The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-06-05
just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Ineonsiderste

Commencement time again Schools closing;
glee clubs singing; orators pouring out wisdom
Diplomas broadcast; new watches on many wrist
fountain pens popping up like spring growth in
Jacket pockets. Theses solemnly indited in partial
1utlilment of requirements :" Congratulations.
goiden prophecies, family parties. And for a won
derful and welcome change no denim trousers
Education momenarily lays aside its skintght over
alls.
School over? Don't be so cozily Victorian School is
never over This deeply sapent suggestion that
lie itself is educative process school-and
not much OF one for most of US No; school, in the
lnStitutlonal' sense, is never over Commencement
is Just pause between a regular term and sum
mer session. And if not a summer session. then a
succession of workshops. forums conventions panez
lngs, round, square, and oblong table dscssions
All IN the way Of education about education.
Chicago meat packer told Matthew Arnold
who had inquired about American culture I'VE
haven't got around to culture yet but when we do
wen make it hum" We have certainly got around
10 educatlon,-at least, to schooing,-and we are as
certainly making il hum. Schools everywhere
Schools for everything. Day schools night schools
twilight schools, correspondence schools radio
schools teleylslon schools Courses the card for
every taste psychatry to cosmetoogy Courses with
credit. Member of the All American Association
of Universities and Barber Colleges Degrees in
the offing. Degrees and more degrees-common as
those marked on thermometer its not so practically
valuable Everybody wants degrees from BABY
Bunting to Foxy Grandpa. What no degreel The
man must be moron!
Education on the hum. Ho hum! Everybody edu
Gated. Cultured interests command of language
wide interest in good literature general skill in
mathematics, trained and logical minds courtesy
and refined manners, appreciation of lifes mean
lng,-all Will concede that these marks of an edu
Gated man are the common characteristics of mod
ern American life. Education Look what it does
Tor man Yes look. If need be- borrow set of
ield glasses Or hehpowered microscope.
Junior is married Two children What does he
do TO support his family? oh. Junior is going 10
SCHOOL, Lives in trailer. No sacrifice too great
Tor education BY the time his is ready for
paper route Junior will graduate. He will procure
Z precious document; imitation sheepSkin. an
proprlate He will be Doctor of something or
other, something with Philosophy tackled onto it,
Doctor OF Philosophy in Interior Kalsomning Doctor
OF Philosophy IN Coaean Ceramics Doctor of Phil
osophy in Horsetail Hair-dos Hail education Long
may she hum.
Doctors OF Philosophy everywhere Man at the
illng station.-'Check your oil?"-is Doctor OF
Philosophy Waiter in a swank restaurant-"Steak all
right, slr2-ls a Doctor OF Philosophy Pompous
bank rresident.-no degree! Says he came up the
a
pull with politicians. The old pioneering spirit
which knows no surrender Rich bankers SON
degrees without end; only no brains
Education does it, Ny boy won't have to work
did Substitute "like" for "as" in that sentence
II you have had at least two SemeSterS in uni
Vcrsity). Education will stop crime. Education will
bring peace Education will stop official skulduggery
"A schoohouse plant every hill stretching i'm ra-
date nevehnes thence the quick wires of intelli
sence Hahl
Swing high sweet education coming for to carry
me to endless semesterS i'm a weary succession of
schools. After school what? There is no after
school The thing goes endlessly. Frame the
efSaH parchments; make collection of them. Some
day your Observation-Disclosures will sell them
for much to collector of cwiosa record of twen-
tieth century alteration.
Education Look at that lounging lug. leaning
against The wall of the corner drugstore Ieerinp
at the young, nideaed girls" Occasionally stiml
ating his intellect by glance into comic book or
an apprasing gaze al the leggier magazines Loose
Jaw, mumbling his gum or his gums. Ever at hand
one of the milder cigarettes Tight pants; run down
heels; shirt hanging out Ia chnoiSe Who is he?
lie embodes education! lie is sophomore in col
lege lie is maioring in psychology Minoring in
oriental philosophy Generaizing in loafersm. Hail
education
America of all nations is the most bedeviled with
schools. Result2 Ask of the winds that far away with
fragments streW the People can't talk seriously
and dramatically for two minutes together Don't
know words, Can't speak publicly without constant
barrage of ers abs, uhS, and avs Can't write eth
er IN the meaning of composition in the meaning
OF calgraphy. Cant figure. MANY PhD. cannot
to save his life work out the cost of three and
third pounds of coffee at seventytwo and seven.
cghtS cents pound. Know history. Cannot rec
ognize dangling element in sentence although
they employ the device constantly, Can't spell Can't
think straight. Won't read Hail, educationl
There IS an initiation in the money-market which
ruins the value of currency and reduces nation to
beggary. And there is an initiation in the mental
market which makes its currency worthless. Surely
there can be no question about which of these two
inflatlons is the disastrous.
But there is hope for America. For deep down in
the sineerest depths Of his soul the American has
small respect for the trappngs and degrees that he
outwardly accepts education. He has no real rev.
erenee for people in scheols-that IS the so-ealled
higher schools-either pupils or teachers The real
America spoke when FDR surrounded himself with
saFat axla.. nFafp Tss