Shawnigan Lake School - Yearbook (Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia Canada)

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man exists for the state and who would, therefore, like it to be an age of mass thinking and mass behaviour as well. This kind of thinking is fraught with obvious dangers. Therefore the development of the indi- vidual must be encouraged, and the new machine age psychology, which can only produce set patterns, must be opposed. The variety of the mental and physical abilities of individuals is infinite. Moreover, ability of every kind is produced in a certain measure by every social level of the community, and Canada needs the service of every ounce of trained ability that she can get. Consequently, the schools of a democracy should strive to be of the utmost variety, and should despise from the outset that perversion of democratic theory which levels the best down to the standard of the average, and destroys idiosyncrasies in favour of a dull normality. Society should not want schools according to a formula; and the last place in which it should want mass production is in education. However, since this generation is working quickly, and working on a very large scale, it is in danger of producing it and mistaking it for efficiency. It must be appreciated that true education will always remain the sphere of the artist and the craftsman. For teaching is an art; and a necessity for genuine artistic activity is that it should be free in its operation. For example, one can ask an artist to paint one ' s portrait, or one can direct a photographer to produce a number of pictures — in the first case one gets from the true artist an interpretation of one ' s personality; in the second one gets certain faithful, but mechanical, reproductions. In the one case the artist is contributing the whole of himself to the work; in the other, the professional is superintending the working of a mechanical process. Does Canada want her teachers to be no more than the latter type, merely competent workmen and no more? It appears evident that she should try for something higher even if it involves the making of mistakes. For this reason the independent school, because it is not bound to the ducational policies of the state, should be encouraged for its individuality and, as long as its results are good, respected for it. Edward R. Larsen. The Headmaster designate, E. R. Larsen, Esq., kindly accepted the editor ' s invitation to write the editorial for this year ' s annual. Page Five

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(editorial 9 5Jn; CANADA AT THIS TIME there is a serious danger of the younger genera- tion becoming too well adjusted. It is apparent from the remarks of some parents that their greatest fear is that their children will not be popular, that they will be unhappy oddities playing by themselves. Of course, it is very often desirable that young boys should get along with others; but teaching them how to do this — that is, how to become socially adjusted — should not be the prime aim of education. There is a great danger among Canadians to allow what has become an unconscious mania for conformity to get out of hand — one should not want to be like other people unless first one has asked oneself the question why, and second one has found good positive reasons. A recent survey of college students revealed that barely one in ten wants a job in which he needs to be creative and original. Few want to start a business of their own, and few want to be doctors or scientists — the way is too long and too tough. It would seem then that in the independent school there is something better one can do, perhaps, than simply adjusting one ' s boys to the group in which they are going to live, and to the influences they will find around them. A feeling for co- operation must of course be taught, but this should be only one of the things one should want from one ' s boys. In addition to teaching an understanding of the limited need for conformity, the independent school should teach its boys to cherish the right to think and act for themselves. They must be taught to analyse carefully all situations, and to discriminate between that which is first-rate and anything of less worth; and in the final analysis, they must be taught to base their conclusions and their actions not on the requirements of conformity but on a basis which includes only those things which are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and of good report. In the same way, when one attempts to analyse the position of the independent schools in this society one arrives at the conclusion that they should enjoy a recognized place in any system of education simply because they are independent; because they believe in the value of a particular kind of education for the young and indeed have the courage, in spite of a general prejudice against them, to devote all their energies toward it. This is an age of mass production, mass entertainment and mass education. Moreover, there are people unfortunately who believe that Page Four

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THE LATE J. Y. COPEMAN, ESQ. Chairman of the Board of Governors, IQ54-58. (Sn tetmmam The school community was shocked to heat during the summer of the sudden death of J. Y. Copeman, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Gover- nors since 1954. He had been a member of the Governing Body since 1928 and during that time had generously given of his time and counsel. The school has lost a loyal friend whose name is com- memorated in Copeman s House.