The Advocate and news., 1899-04-12


which will ennoble life and sanctify social
institutions. There should be nothing for
eign or wn.AmeriCan in our citizenship or
in our philosophy of government. The fu.
ture citizen should be taught to look upon
our government as an institution, worthy
the unswerving loyalty of all intelligent
and patriotic men in time of peace, as we'll
as in time of war. l speak not under the
pressure of any emotion when / say that the
men who poisOns the public mind and con-
science with false and dangerous doctrines
is guilty of Just as great a crime against
the government as is he who stuifs the bal
lot box or prove traitor to the flag of our
country. Citizenship should be regarded,
not as a tool for unprincipled demagogues,
but as a priceless heritage secured through
heroic blood. II we hope to meet the urgent
demands of the hour, if we hope TO settle
rightly the great problems confronting us;
if we hope to perpetuate those broad prin-
ciples of free government, which have added
grandeur to our history and immortality to
our heroes, we must be big enough and
broad enough to apply American thought
to the solution of American problems. We
must make the young men-the future citi-
zens of our Country-consciOus of the pos
sibilities which are theirs. We must give
them true conception of the opportunities
offered them by the government under
which they live. The voter must be i'm.
pressed with the duties Of citizenship be-
fore he can appreciate the privileges of
citizenship. It is n recognition of this broad
principle that makes the training of citizen
ship so far-reaching in its results and con-
sequences.
Another lesson which we should teach in
the line of citizenship is a proper cOncep-
tion of the relation which the individual
sustains to the government The ignorant
and Indifferent citizen to often labors under
the delusive impression that the govern
ment owes him living. This, of course is
a radically misleading conception of the
duties of citizenship and of the functions of
government. hold it to be truth which
cannot be denied by schOlaristic or political
sOphistry, that this government Of our owes
no man u living, but every man owes the
government his support, and, if need be, his
life. This is patriotism. This is American
ism. This is the only philosophy of govern
ment that we should allow to be taught in
our homes and in our schools. It is n
philosophy that purfes the public con.
science, stimulates ambition, and makes for
an exalted and purified citizenship. The
more we do for the government, even in To-
cal affairs, the more the government will
be able to do for us. And the less we do
for the government the less the government
will be able to do for us. The tendency OF
our age seems to be to blame the govern
ment for the weakness OF our laws, for tho
corruption of our politics. and for the in.
equality OF society, forgetting in the mean
time, that the government Is not an entity,
not an organization, but simply the ex-
pressed will of the people through the bal
lot box. Hence, the Importance of making
clear the supreme truth, that If we wish a
pure form of government and faithful
execution Of the laws, we must see to it
that not few but all discharge faithfully
the duties which they owe the government
of which they are constituent parts. As a
citizen, you are a part Of the government
and your expression through the ballot
through tho ballot box, on every public
measure becomes part of the policy Of the
, government under which you live. If vices
and corruption exist it is not necessarily
the fault Of the individual citizen. Either
, the citizen has not used rightly the oppor-
, tunities offered him, or else he has helped
to elect corrupt and incompetent men Ia
office. In either case the fault belongs to
the citizen and not to the government II
this analysis he true, IA believe it is, we
cannot emphasize too fOrcibly the import
ance Of giving due attention to the individ-
ual citizen. Whenever we neglect the in
dividual, we degrade politics; when we de-
grade politics, we degrade citizenship; when
we degrade citizenship, we degrade the peo-
pie and when we degrade the people we de-
grade the government There is but one
way in which we can hope to maintain a
strong, clean, and aggressive public con
science and that is to give every citizen as
far as we can a correct knowledge OF there
latiOn which he sustains to the government.