Spencerville High School - Echoes Yearbook (Spencerville, OH)

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Are Adults Setting Good Examples? Parents, teachers, and friends, it is indeed a great honor and privilege to address you on behalf of the members of the Senior Class of 1952. We, the members of the class, are indeed appreciative of all the contributions of kindness and helpfulness you have given to us. My topic, Are Adults Setting Good Examples? , deals both with you and with us, the graduating class, since it won't be long until we ourselves will be adults serving our community. I will discuss this topic from a youth's point of view. A big weakness in adult guidance lies in the religious phase of life. There are so many parents who encourage their children to go to church, but do not go themselves. Soon the children begin believing that their parents are getting along without attending church, and they can do the same and still not miss anything in life. But, friends, this is not true. It has been said, and it can truly be said that Religion and character are caught and not taught. The little snatches of religious truth caught and picked up by the child when he is still at home usually stay with him during his entire life time. A local church revealed this sign: Don't send your children to our church, come with them. This certainly is a valuable piece of advice. lf each and everyone of us would practice this, I am sure we would have a better world in which to live. Another church had a sign which read: CH--CH. Then it asked What is missing? Well, of course, the answer is the letters U and R since CHURCH spells church, but the moral of this sign is that you are, meaning the American people, missing from the churches. Rev. Willard Thomas said that ministers of long ago in England had few people missing from their churches because there, when anyone committed a crime, if he would touch the door knob on the church door before a policeman could catch him, he would have the mercy of the church for thirty days. The school is also another place a child receives religious education. Within the school room the Christian relationship is practiced to the utmost. There we learn to get along together, to live together, and to play together. We become congenial toward one another and learn to cooperate and are tolerant of each other. This is the basis of Christian teaching. By going to school we not only get book learning, but we get something far greater and more valuable- the Christian way of living. Another weakness in adult guidance lies in the corruption of our government. The Kefauv- er Committee was established to investigate crime and graft. When this committee started func- tioning and started tracing the actions of big time gamblers, it was discovered that they not only had influence over local but state and national politicians as well. They control the police departments and law enforcement agencies in many cities and even the courts in some cases. These people seem to have a lust for power and money and they don't care how they secure it. ls it any wonder that some students cheat on their tests and other school work? What more can be expected when they are constantly faced with this corruption in the government of our United States? Maybe the government wouldn't be full of people who are working for their own selfish desires, if the other half of the adults, who are eligible to vote but do not, would exercise their voting power by going to the polls at every election. It really is startling and hard to believe that only 487: of the American citizens actually exercise their voting power. This is one of the greatest privileges that the American people have. lt has been argued for quite some time that the voting power should be extended to the eighteen year olds because at this time the operation of the government is fresh upon each individual's mind. During the school years is the time that government is emphasized so thoroughly. Maybe if the voting power were extend- ed to the eighteen year olds the percentage of voting would rise. Another enlightening situation brought out through investigations was the fixing of bas- ketball games. If these unlawful practices wouldn't have been halted, they could have very easily spread to the small home town teams. It is this lack of fair play in life situations that sets the wrong example before the youth of today. How about the home life of youth today? Is it like it should be, or are the children finding home life uninteresting? lf they are, how can this be corrected? Are the parents understandingly close to their children? Do they take a real interest in them or are they looked upon as other perishable material possessions? If parents would take a genuine interest in youth activities, perhaps it would help them in understanding the problems of youth. Everyone of us at one time or another is called upon to be an example. We must remember that what we teach our children by example, if it is good, is better than what we teach them by precept. Lois Slentz -21-

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