Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-04-28
uoLumsus DAY. OCT. IL.
Message From the Executive Com
mittee Appointed by the Superin-
tendentS of Education

Message From the Executive Conn
mittee Appointed by the Superin-
tendents of Education
To the Scholars of the Public Schools Of
the United States, the Executive Commit
tee of the Columbian Public School Cele.
bration sends the following Message:
THE SCHOOLS NAY LEAD
The 18th of October, 1892 the 4Oo:h Anni-
versary Of the Discovery OF America, ought
to be observed everywhere in America
The day will be marked in Chicago by
the dedication of the Columbian EXPOSE
ton grounds. The day also may be sigma
lized in every town and village in the Re-
public by local celebration Of which the
Public School is the centre.
The Public Schools ofthe Republic will
form the most fitting centres for all these
local celebrations. A national Public
School observance simultaneous with the
Chicago exercises will awaken a popular
interest in the coming Exposition. Far
more important is the TACT that the Public
School has right to occupy the most
prominent place in the celebration. The
Public school is the one characteristic insti
tuition which links all neighborhoods to-
gether, and can thus furnish common
bond for national celebration. The Public
School is the ripe fruit CT the four centuries
of American civilization. The Public
School ofto-day sways the hundred years
TO come.
APPEAL TO THE SCHOLARS.
This Executive Committee now appea Is
to the scholars themselves to be the first to
move. 1tislo you, scholars ofthe American
Public Schools. to arouse sentiment in
;our schools and in your neighborhoods
tor this grand way Of celebrating the Find
ing Of America. Educators and teachers
will meet you from their side. But it is
Tor You to begin.
You will make it succeed ifyou unite to
say that it ought to be done. The interest
OF the public will be awakened if the
scholars join in the earnest request that the
school be allowed to be the centre Of the
days's observance.
There are Thirteen Millions now in the
Public Schools. You have the chance to
have place in history, and will strengthen
the Republic through the coming century.
WHAT TO DO.
The first thing to do is to determine,
when you rea this Message, that you will
do all you can to induce your school to EN-
ter the celebration. Then show this Mes
sage to your teachers; every patriotic teach
er will be glad to help you if you show
yourselves in earnest. Take the Message
to the School Committee and the Superin-
tendent; their consent and aid are indis-
pensable.
After you secure the support Of all these,
then let the school vote that it will enter
the celebration.
The next thing after this public vote will
be the appointment of a strong committee
to take the charge. This committee should
be made up jointly from SCHOLARS, teachers
and friends of the school. The committee
should in all cases be made up of those who
are most in earnest, so that the work may
not be checked by any possible change of
teachers during the summer.
THE PROGRAMME.
a program me of exercises will be furnish
cd by the Executive Committee. 1t will
be simpl and adopted to any school, yetso
arranged that more elaborate exercises may
I've added wherever desired. The aim of
this Official Programme will be that certain
leading exercises may be the same in every
school in the Republic; and that at least in
one feature the Chicago Programme and
the School programme may be identical.
in due time this Executive Committee
will make more definite suggestions on
methods of celebration through the Super
intcndcnts of Education and through the
press.
THE LOCAL COMMITTEE.
The duty Of your commit 'e will first be
10 interest INC 'llEclS attil - prepare the
school. Proc IONS may I,e arranged. The
veterans. both ,<orth and South, will glad
ly he escorts for the schools. The other
military, civic and religious organizations
Of each town viii lend their aid if they see
that the schools are determined that the
celebration Shall be worthy of the day. The
local press will be 1he most valuable of all
supports; and the earliest effort of your To-
cal committee should be to enlist its SYM
pathy and request its cooperation.
On October 10Th the Stars and Stripes
should be floating from every Schoolhouse
in the Republic.
1t is the hope Of the friends OF Common
School Education that not one Public
School in the United States will allow it
sci to be left out i'll this most memorable
celebration
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
FRANCIS BELLAMY. Chairman, representing
The Youths Companion, Boston. Mass.
JOHN w. Dickinson, Secretary of Massa-
chuSc;ts Board of Education.
THOMAS Il. STOCKwEI.I. Commissioner OF
Public Schools OF Rhode Island.