The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-23
A CALL TO DUTY.

of the tendency of American educa-
tional ideals and aims ever delivered
! before the National Educational as
ISOLATION Mrs Emmons Blaine of Chi
cago called upon the teachers of the
country in convention in San Fran
cisco last week to turn to higher
ideals, to combat the influence of a
growing materialistic age, and to
/ teach higher citizenship. Not only
did Mrs Blaine plead for the incep-
| ton of higher ideals in education, but
| to their decline she attributed much OF
/ the growing abuse of political power
and the falling off from the accepted
ideals OF political liberty and equali-
| ty. She declared that the opportunity
of the teacher is the greatest oppor-
tunity in the world today, or ever.
In the United States today it might be
called the opportunity to save the
country. Our nation was not begun
as other nations. Continuing, she
said:
I'VE stand among all the nations
as the great experiment OF wholly
representative government. The ma
tons of the earth turn to us and we
have their questions to answer: Is
our representative government
home of religious feeling? Is our
representative government an avenue
for the true freedom of community S
government of itself? is our demand
for the privilege of having principles
and standing on them having its frul-
! ton in our being nation of principle
I'VE must more freely and surely
say, if we see at all, that our prin-
fciple of self government does not al
ways work. 1t does not always have
much relation to the will of the COM
munity Furthermore, the community
half the time is more concerned that
the government does not interfere
with its projects to get ahead of its
neighbor or to gain the almighty dol
lar than to know that freedom is pre-
served, that true representation is
maintained and that honor and justice
are upheld.
I'VE see pictures on every hand OF
the subordinating of our institutions
to commercial gain We see the sup.
planting of the desire for free repre-.
sentative government by the desire
for free, undisturbed chance for the
getting of money, be the government
free or fettered, representative OF
boss ridden, owned as a sacred right
: or battered
Have we, in the phrase of our be
/. loved vernacular, made good to our
forefathers, to the world, to our
selves? We cannot say yes We
may not with truth to the best that
is in us say final no. We must say
not yet.
, Does all this seem to be fal
: cry from the opportunity of the teach
, er? It is MOTT is the heart of the
, whole subject
I, In further discussion Of the matter
; Mrs. Blaine emphasized the fac
, that the citizens of tomorrow
are in the hands of the teachers o
the country These have ou
future America in their hands
They have it before selfisl
commercialism has more than reach
ed its ears-before the grip OF ma
terialism has 1t by the throat "Wha
possession have we other than on
8 children that we treat so carelessly? 2
2 she inquired you have them. The
are yours to redeem, and they are tn
: only hope for the redeeming OF gu
] nation
I Mrs Blaine also pointed out tina
there are two sides to the none
Z question in teaching. The teache
q cannot serve God and mammon.
! the upbuilding OF the child is the air
; of the teacher, the money cannot be
8 Therefore, the money must not be-
cannot be-the aim OF the teaching
It On the other hand
THE community will come to. nc
y TO concede. but to demand none
a payment for the work of teaching con
mensurate with the payment of tn
! highest experts in any field. 1t need
G hut the conception of the communit
y tof what it must have for it's children
n of what 1t must give to it's childre
,. and to those who are making the
u Lives. To reach this conception. 1t
Y Won who must help to show the trutl
e That truth can never come out Of tn