The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-04-28
PEACE DAY COMING
Why and How il Should
Be Observed.
the BLESSINGS or ARBITRATION
How Schools Should be Taught in
Reference to the Day-Many
Practical Suggestions.

the opening of the first Hague Con-
schools. Its observance was first
recommended by the Secretary of
the State Board of Education in
Massachusetts,. Ohio at once fol-
lowed suit, and in 1907, the Super
intendents in annual convention at
Chicago recommended its observ-
ance in all States. Over a dozen
States have already taken special ac-
tion in regard to 1t, and in 1908 the
State Board of Education of Con-
necticut distributed fifteen thousand
programs to the teachers of the
State which outlined the instruction
to be given, and Rhode Island gave
two thousand OF the same programs
to her teachers.
In European countries the 18th
OF May is not always the day chosen
for peace day, February 22d, in
honor of Washington, being chosen
in some places, and in Germany the
anniversary of the Franco-Prussian
war being preferred whenever any
day is celebrated. For local rea-
sons in this country, especially in the
South where Schools close somewhat
earlier than elsewhere, another day
may be preferred. The date Is not
of primary consequence, but that
some part of one day should be set
aside for special instruction on the
peace movement and on the most
important features of the history
that is now making is now recogniz-
ed by American educators.
The School Peace League, which
is supported by the leading educa-
tors of the country, and of which
Supt. Van Sickle of Baltimore Is
President, was formed in 1908, and
will devote part Of it's attention to
Peace Day, which emphasizes the
Importance which the latter has
come to take in the educational
world.
AS no modern textbooks have
kept pace with the movement for
world organization which the Hague
Conference of 1899 heralded, it is
needless to say that the average
teacher is not often prepared to
make Peace Day exercises profitable
or to teach history through the year
so as to make it interpreted by the
special instruction which needs to
be given on this day. But the neces-
sary preparation is not difficult of
attainment.
Poems, songs, and speeches on
the beauties of peace and the hor-
rors of war have their place, but
they will be unintelligible in the
light of the observance of Memorial
Day, which follows shortly after
Peace Day unless interpreted by a
teacher who has a grasp of the
problem and who realizes why in
ternational war and civil war are in
different categories and why war
between nations can and will end
long before all strife within nations
can end. She must know how to
present reverence for the soldiers
of the war which was fought to pre-
serve the Union and free the slave,
consistently with that plan of
world-organization and of reference
of international difficulties to a Su-
preme Court of Nations which
makes future war between the
United States and any other nation
unnecessary. The patriotism which
sent a soldier to Gettysburg in '63
must animate his son to put our ma
tion by arbitration treaties beyond
the possibility of war with a for
eign nation to-day. There are no
questions which can not be arbitrat-
ed as we'll even now between France
and England and the United States
as between Tennessee and Ken
lucky; and when international or
ganization and international law are
but little further advanced this
will be true of all nations. How
the United States points the way tc
United World must form part oi
the instruction on Peace Day.
If possible, at least one school,
hour should be devoted to the exer.
cises, and Longfellow's arsenal al
Springfield should be on every
school programme. The peace flag
which is the national flag bordereG
with white, and, If possible, little
flags of other nations, may be uset
for decorations. The dove and olive
branch are the poorest of symbols
for use as to some minds they i'm
ply an element of weakness and dC
not convey the primary element o.
Justice which alone makes peace
day significant. AS righteous peace
is founded on international justice
war is to be condemned, not chiefly
for its cruelty and horror, but be-
cause it never, except accidentally
can do any justice. War decides
only who is the stronger. We wor
in the war with Mexico, but Genera
Grant rightly called 1t wicked war
The glory of the peace movement il
that it has produced machinery fol
providing international justice. Thii
now is available for all; future wal
between nations is criminal because
avoidable.
Some mention of the bloodlesi
Turkish revolution should be made
| to the older classes on the nex-