Arcata High School - Advance Yearbook (Arcata, CA)

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Qlihitnrial In every city, country, state or nation, there are two classes of people- the f'Boosters and the Knockers, The boosters are the people who have a pride in their city or county and show this pride by helping to the best of their ability to boom all benefi- cent and forward movements. On the other hand, there are the knockers who are lacking in civic spirit and community pride. These people are usually grouchy and close-listed and may almost invariably be counted upon to take a stand against all pro- gressive movements. Nothing that is done is pleasing to them. They are a critical, fault-finding generation. It is not necessary to dilate on the un- pleasantness of having to reside in a community having a large percentage of such people. It is probably well that a spirit of discontent should manifest itself in our make-up. We must not be oversatisfied with our surroundings or there will be no incentive to improve our condition. Dissatisfaction often means progress. The past year has witnessed the publishing of articles in several maga- zines of national standing, criticising our present school system without sug- gesting any methods for its improvement. We who think most highly of it are aware that it has its imperfections, but it is certainly superior to any system of education that has heretofore been devised. VVe hear its practicability discussed. Does it lit its graduates for life- work? It does and it does not. The old academic course with its book- learning did not qualify a boy or girl to enter at once into lifels arena and make good. They had to acquire further practical knowledge or training before they found themselves able to enter on a career of usefulness. The modern high school is introducing courses and equipments that will enable its graduates to step out of the school-room into the arena of active life and become at once bread earners. On account of the expense of starting such practical courses of study, it is only in the larger cities that we find many of these courses being given. The smaller high schools are moving along in that direction quite rapidly, however, and many of them are offering practical courses in sciences, commercial work, agriculture, domestic science, drawing, debating, physical culture, and hygiene. Not many high schools are provided with gymnasiums or teachers of hygiene, but athletics furnishes training that is of inestimable value as an accessory to the usual scholastic equipment. Arcata has excelled in football and baseball and has. had excellent tennis and basket-ball teams, we cannot say the same about track teams, however. It is true, that with the graduation of the class of 1912, the school lost many athletes, but in the other classes there were plenty of students who by judicious training could have become fully as proficient as those who were in previous track teams. There was no satisfactory reason for Arcata not entering a track team in the field-meet last September. The excuse that the boys had to go too far to train was insuiiicient. The field-meet is the one event in which all the schools are brought to- gether at the same time, and the absence of an Arcata team casts a blot upon the athletic record of our school. A track or any kind of team is impossible without co-operation of the entire student body, and it is the duty of all the boys not in training to go with the others to boost them along, the girls, as well, can show their in- terest and loyalty. Wake up, you boys! Enter your men in the next track- Twenty-three

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A 5 AX, fh a! Qlfhiturial Staff A L T

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meet. Make Arcata proud of her team, and show the other schools we can do as much as they. Get a track constructed in the Municipal Athletic Field and every one of you train to enter for some event, even though you may have a long way to go to reach home. The action of the Executive Committee of the High School League in sustaining fake charges of professionalism against one of Arcata's best athletes, and refusing to consider valid charges of professionalism brought against members of others schools in the league, is greatly to be deplored, and is very apt to introduce an undesirable spirit of discord into the ranks of the league. When the desire of individual members of the league for victory becomes so dominant that they are ready to sacrifice a spirit of justice to attain that end, and deal unjustly with another school in the league, the benefits to be derived from interscholastic sports are reduced to a minimum. We find that the spirit of social intercourse, which should be engendered between the students of the several high schools is entirely destroyed. Arcata knows how to accept defeat when beaten fairly and squarely, but when defeated by unfair and underhanded methods will protest to the extent of her ability. The high school does not wish to make the Advance the medium of an attack upon other schools, but she feels justified in making a statement of pure fact. We have endeavored to make this issue of the Advance,' a worthy rep- resentative of our school, but this would have been impossible without the aid of Miss Chamberlin, the staff's support, the ready contributions of the students, the zealous work of the business manager, and above all, the financial backing of the business men. To all of these, we extend our deep- est thanks. We also wish to thank Mr. R. M. Wiley for the assistance he has given us in preparing the paper for publication. is E-tiLt..U ll lf Twenty-four