University of South Carolina Libraries
M3e C amct och UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA "While I Live I Crow" PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY THE LITERARY SOCIETIES. TERMS $1.50 A YEAR. Entered At Columbia S. C. postoffice November 20, 1908 as second class mail matter. Columbia, S. C., May 14, 1919 R. C. Thompson, Editor-in-Chief J. R. Bryson, Business Manager L. N. Connor, Asst. Business Manager AN EXPERIMENT. This is the first time since the Gamecock was begun that a high school issue has been tried. We have attempted to combine in this issue accounts of the vari ous high school events and the affairs on the University cam pus. It's purpose is to give to the high school students of the State an idea of what the stu dents at the University are doing and at the same time to increase the friendly rivalry and pride between the schools in the vari ous inter-scholastic contests. It is hoped that this will be the be ginning of a State high school paper published by the different schools with the help of the ex tension department at the Uni versity. Such an asset to edu cation would be of infinite value and the project is worth trying. THE WAR AND EDUCATION. The dean of Princeton Uni versity has just published a small volume of essays on "The War and Education" with the hope that they would help to keep the educa;ional lessons of the war in vivic; remembrance. "If," says he in the preface, "through failure to perceive and remember, we fail to embody the teaching of the war in education, the loss to our nation will be enormous, because we shall lose the one new impulse which can both save and strengthen our entire schooling from beginning to end. That new impulse is the powerful revival of the belief in discipline and duty, as opposed to all sordid or sentimental theories." Of special interest in the vol ume are the pages devoted to the address of the French min ister of public instruction deliv ered a few days before Foch be gan his great counter-offensive in July. It was translated' for the New York Times by Dean West. The address is an elo quent exposition of the French officer's reply when asked what France was fighting for: "Pour humanite et les humanites." A defiance of Latin and Greek as necessary in our scheme of edu cation forms the great part of the minister's address, "Not an ornament or a luxury, but even among those who least realize it, the basis of the formation of modern intellect. Some of his words are worth consideration and are here reproduced. "At all events we must choose our authors and our books in or der to train the citizens of a free democracy; we must at least in culcate in them the principles of reason, of clearness, of energy in action, which form the basis of the ancient* literatures and which will always be the best initiation of children and of men into the harsh necessities of con temporary life." Again, "Let us not commit the error, in this age of science and industry, of separating the hu manities from scientific study. The services they can render each other cannot be overesti mated. Our greatest classic writers have also been scientists. ..... The fact is that the classic culture enfolds and animates all the minifestations of our na tional thought and activity. It is a perpetual lesson in good sense and vigor." "French genius," continues the minister, "puts art in life everywhere. It gives a personal character to the most ordinary needs, to the most mechanical manual labor. There is an wt of mixing mortar as well as of guiding a machine. Each one brings to the task his own man ner and initiations. There is a saying that man must love his trade. It is not brutal discipline and mechanical organization which lead to that, it is individ ual taste and the stamp of per sonality on things. It is in that that we find united in the most obscure corners of workshops and fields the humanism and the manual trade that were consid ered opposite, while actually they lend the most admirable and happy support to each other." "May I recall here the word of a man of the University (Montpellier), a liteutenant in the infantry, who listened one evening in the trenches to the reflections of his men? "I," said one, "fight for my fields of grain." and another, "I for my wife and children," and another, "I for my mountains." And the officer said gravely: "I fight for La Fontaine and Molere: La Fontaine, the immortal heir of IAesop and of Phaedries; Moli ere, the immortal heir of Plantua and Terence, and still further of Aristophaues and Menander." Yes, acquaintances, with art and beauty is an element of bravery in the teachers and pupils 6f the University. They know better than the others why they die, and if they know how to hand the torch which illumines them to the soldiers whom they lead to the assault, it is because they have before their eyes an ideal, the secret of which has been a long time revealed to them through their study of the hu manities. DOES EDUCATION PAY? The action of the University authorities in suspending several men for delingency in their classes has caused considerable comment and discussion on the campus. Two or three of the fellows suspended have shown up well in athletics and will be missed on the field. The Gamecock, at the risk of taking a stand unpopular to the majority of the students, heartily approves of the policy. We believe that if a man shows repeatedly that he does not in tend to do his class room work and puts forward no efforts to pass his courses, he should be cut off from the fellowship of the University. Such things as continual cuts from classes should not be tolerated. When these fellows are allowed to stay in school, they inevitably lower the standard of the institution. Mediocre students begin to won der if they can't "get by" with the same sort of thing; the earn est students decide that they are working altogether too hard. Pretty soon the business of the up-town picture shows and pool rooms begins to "pick up." On one or two occasions people in other parts of the State have been heard to remark 'that a man could stay at Carolina whether he did his work or not; in other words one inferred that a stu dent could study or not study just as he chose. We do not be lieve that the University has been any worse off in this re spect than the other colleges of the State. But the enforcement of the "work or leave college" rule, as well as the full course athletic ruling will largely re lieve this condition and will tend to place Carolina on a still high er plane. The Gamecock has taken the position before through its col umns that more emphasis should be placed on scholarship in our college. This is a step in the right direction. Any such pro gressive course leading to a rais ing of the standard at Carolina will always receive our loyal support. On first thought the action of the authorities seems a bit sud den and drastic. But obviously they had to start the process of weeding somewhere. Before ex pressing an opinion in the mat ter, one should think it over fairly and look at it from a standpoint of what is best for Carolina. HEADS OF PUBLICATIONS CHOSEN LAST WEEK Thompson and Norwood to Be New Editors. At the last regular meeting of the joint assembly of the literary societies it was decided to elect a new Gamecock staff only twice each year, thereby making the terms of the weekly publication correspond with those of The Carolinian. R. C. Thompson, business manager of The Game cock, was elected editor-in-chief for the ensuing term which will extend, according to the new sys tem, to the end of the first col legiate term next session. J. R. Bryson was elected business manager and L. N. Connor as sistant business manager. The managers will hold office dur ing the entire year. J. E. Norwood, business man ager of The Carolinian, was elected editor-in-chief for the first term of next year which begins with the opening of school and runs until the mid-term ex aminations. H. O. Bellinger was elected business manager and I. A. Smoak assistant business manager. BUY W. S. S. The S. I. A. A. track and field meet held in Atlanta on May 3 was won by Sewanee by a score of 42 points against 29 1-2 for Georgia Tech, the nearest op ponent. The University of Geor gia tied with Auburn, the two teams making five points each. At a recent meeting of the Athletic Advisory Board, War ing, Sims, Weston and Skinner were awarded basketball letters. Thompson was given a man ager's letter. We know some peop:le twho like to slur the ability of others, and say it's done to "provoke laughter." BUY W. S. S.. The smiling face of the bright Red sun saw the organization of a new Ribbon Club last T hurs day. More Freshmen will be seen "dancing-" in the future.