Evening star., 1927-04-05
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G. NJ.

@, II. Putnam's Sons.
The Los Angeles Times started it
new try-out in popular education
through the initiative and support of
the press. Promptly. however, the prof
ect moved out from purely local con-
cern into general cordial acceptance
More than twenty metropolitan papers
stepped snappily in behind this West
Coast pioneer. Within a year the i'm.
pulse had pushed clean across the
Within two years it had passed the
boundaries 10 north and south of us,
and had gone overseas. At this
moment the international Oratorical
Contest is, decidedly a going concern
of immediate Importance and of ex-
cellent promise for it's future. BY
way Of it great human bond is in
the making, one under which the
youth of many countries are coming
together in a white heat of friendly
rivalry. Better still. they are coming
together in a closer acquaintance
They are, meanwhile, taking in the
kind of useful knowledge that, in the
approaching years of their own active
citizenship, will make for clearer un.
derstanding and for the spirit of ac-
commodation that any considerable
measure of human intercourse in
wolves.
A word about the point of origin of
TINS contest. Here for the first time
the press, by way of definite purpose
and organization and pursuit, has
stepped squareiy into the field of es-
tabhshed public education. Usurpa-
tlon? No, certainly not--that is, if one
may judge from the eager reception
OF the plan by schools everywhere and
from their equally active support of
the project as a whole. Rather does
this press movement demonstrate the
essence Of cooperation that exists
that should eXiSt--betWeen two active
parts of a single, sound organism. For
the newspaper is a vital part of educa-
ton. 1t is a school with larger at
tendance than all other institutions Of
learning put together. 1t provides
great extension course beyond formal
school days, one of which the entire
population makes use. If now and
then there be poor teachers within
this school of the newspaper, and bar
rem schoolrooms. why, this is not an
altogether unique circumstance in
education, though plainly a deplorable
one. If here and there an occasional
paper panders to that which DR..
Joseph Collins calls adult infanti-
ism" even this does not invalidate the
claim of the press as a universal me-
dium of instruction and information.
X X
Beyond cavil the contest has clear
ly qualified for it's useful mission:
This Is proved by it's distinctly defined
object Of increasing interest in the
basic principles of government, of
adding to the general respect for
these. In the United States, there.
fore. the contest centers around the
Constitution. Another aim is to pro-
mote a better understanding among
nations by way of frank and friendly
exchange of national viewpoints. Last,
and very important, another purpose
is to stimulate the young TO scholastic
enthusiasm.
An interesting fact steps out at this
point. Such tremendous enthusiasm
OF support as the contest has aroused
from its beginning has been equaled
by only one other demonstration on
the part of youth. This is the Boy
Is
Of the amazing youthful crusades re-
ceived their initial impulse outside the
domain OF formal education itself.
Why? Well, that's the question. Can
it be that the formal Institution of
learning is so deeply engrossed in
placing the facts of knowledge, in
teaching its processes. as to have for
gotten that it is the emotions. not the
intellections, which provide the main
spring of all human activity? People
act, children and grown folks as well,
through their feelings and desires. not
through stored budgets of learning,
not through abstract reasoning.
Habits must be set to their making
early, or not at all, and these should
be laid down along the ways of kindly
desires, friendly activities, generous
emulation: along feelings of pleasure
in the beautiful things of life, in beau
tiful behaviors. This done, the prob
lens of later life are solved by such
factors as no mere learning can pro-
vide. Just why does not the obvious
lesson Of scholastic enthusiasm, so
plain in the athletic part Of school
life, become a part of the teachers
approach to students? If this were
done, then a truly joyous highway Of
learning would open up to the ardor
or youth. AT any rate, the great les
son was caught by Baden-Powell for
the Boy Scouts, as it was caught also
by the Los Angeles Times. And the
great contest is now working in our
country with a zeal toward the Con-
stitution that no doubt is causing that
honorable instrument, SO long sound
asleep, to rub its eyes in sheer bewil-
derment over it's, sudden popularity,
over it's late entrance into society-the
glorious society Of Young America.
X y X
And here, so late, we have reached
"Oratory," whose author, Randolph
Leigh, organized that first local con-
test out in California and who has
since organized and directed it's sue
cessors. "Oratory" gives a broad sur
vey of the whole movement-its ori-
gin, its growth. its present condition
of health and general Well-being. He
names the papers that so heartily in
dorsed and supported the contest
movement, names also the men from
these papers who acted upon the
necessary committees. An honor list,
certainly, this is There is a picture
of the ceremonies attending the in
ternational contest in Washington,
where the President of the United
States made an address, which is here
given, along with addresses by other
high officials of the Government. But
in the main the book is given over to
definite instruction of topics and meas
ures pertinent to the business of a
contest. A truly useful
book to contestants and to general
readers besides.
The author talks about oratory in a
wide-awake fashion that moves the
theme out of a solemn past into the
living present. His work is pointed
and objective. Here are no arbitrary |
laws of speech-making. Rather does |
he bring back to readers few great !
orators-Webster Patrick Henry, Lin |
coin. For types of oratory he brings |
different countries out in example |
the British, the French, the American |