The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-11-30

with that doubt comes the fear that
our teaching is likewise lacking in
conviction"
And | want to call your attention
particularly to the conclusion he
draws at this point:
"Culturally a school system cannot
rise higher than its source. If a gov
eminent means little to its citizens
then the teaching which is given by
its schools will mean just as little
to its pupils"
1t behooves us, then, to look into
the source of our Montana education,
in the Montana community Again we
find that education of youth is not
enough, nor is it enough that the Mon
tana adult shall have vocational skill
and high material standard of liv-
ing. The key to happiness for an in
dividual lies in completeness as a hui
man being, rather than in competence
in a particular field; and the happy
community is the many-sided fully
| functioning community of neighbors
to whom democracy is not so much a
word as 1t is an instinct There are
few if any such communities in Mon
tana, nor can one say that the state
is a community in that sense: for in
stinctive democracy implies exercise
of moral judgment and respect for
the rights of others. . . Particularly
perhaps, for the rights of the chill
dren. In truly democratic state, a
minority which is too competent po-
litically would not wish, or would not
be permitted. to rob the children.
This fully functioning Montana com
munity which | am afraid we do not
have-but of which we can dream
would provide even the experience of
beauty for its citizens 1t would in
terpret, in music and painting, in
drama and literature, the elemental
values of life in our state which we
are apt to overlook: space and free
dom, sun and clean air, the cold maj
esty of mountains and loneliness of
the plains. the gayety of country
dance, the easy friendliness of most |
of our people =. These are the mar
gins around the sometimes fretful
business of making living. These
are the things Thoreau meant when
he said, 81 love broad margin to my
life" These are beauty. people are
apt" says the Harvard report, "to To-
cate beauty in picture galleries in mu-
seums and leave it there; it is equal
ly, if not more. important to seek beau
ty in ordinary things so that it may
surround ones life like an atmos-
phere"
The natural sciences describe, ana
lyze, explain" says the Harvard re-
port; whereas the humanities zap
praise, Judge, criticize" The former
ask, "True or false?" The latter ask,
Good or bad?" The report concludes.
definitely, that we need more empha-
sis on the humanities. | think it is
right When the agricultural econo-
mist, for instance, tells us that Mon
tana agriculture is more efficient"
because our farms are growing larger
and larger Ga quarter of our farm acre
age is now in ranches of 10000 acres
or more) | think someone should ask:
'Is it good? Is economic efficiency
the ultimate goal? Is an economy
which accepts and even compels' a
decline in rural population
a good economy, just because it is
profitable for the few who have land?"
When taxpayers association bulle
tin halls with delight the consolida-
ton of many schools and clamors for
more and more such mergers, think
someone should ask: But is it al