Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-10-07
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A Patriotic and Interesting
Dissertation on General
Garfield's Relation to
Education.
Garfeld'S Eminent LaborS En-
title Him to the Support
of the People.
His Remarkable Career Illustrated by His
Position in the House of Represen-
tatiYes and Other Assemblies.
General Garfield and Popular Educa-
tiOn.

In our great political parties, ther,
are thousands of public spirited citi
zens, who are most deeply interested
in promoting common education il
this country. The attitude of Genera
Garfield, the republican candidate fo-
the presidency, toward this importan
measure, deserves their most favorable
consideration. He has been conspic
uous and influential in illustrating, by
his remarkable career, all the maiI
educational questions, and in support
ing them by his public efforts In the
house of representative and before
popular assemblies, he has not advo
Gated, with greater brilliancy and more
effectiveness, the leading political
financial, and economic topics of Oul
day. No other prominent official IL
congress or elsewhere has contributed
more to improve the sentiments anC
operations of the people in maintain
ing our public school system. His
labOrs in this direction have failed, thu;
far, to attract as greatly the notice o.
our citizens, as have his eminent ser
vices in the army, and in civil positions
Yet they entitle him, as much as any
other efforts of his life, to the cordia
support of the people-especially um
teachers and other educators, at the
presidential election this fall
Let us examine with candOr the points
under this subject. General Garfield
heartily endorses the principle in the
present platform of the republican
party, set forth as follows: ''The work
of popular education is left to the care
of the several states, but it IS the duty
of the national government to aid that
work to the extent of its constitutional
ability" The platform further states,
eve recommend that the constitution
be so amended as to lay the same pro-
hibition upon the legislature of each
state, and to forbid the appropriation
of public funds to the support of secta-
rian schools" This is recognition
from one of the highest sources, of the
most precious interests of eighteen mil
lions of children and youth, for whom
it is sought to provide the best instruc-
ton in the schools of all the states and
territories. TT is a pledge that this
party, if continued in power, will use
the authority of the general governme ent
to strengthen, in all legitimate ways,
the educational movements of the diff
ferent states, and to prevent the misap-
preparation of the school funds, which
have usually been derived from the
sale of lands donated by the United
States. Th worth of such national aid
can be best measured by considering
its utility in encouraging the support
ers of the public schools, where they
have been longest established, in Sc
curing needed improvements in the
systems underlying these schools. Its
necessity can be understood by noting
the present educational condition of
both the white and negro population of
the southern states, where at least sew
entyfive per cent. OF the children at
tend no schools, and one-half of these
will soon use the ballot. There the
school operations are crippled and in
efficient, the school funds have been
largely misapplied or squandered, and
the intense hostility to public and free
education, which has SO long prevailed
in many sections, has not been allayed.
The republican party and its chosen
leader comprehend that no more i'm
peratlve duty now rests upon the cOun-
try than the maintenance of efficient
school systems throughout the south.
In his letter of acceptance, General
Garfield writes on this subjet as follows:
IN ext IN importance to freedom and
justice is popular education, without
which neither justice nor freedom can
be permanently maintained. Its inter
+O 10
the voluntary action of the people.
Whatever help the nation can Justly
afford, should be generously given to
aid the states in supporting common
schools; but it would be would be I'M
just to our people, and dangerous to
our institutions, to apply any portion
ofthe revenues of the nation or of the
states to the support of sectarian
schools" The forcible meaning of
these earnest words can be judged from
the active and consistent endeavors of
General Garfield in his public life, for
twenty years, to advance general edu-
cation in this country. Their practical
import can be best weighed by placing
them by the side of the recent utter
ance of a prominent citizen of Vir-
ginia, viz; "When millions of citizens
are growing up in the grossest ignor-
ance it is obvious that neither individ-
ual charity nor the resources of i'm
poverished states will be sufficient to
meet the emergency. Nothing short of
the wealth and power of the federal
government will suffice to overcome the
evil"
Before Genersl Garfeld's entrance
upon official life, he was essentially
schoolmaster. His preparation in the
public school, academy, and college
was with the immediate view of engag-
ing in teaching. He gave instruction
in schools of all these grade, and here
acquired his first distinction. He had
rare opportunities to test the worth of
the knowledge gained from our school
books, and the necessity of strict dis
cipline enforced in our schools in fit
ting men to be law-abiding citizens.
He has studied with true philosophical
insight the principles and methods
which form the basis of our system of
education. He has repeatedly shown
himself to be in full sympathy with
the aims and extertiens of that class of
our people who maintain the best
schools, at the cost of great labor and