Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

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I CLASS CDRATION Education, the Hope of Democracy By WILLIAM WALKER ln order to proceed in its war efforts with the greatest possible efficiency, during the past six months the United States has been analyzing itself to learn its shortcomings and its possibilities. It has come to realize, at least in part, its sluggishness. In adapting itself to the conditions of active war, in responding to the pressing needs of the moment- accelerated production, trained workmen, and especially the co-operation of the civilian population-the United States has, once again, painfully demonstrated the com- parative inefficiency of the American democracy under unusual strain. In the War of l8l2, in the Civil War, in the first, and now in the second world war, the citizens have been dilatory, unco-operative, and indifferent until faced with personal destruction, except where individual interests have been concerned. Immense resources and large population, or their formidable appearance, have saved the country from the usually disastrous results of late awakeningsg they may well do so again. They cannot, however, be successful always. Even in peace the machinery of government moves clumsily: unemployment and crime increase: bigotry and ignorance continue to blind: the intelligent are forced to expend their abilities in the solving of social problems. These and other corruptions are popularly attributed to the President, and to our traditional institutions, which are, nevertheless, too sacred to the memory of our forefathers to be altered. We who are really guilty refuse to shoulder the responsibility. There is something basically wrong with us, the citizens. We alone are accountable for the faulty functioning of the government, we alone are retarding the progress of democracy. Lack of mental and moral training and of a desire for self-improvement are responsible. The masses are not educated for freedom, not even for the limited freedom in which we now live. Although our privileges are necessarily supervised by government in order to keep in hand the ignorant and immoral and to force unification against interference from other states, democracy emphasizes individualism, not unification. To realize a democracy which will be sufficiently unifiable to be practical, and sufficiently personal to be ideal, we should force education upon our peopleg should imbue them with the desire to improve themselves mentally and morally. lndividualism, tolerance, and co-operation are integral parts of an ideal democracy. The present system of compulsory education has proved partially successful: but our intellectual and especially our moral training are notably insufficient. A more stringent and higher intellectual standard of education, and a higher moral standard, must at first be requiredg but, if the government is to be made less restraining than it is at present, if ideal democracy is to be reached, not coercion but the desire to learn must motivate and accompany all education. In a true democracy, the people themselves must have this desire, or their 18

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Every honest person will admit that money is of great concern in his life. Money is an idol which has taken the place in man's thought from the love of his fellow-men. ln money he places his trust. lt is the love of money that causes wars. It is man's dissatisfaction with this world that has caused the present con- sternation. Each nation desires to procure more than its share of the world's store, and the thirst for power becomes a nation's standard. The result is that such a nation cannot trust its neighbors because of jealousies which finally lead to discord. The noble people of each nation are looking forward to a better world where individuals shall be the benefactors of an unselfish neighborhood. Over 2,000 years ago, Christ realized the unfair systems of exchange. He saw a Communistic and Socialistic world, and Christ explained the danger of wealth, greed, and fear. Money was a nuisance to l-lim. Money was a mere medium of exchange! lt is, therefore, the love of money that is holding man back from his dream of a better world. God's children are entitled to essential freedom, no matter what be their race, creed, or color. This hope of brotherhood has always been in men's hearts: this hope is materializing today. Our government is attempting ways and means toward social understanding. In spite of our troubled times, we are as individuals, in our present state because of the progress which others have made possible for us. We remember Alexis Carrel's words, Human beings have not grown as rapidly as the institutions which have sprung from their brains. With science continually forging ahead, we must become more understanding of life. After this war, the airplane is going to form this world into a neighbor- hood which Alfred Tennyson prophesied in Locksley Hall : I dipt into the future far as human eye could see, Saw the vision of the world and all the wonders that would be Saw the heavens filled with commerce, argosies of magic sails Pilots of a purple twilight, dropping down with costly ba1es. Our hopes are summed up by the poet as he hears The war-drums throb no longer, and sees the battle flags all furled in the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world. 17

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democracy will collapse. How, then, can we make the people learn the value of a controlled intelligence: how can we kindle in them a desire to attain and perpetuate it? The most potent weapon for the control and development of the minds of the people is the Written word. F rom the beginning of civilization it has shaped the life of man. ln referring to the destruction of the Christian writings by the author- ities of the later Roman Empire, H. G. Wells' History of the World states: The destruction of the books is particularly notable. lt shows how the power of the written word in holding together the new faith was appreciated by the authorities. These 'book religions,' Christianity and Iudaism, were religions that educated. Such has been the power of books to the present day. The invention of printing brought light to a world which had been sunk for centuries in ignorance, superstition, and servitude. Milton's Paradise Lost and Dante's Divine Comedy have established the prevailing conceptions of the here- after: Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress had a religious influence second only to that of the Bible: Dickens aroused a passion which reformed the entire work- house system of England. Now, with newspapers, magazines, and books, aided by compulsory education, the written word has more power than ever before to present to the people the material which, second only to personal experience and environment, shapes opinions, and, as the case may be, improves or degrades minds. What a vast influence for good or for evil is wielded by such a controller of the nation's thought! How insidious and dis- torting it can be! The German government well understands its power, as the Nazi book purges and control of literature demonstrate. Since the Written word is of so much importance in the development of a people, let us consider our literature. Much of it has sunk to the very sewers of inferiority: many newspapers must print material acceptable to the average reading public: pulp magazines are pitiful: many of the best sellers are fashion- able poison. The few intelligent, conscientious writers are not appreciated by the average citizen because they are not readily accessible or comprehensible to him. Many writers cater to the naturally low taste of the mass: great writers appeal to it only when their thoughts are so simple as to be easily understood, or when they delve into the gutter. The majority of our people are unable to distinguish between good and bad in printed matter. To remedy this situation, let us suppress the sensationalists and the exploiters of ignorance: let us provide meritorious literature for the public, and educate men to understand and to enjoy it. A group of citizens has the right neither to hinder the development of an ideal democracy, nor to create for the intelligent, social problems and other worries which would be entirely unnecessary if people were compelled to educate themselves. Oh, it will surely be said, but this is not democratic! Of course it is not democratic. An ignorant people do not deserve democracy. Throughout the entire history of the United States runs a long line of abuses of democratic privileges by the benighted classes. That a blundering and uninformed majority should have control over an intelligent and enlightened minority is atrocious. lf a citizenry has no mental 19