The Topeka state journal., 1905-06-09
TALKS TO EDITORS.
President of school superintendents
Discusses Schools and the Press.

Guthrie, Okla, June 9.-Mr. John
W. Carr, president of the department
of superintendents of the National
Educational association, delivered an
address before the editors entitled,
THE Public School and the Public
Press" He said in part:
Disregard for law is the most
common, the most insidious and the
most dangerous of all our national
sins. 1t is SO widespread and affects
so many classes that If 1t is not kept
down it will become a positive menace
to society. It manifests itself in va
rious ways and in all parts of our
country. Children in many homes
defy parental authority. Demag gogues
are all too frequently elected to office
only to betray the people they are
supposed to serve. Great labor or
carnations sometimes rush into un-
wise and unjustifiable strikes, resulting
in loss of property, acts of violence,
and all too frequently terminating in
bloodshed and murder. Some bust
ness men and so-called good citizens
resort to bribery and all sorts of fnesse
in order to obtain valuable franchises
and other public utilities without ad-
equate compensation to the people.
Great corporations sometimes rise to
power by resorting to espionage, brl-
berry, oppression and crimes of various
sorts. But in whatever form, whether
ingS, or the evasion of the liquor laws,
or perjury. or rebates to shippers. or
tax lodging, or vote buying, or the
prostitution of official position, or the
purchase of legislatures, it is all one
thing disregard for law.
Now if this national disease is to
| be cured. we must go to the very root
/ of the matters Children must be
/ taught obedience and respect for law
and constituted authority. There must
be better discipline in the home and
/ in the public schools. I do not plead
/ for the sternness harsnnses and bru-
tality of the old-time discipline, but
even that is preferable to much of
our soft sentimentality that causes us
to be afraid to spank Johnny for fear
he will die or will never love US any
more. But Johnny will not die, and
! he will grow only the stronger in
I character and love because his par
| ents and teachers have taught him a
wholesome regard for law. The pub
lie schools win fail, miserably fail, if
/ there is not proper discipline in them.
! Chicago has banished the rod from
| the schools, but she has not done
away with the policeman's club and
the fixed bayonets of an armed
soldiery.
'@The public press can assist greatly
in the maintenance Of proper dlcip-
line in the schools. If the press insists
that there shall be proper discipline, If
in magnified form to every little case
that arises, if it refuses to champion
the cause of every calloW youth who
fails to pass in his studies or has been
spanked or suspended on account OF
his misconduct, if it declines to give
the use of its columns to Tom Dick
and Harry in order that they may air
their grievances or get even with their
teachers-such a policy will aid teach
ers and such officials not only YIN IN the l9
the schools. but in the development
of citizens that will respect and obey
the law after they leave the schools.
ssWhile the public press can assist
teachers greatly in training children 6 ,dr
to respect and obey laws yet II mas
still greater privilege and higher
duty to perform; It is to to demand lem nd
class be privileged to disregard It
This duty and the responsibility can
no more be evaded than the senuI ~
eva des responsibility for the army
while he is on picket duty. I believe
this problem to be of such importas,n,ce G.,
that the history of our country Will be
affected by the solution that is given