Friederich Froebel

The weather was just right for tennis. The air was cool with a hint of chill, but the sun was bright and a gentle fragrant breeze intermittently moved across the lawn court. The couple that had been invited by Dr. Karoll and his wife, Louise, were John and Amy Farland. The evening was planned in part to prepare me for eventual exposure to society, since it was hoped that I would some day become a normal member of the community. I would not guess the Farlands' ages for I knew that life spans had been increased. Something about this couple told me they were quite old...in my terms. Physically they appeared to be vigorous and athletic middle age, perhaps between forty-five and fifty.

We played a few sets of doubles. Alice and myself were paired together. My game had improved. Dr. Karoll had encouraged me to work out on a practice backboard to improve my physical condition and stamina. Alice played beautifully, but the two of us were no match for these old people. They had stamina and their control was delightful to see. Dr. Karoll's wife, Louise, was especially adroit at placing her shots and this made the game fascinating for me, in spite of the uneven scores.

While Alice and myself were watching a set being played between her parents and their guests, I commented that it would be quite interesting to me to know how competitive sports were carried on in a society that was so different than that I had known.

"Oh," said Alice, "you will appreciate the change. Sports are much more a part of the activities of individuals and families than you can imagine. We have not been participating as we usually would because of your presence. Normally we spend a full day of every week at our community center. We have seasonal sports activities and year around sports. All of us take part in tournament games and matches which are going on constantly. Teams for every level of skill and matches that offer competitive sports to every member of our society are an essential part of our way of life."

"Well," I said, "will wonders never cease. You seem to have decided that heaven was supposed to be here on earth and have set out to make it that way. A dream like this is just too much! I remember how I enjoyed team sports and how empty a place there was left in my life after I got out of high school. I couldn't continue any team sports on a satisfying basis. Participating regularly in active sports was impractical unless you became a professional ball player, but then it would have ceased to be pleasure. Professional baseball players were bought and sold like a commodity. Even if a person could enjoy that kind of ball paying, the field was limited. Only a small percentage of people who had excelled in a high school sport could possibly be accommodated. Then it would be emotionally unsatisfactory. A full time occupation with professional athletics would hardly allow the development of normal family life or other aspects of a man's nature."

Alice was sympathetic toward me. She seemed to understand how frustrating such a situation would be to an athletic person and knew that my feelings stemmed from personal experience. "Your times were like the darkness before the dawn, David. Yet, many things about the days that you lived in were a great improvement over earlier times. No other country on earth equalled America for giving youth an opportunity to become educated. Anyone with a suitable attitude could obtain a background in the world's finest literature, a knowledge of the religious thinking and philosophy of the great minds of all times, education for his livelihood, and the knowledge of how to properly care for his own body and mind. From the standpoint of having the opportunity available, no one was limited in America. Courage, perseverance, hope and love for mankind were rewarded amply. A superior person could rise to the surface from any condition of birth. I imagine that you'll protest that this wasn't so, because many persons were born into conditions that seemed to prohibit them from such opportunities for self development. As we look back, it appears that it was there for anyone in America. Many examples exist to prove that, without regard to race, creed or color, a man could rise from abject poverty to world renown. Still we couldn't say that the situation was ideal or allow conditions like those of your time to exist today."

It made me impatient to hear Alice justify the inequality of opportunity from birth that prevailed in America. I thought to myself that she could not visualize what it was like to be born in the slums of a major city, especially if one was a member of a minority group. Surely, she couldn't mean that slum children had a fair chance to become leading citizens. I was about to burst out with a protest but stopped myself. In previous conversations I had made a fool of myself every time I assumed one of Dr. Karoll's family or friends was expressing a shallow or heartless point of view. Now I was more cautious, especially since it was Alice to whom I was speaking.

"Alice, I believe that the chances for the son of an upper class family to become a successful citizen in our society over those of an illegitimate child from the slums must have been ten thousand to one. People who talked about equality of opportunity were unwilling to examine the statistics on such questions. Occasionally a professional ball player, or a fortunately born black man could distinguish himself, but it would've been a mistake to say this proved there was equal opportunity for all." Although I had picked my words carefully, my voice betrayed that my feelings were high.

"You, perhaps, missed the key thought, David."

"What do you mean?" I asked a little shortly.

"Why, I said that a person could rise above any environment that they were born into in America, if they had a suitable attitude." Alice emphasized the last two words.

I was silent for a time. I thought back to my childhood and the financial difficulties that resulted from my father's alcohol problems, the shabby clothing I had worn and the ill fitting shoes, the neglected teeth, the humiliation of being given cast-off garments. What had made the difference for me? Why didn't I lose heart and join the crowd? There was no doubt about it, it was the attitude toward my circumstances that made the difference. The opportunity to get an education was plainly something to be prized. The reward for effort to acquire knowledge was unlimited...no door would be closed to me...no position too high for me to aspire to. I grew up in a home that created this attitude. My mother, the daughter of European immigrants, passed on to me her own feelings of deep gratitude for the privilege of going to school that they had instilled in her. Alice's words were true in the light of my personal experience.

"All right, Alice," I was feeling stubborn. "You can say that a suitable attitude was all that was required, but surely you will agree that the forming of a suitable attitude depends in a large measure upon the early development of the child."

"You could put it in more emphatic terms, David. You could say the child's attitude was a direct result of its early environment. The child's attitude is a composite of the thoughts, the words and the actions of the people around it from the time of its conception until it reaches the age of twelve."

"Then you agree that the minds of many people born in the slums were molded into an attitude which condemned them to a life of bitterness, frustration and confusion. A thinking person would not regard them as having an equal opportunity simply because, theoretically, they could rise out of their material want and ignorance." I was still feeling righteously indignant.

"Isn't that just common sense, David?" Alice said gently.

I was silent again. I had controlled my inclination to speak sharply in response to statements Alice had made which seemed to deny the injustice in our society. I had, nevertheless, thought to myself that she did not understand very well. Now I felt foolish. While my words had not been sharp, I knew that my self-righteous attitude had revealed itself in my voice.

Alice was not offended. She always seemed to look beyond my words to see the good intentions. The way that everyone assumed me to have good intentions and took no offense toward me for my `holier than thou' attitude raised new questions in my mind about myself. How often, I wondered, had I misunderstood the good intentions and wisdom of my own contemporaries, if I was so often inclined to misjudge and downgrade these remarkable people?

"Do you see now," Alice said, "that our concern for children today will be much, much greater than it was in your day? Think back to what history taught you about the beginnings of the industrial revolution. Ask yourself what social condition was the most deplorable as a result of the manufacture of goods in factories around the year 1880."

As I thought about her question, I was shocked by the implications that came to my mind. During the early days of the industrial revolution the children were cruelly exploited for labor. No sooner than the child of a poor family could be compelled to do the simplest tasks by brutal treatment, it was pressed into service. Pitiful half starved children of seven or eight worked for twelve hours a day in the stench filled atmosphere of poorly ventilated factories. They knew nothing of hope for the future. Men, women and small children worked side by side. They all used the same filthy sanitation facilities. Brutal mistreatment of women and children was common. The depraved men, the product of such an environment, brutalized them in unlighted areas or behind packing cases in the factories. The conditions of the slums they lived in were incredible. The worst of the Negro slum areas in my time would have seemed a peaceful haven by comparison. Progress of the race seems related to the manner that a society trains up its children. I was beginning to re-examine the comparatively enlightened times of my youth. Compulsory free education had not solved our problems. I could imagine that there were many children in my day in circumstances appearing more inhuman to citizens of the year 2103 than the child labor conditions of the 1880's had appeared to us.

"Does this mean that it is a social responsibility now to mold the very attitude of the small child?" I asked in astonishment at the idea.

"Not only to mold the attitude of the child, but to determine that it has a suitable genetic heritage as well," said Alice.

"Incredible!"

"Just a natural evolutionary development. We are putting into practice the ideals upon which America was founded," said Alice matter of factly.

"But wouldn't this press everyone into the same mold? Wouldn't this be far worse than mistreating the body of a child...to mold its mind. How can this be?" The idea stunned me. This sounded like the worst of Communism and Fascism combined!

Alice couldn't help smiling at my consternation. "David, David," she said, "can you imagine how the nineteenth century farmers reacted to the idea that they must send their children to free public school? How do you think they felt about having their own children taken out from under their authority and taught things their parents didn't know?"

"But that was different," I said.

"Only in degree."

"But such a thing could be abused to create a society of mental slaves."

"That was a failing of your times. The youth were subjected to a barrage of false information and mental conformity was demanded. Your form of government had become so distorted that for anyone to call it a Republic or a Democracy was a sign of either abysmal ignorance or childish hypocrisy, yet such thoughts were drilled into the minds of children by your educational system. These children grew up and became the editors of your newspapers, your political leaders, your doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and the professors of your universities."

"Ouch!"

"Well!" Alice waited for me to pursue my objections further. I knew it was true that the power to mold the minds of children had been disastrously abused in my time. Our educational system had become a self-perpetrating evil. It was responsible for the inability of the people to govern themselves. The youth were indoctrinated to accept a corrupt political machine as a Democratic government. I knew that the original intention for public education was that it might free the illiterate and superstitious masses from bondage. No one dreamed that it was destined to mold them into docile acceptance of atrocious abuse of political powers by their "elected" leaders.

I fell silent and looked away to observe the tennis match. Dr. Karoll returned a smashing serve by John Farland. The two couples volleyed the ball with the kind of skill that I might have expected from seasoned professionals. It was set point in favor of John and Amy Farland. Alice and I both watched with keen interest as Louise Karoll scored the next two points to give advantage point to the Karolls. John Farland's next three serves were brilliant. By an ace on Dr. Karoll, Mr. Farland made the set point to give them an eight-six victory. It was easy to see that all the players enjoyed the game thoroughly. I saw no sign that personal feelings about who won affected the pleasure it had been for anyone.