Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-24
TRUE NATIONAL MEN.
KeV, Shaffer Tells Mechanics What
American Greatness Means.
PRACTICAL PEOPLE In DEMAND.
Sermon by Rev. George T. Street on Per.
sOnal Responsibility.
SUNDAY TALKS OF OTHER PREACHERS

Yesterday morning Rev. George Shaffer,
pastor of the Second NJ. P. Church, told the
members of the Jr. o. q. A. NJ. what cen.
stitutcd true national greatness. Six lodges
of the order, with their friends, filled the
church to overfowing.
Hastily sketching the material greatness
of America and showing conclusively that
in every department of business the Ameri-
can has the right to exclaim, 1--WE are the
people, he said: ''There is something else
necessary in the building up of a great
nation beside great material resources.
We think we have this something
in our republican form OF government.
Our Government bestows upon each of us
something grander, something more import
ant than the blessing of civil and religious
liberty Far greater than these elements of
our greatness is this-that the American
Government takes to itself in partnership
every citizen. Every man over p years of
age, of proper moral character, and mental
capacity, becomes part of the Government
itself. This form of government eXsts us to
the highest and most honored positions, hence
the necessity for the education OF the race.
when we use the RIGHT of suffrage. we are
not using It for ourselves alone There are in
this country l2000.000 voters. a little more than
one-fourth of the total population. When
you 60 to the polls to exercise the
right Of suffrage you represent not yourself
alone, but four other. Many of these whom
you represent are women and children unable
TO vote; Others are insane; many of them be.
long to the criminal classes. Nou represent the
interests Of all these classes and their interests
depend upon your intelligent use ofthe shining
white ballot. When you stay away from the
polls, you not only deprive yourself, but you
deprive four others of voice In the govern
ment of your country. Taking this view of it.
how responsible. holy ana solemn becomes the
right of American suffrage How few are apt to
realize il? Nour right of sufTragei is not triflng
thing, a mere bauhle which you can trade or a
glass of whisky or for a position paying $50 or
$50 a month. IL Is not something that you can
throw around among your friends as personal
favor. II is solemn charge given you by your
God.
CLOSE upon this comes another element OF
our greatness-our free educational system.
This element is essential to our national safety
and our national welfare. Under form OF
government like ours, where the people arc
sovereign, education becomes necessity. Edu-
cation is our national safeguard.
This Government cannot exist with
out it. government like This
IN the hands OF the ignorant and those lacking
moral character would be more dangerous than
the extreme OF monarchy. IL would be better
10y far TO have the government vested In three
or four intelligent and moral persons than TO
have IL In the hands of many ignorant and de-
PRAYED men. Hence we must have education
10 guard against such danger A man cannot
fully represent those he represents without
intelligence, without being capable 10 read and
write and without looking into the principles
involved in the American form of government
This being the case, think that our public
school system becomes an actual necessity
The perpetuaIion OF the Government depends
upon IL, ana | hold that as we cannot as
nation exist without it, education should
he In America as in Germany. compulsory.
Children from to is years OF age should be
compelled TO 60 to school. You say that this
lnterferes with parental rights. 1t does not.
No parent has right TO deprive mis- child of an
education. Such law might work hardships
in some cases. but the safety of a nation, which
Gladstone said would soon stand at the head
of all others, requires the enactment of such a
law"