News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-08-13
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION
How Shall We Prevent Anarchy From Be-
coming a Menace to Future Citizenship?

| Paper opening discussion at Harmon.
Pomona Grange, Aug. @, 1913, Noril
Hyde Park, by Rev. John Elliot Bow
man.
There are always two courses open tt
a speaker ON subject like this. He cal
look the facts in the face, recognize dan
gers, and suggest remedies; or he can
spin rainbows, generalize concerning the
glory of our free Institutions and the
beauty of The Star Spangled Banner,
calmly forgelful of the fact that other
speakers did the same thing on every
Fourth of July in the forties ard fitties
of the last century when our nations life
was in peril from the curse OF African
slavery, and when the cloud of war, roll
ing from the southern horizon drew ever
nearer to the zenith.
The waving OF the flag has always
been a popular act. 1t has been made
to cover multitude of sins. Little
Tomme was uttering truth far beyond
his childish understanding when in ans
wer TO the school directors rhetorical
Observation-Disclosures why is that flag
upon the wall before us? Why is that
flag placed there?' he replied with assur-
ance of one who knew ITO hide the
dirt!"
Permit me to say that in our own state
there is sometimes a peculiar exhibition
of this disposition. We can make few
sounding illusions to Ethan Allen and
Ticonderoga, proclaim once more the
fact that Vermont was at the front at
Gettysburg; sound the praises of our
mountain streams, in which we have
poisoned a large proportion of the fish;
sing the beauty of our mountain high
ways, which we render attractive to sum
mer visitors with many colored bill
boards and the announcements of the
Tobacco Trust; and finally sit down in
sweet content having said-just what we
were expected to say.
The practical question before us today
10 w hat Soh W. III Cl ihohl w w PAS-
vent the spirit of anarchy from becoming
a menace to the youth of the state?"
We are not here to point out the sins of
Californians or to lament over the way
they do things down in Massachusetts or
in Connecticut.
The reply of quite lumber of our
citizens will be-"Keep the foreigner
out and MAINTAIN the old red school
house." There are those who, as we all
know, will consider that sufficient ans
wer. They are either entirely ignorant
or carelessly overlook the fact that many
of the foreigners whom they so despise
have received, before coming to this
country, education beside which that OBJ
in many of the red school
houses looks like jack lantern be-
side an arc light.
Some of those despised foreigners can
intelligently in three or four
the boy from the red
school-house may never learn to use his
native language correctly and acquires
SO small a vocabulary that he takes up
profanity as method Of expression
not knowing what to say-he swears
When the name of The Almighty Creator
Of Heaven and Earth, Giver of All |
Good, is degraded into CONVEX sational |
stop-gap, or is used as means to empha- |
size statements made in a horse-trade or |
stories concerning the size of fish
when that name is SO used you have the |
of anarchy right at home.
When you talk Of excluding the for
signer you are wasting words. Much of |
he best that is in America today comes
rom the mingling of elements that we
who are just outside the current for
ime call foreign. His exclusion being
impossible, his presence necessary, what
emains for us to do here in Vermont?
The first suggestion | have to make
las reference to our system of popular
ducation. The fact is that 10 Vermont
here is one weakness which affects the
Whole public school system; as long as
is present many efforts at improvement
re like attempts to drive spiles into a
l refer to the fact that we
ave no educational test of applicants
Dr the privilege of voting at our cleo
ion; that man can vote for candidate
Or Governor whether he can read the
andidate's name in plain print or not,
an vote, whether or no he can write his
wn name! In this matter we are nearly
xty years behind the times; and the
eakness is vital. Just as long as YOU
ave considerable number of the cleo
rate who are without even the rudi
ents of common school education.
1u will have number almost equally ,
rye who will oppose well nigh every eff ,
'rt for the betterment of the educational /
stem of the state. We gladly recognize !
nong the illiterate voters some who '
leerfully do all in their power to give s
eir own children, or even the children
other people, an opportunity better than
rs been their own. These few illiterate
tiers are not the mass. That mass is
lad weight and until it is removed we ,
ust lag behind.
Common sense will indicate that the ;