The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1914-01-22

a
and his words deal with the school
problems Of the state.
I'll venture 10 say that not one out
of a dozen Of you averaged visiting
your school more than once a year be-
fore you organized your circle. This
statement would. no doubt, still hold
true regarding the side OF the house
conspicuous by its absence today. We
mortal men adopt the brother-in-iaw
plan and do too much Of cur school Wis
iting and church going by proxy.
conragtulate you upon having this
splendid organization and entreat you,
as | am sure you are doing. to make it
a factor and not fad. A factor that
is felt in the school and in the COM
munity, putting your united shoulder to
the wheel and helping the teachers lift
your schools out of the miry ruts and
over the knotty problems that con-
stantly beset them.
1t seems to be fashionable these days
to ''Take a fall" out Of the public
schools, Eif you will excuse the slang
phrase. Everybody is doing it. ! have
been doing a good deal of it myself.
Just few days ago the great rail-
road magnate and empire builder, Jas.
]. Hill, took occasion to give our
schools a good scorching, among other
things saying he had found children six
or seven years old who did not know
their alphabet. That may all be.uue,
but with all due respect to Mr.. Hill, |
will venture to say that he has not
spent much time in the public school
room recently and that he would be
very much more competent judge of a
piece of railroad work than of pri-
mary school teachers school loom
work.
While we all recognize the fact that
there is always room and need for i'm
provement, l believe that our schools
rank well with those of any state or
country. At any rate. they are usually
Just about as good as we demand, or
as we make them.
If your school is not what you would
have il, why is it not? Have you
stopped to think whether you are doing
your part? Have you paid the price
and employed the best teachers avail
able, or have you spent your energy
kicking about the high school tax and
favored cutting down the salary or
employing a cheaper teacher?
Having employed your teacher have
you given her your support by visiting
school frequently and speaking we'll
of her work, especially in the presence
OF your children?
| we'll remember when was boy
and went to the "little red school
house on the banks of the Wabash, 7"
"way down in Indiana" was sent
with the wholesome promise that il |
got a whipping at school | would get
mate for it when returned home.
My "lickings" at school were few and
far between. Little trouble does a
teacher have when she has that sort of
support by the patrons. When the
teacher ceases to merit such support il
is time to make change.
There is too much tendency these
times to shift the whole responsibility
of educating the child, yea of the
whole process of character building,
upon the teacher. The little tot is put
into the kindergarten, from there il
goes to the public school, and from
there to college or private boarding
school. Furnishing the moEthly checl
seems to liquidate all responsibility il
the minds of too many parents, wht
even 90 to the extent of offering t
buy a capacity for their hopeful il
such is lacking, as in the reputed cast
of certain rich mans son in college.
We as parents are responsible fo
bringing our children into the world
and we should not shirk the responsi
bility of fitting them for citizenship
Originally the whole duty of educating
the child devolved upon the parent
Then came the private instructor il
the family. "a system still in vogu,
with very few people,. Then as
matter of convenience and economy
the joining together of two or thre
families and the employment of spe
cial instructor. And from this sprani
the public school and our boasted pub
lie school systematic pride of GU
state and nation, the bulwark of GU
democratic government.
But back of this let US not forge
the fundamental unit, the family, tn
cornerstone upon which all must rest
There the character of the future cit
zen is largely determined. There it
the mother is the acknowledged queer
and woe to that mother who does nc
bear her crown with mingled pride
love and meekness.
The greatest menace to America
motherhood today is the danger of los
ing that crown through too much soc
ETY. and commercialism. The mother
first duty is to her child. 1t is ia
more important that she understan
the physical needs of that child tha
that she be we'll versed in politics
economy. 1t is more important tbs
she attend to the needs of that chile
physical, mental and spiritual, tina
that she attend to the demands Of he
lodge.
1t is also more important that sh
associates with, and entertains thl
child than that she entertain the foI
/ hundred at whist or progressive euchr,
The crying need of the.day is MOI
4 "old fashioned mothers" who raise u
H their sons and daughters to love, hone
H and respect them. Who makeshome II
II pleasantest spot on earth, where the
y children delight to linger rather ths
: stroll the streets and frequent que
tionable places of amusements.
Show me the character of the motht
and the school teacher of today and
will tell you the character of the nj
tion of tomorrow.
Too often intellectual culture is CO..
l fused with moral character. There
a vast difference. In fact there is I
relation between intellectually ar
morality or manhood.
You may reyel among the stars
the fist magnitude intellectually at
at the same time grovel in the mil
8 ana filth of the lowest degredatiC
morally, Edgar A. Poe was one of Il
most brilliant poets of all time, yet
died of delirium tremens in his youtI
: The penitentiaries are full of educat,
men. That is not saying that educ
tion is dangerous, though it sometim,
. DroVes so Withnut the acromnanvir