The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1895-02-28
PATRIOTISM, BUT NOT WAR
Is the Thing to Teach the Boys, Says
Mrs. SherwOod-Her Excellent
Report.

In the celebration of Washington's birthday
at the capitol today by the womans' council,
Canton has much honor. This day has been
set apart for the committee on patriotic instruc
ton, of which Mrs. Kate Brownlee Sherwood
is chairman. Mrs. Sherwood this morning
made her report which is as follows:
REPORT or COMMITTEE ON PATRIOTIC
TEACHING.
Your. r.committee ON Patriotic Teaching can
not too strongly commend the great peace
movement to teach patriotism in all the schools
Of the United States public and parochial; and
cannot too earnestly condemn the military
movement, which would turn our schools into
drill camps, and ill the minds of our boys with
the un-American ambition for war and blood
shed. Particularly do they disapprove bill
introduced into the United States congress au-
thOrizing the government TO detail officers
from the regular army to serve as drill masters
in our public schools.
Your committee believes there should be
united action upon the part of the women of
the republic to educate our youth and children
in true American patriotism since, now as ever,
the fruits of ignorance are oppessiOn on the
one side and lawlessness on the other They
believe that instruction in free government
should be begun in the primary grades of all
our schools, and that every school house and
in every school room the stars and stripes
should proclaim the gospel of the golden rule,
upon which our government was based.
They believe that upon the fresh, plastic
minds of the little children, should be early
and indelibly stamped the knowledge that they
are little American citizens with grave trusts
imposed upon them which they must exercise
on behalf of themselves and others.
They believe that in representative gov
ernment, in which every citizen of sound
mind, is, or may become, a voter and legisla-
tor, provision should be made by the state for
proper instruction in the great problems that
shall confront them.
They believe that the founders of our gov,
eminent were guilty of terrible oversight
when they neglected school of American cit
izenship and bestowed all their care upon
| founding military school at West Point; that
from this oversight came the terrible and de-
vastating war that swept the republic; that
from this oversight has come the fierce con-
| fiict between labor and capital raging through
our land.
! lncy btllCNt lldl u htIOOl VI Clll'
zenship would be bulwark of national safety
and that instead Of planning how to increase
our regular army and perfect our state militia
the whole trend Of legislation should be how 10
inculcate in the hearts and consciences of our
children, native and foreign born, the great
principles of free government, enunciated in
the declaration of independence and guann.
teed in the constitution of the United States.
! They believe the declaration of independ,
ence should be hung beside every blackboard
and the great truths demonstrated daily, that
freedom means fraternity, and fraternity fair
play, and fair play an even chance
In life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness; that freedom means the fraternity that
will give as we'll as get, that finds its highest
function in spending its resources for the com
mon good
They believe that to teach patriotism, is tC
teach respect for the flag and the government
II represents; ready obedience to laws that arC
just and peaceable, resistance to laws that are
unjust that to teach patriotism is to assimilatt
our alien elements, stem the encroaehments Of
organized force, and make the American TO.
pnblic in truth, what the immortal Lincoln
hoped for, "a government Of the people, by the
people and for the people"