The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-01-09
(From Saturdays Daily,
He DEFENDS THE SCHOOLS.
An Extract from Speech by andrew J.
o'Donnell.

maze from the speech vi AHuJ ODUu-
nell, delivered at the Valparaiso law
school recently, from copy furnished
us. The subject of the speech was:
/" Americas Bulwark of Liberty:
Andy is graduate of our high school
in the class of '94, and his many friends
here will be interested in reading his
| effort:
France and Germany are straining
every effort to exceed the world in art
and in music: in fact, all of the Euro
pean states have some cherished child
of destiny" which they are fondly
nursing. But the United States can
arise III Ger place among the nations of
the earth and pointing to her "cher-
ished tondling" (now grown to man
hoOd) can make the modest claim that
never since God created the earth, has
any other nation been able to boast of
grander institution and of more
worthy and inspiring offspring than the
American free common school.
We have been accustomed to regard
a g free common school" system as the
chief corner stone of our republic, and
popular education as the only safe and
stable basis for popular liberty. The
United States at the present time isthe
greatest as we'll as the most enlightened
nation of the earth;e she has the great
est number Of common schools and the
fewest number Of ilIiterates.
| The idea of public education was
brought to the new world by our fore
fathers. Even in the wilderness, i'll the
space cleared in the primeval forest,
while the wolf prowled about the log
house and the cry of the wild cat was
still heard, the school and even the
college were established. And SO to-
aysextending throughout the length
and breadth of this glorious country,
every green hill and every fertile val
| lev. has it's " fortress Of liberty" and
every child throughout this broad ex,
panse of territory has privilege, the
like of which no other nation can give.
| This building in itself is a monument
dedicated to liberty, civilization and
progress. AS we look about us and
see these beautiful buildings of learn
/ ing, they remind us of that immortal
document, the Declaration Of Independ
ence They remind us of that grandest
of achievements, which shall not cease
to be the wonder and admiration OF
| the world the constitution of the
United States of America. They re-
mind us also of that other document
which brought liberty, joy and peace to
! four million slaves the Emancipation
| Proclamation. These exercises in
which we participate are possible sim
/ ply because we are a free people, filled
with the spirit of progress which liberty
engenders and promotes.
The people perish for the tack of
knowledge Nothing but education,
scientific education can benefit man
kind. " We need free bodies and free
minds free labor and free thought =
chanless hands and fctterIess brains.
Free labor will give us wealth; free
thought will give us truth.
One of the strongest pillars upon
which this mighty nation rests today in
all its grandeur is universal education,
eight for every mind, knowledge for
every child"
i In q land where the people rule it is
absolutely necessary that the people be
educated; and the best place to educate
them is in the common school. Such
schools being non-sectarian in princi-
pie, coercing none to believe or dis
believe, they do not infringe upon the
rights of any. Their aim is to give us
a liberal education in secular knoWl-
edge. In such schools where ali sects
and creeds are represented it is not
right nor just nor tolerant to introduce
into those schools any sectarian, pa
gan or atheis5ic teaching" The place
to teach religion is in the church, the
Sunday school and the home. This
was the grand opinion of that little
giant from Ohio, e. S. Grant, SO our
motto today is: Take the sectarian
bibles out of every common school in
this land and put the flag of Free
DOM on every cupola.
What is this common school we hear
so much aboutg Why! 1t is the COM
mon peoples college: it is the bread of
life: it is the earth's democracy: it is
the backbone of this nation. Harvard
turns out her scholars: Johns Hopkins
makes LIZ DIS: Cornell trains engin-
GERS: Princeton makes preachers, and
the N. |. L. S. sends out her embryo
attorneys; but the common school
trains the multitude who throng our
streets, work our trades and pillow our
fields. The common school is their
I" Alma Mater: the little red school
house their college, and the obscure
teacher their professor. Here upon
common ground all meet. The parents
wealth does not help here; nor his pow
erty hinder. Each stands alone and
conditions of society fail to establish an
aristocracv of mind. Social aristocracy