The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1909-11-05
OUR PUBllC SCnO0tS'

OUR PUBLIC SCnOOtS
4 Word ia favor Of Pubtlc Scheois !.
! General sad Our 0~e Schoejs
Ia Porticaiar.
There are many critics nova
days of the work done in the public
schools of our country, but no mar
of thought who is at all informed
is disturbed in his own mind, if h<
understands and appreciates thu
value of the American public
schoo' system. Our public achoo
system is the one thing of which
Americans are most proud. It IL
our greatest achievement. Ou,
forefathers, realizing the greates1
of necessities, frat made men free
and now IN the public schools, We
are making knowledge free to all.
1t would be we'll if all Americana
would seriously give consideration
at least once every school term, to
what they as citizens owe to the
public schools. Parents should
dwell with gratitude on the work OF
the teachers, for the more they
know of the real work of the teach.
ers, the stronger will be their faith
in the future of our country. Thou
sands of children in the homes are
actually educating their parents
particularly among the foreign.
born, giving to the older genera
ton the free knowledge that the
government gives to the children.
We look around us at our mines
mills, fields, and other means oi
providing food, clothing, and
shelter for the world, aud think
that these lines of business are all
important; but the fact is, the most
important business any one gen
GRAFTON has in republic, is giving
the next generation good educa
tion. Therefore the most impor
tant work being done in America
today is the work of the public
school teachers. Our achieve
ments in science, industry, and
money-getting are as nothing com
pared with the efforts to grow up a
better race of human beings. The
public schools develop that bette,
class OF humans. Land. labor and
capital are the three requisites Of
production, but the greatest oI
these is labor, and where on earth
can be found laborers 40 inteiligen,
and effective as in this land of pub
lie education.
The public school is not only a
factor for turning out human be
ing7 and a distributor of knowl
edge, it is also truly republican ia
its character, great mixer-"thl
melting pot"-of the innumera bl.
nationalities that constitute thl
human wealth of our land. If W,
should lose our mills and n,iues
our shops, railroads and othe,
forms of accumulated wealth thu
loss would be indeed great. Blu
every dollar of that loss, everi
stick, and stone, and rail woulG
soon be replaced by the children
who are now being trained in on,
public schools. On the other hand
If we were to lose our publ,
school system. if we Abandoned tn,
magnificent principle that de
clares all children entitled t
knowlege, that loss would be ir
reparable
Fathers and mothers should. b,
full of gratitude for the work O
the teachers and school author
tiles, for all these men and wou,e,
are working unselfishly, devotiuf
their lives to the welfare OF tn,
children in the schools. In thei
labors, they should receive tn,
earnest cooperation of parents an.
are deserving the thanks of tn,
public. Any man or woman VIII,
helps to make our public schoo
system better is the friend O
the whole nation, aud thereb,
helps develop better race in th
future. The man who from nia
gardliness, false sense of econom,
in taxation, would limit publi
school expenditure, is an iRnorau
citizen, or an unworthy Citizen, O
both. The man who would econ
omize at the expense of the schoo
children is mean spirited aud cor
temptible. He who thinks thu
there is any education too good 70
the poorest child in the publ
school is entirely unworthy of tn
opportunity that America offers t
all. 1t should be impossible fo
the richest man in the. world +
! give his children an education be
ter than that which he can get i
our best public schools. For til
common school gives what no Or
vate school, however "aristocrati<
or nobbish it may be, can possibl
supply. The public school gives
training in American equality.
brings the boy and girl into CO..
tact with real life az it is. It teac]
ca the growing mind to adm