Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1910-06-15
chiidren's Patriotic Literature.

Jects of patriotic nature, sent out
in April a circular letter to many
teachers in the state asking them to
give their pupils an opportunity TO ex-
press their thoughts upon one or more
of the following topics. and then send
the compositions to me as information
in the way of patriotic instruction in
schools:
/ The meaning of our flag
2. Why have flag in school?
3. Write a description of our flag
4 Should the school flag float every
day or only on special oeca-
sions? Why?
3. Write a list of flag days, giving a
reason for each.
G. Try writing some verses about
flag.
Z. Tell about Memorial day and why
it is observed
S. How may schools best observe
Memorial day?
8 Write a good Memorial day pro
gram for schools.
10 Can we be good patriots il time
of peace? If so, how?
II. What do We mean by good citi-
zenship? Who is the good
citizen?
~. Is it every mans duty to vote?
Why?
- Should women have the right to
vote? Why?
j. Write sketch of the life of Lin
coin.
Is. Write sketch of the life Of Wash
ington
] could not of course, expect every
teacher to whom sent the letter to
respond, yet many of them did and
] have received nearly a thousand
school papers from boys and girls all
the way from the little folks in the
lowest classes in country schools up
to city high school seniors. am
having these papers bound into sub
stantial books for the library of Mem
mortal hall. There are now enough
Of them to make six good sled books
containing in all more than two thous-
and pages, and still they come.
am highly pleased with the plan and
its results.
No one who is interested in mat
ters of patriotism and good citizen
ship, also in the possibilities of our
toys and girls in school. could help
being deeply Interested in these school
papers. They are written upon
every one of the suggested topics and
a few Others More of the children
have chosen TO write about Lincoln
and Washington and the flag than NJ
on other topics, though many have
told what they think about Memorial
day Several of them have given
their thoughts upon good citizenship
and patriotism in times of peace A
Dozen or more have argued women
suffrage. nearly all stoutly defending
II on the ground that taxation with
out representation is tyranny" One
roy argues against a woman's voting.
on account of the ,ime it would take
when she ought to be attending to her
nome duties. He calls attention 10
the fact that, not once in four years
would she leave her housekeeping to
go 70 the polls, but once every year"
The most of these papers are very
neatly written,-some of them re-
markably so; and many of them sur
prise me with their excellent thought
and the easy expression of it. u
would like to thank every teacher who
led his or her pupils into this work I
am glad there are many men and
women in the schools of Wisconsin
who believe work of this kind now
and then is worth fully as much as
a lesson in algebra or Latin. I have
heard that in some remote parts of
Wisconsin there are teachers who
think there is no time in school for
instruction in love and appreciation
OF country: but / am glad to believe
there are not many of them. I think
more and more attention is being
given every year to this kind of teach
ing. Every good citizen may well re-
9olce in the fact / do not believe
that IN our schools there was ever
more attention paid to Memorial day
than this year. One city superintend.
ent writes to me that practically
every child in his schools had some |
part in exercises on the Friday before
the 30th of May The best of IL is the
TACT that he is himself alive and en-
tnusiastic over patriotic instruction
His schools get their enthusiasm from
him.
One of the books of which l have
spoken is made up entirely of papers
from the ward schools of Madison.
Th> most Of these schools sent me
papers that speak well for both teach
ers and pupils. | shall from time to |
time publish selections from this pa |
triotic lite 'ure.
I suppose that at least fifty boys
and girls have tried their hands and |
heads and hearts at making some |
verses about the flag. Some of these
verses are crude, yet many of them !
are tokens Of the fact that we shall
have from their writer's some real
poetry in the coming years. will |
copy few Of these child efforts at
verse:
olo Glory in the Breeze.
Rise to the breeze, Old Glory,
Rise like an eagles fight:
Float on the breeze. Old Glory.
None win dispute your right