(24 Oct 1974) 55-3-7
Writer: Jeb Rosebrook.
Director: Harry Harris.
Music: Alexander Courage.
"When I was growing up
on Walton’s Mountain, the word 'honor' was hardly ever used, but its meaning was
well understood. Honorable behavior was something that was expected in my
family. Therefore, I found it strange when like every other freshman at school I
was told that honor was a tradition, and that the heart of it was to be found in
a system that governed our lives as students, and one that if ignored could end
our days as members of the student body.”
The blackboard in Professor Emory’s class
states that the Friday Test on “Feudalism vs. Principles of Roman Government”
will consist of “1. Emergence of Towns & Cities, 2. Self Governing
Republics”. The teacher asks Walton and Povich to stay after the class. To
maintain his record of never failing a scholarship student, Emory asks John-Boy
(academic scholarship) to help Tom Povich (football scholarship) study for the
test, since Povich is close to failing. John-Boy agrees. Tomorrow being
Founder’s Day they have the entire day to study. After his last class at two
o’clock, John-Boy watches Tom practice football, amazed at all the energy
expelled. Afterwards, John-Boy asks Tom to stay at the house, so they have more
time to study. Living in the dorm, Tom agrees.
Zeb sneaks up on Esther and kisses her on the
neck as she exits the chicken coop with a chicken in her arms. The surprise
causes her to lose “supper” as the chicken flies off. Grandma is upset that he
would do such a think in broad daylight. Grandma tries to catch the bird as the
children watch. Elizabeth wonders why Grandma is talking to a chicken. John-Boy
and Tom drive up. Grandma is too irritated for a proper greeting, but Grandpa
gives Tom a warm welcome. Before supper, Tom shows the boys a few football
plays. Later, they play a football game. In one play, Jim Bob catches a pass
from John; while in a later play, Jim Bob intercepts a pass from John-Boy
intended for Grandpa, and eventually Mary Ellen runs it in for a touchdown. At
that point, they quit, exhausted by all the exercise. Tom tells John-Boy, “I
could eat a cow”, but John-Boy says, “Not ours!” At supper, the conversation
centers on football. Tom says a professional player could get eight hundred
dollars a game. Grandma doesn’t understand why he has a football scholarship,
but doesn’t want to be a professional football player. Tom says he practices
about four hours a day, must maintain a “C” average, is from a small coal town
outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where his papa works in the mines, and they
live in a company house. John comments that a company house is like the ones
over at the soapstone quarry. John-Boy and Tom leave the table to begin
studying. In the bedroom, John-Boy doesn’t have his glasses (being repaired) and
Tom is exhausted. He mentions he also has a part-time job coaling the furnaces
for several fraternities at 5:30 am. They decide to start studying first thing
tomorrow. John-Boy learns that Tom wants to become a lawyer so he can represent
the miners in his hometown, but is worried that he may be one of those miners if
his grades don’t improve. John-Boy leaves the room to find Jason listening at
the bathroom door. Ben is inside rolling a cigarette, but abruptly leaves when
John-Boy wonders what is going on inside.
Jason spies again on Ben while he walks
through the barn, and out the back. Ben finally catches his brother and wonders
what he is doing. Grandpa interrupts the conversation, wondering if either one
is playing hooky from school, in order to go fishing. But, neither one had such
plans, much to the disappointment of Grandpa. After Ben leaves for school, Jason
asks Grandpa if he’s noticed a change in Ben. At the same time John-Boy and Tom
discuss Charlemagne’s rule of Europe and the Barbarians eventual overturn of the
government. The stop for lunch, then talk about the Greek civilization around
the time of 900 b.c. to 500 b.c. Tom is gaining confidence, and
thinks he’ll pass the test. Grandma walks down into the cellar, where Ben is
rolling another cigarette. He puts it away just before Grandma discovers him.
She insists he go outside into the sunshine, but wonders why he is down there.
At ten o’clock, John-Boy and Tom walk into
the classroom for the test. The honor system dictates that the professor leaves
the room during the ninety-minute test, and each student will watch the other
students. In the middle of the test Tom doubts one of his answers and looks at a
neighboring students paper. John-Boy sees him, and Tom sees another student
looking at both of them. Tom signs his test that he received no help on the
test. Outside, Tom tells John-Boy that he must report him to the Honor Committee
because Townsend saw both of them. Reluctantly, John-Boy reports his friend. At
a meeting of the council, the members accuse Tom of a major offense of the honor
system. John-Boy offers to defend his friend at the hearing, saying he was
obligated to report his friend, not wanting to do so. Tom’s plea of guilty will
stand, and the hearing on Monday at two o’clock will determine if Tom will be
permanently expelled. The Council President tells Tom that his parents will be
notified, according to the rules of the honor system. Tom tries to stop having
his parents notified, but it is out of his hands. John-Boy asks Tom if he would
like to stay at the house while they plan his defense. He agrees, saying he will
tell the Waltons what he did.
At the house, Jason finds Ben smoking in the
smokehouse. Jason tells Grandpa, who agrees to deal with the problem. Jason
remembers when his Daddy made him eat a whole cigarette when he was caught with
cigarettes. Grandpa says that smoking is an expensive and nasty habit, like
making a “chimney out the top of your head”. Grandpa grabs two fishing poles and
asks Ben to go with him. While at the fishing-hole, Grandpa lights up a
cigarette much to the surprise of Ben. Grandpa offers Ben one of his cigarettes,
telling him it’s about time he learned to smoke on something other than
cornsilk. Grandpa makes Ben deeply inhale and then blow smoke rings. Grandpa
admits this is the first time that he’s smoke, since his father did what he just
did to Ben. Ben suddenly becomes ill.
They return home to find Tom sitting on the
porch with Reckless. He thinks Ben looks a little sick. Tom tells the family
what happened. Later, John-Boy learns that there are two offenses: major and
minor. And minor offenses are not punishable by being expelled. He wants to
learn what constitutes a minor offense. On Monday morning, John-Boy and Tom
leave for the hearing. Soon, Tom’s father walks up to the house. He introduces
himself to John, and John agrees to take him to the hearing. At the hearing
John-Boy says he will not dispute the contention that Tom is guilty. Rather he
requests that the offense be reduced to minor, under extenuating circumstances.
While driving to Boatwright, Mr. Povich says he will take his son home, not
believing he should be in college. He remembers when Howard Eckard went off to
college, and now he only returns home once a year, acting fancy with his fancy
wife.
John-Boy contends that Tom must practice
football over four hours a day, five days a week, hold down a part-time job, and
if he should get hurt would lose his scholarship. He says that Tom is being
pushed academically and athletically. John-Boy says Tom has a dream to become a
lawyer so he can represent the miners who have no one to speak for them.
John-Boy hopes the council will not ruin an honorable man’s dream because of a
moment’s lack of judgment. Tom recounts the test: he began to doubt an answer,
looked at the neighboring student’s paper, but did not change his answer. The
council president does not believe him, but Mr. Popvich states that his son does
not lie.
The council returns its decision: Tom is
guilty of cheating and lying by a unanimous vote, but, by a majority vote, the
offense is reduced to a minor one. Mr. Povich admits to John that his son should
remain in college. Tom gives his word that no more offenses will occur. He is
given a one-week suspension from classes and campus. John-Boy gives a sign of
relief. At the house the family and the Povichs celebrate. Tom then drives his
father to the bus station so he can return home. That night John-Boy writes in
his journal about his expanding horizons.
"The experience with
Tom Povich was one of many I was to encounter as my horizons widened beyond
Walton’s Mounain. They were to expand my own vision, and increase my
understanding of what I'd already been taught from the time I'd been a child.
And while I was a college man, and my horizons were expanding, it was still a
comfort and a strength to return each night to that house, and to go to sleep to
the sound of those voices whispering goodnight."
Jim Bob: Goodnight,
Elizabeth.
Elizabeth: Goodnight,
Jim Bob, goodnight, Ben. GOODNIGHT, BEN!
Jim Bob: He's in the
bathroom.
Bob: I don't think
so.
Elizabeth: How can you
tell?
Jim Bob: Because he's
got his tobacco sack hidden out in the barn.
Olivia:
John!
John: Go to sleep,
Liv.
Notes:
Ben throws the football with his left hand.
The Povichs are from Bridgetown, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Povich began to work in the mines at age eleven.
Dennis Redfield appeared as Mike Paxton in The First Day (Season 3 episode 2), and The Obstacle (Season 7 episode 14).
Also
appearing:
Thomas “Tom” Povich (Richard Masur); Victor Povich (Jacques Aubuchon); Council President (Dennis Redfield); Dr. Emory (Tom Lacy), Coach (Don Matheson), Faculty Member (Glen Gordon), Townsend (Tim Haldeman), Council Member (Stuart Taylor), Council Member (Barbara Litsky).