Windsor Locks High School - Herald Yearbook (Windsor Locks, CT)

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28 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD HORACE MANN, THE GREAT EDUCATOR It is necessary today, that everyone should have as fine an educa¬ tion as possible to enable him to survive in this complex civilization of ours. The world is depending on the future generation to solve some of the difficulties of the present. Thus, we must have educated men and women qualified to meet these puzzling problems of our times. No doubt, Horace Mann, whose hundredth anniversary we are cel¬ ebrating this year, is the most inspiring example in the history of American Education. Almost a century ago, he tried to impress upon the people of Massachusetts, the need for a free public school system, for with¬ out free education, many children of poor families we,uld be unable to re¬ ceive any schooling, and our nation could not exist half ignorant and half educated any more than it could exist “half free and naif slave.” As Horace Mann suffered from bad health, he realized the need for schoolhouses to be made livable and comfortable places. He tells the story of a visit one rainy day to a little schoolhcuse which had an enormous leak in the roof. He spoke jokingly to the teacher, asking if some of the children wouldn’t be drowned. She replied, however, that this would be impossible, because the floor leaked as badly as the ceiling, and as soon as the rain fell from the ceiling, it drained out through the floor. Today we are not confronted with conditions like that, but we should remember that school children should be housed in buildings which are comfortable and which provide the environment necessary to good habits of work. The results of Horace Mann’s untiring efforts in beihalf of education certainly prove the truth of the motto “He conquers who persists.” As a lawyer, Horace Mann came in contact with many criminals, who he learned had become criminals through the lack of education. Thus he tried to correct this condition. There is an interesting law in Iceland that says when a minor child commits a crime, the courts should find out whether or not the parents have given him a good education. If it is proved that they have not, then the child is acquitted, and the parents ai 4 e punished. Perhaps that law should apply to other countries too , for very often, children are taken out of school by their parents, or allowed to leave school unnecessarily to go to work. In addition it has been proved that education has a market value. Business men and manufacturers, who employ thousands of workmen, tell us that the work of the educated person is much superior to that of the uneducated person. Uneducated people find it more difficult to get po¬ sitions today, and the uneducated person is always among the first to lose his position. Bsides the educated person advances steadily in position antt earning power, while the uneducated jobholder can look back ten or fif¬ teen years, and if he is still holding the job at all, he will find that he has not advanced in his work in the same degree as the better educated individual. Thus, from the standpoint of dollars and cents, education pays.

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 27 THE VALUE OF THE EDUCATED MAN TO THE STATE At this time of year when the youth of our nation attracts the attention of the country by its commencement exercises we are brought to realize that millions of young people enter the portals- of our schools and colleges each year. Upon graduating from high school most students are fast approaching the age when the will have the opportunity of that great democratic privilege—the right to vote. How will they use this privilege when it is granted to them? Will they be able to exercise this right in a manner intelligent enough to preserve our Democracy? The answers to these questions depend upon the degree that education has fitted these yciung people for their places in the state. The primary aim of public education should be to enable a citizen to get such a clear understanding of public problems that he is able to act intelligently with respect to them; for the greatest enemy of democratic government is civic ignorance. A man need not think that he is doing his duty every two years if he votes, for real citizenship means he must have an understanding of the society in which he lives and a desire to im¬ prove it. Especially at a time like this when changes in our political system comie much faster than usual, we cannot afford to take chances in training our youth fn the ways of Democracy. In this w r orld today torn by the conflicting forces of Communism and Fascism, every citizen is in need of the type of education w r hich will give him an honest insight of the realities of Democracy showing him both the failures and the achievements of Democracy. He must also under¬ stand the machinery of other governments in order to realize the full value of his own government. Communist and Fascist schools do not hesitate to use their educa¬ tional system to indoctrinate their types of governments in the minds of children. Surely w’e cannot even attempt to make adherents of Democracy unless we teach thoroughly the structure of our government and its national history. In past periods of American History the common man has had much less power than he has today. Because of this he must be taught to live up to his obligations rather than let himself become of the rabble. If he is well trained, he will not become the slave of newspaper propaganda, to be influenqed by every demagogue to whom he listens. He will be able to judge from his early discussions and studies which political and economic philosophies he should accept. Since we understand, therefore, that the preservation of our Dem¬ ocratic Governmnt depends upon the creating of an intelligent responsi¬ ble citizenry, it is tow r ard that end that w r e must now make rapid strides. Along this read lies the way to peace and security. Delay in mov¬ ing in this direction may mean the decline and decay of American Democ¬ racy. As Horace Mann declared, “We need general intelligence and in¬ tegrity as w r e need our daily bread. A famine in the latter would not be more fatal to health and life, than a dearth in the former to political health and life. Misgovernment can more than cancel all the blessings of science and the bounties of Heaven.” Raphael Boyle, ’37

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 29 It is the duty of parents to give their children as many educational advantages as possible. All parents want their children to succeed in the world, to hold good positions, to converse well, and tc talk and understand current events, and all this can be done only through a good educational background. Thus, fellow citizens, let us continue to give the young people of our town every educational advantage possible, for it is the chief means that they have of reaching safety, hcnor, and happiness. Let us strive to do this even if it means a sacrifice. Let us remember that one hundred years ago this July. Horace Mann gave up a promising law careen to become secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. This decision was a turning point, not only in Mann’s life, but in the history of American education. In closing, let us recall the words from a great commencement address delivered by Horace Mann at Antioch College, in 1859. “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” Flora Therrien, ' 37 VALEDICTORY THE VALUE OF TIIE EDUCATED MAN TO THE WORLD An educated man can live effectively, usefully, and comfortably with his fellow men, because he can understand his countrymen better and in understanding them he can cooperate more easily with them. In like manner, education tends to make nations more tolerant and peace-loving, for peace can only flourish in nations where intelligent analysis is em¬ ployed in the settlement of disputes and other problems which arise. Public opinion, however, is the deciding factor in many disputes between nations and the amount of knowledge and enlightenment indi¬ viduals have often gages their opinions on internation affairs. A man who studies and understands the customs, laws, and living conditions of other countries besides his own is more capable of giving an intelligent and fair-minded point of view on decisions in controversies which have to be judged by public opinion. The educated man not only presents his point of view, but he exerts influence enough to attract other people to his way of thinking. Thus modern education should prepare a man not only for effective, cooperative living with his fellow citizens, but it should include the study cf history, the interests, customs, and problems of other nations. To be sure, it is the duty of every citizen to understand thoroughly the laws of his own country and to try to enforce them. The educated man should have a similar understanding of the laws of other countries, for it is only through international understanding that we shall build an era of peace among nations.