The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-08-19
POLITICS AND TEACHING.
\ SMART PfDAa Aae..tE IAihS
GOOD StsSE-
\ Defense at Teachers Who Take an
Interest iii Politics and fndcayor To
Secure Good Officer.
ISpeclal Cor. oTAII Onion

Secure Good Officer.
Especial Cor STATE CHi.uNtCLEl
The CHRONICLE doesn't think a man
ou-ht ~ he ti~frtnchi-ed because he i a
school teacher - ifHso&IE EE. Aug eth
Must here not be some little uarrowuess
and Intolerance toward literary culture
among Is when there Is an occasion for
the sentence above quoted III an editorial
OF state paper. There Was occasion for
II, and the State Is TO be on2yutulatcd on
having a newspaper like the CHRONICLE
that Is doing, among other good things. 50
much tp cultivate 4 spirit uf llbcrallty Of
opinion among our people
y few weeks ago, IN one of our leading
newspapers, a prominent educator and
an exemplary citizen, was very severely
criticized for attending the primary meet
ing IN his township and using his intiu-
cnce there and elsewhere to advance the
interests OF his candidate i'll a political
contest. He was told that ii would have
been much more becoming in him 10 at
tend to his own duties as a teacher. work
for his institution and let politics alone.
'Chlldren should be seen and not heard. >
and 50 should school teachers in political
matters Is the sentiment. This is doubly
true If the said teacher IS not working for
your candidate.
This communication Is not intended as a
reply 10 that criticism. Ii is the principle
that was suggested by the criticism of
which We wish to speak The article was
copied ty other papers In the State and It
Is because 1t expressed too prevalent a
sentiment, even among teachers them
selves, that it ought not to be passed by
with the approval of silence.
Teachers must not talk politics. must
have no political opinions or preferences,
at least must pNDrfSS none
What sentiment for people who tried
TO prove Walter Page traitor when he
asserted that there was narrOwness and
Intolerance in North Carolina, If the
Teachers are to be prohibited from partici-
patton in politics, why not Doctors, or
Lawyers, or even Editors? Why should
any profession be deprived of the privilege
of expressing opinions1 You have only to
extend the principle until finally the po
litlcal conventions will be composed eX
clusivcly of professional politicians who
Will say to the editor, for instance You
stay at home, edit your paper and let
politics alone. That is our affair entirely"
The question is simply this: Must man
who enters TIE teaching profession, on
that account keep silent on political ques
tlons Or, on the other hand, ought a
teacher, because he is in a profession gen
orally considered on a higher moral plane
than the average calling, to refuse to take
part IN political meetings 1t would seem
that 1t Is too great a cOndeScenSlOn for Il
college professor to attend a primary, tho
it is on dead level with the other pro-
fesslOns! We, the politicians, don't want
the teachers to come among us because it
is too degrading to their high and digni-
fled calling. Ye innocent guardians of
the teachers profession.
The trUp tpat.hpr not above and on yh
not to be above considering and discussing
political questions. The science and art
of government ought to be a part of every
mans educat. IN. And no man can rise
so high that he Is exempt from certain
political duties in common with all other
men. Some newspapers have rldiculed
(and very unjustly too Mr.. Dixon's card
in which he said that he could not be a
successful politician and a successful chris
tian at the same time. And yet these ed
itors are afraid that politics is too low and
corrupting for a teacher to engage in and
maintain his dignity. Everybody admits
that the worst defect of our jury system
is that our best and most capable men
generally manage to eyade the duty Of
serving as jurors. And so it is possible
by the failure of our best informed and
most capable citizens to exercise the tights
and duties of citizenship (among which
often is an honest expression of opinion on
public questions and public mem that pol
itics will become as great farce in get
ting at a true expression of public senti-
ment as some claim the jury system to be
in the administ ration of justice.
Teachers as a rule do not appear to be
anxious to enter into politics nor is this
communication intended to advise them
to do this except so far as to satisfy their
consciences that they have done their duty
to their country. But can see no reason
why a teacher should be severely criticized
for exercising the rights of a citizen. You
can't expect our best young men to stay
in and build up profession that virtually
disfranchses them. If a man has TO re
sign the right of expressing his opinion or
of using his influence in whatever direc
ton he thinks best merely because he be-
longs to the honorable profession of teach
ing, then with Mr.. Page, we would ask:
''ls there intellectual freedom in North
Carolina = SCHOOL TEACHER.
.