It is difficult to compare a sing that occured 30, 40 or 50 years ago with the way things are today. Participants change and so do their desires, abilities, and needs. We are affected by modern technology as well as our choices of entertainment.   The reality is that changes will evolve and you cannot expect things to work they way they once did.

Sure, there may be a group that can get by without any sheets of paper or books, but nowadays it just isn't the same for everyone. There were reasons that SOME people started bringing books and sheets in the first place and now that they are here, you cannot expect things to go back to the way they once were.

It is nice to get nostalgic and remember - and we can certainly learn lessons and try to incorporate those traditions - but it isn't going to happen by wishing it were so, nor is it going to happen by enforcing rules. You need to look at where we are and where we are going.