Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-10-28


Avoiding pretence and ignoble part,
Keep home the altar for loves sacred flame
Aud bonded he In the Eternal Name.
Give toll high honor meeting Just demand,
For most, ev'n honor, comes 10y toiing hand;
Shun wide luxurious slOth, whose wasting breath
Hath nations sent to an uutimelN death:
Put avid greed far from the daily life
That righ- may rule within the field of strife.
And noble deeds to living fire may fan
All that is best IN mind and heart Of man.
Plant those quick germs within young fertile
hearts
BY sturdy grow tn of earnings graceful parts.
That soon for freedom and for country flower,
Sweet two-fOld bloom to deck futures dover:
Then will be seen forever waxing great
This marvel of a universal state,
where countless peoples, as millennials wane.
Shall toward til almighty purpose nearer gain.
Scorn not the vision Of exalted soul
Its ideal bound may be- the common goal
/ or later years; But few can win the height,
And from its lofty verge with quickencd sight
Catch first the rosy beams of dawning truth.
. prescieut soul that with large hearted ruth
| Upon Times darkend and uncertain way
Set shining lamp 10 guide with cheering ray
After the choir, with band accompani-
ment had given with much spirit and fine
effect the song, Hail to the nation,' Rev.
f. l.. Phalen delivered an address upon
"The public school," of which the follow
ing presents the main line Of thought and
the treatment given it.:
Rev. Mr. PhRlen's Address.
II was once the belief Of the ancient world that
! the earth rested upon the shoulders OF mighty
Titan called Atlas 1t is now the firm conviction
| Of all thoughtful persons that of the strong
and broad foundations which helps To- support
! this great Western American Republic is the pub
! llc school The mythical litans have disappeared.
! The Intelligence OF the people is now the safe
| guard ana hope Of our national life Political
| freedom and religious liberty were not possible
! IN the ages Of ignorance. barbarism aud super.
when "a "a nd
| education touched the common people with its
magic wand the tyranny of the few came To
end and the rights and liberties, the duties and
possibilities Of every man, woman and child wee
| recognized
The public school i, light bringer. 1t is the
/ enemy of ignorance, oppression intolerance. IL
/ is the champion Of knowledge, freedom, progress
and patriotism The true test of a civilization is
! the kind Of men and women it produces and no
! nation can be truly great, prosperous and cndur.
! ing unless its people are intelligent and moral
/ knowledge and righteousness, education and
/ morality, these are the two pillars which support
all the liberties and hopes of America, and IT you
! shake them or undermine them this proud rrpub-
! lie VIII disappear from the noble place II holds in
! the vanguard Of the world
The public ,hool is IA gigantic power IN the life
! of tins nation. No true patriot can afford 70 be
! Indifferent to lis interests Within its walls and
under it, training today the millions of young
/ people and children who are To be- the CtiZehs of
/ tomorrow, holding the responsibility and power
10 decide whether this nation shall fulfill its glo
! ruus destiny or prove false 70 the ideals of the
present and the achievements Of the past
Hence the IMPORTANCE Of the public school
which is the chief means Of education To the great
! majority OF the American people The founders
of this republic all felt the necessity Of popular
| education. They knew liberty Of body aud mind
| could only be maintained In an atmosphere Of
| intelligence. So beside the church they planted
/ the school making religion and knowledge the
/ guiding stars of American civilization
/ No institution comes into this world by mira
! Gle. II IS always growth, following the slow
| lines of evolution. and If we ask after the origin
! Of our public school We must 20 tack beyond In,
] England colonies. he of
/ Columbus, Till We discover the impulse for all
this wonderful development Of education and
schools IN the genius of the Greek people In
! Plato : great mind We tud foreshadowed many Of
our modern beliefs Speaking of the schools and
| their Importance to the state he says the chill
uren must come and be educated, mot only ..
| their parents please, but If they do not please :
! aud II their education be neglected, there shall
! be compulsory education of all that the state
| may be preserved, though here aud there an iu
| dvidual may suffer or rebel" Charles the
| Great, emperor of the West, early as the year
800 discovered the necessity that all persons par
| ticipating IN the government should be educated
in order, as he said, that intelligence might
rule the empire What he tried to do for The
| Teutonc barbarians Of Central Europe King Al
| fred attempted for the SaXons of England ami
the Arabian Calph Alhakim did for the youth of
his realm 10y schools established in every village
IL Is mistake To fancy that all these great
ideas Of freedom, education and culture were
| born in this modern world Freedom has been
the inspiration OF the poet and statesman from
time inmemorial, and the dream Of universal
education is not new or western product say
this to bee faithful to the facts OF history: not to
detraCt in the least from the glory that belongs
to the United States and especially to New Eng.
land for its wonderful development of the school
as a power TO promote good citizenship and in
telligent patriotism Charles Y and Gustavus
Adolphus did for Sweden and their generations
what America with all her achievements has
failed TO do slnce-made education SO common
that III the year 1881 the year OF the founding OF
Harvard university-not a single peasants child
was unable to read or write.
II would be interesting to trace the develop
! school al its i6t.a,
tons in our history but it must content us to say
that 1t Is now one of the greatest factors in our
national me- and that our school system is one of
the best in the world. 1t is not perfect No hu
man institutions are perfect. Like men they are
all capable Of improvement and he who would
best work Tor the future OF this country or for
the future of his own children must keep a
! thoughtful eye upon the public school and be
| sure TO give his Influence for every moral OF
political reform which tends to increase its Ell
cheney or enlarge its tremendous influence
Think what one schoolhouse means with il
children and teachers the homes it represents and
the future men and women who shall 90 forth tC
take their places in the worlds work Then
widen your thought till you can take in the
thousands OF schOolhouSes between the Atlantic
and the Pacific, the British Possessions and the
borders of Mexico And all this for WHAT To
improve the mind, to nculcate good morals and
patriotism to tit the land that Columbus discov
dered to keep its place in the front rank of the
worlds onward march and to prepare men and
women TO live in peace and unity in the best and
noblest country beneath the sun.
As the Roman empire suffered from the Huns
ana NandalS who Swarmed into Il, so, unless We
educate and civhze the ignorant immigrants OF
the Old World 1ucking to our shores 1t will not
be long till we suffer some terrible calamity from
having such dividing wedge of illiteracy and
stupidity thrust into the heart of our great ma
ton. SO plead for the public school. SO l ex.
hort all good citizens TO be awake to its interests
and to see To ii that by love or law, by persuasion
or legal coercion, If necessary, every man who
ask for the privilege of American citizenship
shall be able to read and write and understa I'd
the meaning of our history and the principles for
which our flag was first unfurled TO the free air
OF heaven. This is our only safety Our strength
in the present, our hope for the future.
knowledge is power Give us an intelligent
citizenship, give us sound morality and strong
religious principle and no prophet can predict the
achievements in material and moral, In industr
al and civil affairs, which await the historian OF
Americas future.
The public school is our chief influence TO fos
ter common knowledge, common hopes, common
sympathies, common patriotism. Let us guard
II jealousy and make it more and more the
stronghold of American freedom.
| All hail 10 the sacred memories of the past Al
hail to the peace and prosperity of the present
All hail to the glory and the greatness, the man
hood and the patriotism, the Intelligence and the
faith, which give us courage and hope to believe
that this American republic is to lead the nations
of the world till God shall shut the great book O
human history and time shall be swallowed up il
eternity.