The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1956-03-16

DfOught one OF Time IS touchlngeSt trlfles Just
picture of a crowd of young men and women,
but mostly women skating artificial pond
artificially frozen But wait!
Were these young people,-ah that term so
beloved, so dear!-were these young people mere
ly an awkward squad doing its first turn on the
ice? No, no; far from it. Were these adolescent-
ules gliding about upon cleaning blades and
wobbly ankles, and sometimes suddenly sitting
down to think things over,-were these precious
beings just people learning to skate? Not at
all, not at all. Do you know who and what they
were, and doubtless still are? We shall tell you,
We shall not withhold the glorious and gladstone
truth.
They we're students pease mark the word;
a student says Webster is /. a learner. scholar;
2. one who studies)-they were students, or per-
haps we should say they were pupils or attend
ants at school. Not pupils of an elementary
school, mark you; yet one of those groups
engaged in microscopically elevated activity in
socalled high school They were pupils of
university or an university as James Boswell
would prefer us to say.
Well say you, ii is indeed pleasant TO con
template the recreational activity of our dear
devotees of what popular weekly once called
higher education at the lowest level" II is
our homes our affairs, and our fires,-cooling
its ardOr on the ice after weary hours of close
application to trained thought and lore of
book II is right and reasonable,-as Horace
remarked in another connection, dalce ct decor
uet eSt,-for these worn and pallid scholars to
tear themselves with whatever reluctance and
at whatever expense of effort, from their heavy
studies, TO restore their tissues with bit of
playtime; and what better than skim upon the
skates? Here they combine heathful exercise
with merry chatter quip, and sally, and enjoy
an occasional hilarious moment as a comrade
Unexpectedly reverSes form and executes an
antc calculated to drive his spine up among
the recesses of the medulla oblongata. How nice
yoL say.
Well, you are kind. but, dear me, how old
fashioned and obtuse you are! You do not see this
picture in true perspective You have been reading
Sao'oboaad, and, like young George Haskell, the
master of the district school, you dwell upon
'the moonlit skaters keen delight" You do not
realize that the young people on the ice are
not lighthearted merrymakeTs No: they are
university students 10orkng diligently upon their
cidSS'oork They are students, here and now as
you see them awkwardly maneuvering on rented
skates, actually engaged in their studies and
actually earning college credits
This is as true, as truel For ice.skating (as
somewhat faded lady professor explains in that
somewhat faded monotone so characteristic of
university professorS) is now new item in the
large list of recreationa activities in which
college credits can be earned Just ponder that
fact for moment and try to realize what a
wonderful thing education is, and how il prom
ises True Enlightenment with Peace, Prosperity
and Perfection in the Bright and Beautiful To-
morrow Ponder too how shabbly you yourself
have been treated. For you recall those after
school hours Of youth in which you cut figure
eights and did turns on the old pond back of the
barn And not single solitary credit ON your
record as a result The pond was in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Had it been on a uni
verSlty campus now instead of behind the barn
then, you'd probably be Ph. ID. by this time
What thing this education isl Dare we say
what a racket And how the educative process
progresses! We are indeed the beholderS (and
victims) of Progressive Education in the most
sweeping universal sense of that term Away
back in the days of heavy high-neeked sweaters
(the Era preceding that of tho Academic Coon
Skin Coat, college boyS,-we called them boys
in those days,-~used to huddle up and sing a
merry madrgal which began with the words
Father and Mother pay all the bills, and we
have all the fun" But if the heavy-sweaer boys
had their fun an skates they certainly did not
receive academic recognition for their enjoy
ment
There are other courses than the one in ice
skating to attract the avid pursuer OF college
education. The lad with the throbbing intellect
hotter on the quest of knowledge Tor could ii be
credits?) than the hounds of spring upon winters
traces, might make strong stride in the direc-
tion of doetorate by taking the course in How
to Watch Football Game" or that in "'How TO
Play Pool" These courses are not fctional
They are not named in jest No jester would dare
90 that far,
A somewhat pompous university professor
once said to the humble type-tapper of these
lines "Thi. is a wonderful university. Ii is amaz.
ing to contemplate the wide range of topics that
may be studied here The man spoke with mani.
fest pride. and his chest pursed out with such
satisfaction that his vest buttons were in peril
Yet his words were true however uniuStified
his pride A wonderful university lndeed
What wonder that so many old gaffers in
our day are hobbling back to school. Why, grand.
pa, that hardy citizen of cosmopolitan experience
might just as we'll get some academic recogn
ton for his skills and achievements He could
gather credits as easily as by turning his hand
in such a course as How to Smoke Five Brothers
in Cob Pipe And as for the course in Straight
Bourbon as ContradstinguiShed from Mixed and
Diluted Beeoetionsh he's ready for graduate
rating this living minute.