Morningside College - Sioux Yearbook (Sioux City, IA)

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the mind need a sound body as a means of expression, but the mind itself can nev- cr reach its highest efficiency unless the body is well trained. NVhen one remem- bers how large a proportion of the surface of the brain is taken up by the nerve cells which govern our movements, it is easy to see that the brain cannot be well de- veloped if the muscles are untrained. As a result of this modern point of view, we find everywhere gymnasiums in connec- tion-and in logical connection-with the schools and universities. Physical train- ing should be a part of every College course, not simply for hygienic purposes, but as an integral part of one's education. There should be a noticeable improve- ment in the scholarship of Morningside students, now that their dream of a mod- ern, well-equipped gymnasium has at last been realized, not simply because of im- proved health, important as that is, but because of better trained minds. Morningside now has a fine, large gym- nasium, htted out with all the best mod- ern equipment, and containing, besides the main floor, a running track, dressing rooms, shower baths, team rooms, offices, B1 Ir0phy room, a room for physical exam- inations, and a swimming pool which will be finished off in the near future. It is a 1915 SIOUX gymnasium which can compare favorably with any in the country, and it should play a large part in the life of the school. On account of its importance, two years of physical training work will be required during the College course, and other elec- tive work will be offered to those who desire it. The building is well adapted for basketball, volley-ball, indoor tennis, indoor baseball, and other games. There are then, roughly, three large aims in our physical training work. The educational aim should come first, al- though it is not so clearly recognized by the student as are the other two. Agility, skill, courage, physical judgment, and grace are the results of careful training of muscles and brain, while true sportsman- ship, love of fair play, and willingness to sacrifice oneself in the interests of the team, come through athletics. The next aim should be hygienic. Health is funda- mental if one is to make his life count as it might, and the sedentary habits of the student must be counteracted by vigorous exercise. Finally, through the use of games, rythmic, work, outdoor sports and athletics of all kinds, the work is made pleasurable, for exercise must be enjoyed if it is to give all that it is capable of giv- mg. what itlllnrningaihv Hllnai Nrvha fDr. Wallace Carsonj The editor of the Sioux has asked me to write in a few words and in a spirit of frankness what in my o inion, Morning- Now the , ' P side .College most needs. building up of our College is at once in the hands of the President, the Faculty, the Board of Trustees, the friends of the College, and the Students. I am only interested here in the way in which the students may help their College-and themselves. I rmrtccn The most vital force bearing on the in- dividual student is that intangible thing called, the spirit of the college. It is a result of the reaction of a material equipment, a Faculty, and students on each other under the conditions of a College course. This reaction expresses itself among the students in a philosophy of College life that becomes the principal guiding force of the student body. It is MORNINGSIDE

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1915 SIOUX x much more than mere ornamental appen- dages: they have a decided value in the building of individuality, and in this work the line arts have a great and valuable place. This has been recognized to a great extent in the study of literature, and after literature, music has the most uni- versal appeal of all the fine arts. This accounts for the fact that, whereas fifty years ago music was not thought of as a study worthy of recognition in the College curriculum, it now has an honored place, indeed, many Colleges grant the Bache- lors degree for a College course with music, even including in some cases the practical study of the art, as a major- This is indeed a far cry from the day. not very many years ago, when a promi- nent musician offered his services as in- structor in music to Harvard University without salary, The Conservatory at Morningside seeks first to extend the influence of the art t0 the student body at large: SGC0f10llY to the community surrounding it: and l21SflY. but not least, to its own body of earnest students. The courses of study are organized on the same general basis as the courses in the College of Liberal Arts. A certain amount of preliminary training is re- quired for entrance on the regular colle- giate course of four years, which is ar- ranged in Freshman, Sophomore, junior and Senior years. These four years of training embrace thorough study of at least one practical branch, such as the piano, singing, violin, etc., also four years training in the theory of music, harmony, counterpoint, history of music, etc., also attendance during the period of study on one College or Academy subject to be selected according to the needs of the student. As to the standards required of the graduates, they are based on the recog- nized standards adopted by the most not- ed music schools of America and Europe. The study of music has made rapid and substantial progress during the last few years, and we feel that Morningside may be justly proud that its Conservatory holds a place in the very front rank. lghgzirzll iihurutinn fBy Miss Margaret Brandi Throughout all history the attitude to- ward physical training has been con- stantly changing. In the earliest times brute strength was 'rated as the greatest of all virtues. The strongest man of the tribe was the leader and the weaklin8 was soon weeded out. Down until the Christian era we find this same emphasis laid on physical development, but with the growth of the early Christian Cl1Ul'Cl1 there came a strong reaction. Men be- gan to think that the only way to Hflqulre merit was through the denial of all Phy' sical needs and pleasures, so, led by the monks, they practised the most hideous tortures upon themselves, thinking that by thus umortifying the flesh they would grow spiritually. 4 But with the advance in Science, this morbid asceticism also disappeared. Slowly men discovered that the mind could not do its best work without efficient tools. The body was developed as the servant of the mind, and we find the pio- neers of modern physical training begin- ning their work with this idea, especially in Germany and Sweden. More recent- ly still, we find yet another attitude pre- vailing with regard to physical develop- ment. We now know that not only does MORNINGSIDE 7'hirt0r'n

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1915 SIOUX ,::::ggA., ' the one vital element in the College. It is so strong that no College generation can warp its purpose, and so sensitive that it responds to the impress of the most ob- scure Freshman. It is so real that it af- fects the mental and moral tone of every student, and so intangible that no Senior can say where or what it is. Without analyzing exhaustively the spirit of Morningside, I wish to call at- tention to one phase in which there is need for a change. Morningside College is in a transition period. We have the virtues and weaknesses of youth, but we are trying desperately hard to slough our swaddling clothes. New buildings, in- creased library and laboratory facilities, additional instructors, new courses, and a general stiffening of the whole curricu- lum mark the change. In a word Morn- ingside is realizing itself as a College from the standpoint of the administration. ls student sentiment changing to meet the new order? The esprit dc coeur of the student body is an inheritance from the past. Tradi- tions are handed down from class to class and students accept an intellectual and social code evolved under conditions at variance with the present. As the Col- lege goes forward, the philosophy of the student body must advance-and this in the face of established custom and tradi- tion. Students must realize that they come to Morningside better prepared than ever before, that they graduate later in life, that they must do more and better scholastic work than in former years, and that they are expected to deport them- selves in accord with these conditions. It is natural for the students to accept the old standards and traditions, and equally difficult for them to realize that the old order is changing and that they must change with it. This is the great need of Morningside students just now. More of the traits of men and women, and less of the characteristics of the l-ligh School age, are necessary to meet the en- larging demands of our College life. We must advance along the following three lines unless the student body is satisfied to fall behind in the forward march of the College: The cultivation of a more generous spirit of real scholarship in the student body, and more students who are not sat- isfied with C and D grades. More students in legitimate College ac- tivities other than athletics, and more gen- uine student recognition and support of such activities, for instance, the field of forensics, the Collegian Reporter, and the Sioux. A healthily readjustment of our Col- lege political and social life leading to a more democratic recognition of individual worth regardless of society affiliation, and, for the members of the girls' societies, a lowering of the unchristian and uncharita- ble membership bar now applying to so many of our students. Around these suggestions, it seems to me, the student body can build better and saner student ideals than those in force at the present. what 31 Mant My Sun tn C521 frnm illllnrningnihe fBy Prominent Men in the Conferencej I want my son to get from his College course that modification of himself, which shall set him at his best, in right relations to the world in which he lives. Not the present world only, but the world of all time. The events of today are but the leaves on the tree which has its roots deep down in the past. When the frost MORNINGSIDE 'NAT'-LT- -.A- ll-.- Fifteen