Benton Township High School - Scenic Yearbook (South Bloomingville, OH)

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MAXINE JOHNSON Class Officer .......... Orchestra . . . Drainatics. . . Glee Club. . . . . . Sextet........... County Music Program. . . F.H.A.......... .. NORA HART Class Officer .... . . . Dramatics ........ Glee Club. ........ . County Music Program. . . . . F.H.A., ..... .. VYONNE AMERINE Drarnatics........... GleeClub......... .. County Music Program. . . . F.H.A.......... .. ANASWINE Class Officer. . . . . . . . . . Drunutics. . . . . . . . . Glee Club. . . . .... . . . County Music Program. . . 1 .H.A. .... . . . . . . . JUNE UNGER Class Officer ..... . . . . . Orchestra. . . . Dramatics. . . . . . . . . Glee Club ..... , . . . . . County Music Program. . . F. H. A .... . .... . . . GEOR GE CUL P Basketball ........... Dramatics. . , I 1 4 6

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THE VALEDICTORY There Can Be No Moratorium ln Education Parents and friends, the class of 1950 welcomes you to this commencement service.. Your presence here tonight speaks of your faith in us and your interest in our school. This appreciation which you show by your presence makes us realize that you sincerely believe in our class motto, Knowledge Comes But Wisdom Lingers. Each epochal turn in the long trail of civilization has been marked by different sign- boards of education. On these signboards may be read the whole story of progress. Along the oriental routes were stones of tradition and tunnels for caste. Classical nations later built roads for statehood, which even yet are strewn with their marvelous achievements. Out of the medieval wilderness was blazed a path upon which only a few scholars who could read its mileposts were privileged to travel. The social efficiency viewpoint then opened the roads to the masses as it turned their faces toward a larger horizon. Universal edu- cation is the signboard replacing all previous ones. This principal of-educating everybody dates back to Colonial days. In order to escape the conflicts of adversity waged with ignorance, superstition, and persecution, our forefathers came to these shores and founded this free government. They soon discovered that such a government could not thrive except in an atmosphere of intelligence. So they laid the foundations for universal education by establishing common schools. The primary purpose of the school of yesterday was training for college: consequently, it served only a select group. The school of today reaches out a beckoning hand to all the children of all the people. The public high school is the great concrete expression of our democracy. Last year its enrollment, according to statistics, was over 6,460,000 pupils. The expansion of its curriculum to include vocational courses, trade and industrial education, homemaking, com- mercial departments, science, health and physical education, art, music, and social science subjects as well as classical courses, shows its constant adjustment to a more complete and balanced program in response to changing needs and conceptions. The establishing of evening schools, supervised summer playgrounds, continuation and part time classes, and classes for handicapped children marks further attempts to equalize educational opportunity American public opinion has spoken in no uncertain terms. It desires an institution of secondary school grade to minister to all American children, not to a small group of lead ers alone. The sustaining motive of public education has many phases: It has an economic phase. We believe an educated citizenship will run a better government. It has a political phase. We believe it will make men more productive. lt has a strong moral motive. We believe education will help men to behave in a seemly manner and improve their chances of living together in peace. The state in promoting public education is not actuated by motives of philanthropy and charity. It is trying to provide for the economic independence of its citizens, an in- dependence which is finally won by the efforts of the individual. The state acts under the influence of self interest and hope of perpetuation. If the state is to prosper and become great, it must be sustained by the intelligence, the moral stamina, and the political sagacity of its citizens. There is no philanthropy of altruism in such an attitude. When the state invests in the public school or in public health, it is looking for sub- stantial benefits to itself, although such benefits may come indirectly. 7