Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1909-11-04

A Plea On the Rights of the
Child
By Superintendent Bryan of our Pub
lie Schools.
A correspondent sends us
some brief notes of this fine adj
dress at the opera house on
Sunday night.
"There are a thousand rea-
SONS for opposing the saloon in
Mo Valley. Those reasons are
the thousand children of our
homes and schools. A plea for
the rights of the child. The
child demands his birth
right, not to be begotton
in the sin of hisfather but
in the purity Of an en-
lightened home. He demands
the right of life. maintained by
adequate food, clothes and
shelter. These are not provid.
ed in the home where the earn
ings go for drink. He demands
the right of preparation for in
dependent living, therefore an
education so that he can be a
self supporting head of a family
and not be compelled to use the
labor of his children before
they have finished school. The
father who spends his earnings
for drink can not give his child
rem this right. The teachers
of the schools are trying to
make future citizens of the
children enrolled. They must
give mass instruction and to
meet the lower standards re-
presented by the children of
some homes must lower the
standard of this instruction.
Why should the community not
raise the standard of such
homes so that the children may
meet the higher standard Of
the school. This is possible.
The teachers declare that the
recent closing of the saloons in
Mo. Valley made a marked eff
ect on the children from some
homes. They came to school
better fed, better clothed, more
cheerful and less unhappy. This
is true not only in Mo. Valley
but in general. The drink evil
has been known to send the UNI
fed child to school, and to deny
the child shelter of what little
he has as home. Boys denied
proper clothes by their drink
ing fathers have left school in
modification because of poor
clothes. Children from such
homes have depended wholly
on charity for the necessities
of school because drink from
the open saloon seemed more
essential for the father than
lie 1ucation for the child. The
great expenses of the public
schools makes it essential that
to properly use such funds the
Children of the homes be pre-
pared to receive the benefits of
the schools. Keep the open
saloon from before the child.
There are plenty of pitfalls
near and far to tempt the child
in his weakness. 1t is said
TINT there are those among the
children of the schools here in
Mo Valley who have already
been caught by the tempter.
What father or mother would
have it brought back. The
mothers of these 1000 children
have not asked for it as shown
by the mothers petition. The
fathers of these 1000 children
have not asked for it as shown
by the petition of the voters.
These fathers and mothers are
prepared to say "my child you
are first, / will fight the bitter
enemy to the end.' The sons
and daughters do not ask for it
All they ask is the three school
houses on the hillsides and no
saloons in the Valley" The adj
dress was listened to with deep
interest by the great audience
and the hearty applause which
came at the close of this earn
est plea. to the city council and
voters for the children attend
ing the public schools showed
that Mr.. Bryan voiced the ear
nest wishes of the community.