Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-03-31
OUR SCHOOLS.

Editor Democrat
1.-The heart of our commonwealth is
our schools" says one iu dealing with
the above subject.
III we were 10 impersonate our CON-
monwealth we should say that our COM
mon schools form its head, while the
schools IN which the Truth of God Is
taught form its heart.
BE that as it may, our schools (mean
ing by that our secular schools) do form
"A great stone In the foundation upon
which our great and glorious common
wealth Is reared. We have cause enough
TO honor saxon grit" But not the
least OF the causes Is the fact that d
soon as il rested its weary, wandering
feet upon 'the stern and rock-bound
coast" OF New England, it reared the
little school house in which its sons and
daughters might learn to know what
great and strong and precious things
were embodied In freedom and enlighten-
ment, truth and purity.
This forms a very large per cent OF the
root from which that strength and cour-
age sprang that drove monarchial power
back upon itself, "scorned the foreign
yoke" and bsde the captive 60 forth
free.
The children Of saxon grit" are not
a race of physical, but OF intellectual
giants. Their conquering forces have
been the brain, the tongue and the pen.
By these forces they master the world
to-day.
Ignorance IL at the bottom OF crime
and degra lation. Point me out the
hsunts of misery and vice, and | will
show you the abode Of ignorance, where
the chief training school Is the rumshop.
Tell me OF happy homes full Of mirIh
aud love, where the domestic fragrance
ascends ~ sweet SAVIOR unto God ;
show me the community where the
wheels of industry move steadily, with
out that i,r aud friction thd comes
through unnecessary and unjustiiiable
discontent where men and women are
not ground down by the seltishness OF
an oppressive master; where the laugh
ter of children Is sweet and merry !:
housewives glad and contented; men
with strong aud honest faces, square
shoulders and firm step: and | will
show you the working of force as insep-
arabic from all that, as sense IL from
animate creation--the force of the school
house.
Oxford may be better place than II
Is. But the presence In measure, OF
the above grsces, gives il what beauty II
has. Take away the parent OF these
the school house, and the devils lair OF
a rumshop might take its place. In the
absence of the school house, the distil-
lery Of damnation would not wreck the
place much faster than it would kill
itself
Our schools throughout America make
All difference between an ignorant, super
Stitious, disorganized, discontinued,
how ling mob, and sober, industrious.
intelligent. strong, God-fesring, liberty
loving people. Our schools ia Oxford
make the same difference.
In view of this the most OF her prop
erty owners love and stand by her
schools. Most OF her poll tax payers
vote agains, them because-well--they
would have their poll tax to pay whether
their principal Institution was school
or rumhole.
Butt beg pardon-nobody Is seeking
a take away the schools. That Ia so.
But they want TO make them cheaper :
II We understand American education
AT all. II is not Of the cheap kind. a
cheap education is indeed better than no
education at all, but II needs more than
that to keep the world moving to-day.
We say the grandest things in the world
are an enlightened conscience, and a
k,Oal ,,,1,,ra uhasa have hcpn and
will be the afe-guards OF America.
The man who would strike blow at
our schools by refusing TO make them
Just as good as IL is possible TO make
them, strikes blow al these, and At the
glory and greatness Of his country.
oxford. Maine.