Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1901-07-06

1t is all of life to get dollars and all Of
education to teach youth how to get
dollars looks sordid. not to say small
and contemplate. And they see things
more as they are. Money Is only one
of n number of things In this world
that are worth the trouble of getting.
Scientific knowledge Is worth having.
So is a knowledge of history. SO Is a
knowledge of languages. So are heart
and mind full Of sympathy and help.
fulness. SO is broad, all.around devel.
Opment of intellect. taste and morals.
So is character. Mr.. Schwab may not
be aware of tive cannot expect any.
one to be aware of 1t who never en-.
joyed and does not appreciate high
education and culture-but IL Is none
the less true that the man Of broadly
and highly educated and developed
mind, heart and character Is worth
vastly more to the world and contrib.
utes more to the welfare and happiness
Of his kind than the man who Is mere
ly skilled In amasslng dollars. Not
every man can get rich. 1t Is not de.
sirable that every man should know
how to get rich and exercise his knowl.
edge and skill In that direction. This
would not be very delightful world
IL all men were of that kind. But every.
one can learn something, and the more
and the broader his knowledge of all
things except evil the better for him.
self and for all with whom he may
come In contact. directly or Indirectly.
A man may easily be richer than he de-
serves to be; no man can be too wiso
or too good. That Is to say, no man
can be too highly educated In the best
sense Of the word. and that Is very far
from being sordid sense.
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Vital statistics In New England show
n continual decline In the birth rate Of
the native population. They indicate
that but for foreign re.enfOrcements
that part of the United States would be
losing ground like France-bec0ming
less populOus from year to year. The
same tendency Is ut work In the rest Of
the country. Everywhere It Is notice.
able that the people Of native American
stock have small families. The ex.
ample set by the Indians has been fol.
lowed by their earliest white successors.
The pure bloOded Yankee appears to be
u passing phenomenon ON American
soil. We do not mention these facts
for the purpose Of preaching sermon
upon the necessity Of raising larger
families, but for a more practical OBJ
ject. The American nation Is not
race, but pollty. 1t does not depend
upon blood. 1t Is the creature Of Its
institutions! The lawless Sicilian Ma.
fiote, the fierce Hun. the crlnglng Rus
sian Jew. when subjected long enough
to the influence Of American surround.
ings becomes Amerlcanixed, and his
children are as good Americans as the
descendants Of the passengers of the
MayfiOwer. Therefore II we want to
save America from the national death
that Ia threatened by the decline In the
native birth rate we must keep our in.
situations In such vig0r that they can
asslmilate the foreign immigrants and
their children. and turn what otherwise
would swamp our nationality into q
means OF its preservation. And the
most powerful Of all the agencies work.
ing toward that end Is the public school
system. The public schools are useful
indeed necessary--fOr the production
Of intelligent citizens. That Is an i'm
pOrtant work, but 1t is trivial compared
with the supreme work Of preserving
the American nationality. This is In
the most literal sense a matter Of life
or death. 1t Is a question not merely
whether we shall have intelligent
Americans, but whether We shall have
any Americans at all. As long as our
splendid school system continues to
bring up our children of all natiOnallties
In the traditions of American prin-
cples and American patriotism the re.
public will be safe. And It can be saved
in no other way.
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Men are not attracted to church by
mere lectures OH social and civic topics
The more intelligent Of them do not
care to hear sensational preaching.
Why should the minister attempt to
initiate or compete with the platform
lecturer, the stump speaker or the
stereoptlcon Snowman? II the word Of
God, the message of Christ, Is not to be
preached from the pulpit, where shall 1t
be preached?
A pOstOffice clerk has been robbing
the mails because he could not support
his wife and two children on 5000 a
year. Many people neglect to read the
schemes in the newspapers for living
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