Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-30


and those who eventually are to be-
come the leaders.
But these young people, have / for
gotten them? Theirs will be the duty
of carrying on the good work after
we have laid it aside. We can not
appreciate too greatly the fact that a
school system, in democracy, is new
er finished. II demands development
and regeneration year by year and
generation by generation.
a COMMENCEMENT.
AS l said earlier like to think of
this as commencement" l like to
think of you all, pupils and public
alike, as standing here inspired By
your past successes, ready to move
forward to the accomplishment o.
something finer and more beautiful
and especially more brotherly.
Your school work has been a fail
ure, so far as the state is concerned,
unless it has made you aspire to give
back in service something of what
the state has done for you; service
which is altruistic and democratic.
You are the successful few. l do
not know what the statistics are for
Rock Island, but for the country at
large only 26 per cent of the children
ever reach the first year of the high
school, and you have successfully fin
ished the entire course.
THE GREAT TEACHER.
Remember the saying of the great
teacher whose words and example
turned many to righteousness-"Ot
sheep / have which are not of this
fold; them also must bring" 1t was
clear to him that the stereotSped
teachings of the traditional education
of his day was inadequate to the great
project with which his heart was
filled, the betterment of the whole
human family. Similarly we must see
that our traditional education is
equally inadequate to the accomplish
ment of the great project which the
American democracy has set itself to
accomplish, namely, universal educa-
ton.
: Tonight I hope that your hearts are
: filed with pride and gratitude, tinged,
however, with regret, and sanctiied
with resolve. You are justified in be
ing proud of the fine result of your
years of hard and faithful work. You
: should. of course, feel grateful for the
wise generosity and public spirit OF
the community which has made il
all possible for you. But you should
regret that there are others who have
not had your opportunity who, for one
reason or another, generally through
no fault of their own, have failed OF
; the accomplishment which today you
are celebrating, and you should re
/. tsolve that, in the generations durSSs
which you are to manage and direct
the education of the young people Of
Rock Island, much larger number
shall be brought under the saving in
iuence of high school training.
Remember that many have succeed
ed without a high school education
and have succeeded in the best sense
of the word success. They have beer
efficient and honorable and servict
giving citizens. But remember alst
that many of those who have mad,
a failure of life might have had
happier fate If they could have hat
something of the ennobling influence
which your school has been to yol
during the past four years. Remem
Der that sometimes they have beel
excluded from the high school be
cause of scholastic standards whicl
have no rightful place in the second
airy school of a democracy.
a r-r- a y
Remember especially that education
in a emocracy-universal educatio
means a diversified education; nc
\ the same education for all but a
II education for each which is equal
\ appropriate for him and which enable
\ him to work along the lines OF hi
A greatest ability and so achieve hi
n greatest usefulness.
II Fine as your schools are in Roc
II Island there is in me tonight a gres
H hope and a strong belief that you wi
h steadily continue the work of esta1
II fishing a glorified public school sy
n TEN which will develop your youn
\ people to the point where they are G
II different as God intended them to /
II and as success in their various socia
II vocational and personal RELATIONSHIP
II will demand that they shall be.
II is my hope and my belief that yc
Il will help by such measures in Il
4 development OF a race of men ar
II women who will work with their hanC
H or will work with their heads withc-
III feeling any class consciousness {
III that account and who will respe
II each other sincerely and who W
n place the common good above Il
III achievement of individual success.
HI Remember that. If this is TO be Il
III case, education and work cannot
Nj thought Of as being inconsistent al
III as things apart.
III Remember that it is as much a ms
III ter for just pride that one is able
III take his place in the world as a su
III cessful worker as that he exhibit gre
III learning.
III And finally remember that, on a
IN count of the long tradition OF the pal
III you will find it necessary for d
schools to lay special emphasis on d
development Of such sentiments as 4
hi following:
III The world is at its best I feel