The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-05-04
TEACHERS COLUMN.
THos. w. kEITT, Editor.
COLUMBUS DAY MESSAGE.
To the Public Schools Of America.
OCTOBER u, 1892.

10 the EQDllC SCHOOLS OIL ahoTlCa
OCTOBER 12, 1892.
To the Scholars Of the Public Schools
of the United States, the Executive
Committee of the Columbian Public
School Celebration sends the following
Message:
THE SCHOOLS May READ.
The 18th of October, 1892, the 40Oth
Anniversary of the Discovery of Amer
lea, ought to be observed everywhere
in America.
The day will be marked in Chicago
by the dedication Of the Columbian
Exposition grounds. The day also may
be signalMed in every town and vii
lage in the Republic by local ce!ebra-
ton of which the Public School is the
center.
The Public Schools of the Republic
will form the mos5 fitting centers for
all these local celebrations. A national
Public School Observance simultan-
eous with the Chicago exercises will
awaken popular interest in the COM
ing Exposition. Far more important
is the fact that the Public School has
the right to occupy the most promi-
nent place in the celebration. The
Public School is the one characteristic
institution which links all neighbor-
hoods together, anc can thus furnish
common bond for a national eelebra-
ton. The Public School is the rips fruit
of the four centuries of civilization.
The Public School Of to-day sways the
hundred years to ccme.
HOW 1T CAME ABOUT.
The first approval of this suggestion
came from the Public School scholars
themselves. When the plan was first
proposed by the Youths Companion,
January, 1891, thousands of letters were
received, testifying to the enthusiasm
with which the scholars responded.
The Worlds Congress Auxiliary Of
the Columbian Exposition then took
up the proposal, calling upon all the
people of the Republic to observe the
day in their own localities, and sug-
gesting that the Public Schools be
everywhere the center of the celebra~
ton.
The Superintendents of Education
were the next to recognize the fitness
of giving to the Public Schools the frat
place in this Columbian Anniversary.
At their National Convention in Brook
lyn, in February, 1892, they took
charge Of the movement, and appoint
ed the undersigned an Executive Com
mittee to lead the schools in their COM
memoration.
APPEAL TO THE SCHOLARS.
This Executive Committee now ap-
peals to the scholars themselves to be
the first to move. 1t is for you, schol-
ars of the American Public Schools,
to arouse sentiment in your schools
and in your neighborhoods for this
grand way of celebrating the Finding
of America. Educators and teachers
will meet you from their side. But it is
for you to begin.
You will make it sacceed if you unite
to say that it ought tc DE- done. The
interest of the public will be awakened
if the scholars join in the earnest re-
quest that the school be allowed to be
the center of the days observance.
There are thirteen millions now in
the Public Schools, You have the
chance to conduct patriotic move
ment which will have a place in his
tory, and will strengthen the Republic
through the coming century.
WHAT 70 DO.
The first thing to DO is to determine,
when you read this Message, that you
will do all you can to induce your
school to enter the celebration. Then
show this Message to your teachers;
every patriotic teacher 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 in
dispensable.
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 3he charge. This
committee should be made up jointly
from scholars, teachers and friends oi
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 ary possible change
of teachers during the summer.
THE PROGRAMME.
A programme of exercises will be fur.
nished by the Executive Committee
1t will be simple and adapted to any
school, yet so arranged that more elab'
rate exercises NAV he added wherever