The record-union., 1892-11-25
TEACHING PATRIOTISM.
How Shall it Be Best Done in
SChCoI2
A Lady Outlines a Method, and Wins
a Twenty-Five Dollar Premium
for Her Essay.

ago offered a SIS cash prize for
the best essay from a Sacramento city
or county school teacher upon the ques-
ton, How shall we best teach patriotism
in the public schools?
The essays of the contestants were sub
mitted to a committee consisting of DIR. J.
r. Laine, w. II. V. Raymond and j. A.
Woodson. They had no knowlege ofwho
the contestants We're, that secret being
only in the possession of Superintendents
Howard and Hart.
The award was made not upon style,
or elegance of composition, but upon the
best practical method presented, the most
reasonable and practical answer. On
Wednesday, at the afternoon session of
the Teachers Institute in this city, the
announcement OF the award was made.
II was in favor OF essay H." with most
honorable mention tor essay ''p' and
favorable mention of essay -"
The winner proved to be Mrs. f. p.
Osborn, thoughtful and accomplished
young woman teaching the public school
at fI0rln. The honOrably mentioned
essay was that of Mrs. Clara Feiter Par
sons of Sacramento. Indeed, this lady's
paper received one vote in the Board Of
Judges as first best, on the first ballot
on the announcement being made Mrs.
read her paper as follows:
The public school is, to-day, more than
ever before, recognized as the medium
through which we must reach and mold
the rising generation.
When our country was yet but q group
of colonies-when the cords which united
Americans to their mother country were
yet strong-but little national feeling had
been developed.
But when British oppression, persist
entity waged, severed the ties that bound
us TO England, there was no longer any
alternative; the spirit OF an Independent
nationality was forced to grow.
The struggle, at first, wholly against
oppression, soon became a struggle for
independence.
The tyranny Of George the Third, and
the blundeung folly OF his Parliament,
cemented the colonies into a sisterhOod
of States.
Thus was a distinctive love of country
developed in the colonists, who, now for
the first time took the name of patriots
just in proportion as the struggle was
long and bitter did this patriotic feeling
grow and strengthen. So, in the school
OF bloody war our countrymen learned
their first lesson in patriotism. There
was no need then Of instilling this feeling
into the minds of their children. They
breathed il with the very air and imbibed
it in the recital of the hardships and
heroic deeds of their fathers.
But time has removed us from the
picture and sottened its asperties. 1t
does not appeal to the children of to-day
as it did to the children OF that day. Cir
cumstances are altered, so that our great
est thinkers are beginning to recognize
that the teaching OF patriotism must
honcetorth form distinctive part of our
school work.
The question then is, how shall this
be most ettectually done? While we may
not agree in all the particulars as TO the
best method there IS little doubt that we
shall agree i'll the main. Let us premise
that no spasmodic efforts will answer.
They may not be without their use, but
must not be allowed to supplant constant
and continued effort.
Character building is necessarily slow.
AS no man is suddenly either eX-
cellently good or extremely evil" so no
child IS likely to become suddenly I'M
bued with spirit ofpatriotism. Rome
was not built in a day.
1t Is the tconstant dropping of water
that wears away the stone. Hence in all
our school work, whenever opportunity
offers, let us quietly and unobtrusivelv
drop little seed that may grow, as the
child grows, into a strong tree.
The work must be commenced in the
chlld's first school years, for early i'm
pressions are the most lasting There is
then no bias, no growth of an opposite
character. The mind is like well-pre-
pared field, just ready to receive good
seed. The child looks up to the teacher
and has full confidence in what he saws.
But let US be a little more definite as to
the means employed to gain our end. Our
history is full of examples of men whose
love of country was their ruling passion.
Let us commend their course, and induce
our pupils 10 read and study their lives.
On the other hand, we have examples
OF treason to our country. Let these be
held up in their true light, so that our
boys and girls may feel that traitor is
desplcable and treason odious.
In teaching the subject of history.
numerous opportune occasions will Dre-
sent themselves Tor lmparting a most
valuable lesson. For example, WashinC-
ton at Valley Forge, the partisan leaders
In the South during the Revolution. the
death Of Nathan Hale, the Webster
Hayne debate, JackSon's s treatment of the
qualification doctrine in South Carolina.
the episode of Putnam's leaving his oxen
hltched to the plow, while he hastened to
The front with his gun. etc.
These and similar topics may be made
the subjects OF compositions by The older
pupils.
Such speeches or portions Of them. as
Washlngton's farewell address, Adams
Patrick Henry's, and Webster's should
be committed to memory, for recitation
by the pupils, the teacher in all cases he
ing careful to see that the spirit of the
piece Is COmprelGnQed.
Let the teacher make a selection of ps
trlotlc sentiments, or use the excellent
one prepared by Mrs. Hoyt, and place
one quotation on the board each week. or
ottener at hisldiscretlon, until all have been
so placed-the pupils copying them into
their blankbooks and committing them TO
memory.
The whole school may be REQUIRED to
give one or two in concert two or three
times week, or even every day. This
need not occupy more than TWO or three
minutes at a time, and besides accomplish
ing our main purpose of creating and fos-
tering & spirit of patriotism, it furnishes
valuable exercise in memory, enuncia-
ton, etc.
Some of our holidays may be made a
valuable means to the END in view. Set
a Friday afternoon for the discussion of
the following question: why do we
celebrate the Fourth OF July?'' Give the
pupils week to study the question, let
ting them understand that each one is ex-
pected to have something TO say. The
whole matter Will thus be thoroughly dis |
cussed. This viii be the teachers oppor-
tUnity to impress the fact that the cele- /
bration means more than a grand parade |
the firing of cannon or the fling of ban
ners TO the breeze.
Washington's birthday furnishes an
other opportunity for recalling the stir |
ring and trying times of the formative
period of our Governments: and the more 1
these times are recalled and dwelt upon /
the more clearly viii the children realize /
that Washington and his compatriots en-
dured ali things that they might be- |
Queath TO posterity an independent |
country. Thus they will be led to ap- |
preciate their Inheritance, and 10 feel |
faaaE fnaaNH 4 lsr 1,.- IL.