Milford chronicle., 1911-03-03


IN every respect There is no rea-
son whatever why Delaware should
h., not have fine State highway from
g. eud to end.
o.r ONE Of the most important duties
- of our public school system should
be to teach civic duties and respon
sibility Of the individual to the state.
- This course should be practical and
-.- personal, and not covered by
national scope as the basis. Cen
-. orally civic government is taught
lr-,-, from the wrong end, and the chill
,., dIen are brought to look at the
-, A. ,s subject as one far removed from
81 ,-.. their everyday lives, and as remote
Fdu, , possibility that some boy may arrive
meet -z at the goal Of being president. This
cato IN is all wrong; teach the child that the
og.- government Of the school district
- ...... where it attends will rest upon its
that ..,,-, shoulders; that the town govern
right ,- ment will be good or bad just as
eOnn the boys and girls will that it shall
sncu nov, be by their active work in its inter
an, 80 est; that the county government
Unit III, will be hOnest;able and progressive
The only by the better thought and acts
u Is ahe children now in our public
sNeI I ...oo schools; that the state government
Yon - and the civic pride in its affairs will
affor -. rest upon them after embarking in
Vass the real business affairs oflife. In
more an address before the City Club in
~ ,-;, Philadelphia, at which were as.
r;en -s-,i sembled many of the leading educa- |
hos, ~. tors of that and other cities, Arthur
ege. Dunn said:
hat vn That no plan Of civic improve
ware - ment can be practical unless there
,e it - is civic education, and pointed out
ne @ that this education is best incul- 1
ne ne - Gated among the school children,
Ihel not so much by information derived Il
.i'eL ~ from books but by real work and
ION - by object lessons, of the privileges
y II and the duties ofthe citizen.
rac' 40 After all, the making of good
Irai IL. citizens is the real object in es- l.
iue III tablishing public schools. We do {
der ~ not do this as a philanthropy or for {
the especial benefit of the child, but J
niit ~ rather for the benefit of the whole
UNI I'm community of whom that child later i
e" on will become an integral part and :
'eeH ~. factor. (
co ~ The whole trouble with the pres
iost ent system of civic education is t
lg' 80 that it teaches the child all about
sr civics, from a national viewpoint, Il
ahsi while he knows nothing whatever
'iAe OF his responsibility to the local d
ASP community We have started from
Sly ~ the wrong end The local commu- n
10 Bity, with its close interest and con d
e nectious for. the boys and girls in p
70 school, is the part which excites a
ent - their interest.
'lns II If we create an interest in the al H
m fairs Of government among the chill K
-ap dren we then have the foundation
eel ~ for imparting the knowledge of the
r. more complex problems of that
" government. Now, we teach these
i,y ~ problems, but we have not the in qt
me 80 terest Of the children, and there is pJ
7la9 .s little result.
Instead Of, as in our present sys-
sta TEN, being made to look forward to fir,
Oh the time when he will be able to vii
90 vote and have the chance of being
loo ~ President or holding other Office the fro
child should have it impressed on
~ him that right now young as he is, er,
~ = he has certain privileges and re-
te spOnsibilities of citizenship which
N he cannot get away from.
- Yet civics is not the only mistake
N y being made in the teaching of the as
Co l.. public schools, which are doing urc
" 80 great good, but which should be s. re,
made to be Of greater benefit to the E,o F.,
80 greatest number. Because Of the d