Lompoc High School - La Purisima Yearbook (Lompoc, CA)

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M ij ANNUAL STAFF T011 Vout Paul Thompson, editor, Ben Ruffner, assistant editor, David Lowe, busi- ness manager, Clinton Stillman, art editor, Miss Bowen, advisor. SI'C'OlItl rout Pat Hig- gins, assistant business manager, Myra Huyck, alumni editor, Anna Lu Jensen, senior editor, joseph Breto, Twin CCC camps editor. Third Vow: Kinyon Lewis, sophomore editor, Jimmy Moore, freshman editor, Kenneth Smith, junior high school editor, Mar- garet Hall, junior editor. Ifonrflz row: Jene Stadlcy, picture editor, Irene Shanklin, or- ganizations editor, Catherine McCloskey, assistant organizations editor, Bob Herdman, ,sports editor. Fifffl row: Miss Morton, advisor, Agnes Reycraft, activities editor, Vir- ginia Schroeder, assistant activities editor, Don Ray, humor editor, Ardis XWright, girls' sports editor.

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OPINIONS What is the marked difference between a democratic government and a dicta- torship? It is the freedom of the individual to form his own conclusions, and to deter- mine by expressing them, the policies of his government. In the past few years in the United States we have seen the rise of public opinion evidenced by a growing number of opinion surveys. It has become vital to us to know what the masses of the people are thinking. Why? Because democratic government depends on what the citizen thinks. When a people fail to make up their own minds, propaganda will do it for them. Or- ganized tyranny depends on a people whose minds are bound by a regimented press. The press of this country is far from factual purity, whether its position is secure is questionable. What is being done to protect the people from this menace? The production of clear, independent minds depends to a large extent on the schools. Schools can give the student practice in forming his opinions logically, practice in expressing these ideas, and the experience of associating his opinions of others. He can learn from civics, history, and his student government what is required of a citizen, and a basis of fact that he can use to defend himself from political propaganda. But in a great many cases he leaves the school in ignorance of the simplest facts about government. Students like these will be gullible persons and poor citizens. In a majority of cases he is a student who hasn't been connected with student govern- ment, and what he learned in classes lasted only a short time. Much of the reason for this is that student government is at times undemocratic, and that it and also classes are uninteresting. Things that he was uninterested in in school will be uninteresting in later life because they are not understood. If .student government can be made more democratic and, because of more self-government, more interesting, if classes could be made less monotonous, perhaps we in America would have a better chance of .seeing democracy preserved and students becoming better equipped to take an active part or interest in their government.

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