The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-02-17
DISTRACTING FORCES
Willow City, N. D.
s..a February TO-, 1923.

Willow City, N. D.
February TO-, 1928.
Editor Tribune:
"All work and no play makes
Jack dull boy. But let us get
the rest Of it. All play and no
work makes Jack q miserable
shirk. u.s..
Our schools today are too much
given over to, and influenced by
holidays, special days, loosely or
not at all observed, sport for its
own sake, social functions, the pub
lie school dance, cheap books, and
utterly non-worthwhi1e movies.
Playtime has been heightened out
of all proportion to work time, and
the work itself made lighter and
more brief. too frequently, and the
spirit of shrinking heightened. In
view of the time devoted and the
money spent the education of many
a youth is fast becoming liabili-
ty.
We do not believe that all the
schools are doing poor work or
that Indifference is everywhere a
grave fault but we do claim that
the Nation on the whole has been
looking down and not up educa-
tionally, and that for the most
part she does not know it. 1t may
be safely Stated that the youth Of
the land is not getting fifty per
cent Of the benefit it might get
were school placed first. Dispute
the distracting influences set forth
above, together with others that
might be mentioned, pupils are
promoted year after year impro-
perly prepared enthusiastically and
undeveloped mentally. They do
not get an adequate amount of
drill in the practical application
of what they learned. AS a, result
the schools are turning out "gradu-
ates with low grade of scholar
ship. They necessarily have less
vital interest in study, have flimsy
ideals of culture, and false notions
of work both in school and out.
They get the idea of "shirk', not
work. The schools with our pres
ent standards are turning out
finished products, many of whom,
with their false ideas of service
and of rewards, will make social
problems more rather than less
serious, and the Republics future
more rather than less uncertain
Then we must not overlook the
non-finished product, the poorly
trained and the illiterate, swayed
under necessity. hither and yonder
through the influence of unprinci-
pied leaders.
But we do not believe as some
do that this generation in itself is
bad or that we are lost. but we be-
lieve with many others, that we
are moving in the wrong direction
and recklessly, also that wrong
ideas are implanted. Ideas make
ideals, and ideals make life.
AS to the time devoted to books.
II the necessary examination days,
the unnecessary sport days, and
the special days, are counted out
the learner gets only eight~months
Of school training. This is bad but
it is not the worst! To this loss
Of time and the consequent added
progress, in books must be added
the distracting influences of high
tension interest in sport for n the
sake OF sport, special days. and
society events, planned, maneuver-
ed and supported wholly by stu
dents, conditions that will serious
ly affect the educational morale of
any school. Common sense makes
this plain.
Far be it from the writer to
wish to deny to boys and girls any
needed recreation in the form of
athletics. social diversions or vaca-
tions. His desire is to center the
mind Of the public upon the fact,
apparent enough to the observant
person, that we are losing sight
of wcrk-real work-and banking
too much upon a good time; mex
ing the field of education a fiowery
bed of intellectual ease, stirred by
the redolent breezes of vacuous
movies and delectable story books.
Too many are looking upon educa-
tion.. not as business, but as a
pastime. Something cannot be
had over books without effort, any
more than in the world of trade. |
When other matters such as those
mentioned above rather than les
sons fill the mind, lessons will not |
be learned. In regard to disin-
tegrating force of particularly
pernicious nature the elaborate
school dance should be especially |
noted. Everything considered no
argument need be made on this !
point. By the school dance we
mean the deliberately staged affair !
pulled eff in social state"-the /
thought absorber, the time killer, /
the caste maker. wherever it may !
occur. This School" function is
in class by itself. We do not |
have in mind the ''hop'' usually
held at the close of a literary pro |
gram and games and attended by |
all pupils. This does not distract |
and is democratic. Let us say |
fIlrthefnfnre that we AFRO ,aiok an.