The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1916-06-02


distinguished sons. Benjamin H Hill:
Who saves his country saves himself;
saves all things and all things saved
do bless him; who let's his country die
lets all things die; dies ignobly and
all things dying curse him"
A patriotic man must have an intel
ligent appreciation of his country's his
tory, literature, possibilities and obi.
cations and must be well versed in its
philosophy.
The good citizen of today should be
progressive man. New occasions
teach new duties. The rapid advance
of the world makes it imperative that
we be ready for the obligations of the
hour. Herbert Spencer defines life as
conformity to condition" The man
who harks back to the past is not
conservative; the man who dreams of
the future is visionary; the man who
brings things to pass in the present is
the good citizen. It is all right to
remember the past and plan for the
future, but the watch word Of the hour
is action.
Politically speaking, the good citi.
zen must put principle above party.
Good citizenship is quality not
reached by unfolding that which is
wrong, but by standing for that which
is right The time ought to be past
when men start at the crack of the
whip of the political boss or step to
the music of the ward-heeler. The
need OF the hour is we'll set forth by
one Of our poets:
God give us men; ne like this
demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith
and ready hands;
Men whom the lust Of office does not
kill,
Men whom the spoils Of office cannot
buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will
Men who have honor, men who will
not lie,
Tall men, suncrowned, who live above
the fog,
In public duty and in private thinking
For while the rabble with their thumb
worn creeds,
Their large professions and their lit.
tie deeds
Mingle in selfish strife-lo! Freedom
weeps
Wrong rules the land and waiting Jus
tice sleeps"
No good citizen will support for
office a man with a black record.
The best men Of our country should
represent US in the legislative halls;
they should be men who will support
righteous measures that is, those that
are for the good Of the people. It is
natural that bad men will enact bad
measures and the dear" people must
bear the burdens placed upon them
by a too close adherence to the old
cry that we must follow the steps OF
our fathers. The old saying that
when in Rome do as Rome does" is
sometimes the parent of many human
ills.
From an educational standpoint, the
good citizen should be abreast Of the
times. The old logschool-house and
the blue.back speller were all right
In their time, but most Of US live in
better houses now and should pro-
vide the neatest and most comfortable
houses possible for children. The
man who does not willingly share the
cost OF these things for fear 1t will
add to the tax rate is not a good citi
zen. Brains are worth more than
bonds. The richest mines OF coun-
try are its minds, and II these minds
are properly trained in their duties
toward God and man, they will contri-
butte more to the betterment of the
world than all the minerals that are
stored in its bosom.
Environment plays great part in
the making of men and women.
blood will tell but it must have an
opportunity to talk" Such is the ad-
vantage of education, that every dol
lar put into an educational establish
ment multiplies itself thousand fold
in the finished product of good citi-
zenship, rightly trained for the res
possibilities of life The school and
the church stand side by side-one
training the mind and the other the
heart-in the making Of men and
women, and the good citizen is an
ardent supporter of both.
Viewing the question from the
standpoint of internal improvement,
the good citizen should support every
measure for the betterment Of the