Pickering College - Voyageur Yearbook (Newmarket, Ontario Canada)

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THE VOYAGEUR STAFF AND STUDENTS, PICKERING COLLEGE Spring Term 19129

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28 THE VOYAGEUR HE congratulations of the students of Pickering are extended most heartily to our former Chemistry Master, Arthur Williamson. Art', has for the past year been pursuing his studies at Princeton with a view to obtaining his doctorate in Chemistry. Last season his work was of such a high calibre that he was awarded the Dunlop Fellowship. Besides its considerable monetary value, this fellowship is no mean honour and represents a high standard of scholastic attainment. We are all very proud of Art, and we know that this is only the beginning. There has been a great deal of criticism about the modern generation, and most of it is certainly justified. Young fellows nowadays seem to have lost that sense of balance which was such an outstanding characteristic of the last generation. Our fathers knew how to handle the old buck-board wagon even on Fair Days and during Old Home Week. To-day, youth is in a class of bungling incompetence by itself, and can't even manipulate a modern gas wagon on a county road without causing concern on every hand. The only solution is for some real old time preacher to give the youth a rousing exhor- tation. A suggested text is, Go ye out into the highways and the byways and compel them to come in. ' A recent visitor to the school was Mr. Poul Bai, Toronto Conservatory of Music. After dinner he provided a varied vocal programme which was heartily appreciated. His informality of manner and keen sense of humour delighted his youthful audience who are clamouring for a speedy return of this outstand- ing Toronto vocalist. Under the able coaching of Mr. Rourke and Blackie preparations are well under way for a track and field meet on Monday, June 3rd. The grounds should look their best and it is hoped that the weather-man will favour us so that the visitors will enjoy this spring at-home to the utmost. A team from the school will compete at the Barrie Inter-scholastic meet on June Sth. With such material as we have already in condition and with new stars coming into our horizon the school should make a good showing.

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30 THE VOYAGEUR Needed-An Educational Revolution tBe'iny a resume of an article of the same name by Roger W. Babsonj HE commercial world is well acquainted with the periodical reports of Roger W. Babson and business men in all walks of life are accustomed to listen to his advice as one who sees clearly through the maze of conflicting tendencies and varied avenues of thought of this modern gradually-changing world, consequently a pronouncement on education by him is listened to with more than usual interest. Babson was appointed by Governor Fuller of Massachusetts as a member of the Special Commission on Municipal Under- takings and Expenditures and while working on this commission, he was able to check up on a subject which, he says, has been uppermost in his mind. While his conclusions are based on the school systems of the United States, it is most probable that his general conclusions apply with almost equal force to Canada, since, in so many ways, our cultural development is related to that of the country to the south of us. Briefly his conclusions point to the school systems of the United States as the chief single item of municipal expenditure and the care of the unfit to be the chief item of state expenditure and he feels that the inefficiency of the school system is the reason why the principal expense of the States is to take care of those whom the municipalities have been unable to make self-supporting. His chief criticism is that the school system of America is a great machine with no real goal, running along conventional lines but so big that no one dares to interfere with it. VVhen he asks leaders in the educa- tional field what is the real purpose of the endless chain,-kindergarten train- ing, primary schools, secondary schools and college, he gets very diversified answers, if any. Children go because they have to and most mothers find a large measure of satisfaction in having a place to park their children for a certain number of hours each day. Babson feels that the future of the country depends more on the school system than any other single organization. It has the equipment, the power of support through taxation and an able and earnest staff but it lacks a definite goal. In his mind, this should be,-to prepare young people to be useful and happy parents, citizens and neighbors. This means having them graduate healthy, intelligent, but-most important of all,-with a desire to be of ser- vice. He feels that the courses, curriculum and examinations should be based on this definite goal and results, as demonstrated by the graduates' later life checked in order to see that the school system is accomplishing the purpose for which it exists. He recommends three fundamental changes. The first of these is that more attention should be given to character development. Some may call this the spiritual side of life, others may call it the ethical side. Certainly it does not mean that theology should be taught, or any denominational creed. It must be done in a way to command the co-operation of Catholics, Protestants, Hebrews and others. All these groups, however, could agree on the teaching that there is a God, and that He has a purpose and method of work. I believe that all groups would agree to the teaching of the Ten Commandments and certain other fundamentals of life. Whatever the methods used, it 'is of primary importance that young people be graduated only when they hare the right motives, purposes and ambitions, and that the chief uvorh should be to develop these fun-flamcntal forces which make or break men and nations.