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

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Graduation Night Program THE WELL-EDUCATED MAN AND THE LIBERAL ARTS Members of the Board of Education, Teachers, Parents and Friends: On behalf ™ my ,°;®S! na „ s } w sh to welcome you to the commencement exercises of the Class of 1959 Tonight we shall try to convey to you our ideas on the question What Is An Educated Man?” Perhaps the individual’s first step toward becoming an educated man is the pursuit of the liberal arts. The greatest strength of the liberal arts lies in their ability to foster communication among people. Certainly today the need for com¬ munication betvveen countries as well as between individuals is greater than ever before, modern transportation has made the world smaller, and contact with people of other nations has become more frequent. How can one conceive of the liberal arts—in which we include languages, the nne arts, history, philosophy, and the pure sciences—as fostering communication? Certainly the idea that languages foster communication is a simple one to grasp It is through languages that we convey ideas as well as feelings. We must not onlv be able to express ourselves in our own language, but we must also be able to speak the languages of other peoples in the world. Just an an individual responds more readily if one knows his language, so may whole countries respond. Languages reflect national as well as individual growth. The course of de¬ velopment within a nation, both pyhsical and spiritual, is evident in epics biograph¬ ies. and histories peculiar to that nation. The study of a nation ' s literature has a broadening effect upon the student who strives for a subtle and total grasp of the thought and emotional expression of a people different from his own. „ S ?; to °’ music and art of a nation convey differences of temperament and thought peculiar to that nation, though on a more abstract level. Studv of both modes of expression offers valuable opportunity for observation of such differences. History of all nations points both backward and forward. If we are to under- stand the present and plan wisely for the future, we must know and understand the past. We must know and accept the differences of groups and their cultures It is evident from these several examples that the liberal arts can be said to foster communication. And one of the marks of the educated man is his ability to be understood and to understand. y Sonia A. Tomaszek CO Page

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THE WELL-EDUCATEl) MAN AND THE SCIENCES In addition to the less technical subjects, a well-educated person needs a solid background in science and mathematics. What technical education does a person need ? The answer to that question will depend upon his particular interests and upon what he plans to pursue as his vo¬ cation If a person plans to be an engineer, he will need a solid background in all the fields of mathematics: Algebra, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus. He will also need physics and chemistry from the sciences. A person planning to be a doctor needs biology and chemistry and a general background in mathematics. A chemist will naturally need chemistry and a strong knowledge of mathematics in order to work out his ' equations and mathematical problems. A physicist will need a working knowledge of mathematics and a solid background in physics. A toolmaker will need a knowledge of trigonometry, geometry, and algebra. He will also need a working knowledge of physics in order to determine the expansion and contraction of metals. One can see therefore, that almost every vocation requires some mathematics and science But even if a person does not require a knowledge of these subjects in his work he ’still should have a practical knowledge of them if he wishes to consider himself well-educated. A liberal education will make him more aware of the cultural and social world around him; a technical education will make him aware of the physical world. A person should realize why the seasons change as they do and what causes weather changes in general. He should know why chemical changes occur and how to benefit by them. He should be aware of the advantage of simple machines, such as the pulley, wedge, inclined plane, and lever, and of how to use them to his best ad¬ vantage He should be able to recognize beneficial and poisonous plants. He should know at least how to replace a fuse without endangering himself and his family. Technical education will also help a person to think more clearly and in a more orderly way. Geometry is extremely helpful in this respect, since one must apply logic in proving a theorem. But our technical education must be assimilated with a liberal outlook. Even though our main educational pursuit may be technical, w ' e must realize that a lib¬ eral education is important, too, if we are to understand the technical principles learned. James E. Poulin