Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-10-18
TELLSRINGING TRUTHS
GOV. HOARD'S ADDRESS WIS
CONSIN TEACHERS.
A Logical Discussion of the Educational
Question Now Before the People of
Wisconsin-The Compulsory Ed
ucation Law-The Rights
of Children.
From the State Journal August 49, 1890.


Miss Alice Regain, of Madison. She rem
dered a waltz in A fiat, by Moszkowski,
with the easy grace and delicate skill that
characterizes her every performance on
the piano.
GOV. Hoard was introduced, and said:
THE child that is, the citizen that is to be!
TO be or not to be, that is the question:
1t is the object of you and me III life. the
establishment, endowment meaning and
baptism of existence. This life has
an object, and that object finds its
central thought and idea in princi-
pie. Without this it becomes q rope
of sand, a disOrganized community.
We are citizens, and the embryo citizen is
the child. He has all the rights of citizen
ship. Much has been said OF the rights of
parents, the rights of the church, the
rights OF this and of that, but little has been
said of the rights of the child. let the
underlying duty of the state is to see That
= the child is firmly established in his rights.
An old Grecian philosopher was once
asked what is the best form of government.
He replied: That form of government in
which an injury to the humbleSt citizen is
an injury to the whole state This was a
most significant utteraLce.
''WiscOnSn has taken on herself the agl-
tatiOn OF the school question. The interest
in it is not confined to her borders. but is
manifested all over the Union. There is
IrOVlucIcc Ill Ill. KNOW IlOG inc lutuIc,
but | know how strangely has public
thought been stirred to patriotism I'M
der similar circumstances. Providence
deals strangely with nations and with pCO-
pies. | believe in the direction of God in
the affairs of every state. [ would be re-
creant to my birth, blood, and the training
of my b0yh0od, if did not see in the des-
tiny of the republic the hand of God.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
There is a strange stirring OF times III
favor of the child. What does it signify?
Is it not probable that the time is coming
when a refinement of position Oh this sub
iect shall be demanded OF you and me?
Has the child rights? | believe that the
system of American education is based up
on the assurance and guaranty that the
child shall have the right to sufficient
knowledge to enable him to become an in
tGlligent citizen. Were it not SO, your
work, Wisconsin teachers, would have no
significance. There are 100000 children
of school age in Wisconsin, and the state
eXpends from $3000,000 to $4,00G.0O0 annu-
ally III their education. Is not this eXpend-
iGure of thought, energy, money, and de-
votiOn IN the interest of the people? We
are not yet a homogeneous people, and
nothing will operate so much to make
us so as will education, | look back to
the little school in which [ obtained my
education. On one side of me was an
Irish lad, on the other a German, and near
dren of WeIl-tO-do-parents and the children
of poverty. They all received equal atten-
ton, and find myself at this time accord
ing to each the justice due him. AS |
stood, the other day. in Faneuil hall, Bos-
ton, every brick of which structure is elO-
quent with the voices of the past, my mind
wandered back to those Saturday after
Moons in the old school house when [ used
to get UP and speak pieces, selections from
the words of men who had given express
sion to American patriotism. When L
stood in front of that picture de-
picting Webster replying to Hayne
in the United States Senate, the words
of the eloquent Massachusetts or
atOr came to ne very forclbly, The Union
Now and Forever, One and Inseparable.
The education in those times was limited
but it was to the point, and the sentiments
OF patriotism and loyalty implanted in my
heart in the old school house have re-
manned with me through life. You must
appreciate the value of early impressions,
teachers. Everything that is true and
ing and training of the child
Lie is habit. Then, if we do not
establish correct habits, we shall establish
incorrect. We do well as nation to es-
tahliSh coast defenses and build a navy.
for we have to defend ourselves against
the selishness of men, Human selfish
ness is at the bottom of all mischief. We
do well to erect monuments to those who
defended the Union. Yet when you build
school houses you have done both-estab-
liShed defenSeS and built monuments.
DEVOTED TO EDUCATION.
"The tenth article of the constitution of
Wisconsin is entirely devoted to the sub
juct of education. By this it is made man.
datory on the state to go into the business
of education. How many have thought of
this? Now, we have men to-day and may
have more who declare that the state has
no right to enact compulsory education
laws. This Is a gross inconsistency. Ii
the state has the right to enact compulsory
taxation laws to make me help educate
your children, then the state certainly has
the right to compel me to educate my
own children. We hear of men who ia
yor compulsory education, but we say they
are opposed to compulsory education in
English. Have these men studied the
length and breadth of their opposition to
the education in English? DO they not
know that the state cannot compel educa-
ton in any other language but her own
The state has no right to compel me to edu-
cate my child in Latin or French. Itmay.
IL 1t sees fit, afford the child an opportuni-
ty to learn these languages, but it cannot
compel me to make it learn them because
the learning of them does not conduce
especially to good citizenship.
PRIMARY OBJECT or EDUCATION.
1.-The primary object of education is TO
enable man to protect himself. Govern
ment is system of protection. To cloJhe
the mind of the child with intelligence is
as much for its own protection as it is to
cloth its body. The parent who does not
have as much regard for the clothing of
the mind as of the body of his child has
but vague idea of the character of his
duty toward the child.
Il wish to bring before you a few statis-
tics significant of the effect of the common
schools on the citizenship of Wisconsin.
on the destiny of the state. In the past