The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1911-06-08
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS OF
SUPT. OF CITY SCHOOLS KING
Delivered At the City Opera House May 26th, At the
Close of the 1901 Term of
School.

I turned the superstition OF two thousand
years. in 1916 was waged the fierce bat
tie for freedom, In 1898, for the first
time in the history of the world we
fought for humanity. Today we are
combating an enemy in our states that
| had its origen In our Similar ancestors,
| an enemy more oppressive than ancient
| fetishism, more ignoble than Englands
| tyranny, more distressing than Southern
slavery, and more depressing than
| Spain's inhumanity. We are combat
ing an evil which has filled the world
with strife and carnage since the do
minion of man over nature; that enc
my Is nothing less than mans
selfishness. prejudice, bigotry, conser-
vatism, and ignorance These have been
the barriers to progress in all ages pol
itical, social. religious, and educational
Today we are witnessing great wave
of reform spreading over our country
from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We
hear the cry for woman's suffrage, we
hear the cry for prohibition, we hear
the cry for a new religion, we hear the
cry for new democracy, we hear the
cry for a new political party, we hear
the victorious shouts from every quarter
of our country of civic and political
reformation. The country is In state
Of seething unrest. Every day brings to
our ears the unearthing OF a new con-
spiracy, the indicting OF more graft, and
the impugning of civic and political cor
ruption Never before in the history of
the world has man witnessed such
wave of reform. What we need most
today is reform of our present reform
| atory procedure l do not believe you
can change the condition of mems minds
by statute law: for IL this were true we
have statute laws enough in our sever
al states to make angels of us all. To
reform people 1t is first necessary to
change the condition Of their minds. it
Is necessary in other words, to educate
them.
Education Necessary to Reform
Luther once said that to reform a
people you must first educate them.
Aristotle used to say that the welfare of
state depended upon the education of
it's young. MacaulRy has said that to
= have progressive and prosperous ma
ton you must educate the people. Sir
" William Harris has said that there is
nothing great in the world but man, in
: man there is nothing great but mind. II
is evident then that the public school
y Is the real safeguard of the American
nation today. 1t is In recognition OF
" these great truths that the United States
u yearly expends millions of dollars In ed
:. uoation, thereby demonstrating to the
world that its free schools are its in
, stitutions for perpetuating peace, promot
? ing progress increasing prosperity
America has been the first nation t.
,, realize,-
u That a bold peasantry. their coun
try's pride,
= When once destroyed, can never b.
supplied"
- Function OF Schools.
= The true American gospel Is the Cos
= pei of salvation by education. The Law
= preseribes that our public schools shall
be non-sectarian. 1t is wrong then 4
u use the public school as an arena TO
j the expression of personal prejudices
= social squabbles OF religious or pc
! litical nature, and the perpetuation o
"a partisan ideas. Its slogan should be-
= equal rights for all, special privilege
!. for none. Such should 1t be the mission
of every teacher to maintain 1t.
Ingratltude to Public 5enefactors.
- It is easy to follow along the well trod
" den paths of society. All forces whe
D. left to themselves take the line of leas
n resistance, from the lightning spar
le that darts zlgzag across the heavens t
r. the meandering stream that takes II
h sinuous course over the rough surfac
,e of the earth. The great movement
10 that have advanced civilization hav
r. been by non conformists, men who oper
Or ly refused to follow the established or
m der OF things, men who were able {
ic stand out free from the props of super
L. stitious ideas and old beliefs and Civ
IS expression to the spirit that animate
m their inner souls. Theirs are the name
8. that stand out large on the pages Z
ne history, theirs are the names that al
l. whispered from generation to genera
or ton, theirs are the names that sha
IN, live mirrored in the hearts of mankin
b. forever. Socrates. Voltaire. Darwil
r Franklin, Emerson, Pestalozzi, an
Id Abbot are all non-conformists. phils
er sophy democracy, science, Statesman
tn ship, literature. education and religion
he Here were men who left the paths trot
of den by time, custom. and conservatism
ly and biazed the new trails into the gret
is wilderness of progress No one is mol
er greatly maligned than the public bent
M factor, and no one receives less graf
he tude for his labors. History Is one lor
st record of the ingratitude offered
he those who have offered up their lives
tn help humanity. Nothing has been r.
an sisted with greater perversity than Il
se spirit of education. The old expressit
es that ''lickin and larnin' so togeth
emit had more truth in 1t than we of model
at times appreciate. The aphorism of q
ed philosopher of Archie Road-that "
of can lead man to the university. b
re- you cannot make him Thinks We
to aptly illustrative of present day educ
,es tional opposition. Few people seem
realize that education like happiness
sse not a gift but an achievement. 1t is n
he so much matter OF knowledge as
ers matter of behavior. II Is not so mu
,e- matter of culture as a matter
is character. Greatness. power. and wea
TX may be thrust upon man. but Learnt
err and scholarship must be achieved. The
m Is no royal road to education. 1t
L. Ala fn il.1... that adlnca tior, gift III