgment, it is because he does
not realize his own importance in the
present order of things. The young
college graduate, the graduate of the
technical school. the young business
man, the practical civil engineer, the
electrician, the chemist, the sociolo-
gical engineer, the young doctor, the
dentist, the scientific investigator, the
young tcachcr-all have been ca led
to the colors in great numbers. Their
places must be filed by other young
men who have brains and the vision
of even greater progress for the race.
Any failure on the part of the school
boy to prepare for the continued moral
and intellectual conquest of the world
will mean economic, social, CONNER
cial and scientific paralysis. Is it not
true that the schoolboy owes to this
and the next generation the product
of fully developed brain; that he is
in duty bound to generate some skill
or some scientific principle or some
. ,l.,t Tho, ,,-tll aral,la hi,, 10 fha
world in a large way?
The schools should remain accessi
BILE, the laboratories open, the facul
ties intact, so far as possible, and the
boys should be in school with the de
finite aim of developing power which
may be employed later to reconstruct
the shattered world. Never was the
motive for school attendance so clear
ly defined; never before has the func
ton of the school been so obvious.
1t is easy for any boy of good intellig-
once to see that he may quickly capi-
talize any ability that he may now
train in school. The school and life
have become consciously interdepend-
ent and mutually serviceable. The
school realizes its high function be-
cause it must now serve life's highest
/ purposes. The boy must be made to
realize this SO that he may enter with
out delay and continue without inter
ruption upon the high calling of pre-
pairing to take the place OF, man in
the complex life of tomorrow. To
the boys of to-day it is given to make
choice between relative values. The
decision is momentous, and it must
| ignore present personal satisfactions,
I the qualification of what seems to be
the greater glory, for the sake of
good to the greater number. 1t may
mean to live and work rather than to
! fight and die. If SO, may every school
boy have the courage to play the
better part.
-S - E--
Valentine Ehret was here from his
Z IL -.