Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-07-05

grduCH Ol t1G dll 81 no CuuCdt Gu DeISOuS
exert an elevating aud ennobling influence
on those with whom they come in contact.
Trained skill makes the difference be.
tween the raw recruits and the accom-
plished soldier. Take two boys or girls
of equal native capacity. Give the one
every advantage Of good books, good
teachers and good home, and give the
other none Of these, and shall the titled
ground not bring forth it's crops Of grain,
while the weeds and the other snail have
nothing to show but a. barren waste?
Short-sighted and ignorant parents
sometimes murmur at the requirements
of the classroom. "Why," they exclaim,
"must my child learn these long lessons?
Why study this LANGUAGE which he will
never speak, or that literature which will
not assist him in business or on the farm?"
Why must we pay our hard-earned dol
lars to teach our sons and daughters
things which they will never put to anv
practical use? Why, simply because the
only practical wise thing a man can do
for his children in these days, is to sharp
Ell their minds, stimulate their ideas and
cultivate their talents, that they shall he
able to compete on fair and equal terms
with others in the great world markets
Let us take hasty glance over the
history OF nations and note the progress
ana consequent effects of education Tn
the early ages we find very little educa-
tlon, Il telng confined exclusively to the
rlch, Consequently civilization was very
INFERIOR. POPULAR education was unknown
ana Inc mass of men lived in slavery,
/ weighed down by caste and tyranny
Inc farmer was usually a slave. The
various trades and arts, that now build
| cues anu found nations, were condemned.
but 81! education gradually difflsed and civ
| illzatloh reached higher standard.
we Travel along slowly until we come
J 10 the Invention Of gunpowder, that has
proved Such benefit in war, especially
III Europe to suppress the Feudel system.
cong on we soon arrive at that period in
Whlch we note the greatest and most i'm
poftant invention to the civilized world
the art of printing Let us pause for
a, moment and ask what is the cause Of
THESE inventions? The only answer we
can find is the growth Of civilization.
And what has caused civilization to reach
such a high standpoint? We cannot
fail to perceive the real source, not only
OF this, but of all the good and pleasure
which we enjoy in this world-education
Need | mention the effects of education
as regards printing? No,-fOr who is
there that has not noted and rejoiced |
over its effects? But to return to our old |
path, and climb the hill of progress re-
coroed in history, we find the river of
knowledge widening rapidly 1t brought
fierce wars-the English revolutions, the |
American and the French, but are we
not the better for them? For three
centuries the onward course of free edu-
cation has been firm if slow. There can
be no doubt, that, to the working class
the free school has been the source of |
endless progress. It is knowledge that |
has made labor honorable A century of
advance has made the laboring man the |
ruler. instead Of the slave.
1t is n school we should be instiIIed |
with an ardent desire for a good education |
Some of us are to leave our dear old school |
to-day, never to enter its portals again as |
pupils. But let us remember that al |
though we are no longer pupils in school
we should not by any means, consider
our education as completed Each day |
should add, if only little, to our store
CT knowledge, and remember the truth, /
that as each grain helps to Gil the bushel |
so should every moment increase our
knowledge. And, here allow me, in the
name of the class to thank you ladies |
and gentlemen for the kind interest you
have ever manifested in our schools, and |
also the securing and maintaining such |
excellent advantages for obtaining such
parts of our educations as can be obtained |
in the classroom.
And to you gentlemen of the Board of
Education, we owe much, for the untir-
ing energy with which you have labor
ed for the welfare and progress of the
schools under your supervision, and our
most sincere wish is that they may con-
tinue TO prosper in the future as in the
past. We are fully aware that your DO
site as, though of no pecuniary advantage
to you, are full Of grave responsibilities,
but should it be any qualification to feel |
that you have the heartfelt thanks of hun
dreds of children who have been educated |
in our schools, we can safely say that they
are yours.
To you, esteemed teachers, who have
labored long and zealously in our behalf |
we feel deeply grateful. We know that
we have often stumbled on the way and |
might have fallen but for your timely aid.
We can see plainly now, and still more
plainly in the future, that your repri-
mands were not, as we sometimes imagin-
ed-too severe for tie offense but to aid
US, not only then, butin after years, when
we have no guide to direct our steps
Alright Though we have often declared |
ourselves to be most unhappy lowing to /
our imagined grievances we all unite in
heartfelt gratitude to you who have new
er for moment hesitated as to what course
to pursue but most earnestly worked for |
our interest. With able discretion you
have always studied our wants, directing |
our thoughts to this future when we are
to bid adieu to school. Words fail to suf- |
fciently express our gratitude, but may
not your knowledge of our past sentiments |
impress your mind with the present wish |