Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-11-09

LluHu w CItlAtllolHp luliiiiS ~ NhooS
duce school authorities, state Legislatures and the
United States congress to do their part in this
cause.
The Right Method.
"Since citizenship and government are matters
Of action, as well as of knowledge, the method OF
teaching them must be the laboratory method, by
which the pupil learns howto do q thing by DONG
it. In this respect citizenship Is like swimming,
which must be learned by practice in swimming;
or carpentry, which must be learned by working
under the direction of a carpenter. Citizenship
must be learned by performing the right actions
of citizenship and by maintaining the right spirit
of citizenship, as well as by learning acadendcally
the facts of the subject.
"The first essential of q correct plan for teach
ing American citizenship is that it shall be in ac-
cord with the spirit of American institutions,
which is expressed by the Golden Rule, in the
Declaration of independence and the Constitution
of the United States. For instance, it must as
sure equal rights and justice to all, and, Of
course, must not give special privileges or estab-
fish class distinctions, as in ancient Rome ana
Greece, strong traces Of which still remain in our
own country.
"The second essential is that so far as the
school government is developed, 1t shall be rea-
sonably parallel with some correct form of Ameri-
can government among adults, and give no wrong
ideas to pupils, with the thought that they can be
easily corrected later. 1t ought to follow, as near
ly as practicable, the plan of keeping reasonably
separate the legislative, executive and judicial ele-
ments of government. What the form OF govern
ment is, If it is true to American civics, may not
be a serious question. The most simple form is
that in which there are three officers, one at the
head of the legislative department, another of the
executive, and the third of the judicial. To these
three offices may be added those Of clerks, Ii
brarians, health, peace and other officers.
schoolroom the Unit.
at is a good practice 8 consider the school
room, under the instruction of a teacher, as the
unit Of organization. rather than several rooms
under the principal of the school. The former
plan tends toward q permanent and thorough use
of the method, the latter to the dropping of the
method In case the principal falls Ill or leaves the
school. The schoolroom government may follow
the plan Of the locality in which it is situated
II it is in a city, 1t may be well to follow the gen
eral plan of the city, with n mayor. judge ant
president of the council, all the pupils being the
council, or legislative body, though it would be
undesirable and impossible to reproduce all thu
details of n large city government. If the schoo
Is in d town, the schoolroomt government should
In form be that of Il town; but as towns turf
into cities, and people go from towns to live II
cities, It Is good practice, where town government
is used part of the year, to use the city form tn
other part OF the year. 1t is desirable to have
elections us frequently as four times in the schoo
year, that as many as practicable may enjoy tn,
moral and educational benefit Of being elected
and Of carrying the responsibility OF the offices