The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-02-03
President Alley in Belfast.

He Addresses the Mems Club of the Conare.
gational Church on Education and Citi-
zenship.
Robert Judson Alley. Phi. D. LII. D., Presi-
dent of the University Of Maine. was the
of the Mems club of the Congregational
church Jan. 27th. Supper was served at g. 30
p. m. in the vestry and covers were laid for
80. A number of u. of M. men, residents of
Belfast. were invited to sit at the table with
President Alley among them Charles S.
Bckford. one of the trustees of the Univer-
sity. The supper was under the direction
of committee of ladies' Of the Circle, Mrs.
Charles A. Pilsbury, chairman. Mrs. Robert F.
Dunton. Mrs. Edwin S. Bowker, Mrs. h. C.
Pitcher, Mrs. Frank E. Wiley. and the follow
ing members Of the Guild served: Mrs. W. L..
West, Mrs. Clarence W. Proctor. Mrs. Elon B.
Gilchrest. Misses Anne M. Kittredge, Margaret
L. Keene, Maude B. and Clara R. Steward,
Amy E. Stoddard and Bertha A. Wiley The
menu included chicken pie, mashed potatoes,
cranberry jelly. hot rolls, assorted cake,
doughnuts, cheese and coffee.
A social half-hour was spent in the lecture
room after the supper, and then all adjourned
to the auditorium for the evening meeting, at
which the Mems Club of the Unitarian church
and the Mems Forum of the Universalist
church were present by invitation, with a
number of ladies and others who came to
hear President Alley.
nr w r. of
introduced the speaker as one of the foremost
educators of the day, and President Alley, with
his genial prsonality and easy address, won his
audience from the start His subject was:
''The Relation that Education in all its Vary
ing Forms has to the Making of Citizens
He began with glowing tribute to Maine in
which he related the story told of the late
Hannibal Hamlin, who when travelling in the
west heard company of men from various
States tell of the wonders and products of
their localities and when asked what they rails
ed in Maine, Mr., Hamlin replied proudly: sin
Maine we grow men, He said, in part:
Education is difficult thing to define; if
we found a definition that would be satisfac-
tory tonight we would not find it satisfactory
what it meant 25 years ago, did not mean then
what it meant go years ago, and certainly not
what it meant 100 years ago. Education is
the result # the sum total of influences that
come into the life of the Notwithstanding
that acquaints with the foundation of things
something that helps to adjust him to the life
which he must live, to the environment in
which he finds himself-th It in some way ac-
quaints him with the material world out of
which he must earn what he needs to sustain
life; something that fills him with hope of
still greater things for the morrow. IL is a
wonderful process. Schools, colleges and uni
verslties are simply organized attempts of So
ciety to further this process, to concentrate
into few years of life, not the whole pro-
cess. but that part of it which will make il
possible for the later years of life to be more
productive, more efficient, This something
that we call education has power, in part, at
= least, of making what call good citizens.
"What does citizenship imply? The citizen
has great circle of relations. He has duties
pertaining to himself, his family, to his COM
munity, to the city, to the State, to the nation,
to the world; and the individual who is really
good citizen performs duties that touch all
these things that | have mentioned He has
a part to play in the life about him. He must
contribute to the good things OF his city. He
must believe in his State, be willing to do
things for it. He must believe in his nation,
and serve that nation There may come a
time when citizenship in the world may be such
a reality that it will be impossible to repeat
the awful thing that is now going on upon the
other side of this earth of ours Citizenship
implies patriotism. No country in the world
offers such opportunity as this country of ours
The individual has the chance to become prac-
tically what he pleases. Doors are thrown
wide open, and it seems to me that the forces
that go to make up the individual home, the
church, society, the state, forms of govern
ment, ali ought to conspire together more than
they have in the past to create within the in
dividual real appreciation of his duty to this
country that protects him, this country that
gives him opportunity to make him really pa
triotic. Our government and our schools are
the two elements that have most to do In train
ing the individual to citizenship. Democracy,
of course, rests upon the rule Of thet people
upon equality of power. The public school ie
the greatest democratic institution that the
world knows anything about. The govern
ment is the other great organized power OF
democracy.
II have great faith that these problems are
going to be more completely solved in the fu-
ture. 1t is all mistake that times are grow.
ing worse. Great educational work is being
done in this country, and think that people
are growing more willing to cooperate in every
way with the schools"
President Alley does not believe however,
that the schools, colleges and universities
should be expected to do all the work Of raising
the beat citizens, but that each community
should do its part towards the character build
ing cf its boys and girls. He cited many in
stances where word spoken at the right time,
little act or advice given when needed, has
turned the current of life, and in this con-
nection related an interesting story told him by
James Whitcomb Riley, personal friend of
the speaker. President Alley spoke for about
an hour, holding the close attention of his
audience throughout.
THE WAR NEWS.