The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-14
OF Interest to Women
BY Winena Evans Reeves.

Apropos of Flag day. we are re-
minded of story which DIR. George
c. Williams told in a patriotic speech
he made during his residence here.
He was on an ocean steamer return
ing to America, after a vacation spent
in Europe. On the same steamer,
were number of professional men
and college professors. One evening
they stood on the upper deck, looking
down on the steerage deck, on the
men and women from many lands and
repres entatices of many races, all en-
route to a new home in America. One
and another spoke of the fact that
these immigrants had very different
standards of life and national ideas
different from the land to which they
were going; and out of the discussion
came the plan for some of the men
to speak on the lower deck about
America. Accordingly, they impro-
| vised a platform, put a table on il
and across the table was placed an
American flag 1t fell to DR.. Will
school system. He explained to them
as clearly and simply as he could,
that all children living under the
for an education, that the SCHOOL,
were open, free to all classes of peo-
pie He noticed that one Russian
woman who held baby in her arms
and had two or three others clinging
to her skirts, listened intently to all
he had said. At the close of his
speech, she came forward, and in
broken English asked: And does 1t
mean that my children, too, shall go
to school and have a chance?' DR..
Williams said: Yes, it means just
that" Stopping, with reverence, she
lifted the corner of the flag to her
lips DR. Williams said it was the
finest tribute he ever saw paid to any
! flag.
The newspapers all over the land
the last few days have had Bryan on
the front page and the address to the
graduates on the inside pages. We
are reminded of an address that Sam
Clark made way back in iSS3-thirty-
two years ago, before the East Des
Moines high school. This is what he
said: Il am not going to tell You to
aim high. Time was-maybe is yet
when the doctors said at every spring
time, that everybody at all ailing,
and tinctures OF iron And they stimu-
lated with whiskey and polanized
with tinctures of iron with great ad-
| vantage to a full census Of the grave
yard The same sort of malpractice
| prevails in the spring practice OF
| grown up folks upon the young folks
going out from our schools and col
| leges. There is nothing in all the
materia medica Of mind they need SO
little as stimulating. There are fifty
! FIVE million people in the United
States. They can't all be first. Fifty
five million people and only one presi-
dent What is the use of telling a
boy he may be president with all that
odds against him? If anywhere amid
all these throngs OF boys pouring out
of the schools there is Lincoln, or a
! Grant or a future president we need
have little concern about him. He
will take care of himself and heaven
will take care of him. We need con-
Germ ourselves about these other mil
| lions who are not going to be presi-
dent. No, do not want to stimulate
your ambition. The aspiring day Of
| LongfelIow's Excelsior died far up
! the heights, alone, with the snow and
starlight for his fellows. 1t was not
| if you turn out to be such common
! place people as the rest Of us. If
you take your place among the other
| ffty-five millions and make an honest
living, and get you a home, and save
something as you go along, so that
you anchor yourselves down on the
side OF orderliness and comfort by
having some property. And don't be
good tempered away from home and
cross at home, and answer letters
promptly and spell well enough, and
don't talk bad grammar, and don't
write for the papers, or If You do,
don't write on both sides of the pa
per. And don't open car windows
when everybody else wants them
closed, and don't be a bore. Don't
be odd, but be willing TO help along
those common enterprises which 9TH
er people Of good judgment think
worth while. These are all SIM lie
things to say, but they are worth the
saying. You have become the proc
uct of the American system of educa-
tion-the public school. In America.
the people are the government ana
the school house is their armory.
They rest their security upon the pro-
lection of ten million boys and girls
III the puDliC sc4iools- AiHe1iCd has
confidence and hope in the security
she has builded on the free public
schools OF the majestic confidence
and hope OF mighty nation. you are
the types and representatives. Be
worthy OF your place and response
bilities"
The speech would have been pc
culiarly pertinent in many ways, to
the classes of 1915.
This incident was told recently as
an after dinner story, and it happen
ed in a town not very far from keo-
kuk. A young woman was having a
dinner and not having boullion
spoons, she borrowed them. much
AGAINST her mothers good Judgment.
She borrowed item from a friend