The evening herald. (Klamath Falls, Or.) 1906-1942, 1921-04-01
SAYS THERE'S
! TOO MUCH RULE
BY STUDENTS

ern tendencies of thought anon
young people of the United State
and their utilization for the mors
and intellectual advancement of tn
rising generation were discussed b
Dr. A. H. Upham, president OF tn
Inland Empire Teachers Association
under the subject of The Children
Soviet"
Many good people are greatly dis
turbed these days by the independ
ence of spirit and the excesses o
conduct displayed by our young peo
pie in and out Of school," DR.. Uphan
said. Girls, they say, seem to ignor,
all the former bounds of modesty IL
their attire. They effect artificial
compilations and vampire gowns ant
profess to scorn clothes that they
characterize as "S.. S. and c.
sweet, simple and girlish. Boys ant
girls both shock their elders by theii
speech and habits, and seem largely
intent on amusements, particularly
dancing. Their acquaintance with
life. secured chiefly through the NOV
ies, includes details carefully con-
cealed from children OF other gener-
ations and leads them to assume a
bore and surfeited air toward all
this old world has to offer.
mo doubt much of this Is true,
but more irritating still to grown
ups is the undoubted fact that the
young people of today claim many
Of these things as their rights and
are not timid about asserting them.
without organization OF officers o..
bylaws, II almost seems as II all
over our land these is n vast Soviet
OF children, ready to questioning all
constituted authority and take over
the direction OF their own affairs.
DR.. Upham cited editorial COM
ment OF school and college papers,
"walkouts" over small affairs, and
like evidences Of such a spirit. Such
a spirit has been evidenced in the
past. he said. and Its present recur-
renee is no particular cause for wor-
ry. He cited socialism Of all degrees,
/. w. w. theories and Bolshevism"
as contributing causes, and declared
that "ali constituted authority has
been on the defensive" "If only we
keep our heads, conditions will prob
ably right themselves" he declared.
ITO me this exaggerated sense of
right and this assumption o: auto
nomy among young people are among
the biggest things OF our generation.
DIR. Upham continued. "If we can
utilize the good that is in this self
assertion. the final result will be
practical character-building OF tho
highest type. Even the craze for a.
musement is fundamentally natural
an wholesome. reminding us that we
cannot keep the play spirit out Of
II young people UNDER
take to govern themselves aud eLers
else their sense OF right they need
only tactful. sympathetic guidance TO
that most important Of SOC
ial factors, the community spirit.
Happily. the very methods best
to make the most 81 the
modern spirit in our children are
now being adopted In our leading
schools. They are as yet experimental
and may need considerable revise.
But much the same thing Is going on
In our Industries and Is succeeding
there. II is not necessarily 4 sign Of
poorer mentality or weak moral fiber
that we should listen to pupils or en-
ployes when they seek TO know where
their work is leading them. or TO
have a say about con iitions under
which they do ii.
"The danger In all this lies in
too much about II.
These youngsters are noS 20 have all
wisdom ascribed to ther1 lust be-
cause they are young. and they have
no occasion, for self-pity over :he
they have endured. They
are sound and wholesome at heart
but that does not necessarily r.ean
that their first impulses are always
safe and dependable. All the sentlm-
entalism OF the eighteenth century
had its root in that doctrine which
arrayed natural impulses against
social custom and constituted author
lty to the glory Of thu former. That
same sentimentalism Is still abroad,
seeking to glorify all those who defy
law and order and to make martyrs
Of them, Martyrs crowns are not be-
coming TO children.
Mrs. Charles Onyett an expert