Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-04-01

bitches or saw wood. If he does those
things well, is just as much entitled
TO respect as the president of the
United States. Still, some ocrupa.
lions are more important than others
and certainly none is more Important
to the community than that of the
common school teacher.
| believe in the common schools
would not send my children else
where as long as there was a fairly
good common school available. | am
an American citizen and | want nv
children educated in the public school
because there they get the ideas which
an American citizen should have.
1ney rub elbows with those who are
to be their fellow citizens in years to
come. Our public school is the best
school of democracy that has ever
been developed In the world. And il
there were existing in this community
another school not a public school.
which taught the various branches OF
study a good deal better than the pub
lie schools do, still | would send my
children to the public school, because
there they will learn the lessons that
they cannot learn so thoroughly any,
where else in this country, or any.
where else in the world-the lessons
of true democracy. The boys and
girls that meet and mingle with each
other in the school rooms and on the
play grounds are learning lessons OF
citizenship. A stream cannot rise
any higher than its source. and the
springs of good citizenship in our
country are largely in the common
schools. If there Is not the right spir-
it in those schools. there will not be
the right spirit later in the public life
of the community. And that is why
we should guard the public schools:
that Is why we should be willing to
pay a compensation that will insure
good service. We should remember
that the laborer is worthy Of his hire.
Any man who has business to do with
a lawyer will pay him more for one
case than a teacher is paid for one or
two. or perhaps three, months of hard
labor. We pay a doctor more for a
few visits than a teacher will get per-
haps for thirty days of good hard
work. We cannot measure the i'm
portance or honorableness of any oc.
%cupation by the compensation. Ii Is
true now and 1t always has been and
1t always will be true that the very
best reward any man or woman gets
for his or her work Is the conscious
ness of doing that work honestly and
well. If that reward were eliminated
there would be slight motive in striv-
ing to do ones work well. And that
must be the consolation of the under
paid school teacher. Nevertheless,
there are a good many compensations
in such a life. One who does dis.
charge such important duties well has
a reward in the very fact that the
duty has been discharged-in the feel
ing that n has rendered good SER
vice. The best compensation lies in
things of this kind and not in dollars
and cents. Still. as a matter of pub
lie economy and safety. there ought
to be such ar improvement in our
policies as to remove the dangers
which arise from the too low compen.
sation that Is often paid. and from the
too frequent changes that ordinarily
result. We should make our school
establishments more permanent. or
course, out here in Montana, where
school teachers marry of about as
fast as we bring them in. II Is imprac-
ticable to retain them long, but our
state is growing older and 1t will not
always be this way, and every COM
munity ought to look forward to put
ting its teaching force and its organ
ization Of the public school on a more
permanent basis. We do not want our
boys and girls to see a new face on
the rostrum every term or every year.
1t Is with regret that | have learned
that Prof. Busenburg Is about to leave
us, after three years of honorable SER
vice among us. For my part, | should
like to have him remain at the head
of our schools all his life. | should
like to have any good teacher kept
just as long as he or she would stay
the young ladies' until they get mar
ried and the young men until they
find something better-and we should
see to 1t that they do not find any
thing very much better. In that way
we might build up a permanent or
ganization and not have these perpet-
ual fluctuations, which are disastrous
to the school and hard on the teacher.
| should like to see all the teachers
appointed for life or during good be-
havior. Such a policy would be good
for teachers and better for the schools.
What shall we put in these schools
In which We are trying to make good
men and women and good citizens OF
this Republic? II was ono said that
to be a Roman vas greater than TO be
a king. and | should like to see our
children grow up to believe that. to
be an American citizen. Is better than
to be a king. | believe that we should
start in the public schools to incul-
cate that view. Any one who has OBJ
served the course OF events knows
that there are a good many things
rotten in our body polite; every one
KNOWS tDdt u great many tnlnBS occur
that ought not to occur-things that
are unworthy the dignity OF an Amer
lean citizen. What kind of a citizen
Is the man who will take three dol.
lars, or perhaps a less or greater sum,
for his vote? And still we have plenty
of them. We all know that American
citizens, in considerable numbers, can
be bribed and bribed very cheaply.
Now, we do not want our boys to grow
up with any such low idea OF the right
of the ballot, and they should be
taught better right here In these pub.
lie schools. There Is a dignity and a
worth in American citizenship that
ought to appeal to the man that holds
tia dignity and a worth far above
any such vulgar, sordid consideration.
or ANYTHING else than simply what Il