The Athenaeum. (Atlanta, GA) 1898-1925, March 01, 1917, Image 9

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THE ATHEN/EUM 3 knows it. Both see it every day, yet both let it go by, saying that “Cheating is almost universal—the college man cheats the academic man cribs, so let it go; they will see their mistake when they get out into real life.” And so it goes until the cup runs over and the worst happens. Now here comes a clash of opinion between student and instructor. A student is found stealing in the examinat ions, and is severely disciplined. Some one will say ‘T knew he was a thief; he has been by my side cheating for four or five years.” The teacher naturally asks, ‘‘If you are an honest student, why allow a man to cheat by your side in every examination for,five years? Will you allow a man to steal honors from you in this way? Will you allow him to bring disgrace upon himself and school bv this sort ot tiling? Why do you not take a stand a- gainst such practices? Whv not report such a fellow to the teach err” Then he decries student leadership and initiative and ^ays that the students are asleep. But the so-called hone t ^t,udent has a reply. lie wants to know “Why do you.,as an instrpctor allow a in in to sit bv me and recite daily from a scrap pf, paper or with his finger in his book? Why did you not cifIJ.thp>man down for cheating in daily recitations instead of v\ aitii)g,lor 0 the examinations? If daily work is more important than exatpipa- tioris certainly he steals more by stealing daily'. Jf.it is \y.rong to cheat at one time is it not wrong to cheat at another? Where in lies the difference between a crime committed on Monday morning in October, and the same crime committed on Wednes day morning in January?” The culprit comes forward with a different point of view. He asks whether it is wrong to cheat at all at any time He has been cheating very boldly every day and nobody .se’erned to object until the dav of examination. But he does remember hear ing someone sav (jokingly) ‘“If you ride, don’t violate the.elevr enth commandment, that is. don’t get caught.” ... ... ^ Now, what is the trouble? We are simply too slow. Jf. we do not want cribbing in the’exaininations we must begin to work to that end no later than the first school day. Senti ment and not rules must work fair play among the students, and senriment against a fixed rule cannot be made in a day. If a stu-