Mexico weekly ledger., 1896-01-16
From the ST. Louis Chronicle.

ern Vassar girls" claim that they are
just as severe critics as is Mr.. Wilson.
| December 20 the Hardin College
girls sent the following message to
President Cleveland:
Hardin College girls are proud to be
American citizens. Inspired by the
patriotic sentiments that adorn every
line of the message, our hearts re-
spond: "Happy the nation with such
a ruler" and, as we note the enthpsi-
astic responses that come on the
lightning's wing from every part of
our great country, we add: "Happy
the ruler of such people,"
HARDIN COLLEGE GIRLS.
In the st. Louis Chronicle of Decem-
Der 2S Mr.. Wilson severely censured
the Hardin College girls as follows:
| NO 'ERULER' IN AMERICA.
| Editor Chronicle: AS friend of all
true education and as bachelor who
delights in The sight of the long lines
of blooming girls as they take their
walks, | wish to say through the
Chronicle that it is supposed that all
schools OF the pretensions of Hardin
College now teach something about
civil government, and if this is done
in Hardin College it must be very i'm
properly done, if one may Judge by
the telegram sent by the girls of that
school to our chief public servant, in
which he is spoken of as ''ruler." As
soon as the holidays are over the
teachers ought to set themselves dill
gently to the task of letting their
scholars know that the American peo-
pie have no ''rulers."
GEORGE WILSON.
Lexington, Mo.
Editor Chronicle: Now this "Prof."
Wilson tells the several hundred
thousand readers of the Chronicle that
there is no "ruler" in America; that
schools having the ''pretensions of
Hardin College" are supposed to teach
civil government; that civil govern
ment is very improperly taught in
that college. He then proceeds in
supercilious style to advise our pro-
fessors to lose no time in ''teaching
their scholars that the American peo-
pie have no trulers.'n Now, we are
persuaded that our teachers know
their own business. But in return for
Prof. Wilson's information and ad-
vice, we will repay this master of civil
government in his own coin. If
"Prof. "Wilson will examine any work
on civil government, he will find SEN
tences like this: s'In the United States
there is the strongest reason for the
study of political science; for here,
high and low alike elect their own
law makers and rulers. Young's
Government Glass Book, Clark and
Maynard. "Prof." Wilson would do
well to read the article, "Govern-
men," in the Britannica; also consult
Webster, Worcester and the Standard
Dictionary on the terms Ruler, Presi-
dent, Governor, etc.
If these books are not familiar to
the Professor, he might spend while
in the primary department of some
good school. In this department we
found our first lesson in civil govern
ment, as follows:
"Poiitical divisions and their rulers
are variously designated. The chief
executive, or ruler, of Republic is
commonly called President; of an En-
pire, Emperor; of O Kingdom, King,
etc. The United States is Republic"
Buffers Geography, p 20, adopted by
the State Board of Education, for use
in the Public Schools of Missouri.
Now, Mr.. Editor, as we have been
SO sharply censured, please allow us to
state why we chose the term f'ruler."
We desired to felicitate any nation
whose ruler-by whatever name he
---ssyl.4-1Aa-aAliA<l--faaa sAaA.i-
otism of our President. The terms,
President, Emperor, Czar, etc., could
apply only to specific nations, while
the term ruler, being generic, applies
to the chief executive of any Govern
ment.
This explanation, we are sure, is not
needed by the intelligent readers of
the Chronicle, but it seems proper to
correct erroneous impressions that
some thoughtless readers may have
received from the bold statements of
this top-lofty critic.
RUTH LAKENAN, Mexico, Mo,
For Hardin College Girls.
The st. Louis Chronicle wrote it's
Mexico correspondent to secure the
picture of Miss Ruth Lakenan but she
stoutly refused to have her likeness
put into print.
The co0ov1l 1afkar ap -