Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-09-25

! through It's -ldDOl SAY LIZ machinery.
in outlawing decency, humanity, and
the real welfare of the country
Tempting good men to retreat in sor-
row and disgust from all political ac-
ton, whilst bribing the bad 20 take
the helm OF public affairs, and at the
same time demoralizing the young
men Of the country, it bore witness
to a most deplorable and deep-seated
malady in the public life OF the peo-
pie, and ! refer to it as an over
whelming argument for the necessity
of other and better methods of po-
litical instruction than those hereto
fore relied upon as sufficient.
Gentlemen, / beg Of you, as the
teachers Of the coming generation,
to ponder the present state of public
virtue in our country. / ask you TO
look beyond the horizon Of your pc
culiar and more immediate duties, TO
the signs Of our political zodiac, and
to say whether YOU haze not work
to do OF once professional and patri-
otic? The doctrine that the end JUS
titles the means, must be exercised
from our politics before we can hope
to he truly saved as q nation. The
idea that political honesty is not the
best policy, must be pilloried as al
atrocious libel upon our institutions.
The man whose private character is
reeking with loathsome vices, and
whose public life is bankrupt, must
no longer be permitted to climb into
place and power Moral and politi-
cal action, SO long divorced, must be
reunited as one and indivisible; and
rs the prophesy and parent of this
needed reform, the ethics Of politics
must be taught in our schools. Not
many months ago, q prominent pol
itician was heard to remark to z
friend, that "young men must be
trained up to vote as often as ten
times day if necessary. "Ihe 9th
er party does it, said be, "and if
we do it we can carry Indiana by a
majority of ten thousand votes. -
Here lies the real peril of our Re
public. We are forgetting the true
value Of our institutions, and the
true mode Of preserving them. We
are confessing by our actions, speak
ing louder than words, that de-
mocracy is lie, and sporting with
the blessings given us by our faith
ers, and sealed with their blood
w hile with our lips we offer our VOWS
Of devotion to liberty, we are willing
secretly to stab her to the heart
We repeat "voX Dopuii, yoX DeI'
and declare the ballot to be the pal
ladium of our freedom, whilst we
lay unhallowed nands gpon it, con-
vert it into 4 curse, sell it at auction,
import and export voters like cattle,
and thus inaugurate practices that
must, if followed out, lead 70 assas-
sinations, poisonings, general anar-
chY, and the ultimate establishment
OF absolute power on the ruins ofthe
republic
But my limits will not allow me to
pursue this topic further, and j pass
from it to the inquiry, How this
needed political training shall be
given to our children! ! will hot I'M.
delta>e a satisfactory answer TO this
question. / an not bound to answer
it. II have shown that the duties
OF the citizen should he taught Is
an Indispensable part OF the education
OF American youth, there i, there
must lie a discoverable method OF
imparting such knowledge, and you,
as professional teachers, are the per-
sons best fitted to find it out and re
duce it to practice. ! will, however,
volunteer a few suggestions.
In the first place, the political
history of the United States, should
be made q regular branch Of juvenile
study. As an educational process,
pursued with special reference to the
future citizenship Of the scholar, it
would have q peculiar value as com
pared with the study of our history
as popularity understood and gener-
ally prosecuted. Narratives Of bat
ties and siegos, of mere facts and
events in their chronological order,
are of little worth. Nothing is SO
void of lasting good as that history
which consists of a succession OF ac-
tions, through which there runs no
connecting idea, no growth and ex-
pansion. The grand idea OF Amer
lean history, and the amin ating prin-
ciple of the colonies from the begin
ming, was the Sacredness OF Human
Rights. This is the key to our his
tory. To trace out the proyidential
unfolding and development Of this
/ idea, is the special work Of the po-
I litical historian. 1t was embodied
ia the articles Of compact drawn up
and signed By our fathers in 1920,
and taking the name of Congrega-
tionalism in ecclesiastical matters,
and of democracy when applied 10
politics, it vas the germ Of the Re
I publican tree under whose branches
we to-day take shelter 1t was the
/ teaching of the New Testament trans
lated into the politics of the new
world. 1t was a religious convic-
ton that Liberty is the gift OF God.
Taking root in the popular heart, 1t
cropped out at every stage Of our
history, and in every section Of the
land. 1t gave us the habeas corpus,
trial by jury, representative govern
ment written constitutions. the com