The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-06-17
Some Rambling Thoughts.
Copyrighted by memo"

70 THE BOYS AGAIN:-We will en-
JOY one more brief talk about fighting
and then next week | must turn back
to subjects for older folks. The
reason have written to you about
battles for these three weeks has been
because of the great amount of war
news in the papers and because of
the Keeping of Decoration Day in a
number of States. And since there
are many boys who think only of
battles in connection with blOOdshed
it seemed right to show YOU other
ways of lighting. 1t is, think. now
understood between us that most OF
us will never be called to a conflict
except that of brains against brains:
also, that all OF us are in a state of
siege because of temptations that are
trying to work damage TO our charac-
tiers; temptations that really do us
good If we resist them. Now | want
to give you some idea that there may
be soldiers in your neighborhood
whom you have never thought Of as
being fighters at all.
%5}%
/ know a sch0ol-teacher very thor
Oughly in a little country town. She
gave several years to preparing to
teach and she teaches well. She gets
very little pay, yet she never com
plains, because she feels sure she is at
the post Of duty. Scarcely any of the
parents ever come to see her at work,
or cheer her with word Of thanks;
and sometimes saucy chits of girls will
whisper to one another that she is an
old maid because she is over twenty
five. She reminds me Of good gen
eral who lays out q plan Of campaign
so well that he is quite sure he IS
right, and then carries out the plan
in spite Of all opposition by the
enemy or by lazy helpers. He tries
to be right and to be successful, or if
he cannot be successful, at any rate
to be right; so does she. The old
Roman legiOns stood up for many
years attempting to roll back the
food Of barbarians that threatened
the northern boundary; but bravery
failed and the Roman Empire went TO
pieces. This dear woman is Just one
of manv-there are such soldiers right
in your town-who stand by school
desks, like modern Roman soldiers,
and fight with the danger that
threatens our land from ignorant men
and women. The greatest power Of
warriors could not make knowledge
increase: but what the arm of flesh
and deadly warfare would fail to do,
the patient, gentle, large-hearted
teachers are doing and doing success
fully, else our dear country would not
be improving as it is. want to say
some more about this teacher because
| know her. and because | know there
are many more like her. You would
say Of a soldier that he was a good
one, if he cOntented himself with doing
exactly as he was told. But teachers
are not ike this; nearly all Of them do
much more than they are paid for.
My friend for instance lives in a town
that has very bad name. There is
much drinking and roughness and
vulgar talk and vice. This pure
minded little lady, who is hired merely
to train the brains OF the children is
not content with doing that, but she
is also watching over their morals
Her great heart takes them all in, and
she is trying, unaided by many OF the
parents, to roll away the shame of her
town. She does this by often explain
ing the right and wrong of things to
all who come under her care. She
teaches them to respect their bodies
too. She is a soldier, tell you, and a
brave one. Perhaps there is one like
her in your schooI-house. Please
think of teachers in future as fighters
for good, and you will then easily IN.
derstand that the weakest fighting of
all is that of mere bodily strength.
~;
Down on the east side OF New York
City, where in some places three thous-
and people are crowded into one small
blocA-thinll of that, you boys who
have wide acres and woods to roam
overt met some time ago, a young
man who was scarcely five feet tall.
He was also very light in weight,
hollow-chested, pale and weak. He
looked as though strong breeze
wonld blow him away; and, as for
walking, he told me that ten miles