Paper Airplanes
In the Dark Ages, students at the precious few universities that existed in feudal Europe were offered seven subjects, divided into two groups: the trivium, which consisted of grammar, logic and rhetoric; and the quadrivium--arithmetic, astronomy, geometry and music.
How ill-prepared students so instructed would be if they lived today and had to compete with students at UC Irvine and their superior modern education (Feb. 22)!
Evidently something can be learned by making a paper airplane that can soar for 10.59 seconds. But can’t it be learned before college? Is an expensive American liberal arts education to be credited for getting that extra 0.59 seconds of “flight?”
Oh well. I’m sure today’s students are glad they’re not living in the Dark Ages. Who could handle 4 years of both logic and rhetoric without making at least one paper airplane?
WAYNE R. VALIN
Santa Ana
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