PALMER, ALASKA DOROTHY M. BELL, Editor /
- Published every' Friday at Palmer, ■‘Alaska, for the Matanuska.galley
Farmers' 'Cooperating Association for the pprpos.e \ of' ^ivln^ news of the
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■ ■' ' ARE WE MENTALLY ALIVE1 AS LONG
AS WE LIVE? •
There tre many articles written in our magazines today dealing, with
edU'C' ticn, n't rnly of our ymath but adult education as well, /re we
keep'i ur intellectually whether in or out. of school?
One writer has pointed .out that we are. as young ‘as our habits f
leanr.i*n_, Learning is not a'\pr«por&tJton, but an experience i * ob shou^
extend threu^hrut our lives,'.If we feel that we have, c mplet ' r
learnint when we complete ur school educetio'n we .blunder in t ■ j wayn
lirst, we assume that once we acqur 1 a knowleg0e, it remains v/'ti us
undiminished. Second, we forget "that the mine1 like the body’d-b vlorates
if not user1. Third, we 'overldok the fact that the .persn who c * inues
to (_row mentally is more interesting and likable to his associ? t s.
The writer maintains that each of these contributes to premature Id
age, • . . . :•
Thinkin_ it over—is she ri^ht or is she wrm^?
You have all met .the person who learned to do something one way when
youn and wouldn’t change on a bet. You probably call him an ”011 Foc.y"
Cn t’ e ther hand we are tod pr'ne to criticise the person wb is .con
tinu lly findinL a new and better way to do things, nOil, we always did
it this way” we say, Terhaps we did, hut we may be'in a rut too. It
seems natural to resent change, but .' change will come and we must adjust
ours Ives t< it. If we don’t learn that .art cf adjustment, we cannot he
happy. — *
S-meone sbId,”lf you rest you rust.” If we refuse to acquire new
knowledge, adjust ourselves to new ways, and grow fcith the times, our
minds become and lazy. You have all met elderly pecplewh contin
ually dv/ell on the past and hew much better life ,was the way it used to
be, Yu have also met the elderly person, sometimes even confined in
a wh 1 chair, whs’ is so alive mentolly that you feel like a now person
after talking to him. What makes him that way? He has never -11; wed
his mind to slow up and stop learnin_, He was never satisfied with
past knowledge. . •
Summin^ it all up will It hurt us to learn somethin^, at tie ’’resent
for which we see no immediate use, cannot always tell t wi ■ t use
a little knowledge may be put. The student who sees no object in his
Geography for instance^ may- at some future time find s me bit f infor
mation cf Infinite vnlrie, Who knows? .
recently tnere nns o*:en much scussion. amon^. erucnters . as t tne .
value.of forcing pupils to learn subjects for which.thbt chil 0 els ho
has n*" need. There are two ways of looking at the problc rr :Fi r*r r. erhaps
the child has no aptitude nlcnc that line — then the object! n .! pro
bably justified, On the other ham3, if the. knowledge may at s ®, time
be of value or help in learning somethin^ in which the child 5s 5nter
ested, then the learning is certainly/ worthwhile. If it nly to a
broader fuller life, the learning is justified. • , . .
Learning is net just' 0 school problem. The home, the. community*, and
many other agencies help in the t field. The. home can do. much to inspire
the y-'uth to want to learn—not only in school, hut to keep on 1* arnin
as lm0 as there is life. ,. •. ~ . *
One of the objects of the National Congress of Parents an’d Te? chers is —
To brin0 into closer.relation the home end the school that parents and
teachers may cooperate intelligently in the training of the child.
Another object: To develop .between-edupators an'3 the general public
such united efforts as will secure for every, child the. highest advanr
tapes in physical, mental, social”, and spiritual education.
The Editor,. .