Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-11-25
CORRESPONDENCE.
North Penobscot, Nov. 23, 1925

North Penobscot, Nov. 23, 1925.
To the Editor of The American
l was much interested recently in
articles from the pen of DR.. X. l..
Grindle, published in The American
A decade or more ago, he frequently
contributed to The American valua-
BILE articles on public questions. We
miss, too, other prominent men, and
also a few women, who occasionally
voiced their sentiments on civic and
moral topics in which the people were
specially interested at the time. Some
of them have passed to the great pc
yond. but where are the bright minds
of the present generation, ITO fill their
places. Surely there must be some
not so deeply absorbed in the sports
and amusements of the day as TO lg-
more the high positions of trust and
responsibility that will need thor
oughly equipped minds in the future.
Ellsworth has been the home or an
unusual number of prominent men,
for city so small-legislator
Judges, lawyers, and business men,
and some female writers Of high in
telligence. We are loath to believe
that, with all our modern facilities
for higher education and incentives
to mental growth, the general in
telligence of our people is on the de-
cline. 1t is simply directed to other
channels of thought, in this age OF IN
dustrial development.
1t is refreshing, nowadays, TO
read, even in local paper, the move
ments of the people in the various
towns in the county, as we turn our
eyes from the dailies published in our
larger cities, so crowded with reports
of the various games, and with hold
ups, smash-ups and blowups, with
youthful runaways and highbroW
divorces, that we become thankful
that we live in the quiet extreme
eastern corner of this great nation,
where the people have common sense
and common decency
There is one thing, however, that
casts shadow over my re-
Elections. | read in The American
long list of divorces granted by the
last court, and | wonder il it isn't
about time to talk more about do
nestle as well as international peace.
| call attention to another subject.
| have long felt and often expressed
the conviction that our high schools
and colleges allow athletics to absorb
too much interest for the higher IN
tellectual attainments, and future
welfare of student life. One is led to
conclude that a smart, trlumphant
baseball club is the overshadoWlng
and drawing advertisement TOT
college, and its perachievement.
Eminent educators are beginning
ito realize and voice this tendency.
Clean sports are all right and con-
ducive to mental development, if not
carried to extremes. When an ex-
citing, thrilling, closely-matched
game is won by a hair-breadth, ana
is subsequently discussed for days by
the triumphant club and the student
body at large, does it tend to stimu-
late the aspiration for mental
achievement or place the physical IN
the foreground?
Let us touch on another phase or
sport life in some of our colleges
which may not in any way be related
to athletics. A distinguished cor
respondent of one of our leading
magazines recently investigated some
of our colleges ITO get first-hand
view of reported immoralities or
student life OF course, his findings
do not include all colleges, and apply
to only a small element Of the student
body, but are enough ito shock the
moral sense of fathers and mothers
who have children in college or chill
dren they anticipate sending to col
lege. | refer all interested to an
article by Ernest w. Vaudeville, in
the Outlook for June "a, 1925, en-
titled drinking in Our Colleges"
j. M. Hutchins.