Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-07
BUTLER STATES
LIBERTY UNDER
LAW is IDEAL
RULE FOR GOOD CITIZENSHIP
is LAID DOWN
PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA TALKS
TO EDUCATORS
Noted Scholar Says Colleges and
Schools of Country Have Task of
Preparing Intelligent Amer
lean Citizens
II ENVER, July 6.-Nicholas Murray
Butler, president of Columbia uni
~ rnrcitu Nnru Xnrlr citV laid down

! q L
Butler, president of Columbia uni
~ versity, New York city. laid down
| a rule for good citizenship tonight
when he told the members of the Ma
tional Educational association that
| ''liberty under law" is the ideal state
of existence.
| DR.. Butler was heard by a large
| audience in the Denver auditorium.
President Butler said the educational
| instrumentalities of the country
schools, colleges and universities alike,
| have before them here a task when
| takes precedence of all questions OF
school organization and management,
of programs of study and curriculum,
| of teachers salaries and tenure of Of
flee, of general vocational training, OF
secondary and auxiliary questions OF
| every sort-the task, namely, or pre-
pairing intelligent American citizens to
take up each his own share of the ma
tion's responsibilities.
"The unrest which is abroad in the
world and which is found alike In
Europe and in America, in the un-
| changing east as well as in the restless
and rapidly moving west, is in no small
| part due to the lack of understanding
| of what is going on in the world and
what has gone on hitherto" said the
speaker.
"The world has been for more than
a hundred years under the spell OF ap-
| stract principles, admirable in them
selves, and yet the world in large
measure lacks the ability or the Ca
pacity so to organize itself and its bust
ness that those principles shall find
| Just and equable expression.
| Everywhere old beliefs, old tradi-
tions and old customs are giving way
before the corroding tooth of time and
| as the -honored creeds, political,
social and religious, lose their hold,
| others equally controlling and impera-
! tive do not come forward to take their
place. Immense masses of men are
! left, therefore, with almost boundless
| opportunities for good or evil, but with
out guiding principles with which to
work This leads to moral restless
ness.
"There are many who feel that the
/ rising generation of Americans is grow
| ing up without any proper knowledge
of fundamental principles of American
! institutions and American government
| Because of this lack of knowledge,
well-meaning men lend ear quite too
J readily to demagogues who propose to
/ them all sorts of schemes without any
relation, save one of antagonism, to es-
tablished political principles.
Greed and Hate Elevated
"From listening to demagogues it is
but a short and easy step to a state
of mind in which envy, greed and hate
are elevated to the lofty place which
should be occupied by respect and
confidence. as we'll as by political in
sight. political knowledge and political
experience. The Americans of an
earlier day got their training in the
fundamental principles of citizenship
from the stern facts which faced them
To-day, however, one hears much
less of these fundamental principles
There are those among us, some OF
them in places of responsibility and
great influence, who call them out
worn, antiquated, obstacles to popular
government, and who would substitute
the passing desire of today for the
carefully wrought design of all time
The courts are attacked as usurpers OF
an authority which the people them
selves have given them for the people
own protection The carefully built
guards which have been put about in
dividual rights and liberties are de-
nounced as fortresses of privilege by
those who seek privileges for them
| selves at the expense of the rights OF
others.
Enemies of Human Order
"There are only two really deep
seated and influential enemies of hui
man happiness and human order
| ignorance and selfshness. These &c
pretty much all the damage that Is
done in the world. and they are the
always present obstacles to improving
| the condition of mankind. 1t is the
province of intellectual education tC
| address itself to the first of these, ano
it lis the task of moral education tC
deal with the other.
"If one, seeking to know the story
of civilization, casts his eye back over
| the pages of recorded history. he will
| find that the record of progress can be
written in a single sentence. 1t, is the
development of liberty under law. Lib
erty and law are the two words upon
whose true and faithful exposition al
| training for citizenship must rest. he
who truly understands the meaning oi
| liberty and the meaning of law, and
the relation of one to the other, Is
| ready to face his full duty as ar
American citizen.
IAN intelligent citizenship, which is
also good citizenship implies, however
much more than a knowledge of funda-
mental principles, indispensable as
that knowledge is. Good citizenship
| implies a habit of will by which the
| individual instinctively conforms his
| action in concrete cases to the abstract
principles in which he processes belief :
Teachers Should BE Healthy
"No teacher with round shoulders
and a hacking cough should be per-
| mitted to be in the school ROOM"
''rrhe city is responsible for lowered
mentality and weakened body in ar
increasing number of school children
"Feed the physical body its educa-
tion as you feed the brain its words
and figures"
These were some of the points urged
on the huge gathering of teachers ir
! the department of education of the
| National association this afternoon.
William w. Hastings of Springfield
Mass. urged most of the above rigid
announcements on the teachers, and
though they seemed to come straight
| from the shoulder none of his auditor:
! took offense. On the contrary they
heartily applauded the sentiment for g
| hygienic school room both from the
| standpoint Of the school teacher anC
the scholar. A discussion~on the sub
ject of health in the school room lee
! by DR.. ]. E. Peairs of Pueblo Colo.
brought out the fact that most of tht
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