Editorials
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Personality
by Elaine Foster An old hen with about twentyfour chickens is not unusual but a woman with seventy-five children is an entirely different matter. She takes them all under her From a student on the campus of Peru State Te11chers wing, comforts them when they're blu:e, guides them when they College to the inst!uctors on the campus of the same. stray, and "fluffs their feathers" What has been done to bring these long, difficult as- when they succeed. These are her signments down on us to increase our cries of woe--legiti- duties. I am speaking of the house mate or otherwise~ mother at Peru State Teachers Are the instructors so enthusiastic over their courses College, Mrs. C. H. Marsh. She ·that they cannot appreciate the time required for students is a mother to every girl who to meet the assignments? enters the dormitory at PSTC. She derive& much pleasure as Two hour courses call for four hours of preparation as worry and anxiety from' each week. Instructors and students know this, but if well her job. Her association with girls instructors in two-hour courses give assignments admitted- keeps her youthful, vigorous, and ly for four-hour courses, how can studnts, who carry full active. Her learning increases, esloads, do double work in practically all classes-with no pecially in the line of human experience. Amusing incidents take extra credit? place, which add spice and variety Or is it possible that the students on the campus have to her life. shown unusual a:bility reflected by intelligence tests or She is abo very busy. She must other measuring devices used to estimate the learning continuously 0bserve the girls. H things are not going the way they capacity of the student? should, she must straighten them The reason for this change on the campus must be well- out. She must also take care of founded or perhaps the situation is completely unnoticed the rooming situation. From a by faculty members. In either case, a modification is bare outline of facts, a few likes and dislikes of some girl, she necessary, for even though there aren't so many students must choose another girl who will on the campus as in former years to keep the social side of be able to agree with the first the school advancing; the demands of the individual for a one. In other words, she has to well-integrated personality is certain to be neglected when decide which girl is going to room and with whom. he is forced to stay at his desk and to forego any form of where Anyone w110 !1as been around recreation. girls at all, will know this is a Perhaps a s:µaall change in the teaching objectives of task which few are capable of · the faculty will result in the improvement of this situation. doing. are many requirements Whatever the change may be, it is certain that the faculty forThere a woman in her position. She will "shoot square" with us in the future as they have must be able to meet people graciously and be able to pick out done in the past. many of their characteristics on first sight. Most important of all, she must like girls and like to associate and work with them. She must be a model for them, an ideal at all times. She must be stern but open-minded about young She must make the girls "Nothing ever happens around here. There's noth- people. abide by all rules, with no favoring going on. It's the deadest place I've ever seen." This itism shown (a task in itself). Another of her important tasks is a typical gripe that can be heard around the campus is guidance. Girls who come here more often than is pleasant. the first time are usually just Queer thing, though,-the people who do the most for out of high school and not yet griping are the very ones who do not cooperate in the ef- eighteen years old. She must take the place of their moth~rs. She forts to make more social life on the campus. some responsibility if, a good The S. C. A. party the other night in the music hall is has suddenly becomes a poor a good example of the problem. There was a very small student one. She tries to find the reason': representation of the student body there. The party was She must see that any girl that fun, everyone agreed. And many who were not there com- stays here at PSTC is not a detrimented, "Gee, I wish I'd gone; I didn't suppoRe that ment to the teaching profession. These are some of the facts would be much fun.'' about Mrs. Marsh's job. How There are alwais some people who are never satisfied would you like to be "the Mother with anything they have. They give the school a bad of seventy-five"?
An open letter
Inspirations
Where can one draw the line?
It's up to you
name by their unhappy attitude. "Don't come to Peru." they tell prospective students, ''there's nothing to do there.'' How does this person know whether there ''S anything happening or not~ He's never around when any excitement is going on. He's in the dorm wishing there were something else to do. Or else he's home for the weekend telling the home-town folks what a boring school the folks are sending him to. · Of course, p,eru doesn't support a $50,000 student union with room for dancing, bowling, ping-pong, and eating. The girls' dorm has a recreation room with pingpong tables and space for dancing. A piano is available there to furnish music for dancing when a music box can't be found. But how much is it used 1 Very little, indeed. The kitchen in the basement of Eliza Morgan is aching for someone to have a taffy-pull. But how many of the girls have "had time" for that this year 1 There is a bowling alley in the boys' dorm which probably could be used for the asking. But who has asked 1 Who has griped about no bowling alley? Organizations on the campus are usually sponsoring parties of one '.kind or another, oftentimes poorly attended. If more people would attend, there would be more pep, more fun. · ' It all adds up to one thing: to hav,e fun one must be fun. If there isn't any fun, make some. Peru is a peppy school, and the ones who are working the hardest for the school are the ones who are trying to keep school spirits high; they are the ones who are happy. They are the ones who like Peru. They are the typical students. What Peru needs is not a lot of elaborate parties-not a dance band from Omaha every Saturday night. It needs more of those ''typical students.''
'.l:hese editorials were written by members of the journalism class.
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Author commends Miss Palmer Miss Nona Palmer is given credit for the method proposed in the article, "If You Believe in Typing Warm-ups," which was published in the October issue of Business Educational World. T. K. Wilson, associate professor of business at Western State College, Gunnison, Colo., who wrote th~ article, commends Miss Palmer as being one of the midwest's truly progressive commercial teachers. He states in the author's note that he is indebted to her for much of the material as well as the method presented in the article. The article explains the purpose and procedure of a few minutes of "warm-up work" at the beginning of a typing period. It's purpose is to loosen up the finger muscles and establish control of them. It also helps to recall the highest speed and rhythm in the shortest possible time. As to procedure, drills in words and sentences are suggested that give practice in reaches required for all letters of the alphabet. Punctuation marks, symbols, and words that give trouble are in· serted in these exercises. To give the student practice in correct punctuation, it is suggested that sentences be used in which the end punctuation is omitted and which the student is expected to finish correctly. Commerce students who have had typing under Miss Palmer's instruction will recognize the plan ou<tlined as one which she use11 effectively in her classes.
How oddly my little boy's grin resembles mine. I taught him to say, "Pass the bread, please," and "Thank. You;" Often he mimics me behind my backi taught him all these things without thinking. Now a strange thought has entered my head! In time of war I kill mv fellow man; Yet if I spill your red blood here, · I am condemmed to the executioner's block And my little boy to evelasting shame. vvliere can one draw the line f Robert Williams.
After the rain Earth begins it's life anew, Beams of light rush bravely through; Blue birds trill a: melody, Robins join in ectasy; De'>vy flowers nod and sigh, Willows whisper in reply; Rainbow in the eastern sky Bids the rain a fond good-by. Esther Steiner.
And I turned in The moon was juRt swinging up over the trees. The sun was barely hidden behind the range of mountains which spread over the distant background. A few sparrow..., lingered around the campsite to procure some last rice kernals -remnants of a Japanese scouting party's deserted food supply. We were occupying a hastily exacuatecl Jap bivouac. The birds twittered noisly as they occasionally struggled for the same morsel. The sky was becoming pale as the minutes rapidly paRsed. Only eight hundred yards from our camp, large artil- · lery pieces were telling us of stubborn resistance in the enemy's lines and of vicious fighting at the front. But around us everything was comparatively dull and uneventful. The moderate silence was broken often by spurts of lead from our front line machine guns, emphasizing the large guns' blasts every few minutes. "Run for cover!" suddeulv shouted one sentrv while·, another echoed a warning of th~ approach of enemy.patrolling fighter planes which would be over our heads with a strafing attack in a matter of seconds. We tucked ourselves into holes which ·we had used every evening about this time for the same reason-to protect ourselves from . the enemy's fire. · "Here they come. Let 'em have it! Pour it on good!" we heaTd the gunners operating the anti-aircraft weapons shout. The fireworks began! A 37-mm anti-aircraft gun as it fires it's rounds into the air makes plenty of noise, but we were operating more then fifteen of them in the area near our camp besid<~t> a lot of 50 and 30 caliber machine g1rns. J ap machine gunfire also broke the air as the bullets were ejected from the flaming barrels. Occasionally a Jap was heard screaming as his flaming ·coffin went hurtling to the ground.Only a few of them had to be shot down before the rest of the '' vellow bellies'' went scurrying back ''crying uncle.'' • It was dark by that time and I turned in. Alvin Pierce.
Published semimonthly, September to May, inclusive, except during registration, examination and vacation periods, by the students o! the Peru State Teachers College, Peru, Nebraska. ·
Peru, Peda:gogian, Tuesday, November 6, 1945 Entered at the Postoffice at Peru, Nebraska, as Second Clas Matter. $1.00 per year. Single copy 5c. '
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