The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-19
The influence eff Our Public Schools.

what is our country, and he will re-
spond that it is a union of states, a
vast territory extending from the At
lantic to the Pacific, and from the
great lakes upon the north to the wa
tiers of the Gulf upon the south. But
the boy of today should be taught that
this territory, vast as it is, constitutes
but small portion of the idea of coun
try which enters into the mind of the
patriot. There is that which is greater
than the land and the sea, the rivers,
lakes and mountains, the towns and
cities and the people which occupy this
vast domain. There is our flag and all
the memories which cluster about it,
there is the record of undying deeds OF
patriotism and valOr; there are grand
names which are our heritage-men
who stand as beacon lights for all COM
ing time, exemplifying as they did in
their lives, their devotion to liberty
and the principles OF free government;
there are our laws and the institutions
of our land; and something which we
cannot define which aWakens every
patriotic emotion as we look up to the
old flag for which so many heroes have
died.
There are connected with the name
of country certain conceptions which
are the embodiment of our highest
ideals of human liberty and human
progress. 1t is not for the soil, alone,
which we occupy as people, that the
great wars Of our history have been
fought, but we have battled that the
principles of liberty might be main
tanned and perpetuated, and that the
ideals which we have might become Il
part of the political atmosphere which
nourishes us, and gives life to us as a
nation.
1t was James Russell Lowell who
said that all free governments, what
ever their name, are in reality govern
ments by public opinion, and it is on
the quality of this public opinion that
their prosperity depends" Public
opinion, then, must be properly edu
Gated, and it is in our public schools
that the public opinion of the future is
being largely moulded and trained for
action, and there should be impressed
upon the minds eff the rising generation
the lessons of patriotism, the sense of
political obligation and the duties of
citizenship. The men who build free
nation must be brave men, having the
courage of their convictions, knowing
the right 4" and knowing, dare main
TAIN"
The obligations and responsibility of
citizenship should never be lost sight
of in training the rising generation for
the future, and every boy and girl
should be taught to take pride in the
history of Americas past-in the noble
names which it has bequeathed to us.
Let the boys and girls in our public
schools be trained to juster concep-
ton of what liberty is. 1t is not to be
regarded as boon which has been
granted us, but as a solemn bond
which must not be broken. The hopes
of the world and the destinies OF hu-
manitv are centered in the idea Of re-
publican freedom, that which gives TO
us the greatest thing in the world, the
right and the power of self-govern-
ment. But this is no light thing to
hold, for the greatest thing that it is
possible for a nation to accomplish is
to govern itself wisely.
This cannot be done without proper
training. Unless our boys are trained
to know the value Of citizenship they
never can become worthy citizens. They
should be taught in this regard in our
public schools, and the most inspiring
motive that should be held up before
them is the public good.
The greatest glory of a freG-born
people, it has been asserted, is to trans
NIT that freedom to their children
That we can do only by educating
them up to liberty, and to the funda-
mental principle that there is no lib
erty worth anything which is not a
liberty under law" They must be
taught to distinguish between license
and liberty, that the former enslaves
and is destructive of all government
and Of the rights of humanity. Make
our public schools the nursery Of free
men and Of enlightened citizenship,
and we need have no fears for the en-
durance of the republic.
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IT is only necessary to spend few