Lakehead University - Yearbook (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada)

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My faith and loyalty to the democratic philosophy, although shaken, remains strong. I still believe in democracy, in fact, my belief has been strengthened, rather than weakened, by this inquiry. Democracy remains to me the highest form of government, and the best system for the attainment of the good for human society. But today, democracy needs more than merely a person ' s faith in it. It requires men who are not afraid of criticism, ridicule or abuse, men who will stand up and affirm their defense of de- mocracy, men who will act as the repre- sentatives and precursors of a great new spirit of zeal and persistence on the part of the world ' s citizens. Democracy must never be passive, but must stride forward vigorously, ever advancing toward greater improvement. It is a great and stirring challenge, yet one which must be faced by men of conscience. We, this year ' s graduates of the Lakehead College are on the threshold of citizenship and we are just about to enter upon a world which can be moulded to a large extent by our labours. Shall we meet the challenge? STEWART SMITH FOR— » Ladies and Mens Wear • Infants and Childrens Wear • Shoes for all the family • Dress Goods and Notions • Linens, Blankets and Yarn • Quality Luggage It ' s— (JJolL ii OF FORT WILLIAM (Formerly Bryans) Compliments of CLEMENS Grocery and Meat Market 1301 Victoria Ave. Fort William Page 4

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EDITORIAL Familiarity breeds contempt. But it also breeds apathy. Today in the Western world, we should take a long, hard look at our political system and decide if it is the system or the operators of the system which have caused the apathy evident in nearly all democratic countries. The theories of Democracy, the ascendant political philosophy of the Western world, presuppose that man is interested enough in his own well-being and safety to share in the responsibilities of running the government. This does not mean that all the individual should do is to vote and pay taxes, rather he should also become a living expression of the democratic ideal — a man with liberty, but who wishes to promote the interests of his society, even to the extent of sacrificing his own interests at times. Yet is not this supposition much too unrealistic? History has proven to us the bitter lesson that man, even at the height of his political sophistication, has not even come close to the bright ideals, presupposed by the faith of democracy. The advocates of democracy often advance the argument that it is democracy that people want, and that this alone is justification for its initiation in a country. This argument seems wholly illogical and ridiculous, especially when one considers the un- usual and often immoral things which people want, and yet this desire for these things has certainly never been used as justification for their adoption. Do people really want democracy? NO. It expects too much from the common citizen. People are basically disgustingly materialistic. So long as people have satisfactory homes, good jobs and some leisure time, they care little for the high-flown phrases and glowing idealism of our well meaning democrats. And since most people find it almost impossible to fulfill their material designs by a strict adherence to the theories of democracy they abandon their God-given obligations, and resort to barbaric, and often cave-man like techniques to achieve their ambitions. A moral degeneration occurs, in the form of political apathy and a withdrawal from the responsibilities of citizenship. This conclusion is derived not from the idle imaginings of a non-voter and non-participant in the processes of democratic living, but from the dillusioning evidence of actual life. The inhuman coldness of statistics tell us that in Canada and the United States, the average vote in any election, hardly ever rises above 65%. And, if one could by some magical process subtract from this percentage those voters who are totally unqualified to vote or who care little for this obligation, the final percentage would undoubtedly be depressingly low. And not only is apathy apparent in the inconclusive matter of voting statistics, but also in almost every other field of responsibility and citizenship. It might then be argued that the people would care just as well for a despot so long as he satisfied their material aims. Unfortunately, this seems to be the only logical conclusion to be drawn from the present situation. Although it seems almost inconceivable that people would willingly allow themselves to be deprived of their liberty and benefits of a free country, it seems that one can arrive only at this unhappy conclusion. However, this criticism must not be mis-interpreted. I do not suggest we sur- render to the facts and let ourselves be defeated by our own faults. Page 3

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PRINCIPAL ' S MESSAGE It is my privilege to extend congratulations and every good wish to the members of the graduating class. In spite of the fact that this will be the largest graduating class that we have had, it gives me much pleasure to see that you have not lost the close companionship and sense of pioneering that was so evident in our smaller student body. The Technology Division includes, for the first time, graduates in Engineering Technology. I trust that you will find interesting and responsible positions in industry just as the Forestry and Mining Technologists have before you. Some of you will be going directly into employment in industry while others will continue your studies at various universities. We, of the staff, will follow your prog- ress with interest and anticipation and we wish you Godspeed. I need not remind you that there are critical and challenging years ahead. Many sociologists have expressed the view that in our struggle to make life better materially, we have concentrated on material things so long, that we have become obsessed by them. Now that we have achieved them, we want to enjoy them. There has been a tendency to carry this same attitude into our educational system. There is a feeling in high schools that students should, above all, enjoy themselves and after graduation fit into this com- fortable, static society. I believe, however, that this attitude is changing. Parents and students are begin- ning to realize that there is a hard struggle ahead and we must prepare for it. The feeling of urgency is heightened by the lively public interest in our educational system. As you go out to take your place in society you will inherit both our material com- forts and our problems. You are graduating at a time when the world is filled with opportunity but plagued by anxiety. It is my earnest hope that you will not only take full advantage of the opportunities but also make more dynamic efforts toward solving our problems. — H. S. BRAUN, Principal. Page 5