The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-06-21
THE GLORIOUS FOURTH
AN APPEAL TOR 4 GRAND PATRl-
 OTTO CONCENTRATION.

Parade.
 A we'll known patriotic citizen writes: "ln an article from from the Daven- port, Iowa, Gazette, the following in teresting item appears: One of the in- structors in our high school being se- lected to examine the pupils of the graduating class on American history, propounded the following questions. CThe answers to be written on blanks furnished and twenty minutes allowed to answer them. Six questions were given):
 "First-What act of the English par liament in 1765 caused most serious alarm throughout the colonies, as an act of extortion and a blow at civil lib- erty?
 "Second-What important battle of the revolution occurred on April 19, 1775?
 "Third-What event occurred on the evening of September 22, 1780, which characterized the vigilance of the col onial soldiers?
 Fourth-What important event oc- cured on the 18th of October 17S1 and who were the chief actors?
 ''Fifth-What event occurred on No- vember 25, 17S1, which gladdened the hearts of the American soldiers?
 'Sixth-What event occurred on No vember 30, 17S2? When did 1t occur and who were the chief actors?
 'The class consisted of forty-one la dies and forty-six gentlemen gradu- ates.
 Three ladies answered three ques- tions each correctly.
 Five gentlemen answered two ques- tions each correctly.
 "Thirty-one answers were given cor rectly out of possibility of five hun dred and twentytwo, or 6 per cent. of the whole. This is a sad commentary on the system of teaching, or the in terest manifested in the study of Amer ican public schools.
 "If the above is a fair criterion of what the average high school pupil Is capable of learning and retaining con- cerning such important events as the English Stamp Act The Surrender of Cornwallis, The Evacuation of New York by the British and the Treaty of Peace Between England and the American Colonies how long will it be ere the average high school graduate will forget or fail to learn what events occurred on the 17th day of June and the fourth day of July?
 If these conditions exist to any great extent and we have no reason to doubt that it does, even among those who are supposed to be fairly we'll posted on American history, what about those who do not have advantages of a high school, or even the common school edu- cation. Are not these potent reasons why our national holidays should be devoted to the instruction of the people by oration, speech, poem and song, each tending to illustrate some special event in the great drama of our national in- dependence, to more forcibly emphasize our inherited liberties and extol the vir- tues of those who gave us a legacy of American freedom.
 ''To illustrate the cost of life and treasure sacrificial to achieve human rights, and the vigilance 1t requires, tC maintain and perpetuate the same, the following will apply:
 'An eminent statesman while deliv- ering a Fourth of July oration al Woodstock, Conn, a few years since under the auspices of Henry c. Bowen alluding to the battle of Trenton and tc Washington crossing the Delaware said: On that cold November night the earth shrouded in darkness Wash. ington crossed the river of ice
 "Just then a small boy sitting on the top of a conspicuous post shouted, il was on December 25.' The statesman paused, accepted the amendment, ant thanking the boy for the correction presented him with five dollar golt piece, proclaiming: Some day that boy will deliver Fourth of July orations' and 1t would not be improper to say here that on the fifth of July 1897, tha young man will deliver an oration 1T a large city in New York state. I al Jude to this, as at heart one redeemins feature of our youth respecting thei1 knowledge of American history Bu the average American boy enjoys op portunities and facilities for obtaining historical information that have beer denied many of our citizens, whos' early lives were spent in foreign clines Yet a casual observer will readily dis cover that the class to whom I hay, referred are the most attentive listen CTS to public speakers concerning al things pertaining to our history anC government.
 We have several holidays that eman ate directly from persons and events il connection with the great struggle o American liberty. Each of those day should be devoted to the education o the masses concerning the early hisror. of our country.
 ''The fourth day of July should b specially devoted to that kind of infor nation. The clergy should depar slightly from their usual custom ant give their hearers patriotic disserta tions. The press should devote libera space to the achievements of the ol' patriots; the causes which engendere hatred and conflict between the col onjes and the mother country; the re suits of that conflict and how one glo rious system of government was estab lished. The parent should strive t teach some lesson of patriotism to thei girls and boys on that great day o liberty.
 And when the old flag is swung t the breeze it should be done so with spirit of loyalty and reverence unr2is takable. All these things should b done Now let us see what the patr1 otic people of this historic city will q