Smyrna times., 1941-05-29
Is Real School
OF Democracy
All Work Is Shared by Both
Students and Faculty
In This College.

BLACK MOUNTAIN, N. C.-De-
mocracy is finding new ways to
work at Black Mountain college.
Now in its eighth year, the unique
co-educational, cooperative educa-
tional institution in a picturesque
setting of the western North Caro-
lima mountains is continually COM
bining book-learning and manual Ia
Dor.
Solving many problems met in ev-
eryday life, Black Mountain stu
dents and faculty, men and women,
work every afternoon, side by side.
on new plant under student-fac-
ulty supervision and plans.
The novel construction program
was begun when the officials real
lied the college would be unable to
obtain its present quarters another
year and, lacking money, decided
to build with everyone lending
hand.
The work is entirely voluntary
and organized largely by popu-
larly selected student work COM
mittee, but all able-bodied students
work enthusiastically.
That's the way Black Mountain
has been ever since its first year
when the faculty drew out of the
treasury only enough for minimum
needs-an average of $7.27 month
a person.
They Learn Rapidly.
w. R. Wunsch, rector,-he' elect
ed by the faculty and student-mod-
orator and not by a board of trustees
calls the college community of
people"
Social, emotional and intellectu-
al growth of undergraduates is infiu-
enced more by a close contact with
people than by. books" he says.
Hence the gap between the curric-
ulum and the extra-curricular activ-
tiles has been bridged.
Though many entering students
! have not yet learned to live in a
democracy, they rapidly and enthu-
siastically learn to do so when given
the freedom and the responsibility
implied by democracy.
Prof. John Dewey, noted Column
bia university educator. called Black
Mountain "a living example of de-
mocracy in action"
Here the work program becomes
an integral part of the college life.
/ However, there is no interference
with the academic work. Rather.
the program occupies the time de-
voted in other colleges to athletic
participation-or the more usual
participation as mere spectator.
/ In this connection, Wunsch notes
/ the recently recurring complaint
that Americans are becoming soft,
that college youth doesn't care
enough about democracy to make
| any sacrifices for it, that he hasn't
/ the enthusiasm for democracy which
/ German youth has for national So
cialism, etc. The work program at
/ Black Mountain, he says, not only
/ hardens the students physically, but
results in voluntary sacrifices for
democratic community.
May Have Answer.
Black Mountain students and pro-
fessors feel that, perhaps, they have
the answer to the question of wheth-
er democracy will work. For, they
say, Black Mountain develops a
greater sense of responsibility, in
creases powers of self-discipline and
organization, deepens human under
standing, and the student becomes
more aware of the real implications
of citizenship in democracy
through actual participation in the
governing of the college.
The faculty judges students as
much for their place and adjust
ment in the community-their de-
velopment as people-as by their in
tellectual growth.
The college offers liberal arts
course covering the fields Of the
arts, literature and languages, the
sciences and the social sciences