In England most public schools of any pretensions
have their Schools Magazines; and the institution is becoming common in Pakistan
though, here they are found ore in colleges than in schools.
A College magazine serves several useful purposes;
the most important. Perhaps, being that, if it is well edited, it fosters
esprit de corps, or what may be called college patriotism, it can be made to
help the scholars to realize that they are a united body. However different may
be their individual taste and occupations: and it should teach them to be proud
of the schools to which they belong, loyal to list best interest and anxious to
uphold its best traditions.
The school magazine, also. Ma serves as a link
between the present scholars and the “old boys”, and help to keep the later in
touch with their old school. As former pupils read the school news month by
month, they will feel something of old pride in the place where they got tier
education. And their interest in it will be maintained. If their school issues
no magazine, these ‘hold boys”. Scattered about the country and absorbed in
their own occupations, are liable to forget their schools, and lose interest in
tits welfare.
The school magazine encourages that boys to practice
writing, by affording opportunities to building authors to see their compositions
in print; especially if the scholars are encouraged in health rivalry by the
offer of prizes for the best articles that appear in the year. A body that will
take little interest in doing a set exercise in class will put forth his best
efforts when he known that his composition will appear in print and may win the
prize.
The school magazine, also affords and good platform
from which the Head Master may from time to time speak to the whole school on
matters of school life and discipline, and the more serious matters of
character and conduct.
But if it is to serve all those useful purposes
well, a school magazine must he carefully edited. The editor should be one of
the school staff, though he may be helped by sub-editors chosen from among the
scholars. He should raise the standard of the magazine by refusing all badly
written contributions, and any that are silly, in bad taste, or objectionable
on other grounds. Too often such magazines do more harm than good, or at best
are very poor productions. Imply because the editor does not take his work
seriously, and is satisfied with filling the pages somehow with anything he can
get hold of. Better no magazine at all than a worthless and silly production.