, 1881-07-09

people governing themselves is fact that
has no parallel In the history of the world
Applsuset And within twenty years
America viii force Europe to d:sbard her
rrrnies by the mere force of
--- HER MORAL INFLUENCE. -=z-.-
Il never entered into the calculation of the
sisest philosopher that fifty millions Of peo-
pie could r, gard law and order without the
use of single bayonet. [Applanse.l How
toes. ituccns to pass, slsqnently asked Mr..
Burke. that the the United States has been
able to gain such signal success in the de-
partment of good government? He was
satisfied that there was no nation so pure IN
its government as the United States OF
lApplause.l What is It that has
gwen us that ascendency! 1t is chiefly ow-
ng to the public school. [App.ause.l II is
due to the free schools of this nation. More
than two hundred and fifty years ago john
Nassau, of Holland, urged the opening oi
the free school, He said that the free school
system would be better than all the armies
of the world. lApplause.l And it was
more than a hundred years ago that in
and Connecticut laws for
COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE
At schools were passed IApplause.I America
was the first to take that step. While
would no, to-day introduce any worci of dis
,ussion; cannot as good citizen fori'eal
one word Of warning You mast exert
yourselves TO the utmost at all times and
with keen vigilance to protect the free
public school system of your couutry-
not in part but III its entirety. Beware,
say to you, of the speeious pleadings in Ger.
tain quarters against higher instruction 10
our public schools. Resist every effort with
every power God has given You to impair
that system. On the Other hand with
material advancement there comes wealth.
and wealth has tendency to foster an
breed caste. With what moral force can Va
oppose this tendency, answer; the public
school, where the rich and the poor cone tC
gether. There is nothing in the world SC
in that direction than the influence
of association between the children OF the
rich and poor. Do not limit the realm oi
Of that school. If you undertake to limit
the education in the public school You wall
soon have schools for the poor only and IN a
very short time they will be REGARDED as
charity schools only. No one vii! send their
childrsn there if they can afford to send
them elsewhere. Be on your guard. In
steld of confining instruction IN the public
schools, said Mr.. Burke, would be for en-
larging it. [AppIause.l would say that
in every city Of ten thousand iHhabi
tants there should be connected with the
public school system department of manua
labor. (Applause.l You are spending daily
In otherwise more money than would sus
tain such departments Many boy aftel
he leaves school goes about in idleness, h
gets into bad company and after awhile h'
violates some law and Is sent to jail, b
ONES out and soon returns to the Jail. Hi
next step is to the penitentiary, and IN tn
you teach him trade, precise
ly what you should have done before
[ [Applausel You lock the barn door afte
the horse Is stolen. Had the trade beel
.aught to the boy in the school the maj
would have never been sent to the prison
1t is No answer to me to say that if the boz
is Of the right metal, he will find means o
learning trade and learning to work with
out any aid from schools. The same thin,
is true of book education. A boy may learl
TO read, to write and to cast up figures with
ont the aid Of a school, hut we know tina
and instruction of the school. say theI
to yOu it is your duty to do your uttermos
10 enlarge rather than abridge the scope an'
consequent usefulness Of our public schools
SECRETARY BLAINE's serenity of tempe
can not be disturbed by demands for SOM
sort of vaguely defined interference witt
the plans of DeLesseps for Psnami
canal. He doesn't understand why tn
United States should set its face agains
fo.eign capitals construction Of a usefu
work on the isthmus any more than i
should discourage the use of foreign caPi
tai In the construction of an American
railway.
ATTENTION Ia directed to the article II
IL -