The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1894-06-22
Shylock's Attempt to Poison the
rlinds of tae Young Teachers.
June LIST, 1894.

June ISL, 1871
To THE EDITOR OF THE MIDLAND JOURNAL;
Dear ir:-At the commencement exercises of
the Maryland State Normal School last night an
incident occurred which l thought should not be
overlooked.
The exercises were proceeding nicely until the
program had reached point where the Hon.
James Ii. Preston was to make an address to the
ninety-siX graduates all of whom were ladies eX-
cept six He began by making few founderng
remarks and paying number of gaudy compli-
ments, then, suddenly he branched right into
TRADE of abuse of Coxey and the Industrias in
general, and tried to belttle the Peoples Party
leaders, followers. issues and all. From the man.
ner in which he read his prepared harangue l am
forced to the belief that someone prepared the
words for him and paid him to deliver it. He
denominated the Coxeyites as 'Madcaps and Illu
sionists," who were trying to run this country to
ruin and that it was blessing that the strong
heel of government dsapproval had been put
upon its neck Now all this sort of talk was de-
vered to class of ladies about to start out into
the world as teachers. He deprecated all reforms
and reform movements as dangerous to the public
good and the amount of injury done by reformers
was in proportion to the amount of misguided
men they may have persuaded to their views He
forward new schemes for coinage of money and
called them socialists and chronic agitators He
said that he had heard great many people say
This country has too many people in it for re-
public to govern and that we must have strong
government, or in other words king to control
the people.
Now at these commencement exercises the
parents of the students assemble from all local
itps of the whole State and nv Unttinp off his
abusive harangue at that time, he as good
as talked to every county in the State at one
time, and it ought not to require extra effort to
see the willy capitalists fine work in getting in his
speech in trying to instill into the minds of these
young teachers false ideas which in their spread
ing out to various sections they will thoroughly
disseminate and produce prejudices where other
wise none would exist
Now when man who has received as much
honor as Mr.. Preston has (beng made speaker Of
the last House of Delegates), for one cry: HALT
and may the cry resOund the length and breadth
of our dear old Maryland. When the willy cap
italist must needs make use of even the innocent
commencement exercise to gull the people and
further his own iniquitous purposes it is time for
honesty to combine its forces and fight for its
rights, and if those rights not protected by n
solid front of opposition to all encroachments
they will be forever and irrecoverably lost. If
men now, only knew on what IA slender thread
their boosted liberties were suspended, well might
they trembe. How carefully though they strive
to cover up their iniquities and in the meantime
throw out blinds in advance from which to en-
croach afresh. Yours,
CHAs. W. KALB,
Secy. Populist Club of Catonsville.
Catonsville, Md.
1t is fair to presume that the young
lady graduates have bright minds and
progressive ideas, and that the pluto
cratic sophistries which were intended to
be distilled into them by the hireling
Preston, will fall like seed on stony
ground. His coarse harangue is more
likely to produce contrary effect on the
minds of the young women from what it
was hoped and intended.
The best move the Club can make is to
procure good speaker and hold a mass
meeting or Fourth of July demonstration
and have all of Mr.. Preston's fallacies
exposed and his commON7O0e advocacy
denounced. Such efforts of the common
enemy of mankind show how fearful they
are that the truth will spread, and to at
tempt to poison the minds of these young
teachers was as ingenious as diabolical.
The attempt is most likely to have con-
trary effect.
The Club could not do more profitable
propaganda work than by sending these
young graduate teachers some selected
literature treating the economic questions
now agitating the public mind.-ED.