National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1885-01-10

nous woman also to equal influence, II
not equal suffrage. with man. Within
two months n new president of the United
States will take his solemn oath of Office
called TO tho highest sovereignty on earth
by the votes of thousand men.
ONE VOTE MIGHT HAVE MADE HIM
PRESIDENT,
and that voter would have been more
than old Warwick, not king. but presi-
dent maker of the worlds chief republic.
What an answer ia that awful fact to any
man who daros to disparago, refuse, or
discourage the trimming OF overy Amer
lean What shall wo say of any little
class of men-priosts, scholars, scientists,
professors of any degree: what of any
institution, church, school, social order,
oven university, that claims tho infalli.
BILE right of educating the American boy
and girl? Ono would think the least
university competent to this mighty of
fee were Gods own university Of human
life, whore oil souls are perpetual learn
crs; whose scheme Of culture
includes all truth, all good
ness, all beauty; whose professors
are all powers, influences, and
agencies, human and divine; and whose
schooling blends time and eternity. In
deed Gods university of human life has
always been the only school worthy to
train lofty character, and our so-callod
systems of education and institutions of
learning are valuable only as they find
out the divine, natural method OF train
ing tho young, follow humbly along the
path of Gods providential discipline and
send forth their pupil-child, YOUTH or
man-better able to help himself in the
university common to all.
And nowhere in this world has that
university of life afforded so large an
opportunity for human growth as Just
here, in our beloved American land.
Even an hundred years ago there was no
school on this continent big enough to
educate George Washington. Harvard
in the north, William and Mary in the
south, sent forth their graduates, many
eminent and worthy. But when the
good Lord proposed to fashion leader of
new people and the Father OF that
peoples union he made haste to rescue
this youth from the schoolmasters and
train him through the stern and rich ex-
perienco OF life in new world. BY jour
neyings through painless forests and
deadly conflict with savage foes; through
the responsibilities Of manhood cast upon
the shoulders Of youth; by the study of
all varieties of men that peoped
new country; by serving in every post
of duty, from the overseer Of farm to tho
chancellor of college, member of the
legislature. and officer in the church; in
the thousand indescribable ways by which
q gifted youth assimilaJes truth. gamers
power and grows into complete manhood;
in all these ways, crowned by humble
faith in God and duty and the immortal
life, was Washington schcoled for the work
of his closing years. And surely in this
new century Of ours, in these modern
days, when man, in comparison to the
fathers of the revolution, is almost q
supernatural being in his power over
nature, his wonderful nearness to his kind
and his influence for good or evil, no in
fluence less broad varied, and command
ing than the new life of the new repub-
lie can make any rational pretense to be
n university OF American citizenship of
womanhood or manhood, in our highest
sense of those majestic words. So that
youth is now best educated, whether by
home schooling or studies abroad, who is
loft by his teachers the most apt scholar
for the subtle and all peryading influence
of our best American life. And that
place is best where this great influence is
most effectively put forth. There, If
anywhere, is
THETRUE UNIVERSITY OF THE NATIONAL
MIND.
And, by the marvellous providence Of
our history, that place has become the
very city to which Washington gave his
name, where he proposed to locate tho
national university, the capital of tho
new republic. Every large American
city has its special merit, and many of
them are superior in certain lines of
power, culture ana virtue to tho city Of
Washington. But Washington is the
only city which is growing to metropoli-
tan dimensions under the sole influence
of the national idea. This is the one
spot in the union where no man can
safely put on airs OF local SUI
periority; whore state and sectional
pride are of little account; where religious
sects and social cliques, and even the sharp
distinctions Of country and race, all sub
side in the presence Of the majestic ma
tionality, which, like a gracious mother,
assures to its children tho largest free
dom. with only the strong Compulsion Of
tho love that shall make our people one
SO here, if anywhere, must we look for
the realization of what Washington saw
in vision. Here, If l mistake not, is
slowly shaping itself great metropolitan
finest proportions, the varied influences,
agencies, and institutions, and the type
of society which alone may assume the
name of the nations university. So II Is
not the little college of n hundred years
ago projected by Washington, but the city
that bears his name which Is appointed
rs the highest university OF American
| life.
Let us run over, in rapid succession,
| the circle Of these agencies of culture
and institutions now existing in this city
of Washington. And thus taking ac-
count of stock" at the end Of the first
century of the nations life, we may look
forward with hope and assurance to the
century which is to come.
First. Within the past twenty years,
for the first time, has been established in
Washington the complete organization OF
THE AMERICAN PEOPLES COMMON
SCHOOL.
The common school is now drawing the
fire of many sorts of critics, chiefly be-
cause it is now becoming evident that il
is radically different in its ideal of train
ing and its methods of administration
from any European system of popular in
struction. Tho high ecclesiastics call il
Goddess" the narrow scientists and
scholars call 1t superficial" great lords
Of industry call it "shiftless !" exclusive
fashion calls it vulgar" it is too much
for tile machine politicians and all for
the same reason, because no ono OF these
sets of people, however illustrious or
expert, is permitted to have its
exclusive supervision. Unlike the Eng
lish school, tho German school, or any
continental scheme Of popular training,
it does not propose to educate the child
for any preordained position in life. 1t
proposes to train every child for tho COM
mon sphere of sovereign American citi-
zenship, including that discipline of head,
heart, and hand which shall best assure
the country OF good woman and good
man. This done, it holds that every
graduate can be trusted to find his own
place in q land where nothing is denied
TO tho least Of its children. Such a school
can only be supported by tho taxation
Of tho people, bo kept free to
all, supervised by the people, and
made the peoples true university for
/ I'D he