Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-08-18

Especial Washington letter.
A long time ago Henry Lord Brough-
am said, "The schoolmaster is abroad"
Could the great high chancellor have
returned to earth in the first half of
July and been in Washington he would
have found confirmation strong as proofs
Of holy writ that his declaration was
true. The schoolmaster was here in
force, and the schoolmarms-God bless
'emi-were for multitude as the sands
upon the seashore and the stars of
heaven. I doubt seriously if as much
brains was ever before in this magnif-
cent city at any one time. I may be
partial to schoolteachers, for I was n
myself in the long ago, beginning be-
fore I was 10 and continuing in that
delectable business at intervals till I
was past 26, running in that time the
whole scale, from teaching the A B @
class in q Kentucky log s~choolhouse,
with its backless slab benches, to the
presidency of a college. To save my life
I can't help yearning for the old oca
ton yet, sometimes, and have a fellow
feeling, q sort Of esprit de corps, for
all engaged in that noble calling. The
pay Of the average teacher will never.
make him or her rich, but the conscious
ness of doing good, like virtue, is its own
exceeding great reward. A lawyer may
have qualms of conscience about turning
some Of his clients loose upon the com-
munity; q congressman, through mad
vertence or lack of information, may
vote wrong on a proposition virtually
affecting the veal of rs, 600, 900 people,
but a teacher is cocksure of being right
in teaching the alphabet or the multi
plication table and only gets into the re-
gion of doubt when he reaches history,
which Napoleon declared at st. Helena
to be made up mainly of lies. So I say
reverently and fervently, ''The school
teachers-God bless and prosper them,
one and ALI"
Good Breeding In Congress.
A very wise man said, "Let me write
the songs of a country, and I ARE not
who makes its laws" I say, "Let me
select the teachers of one generation and
fix their opinions, and I will unerringly
predict the beliefs OF the succeeding
generation"
So these character builders took pos
session of the Capital City just as o
gress was dissolving, for it dissolved,
disappeared, disintegrated. frazzled out,
rather than adjourned. How many en-
bryo representatives, senators, speakers,
cabinet ministers and presidents were
among the visiting teachers cannot now
be ascertained. There were scores of
them, no doubt. Washington was enter
tanning statesmen unawares. If the
teachers peeped into the house, there
sat Thomas Bracket Reed, once a peda-
gogue, now presiding over $50 repre-
sentatives and delegates, most of whom
are ~ex-teachers and whom he treats
much as he would a lot of unruly boys,
for the pedagogical habit is still strong
in "the man from Maine"
If they went to the other end Of the
avenue and penetrated the White House,
there sat William Mckinley, who once
taught the young idea how to shoot.
Wherever they wandered they beheld
trophies Of the schoolmaster and read
the glowing inscriptions upon his mon
ument.
1t must have been a rude shock to
these teachers, who believe that ''order
is heavens first law" to hear "Uncle"
Joe Cannon Of Illinois give the lie to a
member and then hastily apologize for
fear of being thrashed and to see George
W. Ray Of New York take advantage
Of my temporary absence in Missouri to
Willy and SANDER me. The teachers of
the land should not judge the conduct
Of the house by the indecency of "Un-
Gle" Joe or the courage Of the members
by the cowardly performance of Ray.
They r only the exceptions which
prove the rule Of good breeding, honor,
truth and fair dealing usual among
members Of the American congress.
. Work For the Fool Killer.
The fool killer, a functionary who is
supposed to have universal jurisdiction,
is evidently not busy in his laudable
vocation in these sultry days, but must
be taking q vacation, or he would crack
the noggins of those idolaters who are
suggesting Grover Cleveland as the
illogical presidential candidate Of the
Democrats for 1900.
The thing is too preposterous for be-
lief and is not even in the range of pos
sibilities.
I have no disposition whatever to dis
cuss G.. @. I cannot even quote appro-
priately the old song, "Let the dead
and the beautiful rest" for, though he
is dead politically as the men who lived
before the food, he was never beauti-
full, even in his best estate. Fifty Ga
briefs couldn't resurrect him as a polit-
ical force. The Odd spot on his
| Democratic record, like the blood of muir
dered Duncan on the hand of Lady Mac
| BETH" will not out" All the waters Of