Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-08

ing American clt1ZenSnlp at the source
the child-began nearly thirty years ago.
| AS the author points out forcibly in
| his latest volume, We are expected, when
we reach the
Majority Not Ready voting age,
for Self government mar, in the
community as responsible. independent
citizens. always ready to take the initla-
tive and to do team work for the public
welfare. But he contends that very
great majority of us do not know how
to do our part for the simple reason
that at home. at school and even at col
lege we were trained as irresponsible
subjects of a monarchy. benevolent as
it was. rather than as responsible citizens
of republic. In other words. learning
civics only by the abstract theorizing
of text books. and with no actual prac-
tice in the formative period. our ire
Sponsibilty in reference to government
had been crystallized into a habit before
we reached the voting age of twenty-one.
Is not this basic explanation of the
crying indifference of the average Ameri-
can to the use OF the ballot? Does It
not lay bare the fundamental reason for
SYSTEM"
The school republic, or city. or any
other form adopted. is a method by
which the oldest students in a university
and the youngest children in a kinder
garten may be trained positively to de-
velop independence and every other
feature of character that is necessary for
the highest personal and community well
fare. 1t furnishes the spirit and the
practices Of citizenship and suggests forms
of organization, such as those of village.
town, county. city, state and federal
government which are elastic. AS such
they may be adapted to the circumstances
Of any school, club or association Of
young or older people, where there is some
chance of instruction and practice In
rather heartily co-operates with the Boy
Scouts, the Campfire Girls. the Red Cross.
the American Institute OF Child Life, the
George Junior Republics. etc.
This movement represents one of the
activities of the American Patriotic
chartered by act Of Congress in 1891.
1t was organized to promote the cause
Of civic education. and 1t formed chap
tiers throughout the country to study cit
connection with other societies. clubs.
schools. churches and the army and navy.
Later It published Our Country,
magazine of instruction in civic matters.
This work was continued until 1t led
to the realization that its work was
wholly academic, and that the best way
to teach citizenship is by practical lab
oratory methods. Then the school gov
eminent idea was started in 1897, as
previously outlined. Many prominent
the league, including Presidents Hayes,
Harrison. Cleveland. Mckinley and Roose-
welt and Dr. Edward Everett Hale. At
the present time the rol. of officers
A.
miral George Dewey. --aj. Gen. Leonard
Wood. Clifford Pinchot, William H. p.
Faunce. Levi P. Morton, Patterson Du
Bots, J. frank Goodnow, Judge Ben B.
Lindsey. Rev. Thomas r. sicer. Josiah
Strong. r. Fulton Cutting, Francis E.
Clark and Prof. John r. Commons.
Whatever you would put into the
state you must first put into the schools"
Planned to Reach boldt. the
Immigrant Children. ,os aSS,s T ri
is the nub of the school government
propaganda. Nearly 10000 immigrants
pour into this country every year Twenty
or thirty years ago the bulk Of them
were of the Germanic and Scandinavian
literacy was high. and they tarried in
our congested ports only long enough to
pick a far western location, there to
carve out a new empire in the for
ests and Oil the broad prairies. But to-
| day our new citizens flock from southern
| Europe. the Balkans, darkest Russia.
They never had chance. Too many
Of them are of low mental. moral and
physical STANDARD They come to this
free land to better their condition. They
come here. not with the high expecta-
tions of the Morse and the German.
that psychological state Of mind which
creates achievement: they come In
despair and make one last attempt te
survive.
They settle among their own kind ir
the Sums Of our great cities. AS man!
of their children who can be spared
from breadwinning toll go to school
What avails 1t il this second generation
of new citizens grows up with practica
limited to the ward heeler, the dive keep
er and the CRATER? Here Is where tn
school democracy can step In: From tn
first grade these boys and girls ge
work does not require more than an extr;
hour or two week. The children ar
told in the beginning that necessar!
element OF successful citizenship is OBJ
servance of the Golden Rule. be they a
home. in school. on the street or at play
Other points emphasized are cleanliness
courtesy. clean thoughts.
The pupils are then given a charter
As rule the city plan works best a
first. Later. if a school consists of 90
or more children divided into severa
rooms. a nation is organized. Each room
is a separate state with regularly electe'
executive, legislative and judicial de
. partments. Each state also sends con
gressmen to the national legislature, ant
there Is president. vice president cabi
net and supreme court.
=
When a city charter is given the stu
dents proceed to elect by ballot a mayor
president of the cit
Students Elect council. municipa
~ judges sheriff. cit