The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1901-1903, 1902-09-24
YOUR SENSE OF DUTY.

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-
lance In the world has been based up
on 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
ened, their work made easier and their
ambition stimulated II they can be
made to feel toward duty that it is
not repulsive, but that 1t offers an OPP
portunity for achievement, an oppor-
tunity for every individual to prove his
worth and that he deserves to succeed.
II 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 I'M
press upon themselves the fact that
sense OF duty Is the noblest. most man
ly and at the same time most woman
~ Of qualities.
The average small boy thinks that
there is something soft about a duti-
full boy. He should be taught that
what made Washington fighter and
Lincoln great among his fellows was
nothing else than a sense of duty to
their country.
What makes fireman brave is a
sense Of duty. A sense Of duty is at
ihe 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 MS the
world has known, exemp'Aes as per-
fectly as any the beauty Of life in
spired by sense Of duty. and It Is
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 list das versinnlichte Material I'M
serer PLIGHT" said he
This idea--that our world Is but the
material incarnation of our duty-hc
taught, and, what is more, he practieed
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 bis beliefs When lac was poor
and young tutor, he set a good ex-
ample 10 every teacher As n tutor he
made his living, but he knew that his
duty to the child intrusted to him WAS
the principal thing. lie 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-hls pupil Every week he told
them the mistakes they had made ana
held them accountable for spelling the
child through tlattery, too much kind
ness, Ill 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 adj
miration for the young tutors moral
character.
Duty well ingralned in the soul viii
keep a man on the right path in easy
times and In hard times Fichte Is
quoted here because no man better
than he proves the power of sense
of duty. In small things duty guided
him, and It guided him at the end.
He was just past the half century Of
hic tfn nd Nod oil,
cessful. He had been called to the
chair of philosophy at Berlin, and no
teacher OF truth had ever been more
loved or more admired. On a certain
day he was to lecture, and he had cho-
sen Duty" for his subject. His coun-
try was ut war and threatened with
Invasion and absolute humiliation 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 conscripts
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
time of danger. 1t was marvellous
address. and it ended we'll
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 or
die in the attempt to recover her free
DOM"
Fichte 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, but
the example is good enough to last I'M
til now and for many hundred years
TO come. A year later, aged ffty-two,
he died. He caught the fever while
caring for those afflicted. among others
for his own wife. who had gone with
the army as nurse.
Make duty strong part of your
child's or your pupils moral educa-
ton, A sense of duty impels men to
struggle on and do their best even in
the face of failure; a sense of duty i'm
pels the successful man to make good
use of his success. The hideous. emp
ty, selfish lives of the self mdulgent