The Tucson citizen., 1902-11-07
YOUR SENSE OF DUTY
CULTIVATE 1T TO THE EXTREME
LIMIT OF YOUR ABILITY.

Qua1ities-The Real Basis of Edu-
cation and Success.
Teachers and parents are asked to
consider the statement that a sense OF
duty is the foundation of real educa-
ton and the basis of success. What
ever has been achieved of real impor-
tance in the world has been based up
on q sense of duty. Religion itself is
founded upon duty, and its main teach
ings deal with questions of duty-the
duty of men and women toward each
other and toward their Creator
Children's minds will be strength.
Fned, their work ~ be easier and their
ambition stimulated If they can be
made to feel toward duty that it Is
not repulsiVe, but that it offers an op-
portunity for achievement, an oppor-
tunity for every individual to prove his
worth and that he deserves to succeed.
If duty can be strongly developed in
the mind of young child, the effect
will remain through life and make that
child's existence useful.
Parents should impress upon their
children-and young people should inn
press upon themselves-the fact that a
sense of duty is the noblest, most man
ly and at the same time most woman
ly of qualities.
The average small boy thinks that
there is something "sOft" about duti-
full boy. He should be taught that
what made Washington a fighter and
Lincoln great among his fellows was
nothing else than q sense Of duty to
their country.
What makes q fireman brave is a
sense of duty. A sense of duty is at
the foundation of every effort made to
provide for children, to meet the obli-
cations of life honestly.
The German philosopher Fichte, as
admirable moral character as the
world has known, exemplifies as per-
fectly as any the beauty of a life in.
life which may be well studied by
those engaged in shaping the charac-
ter of the young.
The very keynote of his philosophical
system was based on duty. "Unsere
Welt ist das versinnlichte Material un-
serer Phicht," said he.
This idea-that our world is but the
material incarnation of our duty-he
taught, and, what is more, he practiced
what he preached.
One preacher who practices his
preachings thoroughly is worth many
of the other kind, no matter how elo-
quent the others. And Fichte prac-
ticed his beliefs. When he was poor
and young tutor, he set good ex-
ample to every teacher. As tutor he
made his living, but he knew that his
duty to the child intrusted to him was
the principal thing. He knew also
that every child is really formed in
character and morals by the influence
of its parents.
Fichte kept journal devoted to the
attitude of his employers toward their
child-his pupil. Every week he told
| them the mistakes they had made and
| held them accountable for spelling the
| child through fattery, too much kind
ness, i'll judged severity or in what
| ever way. Strange to say, the parents
actually put up with this for two
whole years, SO great was their ad-
miration for the young tutors moral
| character.
| Duty well ingrained in the soul will
keep man Oh the right path in easy
| times and in~ hard times. Fichte is
| quoted here because no man better
J than hn ho of
| of duty. In small things duty guided
4 him, and it guided him at,the end.
| He was just past the half century of
his age and had been gloriously sue
! cessful. He had been called to the
/ chair of philosophy at Berlin, and no
I teacher of truth had ever been more
/ loved or more admired. On a certain
! day be was to lecture, and he had cho-
/ sen Duty for his subject. His coun-
/ try was at war and threatened with
Invasion and absolute annihilation of
/ her liberties.
! Fichte, who had talked much of the
/ little duties Of life, talked ON this day
of mans duty to his country. The
/ sound of drums calling for cQnscripts
frequently interrupted his lecture. He
| told the listening young man that each
mans duty is to lend his individual
strength and life to his country In
tlme Of danger, It was a marvellous
address, and it ended well.
For at the close he said to his great
crowd Of admiring students: This
! course of lectures will be suspended
until the end of the campaign. We
/ shall resume them in free country OF
die in the attempt to recover her free
DOM"
/ Ftchte left his lecture platform to en-
list as a simple soldier, and. needless
to say, his students followed his exam
pie in crowds. That was at the be
ginning of the campaign of 1913. bu'
the example is good enough to last un
til now and for many hundred year:
to come. A year later, aged fifty-two
he died. He caught the fever while
caring for those afflicted, among Others
for bis own wife, who had gone wit.
the army as nurse.
,Vnv4v .A,. n.& x,E