Samuel D Hanson School - Crescent Yearbook (Buxton, ME)

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10 THE CRESCENT Independence or Dependence? How many of you cringe when you hear some, strong, healthy youth say lazily, nwhy work, the government will feed and clothe me. Those of us who were brought up to believe that we owed the government financial support rather than the ngovernment owing us a livingu are asking ourselves some questions that are hard to answer. How important is a self-supporting citizenry to a demo- cracy such as the United States? Have we over emphasized the idea of nworking togethern and not emphasized independence enough? Was family pride discarded as a virtue when the horse and buggy was a means of transportation? If these questions are not satisfactorily solved what will the future hold for us? Let us try to analyze the meaning of these interrogations even if we are not qualified to state a definite answer. No democracy can rise above the citizens of which it is made. A non-supporting group of adults will finally result in a non-Q supporting government. Taxes are a public responsibility for all, not a single class. An adult who wants to earn a livelihood and is not equipped.with vocational training feels himself a misfit socially. We know that square pegs in round holes will cause an efficiency lag in machinery, likewise it does in society. In answer to the question, how important is a self-supporting citizenry to a democracy, I ask you to remember a law of Physics, HA liquid will rise no higher than its source.n From kindergarten through our formal education we are taught the importance of cooperation, nLet's do it together.U nWhy don't Mary and Johnny work it out.N Teachers have said these sentences over and over again. Let teacher remember that we were all given feet upon which to stand- separately. As great as the lesson of Cooperation is the lesson of Independence which teaches the power each of us has alone. Should we not try to bring a balance be- tween these two and try to make youth understand we must live with the group not on the group. Gan it be that'the word npauperu has lost its,degrading aspect? If it has then I say it is too bad. Our grandfathers felt pride A in having to ask financial aid from no one -- his fare was simple, his home not pretentious but it was hip. Can it be that an ex- pensive pear bought by the government tastes so much better than a russet apple purchased by dad? If it does then, family pride has flown out the window. How dark the future looks for democracy if we do not support our families but feel it a social responsibility. Should we not pledge ourselves to the reestablishment of a society that will work together for the common good yet independently accept its responsibilities? This pledge not to go into effect upon gradua- tion from high schook, or upon reaching twenty-one years of age but NOW. For we know that the direction in which a man starts his life-will determine his future.

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THE CRESCENT 9 The Value Of A Sports Program Athletics are not placed in schools merely to serve for entertainment. They are also the builders of stronger minds and bodies and teachers of a sense of coordination between the two. Larger schools have to make the requirements of physical education as a part of the regular school day. Their athletic program, that is,the athletic activities which are carried on as a competitive program with other schools, is an absolute outside activity. In the smaller schools, such as ours, where the state law, in regard to physical education, is not given the attention, athletics serve a dual purpose. Al- though these physical education courses help keepthe pupils in good health, they the mind and body as routine drills which fail to do as thorough a job of molding athletics. They usually consist of require but a small amount of thinking. The athletics also give one a spirit of sportsmanship as he must learn to win and lose gracefully. A boy who has never been on an athletic field is persuad- noth- ed to participate in a game. At first the game means ing to him and he is unable to keep up with his team ates, merely because his facilities of thought are not what they should be. Although he has a strong body and is not what might be called dull he is unable to get coordination between the two. Eventually, he takes a liking to the game and wishes to make the varsity heights and he gains a self amidst a group of cate plays which carry He finds himself a cog not function properly. nmst have his complete squad. His pride carries him to the place on the team. Here he finds him! boys who know every part of the intri- their team to success and victory. in a machine which without him does He is new a part of a group which cooperation to be successful. After numerous practices he begins to apply some thought to his play instead of depending on his strength alone. His mind and body now work hand in hand and he is a finished product of the game. During his time on the team he has also learn- ed to mix well with strangers as he has competed against boys who were total strangers to him. Truly an extensive athletic program is a great aid es- pecially where the requirements of physical education are not met. They give one a competitive spirit, a keen mind and a strong body as well as coordination between the two. Certainly athletics should be carried on in schools to give the scholars these benefits for let us remember, the boys and girls of today are the men and women of tomorrow. Raymond Brackett'42

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