The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-27

pecially those of late. have come rom countries in which there was but little political training or self-control or edu- cation among the masses of people AS MT. Root says: Since 1850, over 2l,OOO,- 00l immigrants have come with inner ited tendencies. the traditions and the acquired habits of hopeless submission to superior external power, or or vlo- lent struggle against it, and with llttle, if any, preparation either of habit or understanding, for the performance of duties of government themselves: and they have had to be educated, in mind. and character, for self-government.
 But. what has been and what is the. instrument? what, but our public school system and it's. teaching force! The children of these aliens, have been compelled to attend our common schools. and their parents have been educated through their children. For not only do we educate the young, but the young educate us. "A little child shall lead then." And the children of these aliens. who have passed or are now passing through our schools, have taught and are teaching the adults at home.
 Our common school system, then. is dcing more to solve the. problem of, the immigrant in our midst, than any other factor or force in our body polite. It | is providing the better race to com mand the future. It is building the na- ton upon the better understood and better served childhood It is aiding, | mere than any other institution, save the family, in securing an ascending national life It has at its command, l the hidden wealth of capacity and pos s!bility that lies in youth, It cans sse- cure that wealth by wise training, and thus improve our national life from generation to generation, providing with the lapse of the years nobler men and fairer women.
 But. the school teacher, the curicu- lum, the physical equipment and the l finances, are all secondary-an effect rather than cause. What the school
 teacher shall manage or attempt to
 teach. or be paid, will be ruled in q country like ours by what public opinion demands, at least 10 "a very large entent Thsfefofe. though we court the condemnation of being repe- f titious, we welcome this agitation for a better wage for our teachers for itg en- l ahles gus to focus our mind upon upon $ the real question involved, i e.,9theatre- mendous importance and hidden power { that lies in our public school system in 1 the making ofgthe nation If weS can make this incandescent; the gtneager- ness of our financial baagetss for our schools and the teaeherss Twill be re- vealed. 5g s5a sNEE
 Dr. Henry Van Dyke in an aHicle tentitled "Creatiye Education, among other Essays in Applieation, Says 3s Tt will be a good thing if the cities and towns of America would spend twice as much as. they are spending to- day for common school, education.A It would be good thing five could ihave twice as many teachers and twice as intelligent, especially for the primary grades" Quite true; but it is equally true that 1t would be d, good thing if the cities and towns of America could srend twice as much as they are spend ing for common school; edncation.9 The fact of the matter is, every growing city and town in America is q great deal like man with a. growing in-
 come but also with a growing family; h. is always poor. tt
 ] Therefore we are not here to say, how much the tax rate should be increased,
 to add to burdens already. difficult for some of our fellow citizens to bear. to instruct presumably able board of finance or of education. but as a min ister of the gospel to call attention,
 not so much to the salary question, though that is Important. but to that which we now and then partically real ize, i. e., the tremendous bearing and importance of the public school teach e: in the making of the nation. MT.
 Stcrrow of Boston says "The success and prosperity of this community, as
 in every other community, depends on the success and efficiency of each unit. Tell me what kind of boys your schools
 turn out, and I can tell you what kind
 of a government you will have; I can
 tell you what the scale of your living
 is whether your people live comfort ably; whether your laboring man earns enough to secure anything more than daily routine of work and sleep; | J4yb athar Eic Nuifn h,,poov, dr,,daa.