The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-10
THE FORTY-SECOND ANNUAL : ACHERS'
INSTITUTE OF WAY ) COUNTY
in SESSION HERE THIS WEEK
NEARLY ALL THENTEACHERS ATTENDANCE, SUPT
KoEHLER HAS LEFT NO STONE UNTURNED MAKE
THIS ONE OF THE MOST INSTRUCTIVE INsTI-
TUTES

The greater part of yesterday af-
ternoon was taken up with exercises
of a patriotic nature. Capt. James
Ham Post, No. 1913, attended in a
body, and the exercises were in
as we'll as entertaining.
The principle speech of the after
noon was delivered by Henry H.
Esq. He held the large audi
ence in rapt attention as he told of
the different acts which brought on
the great struggle between the
North and the South, and many good
points were brought out which the
teachers will carry back to their re-
Spective schools. The speech fol-
lows:
One who views existing condi-
tions in the United States,-the
territorial extent of the Union,
its large and rapidly increasing
population, the striking unity of
national feeling and the stalwart
patriotism of it's citizens, with
their advance in education and in
telligence, the strength of our po-
litical system, unshaken by the
ambition or the passions of in
dividuals or of parties,-might
well assume that all these are
matters of course, existing from
the foundation of our government,
and that the structure of our poll
tical institutions is so firm and
enduring as to give no reason to
question their permanence.
But, turning to the past, we see
that, less than half century ago,
with the same territorial extent,
the same political institutions, a
similar growth in population, ed
ucation and intelligence, and
like spirit of patriotism among it's
citizens, our country was shaken
by convulsion that involved it
in civil war, in which, for four
years, North and South were ar
rayed against each other; a war of
a magnitude, in the forces engag-
ed and the area of conflict, with
out parallel in the worlds his
tory; that sent to untimely
graves, or smote with disabling
wounds or wasting disease, more
than a million of our brethren,
north and south; that taxea to
the utmost the courage anu en-
durance, the energies and re-
sources, of North and South alike:
war in which the United States
narrowly escaped destruction as
nation.
The order known as the Grand
Army of the Republic, composed
OF men who served in the Union
army during the Civil war, has
recently adopted a system of PA
triotic Instruction" to promote
patriotism in the younger genera
tion, which it carries into effect
by visits to the public schools, and
addresses describing the causes of
the war, the course of military
operations, and their results, with
"reminiscences of various cam
paigns by those who took part in
them. A few years ago, upon the
invitation of Principal Oday, the
Grand Army Post of this borough
began to carry out this system
in our schools. 1t has further
seemed proper, to quote an ex-
preston that has become familiar
from it's use in the graft expos
ures of the day, Ito reach those
higher up"-the teachers of the
county; and upon the suggestion
of Superintendent Koehler we to-
day begin the experiment on the
teachers assembled here, in the
hope that it may arouse in them
an interest in the work, and in
dicate a mode of conducting it in
their schools.
When the thirteen colonies from
which this nation has been develop
ed declared their independence
of Great Britain, July 4, 1875, the
institution of slavery existed by
law in all of them. In the north
ern colonies, however, it had for
some time been tending to die
out, partly because slave labor
was found less profitable than
free labor, and partly because of
a growing conviction of it's wrong
fulness.
Before the close of the war of
the revolution, two States took
measures for it's abolition. On
March 1, 1880, the Pennsylvania
Legislature enacted law provid-
ing for the gradual emancipation
of the slaves in that state, and
abolishing slavery as to all per-
sons thereafter born. A little la
ter in the same year, Massachu-
setts adopted constitution, open
ing with the declaration that "all
men are born free and equal, and
have certain natural, essential and
unalienable rights, among which