Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-10-15
GATEWAY TO SUCCESS.
PROF. SWING ON THE EDUCA-
TIONAL QUESTION.
Germans Should Not Come Here to Have
Germany Repeated to Them by
Law This Nation to be
no Linguistic Mu-
scum.


last Sunday, taking for his text: Train
UP child in the way it should go,
Proverbs xxi, s. In it he said: The
trouble now existing between some
Germans and the Little School House"
comes from small, prejudiced minds,
which cannot comprehend the duty and
prospect of our republic. The Catho-
lis who oppose all the free irreligious
education are glad to secure the assist
ance of certain German sects in discov-
er.ng some tendency on the part of the
school house to encroach upon fireslde
liberty. The Catholics oppose the
school house because it empties heaven
and fills perdition; their German allies
oppose the school house because it in
vades personal liberty. One party has
its heart on eternity, the other on the
German language, but the grief of the
two is one and the same. 1t is hoped
that this combined attack will be brief
and futile.
The attitude Of German priests is not
particularly astonishing, for, while their
language is dear to them, the notion of
an American nation has not filled their
hearts with any warmth; but that any
American speakers should have the
mental smallness that can make long
journeys in order to oppose the Bennett
law is singular. These Americans have
discovered that the law ''invades the
sanctity of the home" and takes away
precious portions of human liberty.
Their passionate speeches to the Ger
man voters recall those far-of times
when Isaiah and Jeremiah saw the DESC
lated homes of Judah; of the later time
when Claudius invaded the home Of
Virginius and took away the beloved
Virginia, and Of the later time when
Herod sent the police all through the
homes of Bethlehem with orders to
murder all children of 2 years old and
under. So, under Western law, the
sanctity of the home is again invaded,
and the children are compelled to learn
the great language of their republic:
In each corner of the world will be
found a group of minds which are inca
pable Of seeing the great side ofany OBJ
ject, be it in any art, religion or politics.
In the Presbyterian church these minds
were troubled when a stove was brought
into a meeting house; in the Roman
church the same kind of mind was put
into agony if drop Of the communion
wine fell upon the floor, or upon the
hand. Thus came, about the eleventh
century, form of ablution which would
prevent any of this liquid from receiv-
ing injury as to it's sanctity. In the
some minds which are falling de novo
into similar regard for the smallest
forms of thought which can possibly
arise over the once simple mementO
Christ left to his disciples. A Protest
ant priest has published little vol
ume for the guidance of younger breth-
rem. He says that if drop of the
"precious blood be spilled upon the
cloth of the communion the stain must
be destroyed by burning. Also he
directs that "as you give out the gospel
place the left hand on the book, and
with the right thumb make small sign
of the cross at the beginning of the Cos
pei you are about to read. Then at
once transferring the left hand to the
breast, make similar signs with the right
thumb on your forehead and on your
breast. The fingers meanwhile are ex-
tended and the palm is turned inward.
Join both hands and turn toward the
east during the response" Thus the
superstitious details which pleased the
eleventh century find in the nineteenth
century portions of the same kind Of in
tellect as that which first invented
them. These minds have no conception
Of the memorial formed by the doomed
Savior
There seems no way possible for
eliminating this same type of mind from
the political world. 1t finds the sanctity
of the home polluted by teaching the
national language to the national chill
dren; it finds the 'little schoolhouse" a
piece of the iron heel of despotism,
and is full Of grief that the liberty of
the father and mother is so abused. 1t
is difficult to keep from expressing the
opinion that none of these complaining
persons have any idea of what liberty
1c hot no Of axy
mean. It may be a stain upon napkin.
Liberty seems to be the expansion of
the mind and heart. Liberty, in
strict sense, is the permission to reach
the highest education, the highest fame.
the highest wealth and the highest hap
piness. A man need not use this per-
mission, but he must not neglect it so
far as to injule the state. Each state
must make itself great. But to do this
it must possess a good, united, clear
minded people. 1t does not dare COM
pei citizens all to be astronomers and
chemists, biologists and psychologists,
but it should look forward to time
when its seventy-fve or a hundred
millions should be able to converse to-
gether, read the same books and maya
zines, to be dependent no more upon
German history, but to feel at home also
in the great English language, to draw
nearer together as time passes. A
unity Of language is the first great step
toward perfect brotherhood. Hearts
are one when language and literature
are one. The Germans in this city who
stand high in honor and property are at
home in the English language. The Ian
, guage became the gateway to their sue
cess. Furthermore, in admitting immi-
grants from all foreign nations our coun-
try admits them as individuals, not as
principalities that are to sustain frater-
, nal relations with our government. Our
country admits the Turk but it does not
care anything about his form of speech;
it admits Russians, but not their pecu-
liar tongue. Presumptively it admits
foreigners into America, and it is justi-
fed if it offers education in it's own form
! of speech. The Germans should not
come here to have Germany repeated
to them by law. They may reproduce
all they can of German bower, music,
industry, song and goodwill, but they
should expect the Nation to reveal a
unity Of purpose, language and laws.