The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-12-30
Keepine the Bows at School.

Keeping the Boys AZ ScnOOl.
Read by J. l. Brueck before the Teachers
Association December IS, 1908, and he was re-
quested by them to have 1t published In e
next issue Of The Leader.
In discussing question of such
vital Importance, feel that l am
treading on holy ground. A
question that means so much to
the welfare of the rising genera
ton and the future Of our coun-
try, should have the careful at
tention Of every teacher; shall !
say teacher! Rather, the Ameri-
can citizen. l-S
Governor McRea truly said in
his inaugural address before the
legislature: "There are but two
great ideas-God and liberty, and
to appreciate these man must be
educated, and to be educated, the
means must be provided; and
this is the duty of the State. -
These words have ever been q
guiding star to the educational in
terests of our State; and the State,
in a great measure, has performed
its duty, and the means have been
provided. The next question
arises, how are we to get our
boys and girls to avail themselves
of the opportunities which the
State has placed in the easy grasp
of every one within her borders9
Upon this question depends the
stability of the American gov
eminent. Many problems have
been presented to the twentieth
century for solution, but educa-
ton crowns them all in its i'm
portance and the magnitude of its
influence, and is occupying the
careful attention and study of the
greatest minds of the day,
The civilized world today is
the product of education. Edu-
cation enabled some minds, even
in the darkest ages of European
history, to rise from poverty and
obscurity to be the lights and
guides of mankind. This is q
revolution, growing out of the
constitutions of our natures, and
points out the business of educa.
ton as the duty and calling OF
man, because it is the law of ou1
being. The American nation is
in its infancy and in a short space
of time this will be a new nation.
1t is for this state of things that
the present generation is to edu-
cate and train its successors, and
on the care and skill with which
their education is conducted will
depend the honor and success
with which those who come after
us will perform their parts or
the stage of life. Order must be
preserved, not by a military po-
lice, but the spontaneous concert
of u we'll informed population.
Education which in the lapse
of time makes the vast difference
in the case of an educated person,
transforms his intellect from
what it is at childhood, into what
it becomes in the mature man.
If the intellectual energy is wisely
exerted, its exercise, instead OF
exhausting, increases its strength,
and not only this, but as it moves
onward from mind to mind, the
truths which it embodies are
holding on their pathway of light
and glory awakening other minds
to the same heavenly career.
These are small beginnings, but
look around you at the institu-
tons which are the pride and
blessing of our country. Whence
originated the great reforms in
our prisons, which have accom-
plished their wonders of philan.
thropy and mercy in so short a
time, and made the penitentiaries
of America the model of the penal
institutions of the worldl They
were begun on so small a scale
that it is difficult to assign their
effective origin to any precise
source. Every great work must
be started with small beginnings,
and great minds are developed
from what seems to be an insig-
nificant one at first. Supersti-
tons resting on ignorance vanish
before the diffusion Of knowl-
edge, like the mist on river be-
fore the rising sun; and govern
ments are brought down to their
only safe and just basis.
Where ignorance beholds moth
ing but "a rough, inorganic mass,
instruction discerns the intelligi-
BILE records of the primal convul-
tions of the world.
Education means this and more
to our State, and not only our
State, but our nation. The per-
petuity of our national govern
ment depends on the individuality
of her citizenship. The very