Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-08
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
oContinued frome page F1ve.l

Just as anxious as anybody to hav,
a full attendance: and it may be re-
called that last Monday, the gentle
man from Augusta (Mr. Newbert)
begged the House to pass this over UNI
til VIC could get it in the middle of the
week when we would have a full at
tendance. and it was assigned for yes
terday ana NE know what the conse-
uuehces were. Now it is up again, to-
day. ard if we put it over until Thurs
day of next week we are apt to get il
pushed along until Friday again. So
while we don't know. and | have no
means of knowing what the people are
going 10 do With il here, this morn
ing | have discovered that the seats
are more filled up than they were
thar when we began talking about IL,
anG doubtless there viii be others come
in. I am sure that the members OF the
House want this matter disposed OF.
And I will say again that 1t is not be-
cause we think that some of our enc
mics are away. it is simply because we
want TO take the matter up, fairly and
souarelv and have it disposed of now.
trust the motion will not prevail,
The question being on the motion to
re-assign the bill for consideration on
Thursday OF next week,
A viva voce vote being taken,
The motion was lost.
The SPEAKER; There comes up for
consideration on the calendar this bill
An Act to increase the efficiency of the
public schools of Maine by retiring
teachers of long service with pensions.
Mr.. MATHIESON of Rangeley: Mr.
Speaker, | move that the bill be indeil-
nitely postponed. 49,.
Mr. BOWLER of Bethel: Mr.. Speaker
it is often affirmed that these are days
when the ego figures altogether too
prominently in the affairs of us all. that
the tremendous greed for gain causes the
most of US to forget the true relation
ship of our brother. and that the mad
dening thirst for prestige and power too
often robs men of their civic pride
While rs not my purpose to raise any
quarrel with those who seem inclined TO
take their observations of life from this
viewpoint. yet l like to see, and do see,
in the makeup of the most of us, a healty
optimism, which leads us to observe
that though there be bad in the best oil
us, there is certainly good in the worst
of us, and that, after all, we, as whole
stand upon vastly higher and broader
plane than we are apt TO give ourselves
credit of standing upon.
There come measuring times now and
then. when we. by our public acts, or,
perchance by our Nprivate conduct. de-
fine the standards by which we measure
our virtues, and reveal the character of
our citizenship.
1t occurs TO me that we stand at this
time at one of those measuring stations.
AS members of this House, we have
given our consideration TO various mat
tiers during the past two months Some
of those matters have been of peculiar
interest to some of us, and others to 9th
ers of as but today we are cae dupon to
consider a question of positive and UNI
mistakable interest to each and every
one of us the. question of education.
need not remind you that education
is the great bedrock Of our civilization.
The educational standards of any state
or nation determine the plane upon which
such state or nation stands. Tell me the
character of your schools today and 1
will picture to you the standard of your
civilization of the tomorrow.
If this be true, and if you and | have
the real vital interest of the old State of
Maine at heart, and this we trust none
will question, then it behooves us TO lend
the last fragment of our influence to
make the schools of this State the best
possible, and our attitude in this connec-
ton in this Legislature should lay bare
no less a motive than to do everything
within our province to accomplish this
end.
We like to boast of our stock of men
and women who have gone forth from
the old Pine Tree State to shine in the
armament of progress in other states;
how often have our hearts leaped with
pride when the generous admissions of
the Western enthusiast have verified our
claim that the great and growing West
owes much of its wonderful thrift and
expansion and achievements to the 5000
boys and girls from Maine whose adopted
states border the western sea, and who
are part and parcel of that great West
ern civilization.
But submit to you, gentlemen of .ne
House that though we may take pardon
able pride in the stalwart stock that has
been reared in Maine and gone forth to
do honor to the old State by acting a
prominent part III the alIaifS OF aliief
states. yet our cause for Boosting would
have been the greater bad we been able
to have kept them here upon their native
soil and seen the fruits of their energy
and enthusiasm at closer range. @
We should and do. deplore this
tendency toward contributing much
of our choicest stock to enrich our
sister states, and we should be per-
sistent in our inquiries as to what can
be done to prevent this exodus of
Maine stock. And If, perchanee, our
inquiries find an answer, and a solu-
ton should lie within our power, we
shall indeed prove untrue To the du-
ties and privileges of citizenship, if we
do not promptly find our duty and
Earnestly seek to perform it.
] come now to the meat of the ques-
fion which is before us for consider
alton. In the exodus of this Maine
stock have been thousands and thou
sands of teachers who are scattered,
today, throughout the length and
breadth of the nation. who are doing
honor 10 their chosen profession, and
who would have been positive asset