Des Arc weekly citizen., 1867-04-06
A WORD THROWN IN.

Everybody has gone mad-no, that's too broad an assertion; but it does seem as though the action of those in author ity had so wrought upon the feelings of our people as to cause an entire neg lect of those things that can be accom- plished for idle speculation upon those things over which we have no control ling power. What though the recon struction bill and others of like chsrac- ter, have become law, such things may be, and the country live, aye, and pros per. These things have passed into history, they arc written in the book of national destiny, they are matters in which we have had no voice. But there is matter in which we arc all inter- ested, in which we all can speak and act, cause in which every citizen should engage with more than q sol dier's zeal, VIC mean tho cause of cdu- cation. We have written upon politics too exclusively, and not enough has been said about schools, nor will enough be said until we have in Des Arc such school houses as will dignify, and not be dignified, by the namc.-- We write it with shame, and would have every reader of this article blush with ns, as they read, there is no school in Dcs Arc-no school house! Des Arc city, with unboundcd ambitoin, whose natural boundaries arc unlimit- ed, has no school house. Her people have forgotten that social improvement and prosperity, makes individual secu- rity; have forgotten to provide for themselves, in their zeal for the rights of others. We repeat, there is no school house in Dcs Arc. The fault is our own. We need school house, n seat of learning-call it what you will, we need it, and must have it, or take off our city clothes and retire to insig- niicance, as country village. Because we have made puny effort to build a school house, and failed, shall we say this forced us to the abandonment of so noble an enterprise? Surely not We ought not to say it can't be done this is the language of indecission, in- dolcnce or indifference. "To be undc- tcrmined, where the case is plain, the object worthy, the necessity urgent. to be always intending to accomplish something, but never having fixcdncss of purpose sufficient to find an oppor- tunity to set about it, is sure indica- ton of mental imbccility." What is it that can't be done? If it has ever been accomplished, it can be again. Others have built school houses, why may we not do it? We have tried, and can't. This language is but plea for indo- fence. We can do it--we must do it. The interest and prosperity of Des Arc is at stake; her position demands it 1; we, as citizens, owe it to ourselves and children it is not only our interest, but high moral duty resting upon us, and we cannot shake it off; tho little failure we have made should increase our determination. Who does not re- member the incident of Robert Bruce and the spider? While sccrcted in a cave, to escape those who pantcd for his blood, his eyes fell upon spider striving to attain certain object; it failed tried again, and failed; failed repeatedly still it pcrsevcrcd attempt ed again, and succeeded. Surely said Scotland's King, Eff this creature can succeed after so many failures, l can after onc." He determined, he tried, he succeeded. This story cannot be told too often; its moral is good :; let us heed it; let us build a school house strive to overcome all obstacles in our way, and strive with strong determination to succeed, and we will do it.
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