The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1905-06-01
ty of making cheap books. The
invention of movable types by

make possible cheap printing.
The ancients had libraries but
sun dried brick, papyrus. aud
parchment made it impossible
for any but the we'll to do to
own a book and none but the
very rich could have a library.
You were taught the English
language, the most composite
OF all languages. Jew, Greek,
Roman and Saxon have helped
to make it rich in thought and
difficult to spell because having
so many letters representing
forgotten pronunciations. You
have inherited the language
that seems likely to become un-
iversal. All educated men in
the next century will speak it.
You entered a free school
The beginning of the tree
school may be traced to the
jewish Synagogue. When the
Jews were in exile and had no
longer the sacred city and
temple, they collected with
scrupulous care the writings of
Moses and his successors and
taught them to their children.
The motive for popular edu-
cation was religious. This was
the motive that led the early
church to establish schools for
the nations that it sought to
evangelize. This was the mo.
tive that led the Puritans of
Massachusetts, to found Har-
ward College and establish the
common schools at a time when
the church in a large measure
ruled the state.
The free school beside the
free church is Americas con-
tribution to the solving of the
problems of humanity.
"Nor heeds the skeptics puny hands
While near her school the church
spire stands:
Nor fears the bigots blinded rule
While near her church spire stands
the school,"
From the first you had the
benefit of the pedagogical wis
dom of the past. Aristotle,
Pla alto, Pestalozzi, Froebel,
Horace Mann, DR.. Stanley Hall
and Pres. Elliot have indirectly
contributed to your education.
In your first introduction to
literature you read Aesop's
Fables aud the results of the
latest discoveries of science in
your nature books.
The story of the house you
live in interested you from the
first. You learned in Ply
siology of the noble line of men
who labored and some of whom
died that you might know how
to live a healthy physical life.
The Egyptians knew.something
of anatomy but their science
was largely for the embalminQ
of the dead; while from Escul-
apius the purpose of Medicine
has been to prevent and to
cure. Harvey, Lister, Jenn.
er are but a few of those who
have enriched the life of man.
kind and are entitled to the
name of Great. Some of you
would probably have died ere
this had they not added their
contribution to the worlds
stock of knowledge.
You began in the simple
stories of travel to learn about
this planet or which you dwell.
The area of the world known to
Moses was less than one third
the area of q. s. and the por-
tion that was habitable less
than one eighth.
All the knowledge acquired
from the time that Phoenician
sailors began to make their
venturesome voyages down
thru the long line of explorers
Columbus and his contempor-
aries, Stanley and Livingstone
became yours in a few weeks.
BY means of pictures and maps
you visited strang lands and
peoples aud felt yourself grow
to be a citizen of the world.
One day you asked the mean
ing of the flag that floats over
the school house. Then began
the marvellous story of the pro-
gress of mankind up to our own
time. You learned what it cost
in blood and treasure that that
flag might continue to float over
the land of the free and the
home of the brave. You came
to respect as never before the
veterans, now few in number,
who remain to tells us of a des-
perate fight for freedom. But
you learned, also, that this was
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