Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-11-10

'F1fth-AIlSS1Onary work to arouse popular ue-
mand for citizenship training in schools and to IN
duce school authorities state legislatures and the
United States congress to do their part in this
cause.
The Right Method.
"Snce 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 how to do thing by doing
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 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 academcally
the facts of the subject.
1.-THE first essential Of 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-
lish class distinctions, in ancient Rome and
Greece strong traces Of which still remain in our
own country.
.9rhe second essential is that so far as the
school government is developed it 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. It ought to follow near
~ 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, IL
brarians health, peace and other officers.
SchooIroom the Unit
"It is a good practice to 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 permanent and thorough use
of the method, the latter to the dropping of the
method in case the principal falls i'll leaves the
school, The schooroom government may follow
the plan of the locality in which it is situated.
If it is in city, it may be well to follow the gen.
eral plan of the city, with mayor, judge and
president Of the council all the pupils being the
council, or legislative body, though it would be
undesirable and impossible to reproduce all the
details of a large city government. If the school
is In town. the schoolroom government should
in form be that of a town; but as towns turn
into Cities and people go from towns to live IN
cities it is good practice, where town government
is used part of the year, to the city form the
other part Of the year. 1t is desirable to have
elections as frequently four times in the school
year that as many as practicable may enjoy the
moral and educational benefit of being elected
and of carrying the responsibility of the offices.