Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-09-18

+ IN the pTactlcal ana money making
business Of private life, do not pre-
pare the scholar for the far higher
duties and more momentous con
Germs of patriotism. It's not enough
to teach mathematical studies, for
these have no necessary connection
with the great duty of the citizen 10
serve his country, and take care of
its liberty, committed TO his hands.
1t is not enough TO stock the memo
ry of our children with The words
spoken two thousand years ago; for
such knowledge will Go little in help
ing them to understand and dis
charge their obligations as the ser
wants Of the republic Nor is it
enough to teach them the doctrines
of morality; for it has been said tru-
ly that, "a man may be dutiful son,
loving brother, a kind husband, a
judiciOus father, faithful friend, a
charitable neighbor, industrious in
his calling, a sincere well-wisher to
his species, and still he may omit a
strict performance Of his duties as a
citizen. He may even boast of his
political apathy" Dr. Leiber] 1t is
as strictly a duty to render unto
Cesar the things that are Cesar's,
as it is to render unto God the things
that are God s Indeed, since the
natural state of man is 4 state of so
ciety, requiring laws and municipal
regulations for its protection. the
Creator has stamped the duties of
patriotism in the very constitution OF
our nature, so that had Revelation
been silent upon the subject, these
duties would have been none the less
binding upon us.
Am | told that the knowledge /
am commencing is sufficiently ac-
quired by our boys and young men
from sources constantly accessible
to them, outside of our schools and
academies? | deny it. | am willing
to concede that under the prevailing
order OF things, the political educa-
ton Of the people has made consid-
cradle progress within the past fifty
years. | admit that the tendency of
our system of government Is favor
able to the increase of political
knowledge, and that our march
towards universal suffrage has prov
ed the possession of the ballot to
be one means of fitting men for use
ing it wisely. | grant that we all
learn much Of our duties as citizens
from the pervading spirit of our in
stitutions, and from the out of door
and every day sources Of knowledge
constantly within our reach. Still,
a great want remains 10 be supplied,
namely, the systematic political IN
structlon O.! those who are TO take
the government upon their shoulders.
DO you refer 10 the PonticM pross OF
the country? How much tA2t is
worth knowing is learn Ned. tgSR it bi
those who are eHgI9sssd sH 5seir or
dinary>studies at:.aiSsf, ~ whose
spare hours are given to 5ther read9
ing or asnusemeat: Hoy much relia1
BILE pOiitle&l knoWleS9e would tie
careful stuSS\ofrhe great majority
Of our weekly newspapers yield!
During the earlier yeals of our gov
eminent, the press was remarkable
for the able and powerful political
essays contributed to its columns by
our greatest men. Some Of the
,,,oct ,,ro,.;l.ro +r,ocpro. ,,f ,,,o- =,
craftsmanship have been gathered
from this source. But the licentious-
ness OF the press Of that period has
been handed down TO us without the
feature which redeemed it. The po-
htical newspapers OF the United
States, to q very large extent, fall to
supply the people with the knowl-
edge most OF all needed, and are un-
scrupulous, vituperative and satanic.
Most assuredly they are wanting in
the qualifications of fit, schoolmas-
ter for our youth. Do you refer me
to the stump speech with its un-
known quantity of wisdom? How
much vital instruction in the duties
Of citizenship can be extracted from
the foaming rhetoric and jejune va
porings of a modern stump orator!
= Probably there is not Immature
saws Carlisle, more distracted
phantasm than your commonplace,
eloquent speaker. as he is found on
platforms, in parliaments, on Ken
tucky stumps, at tavern dinners, in
windy, empty, insincere times like
ours. ! would not disparage the
tongue, as a mighty instrument in
civilizing, enlighteDing, and chris
tianizing the world, bat l insist that
It's peculiar product, known as the
stump speech, is not an adequate
teacher OF political knowledge in q
republic.
Once in every four years we have
a grand political revival. The gift
of tongues descends upon our pol
iticians without measure We have
monster meetings of the people foI
months in succession, with music.
banners, and pretty well defined
uproar generally. The worst pas
sions of cur nature are set on fire
and party madness reaches its high
tide. The people become absolutely
possessed of the one idea Of politics
When the strife Is over they sudden
ly cool down, relapse into state OF
comparative slumber, and no msn
can say that the field of his political