Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1916-02-08

liberty but by education. Only intel
Hgence can safeguard such liberty and
perpetuate such freedom.
As knowledge is the fundamental
cornerstone Of religion, so it is the
Fundamental cornerstone of political
liberty. So the laundering appeal OF
our patriots was:
We must educate or W emust per-
ish."
The traditions of the Pilgrims
planting the school and church side
by side, woven into the warp and
wool of the colonial fabric, now be-
comes the pillar to hold securely the
federal temple Of independence, Of
government.
Their vision-the education of the
masses-is seen in right relations.
Some one has said:
"A boy is better unborn than un-
taught"
Disastrous and terrible are the
slavery of ignorance.
The most ignorant are the most
conceited."
knowledge was lcckoned as the key
to prosperous, intelligent. just and
righteous government. The fact is,
knowledge is a savior in all bust
nesses.
A few days ago Governor W. l..
Douglas CT Massachusetts was inter
viewed by GRAPHIC" who put this
question:
''The number of idle men in the
country, especially in the big cities,
seems to be increasing from year to
year. What is the cause Of it,"
1.-The reason for it, in my opinion"
replies Mr. Douglas, ''is tn eincreas-
ing necessity Of doing things exactly
right. The demand is for men who
thoroughly know their job, men skilled
in their line The men who do not
know how to do any thing in particu-
lar, a mean how to do it well, are
not wanted They have nothing to Of
fer which employers want. To use
business phrase, they have no goods
to sell which are much in demand in
the market
Just as Disreali once said in the
House of Commons May 4, 1860:
IGNORANCE never settles a ques-
ton"
Yes, it does settle the question as
to whether man is in demand or not.
Ignorance may lose him his job. For
instead of ignorance adequately set
Ting questions, it more often compli-
Gates them. 1t is as Goethe put it,
Nothing is more terrible than &C
tive ignorance"
Ignorance may cost the factory some
very expensive machinery and the
loss Of an important order for their
products. Let ignorance loose in
picture gallery and the disaster is as
calamitous as letting bull loose in
Z young Grange orchard. Our fathers
know Plato was right in saying;
Ignorance is the root Of misfor-
tune"
They had the visition and saw the
necessity Of popular education in nor
NAL proportions. Unless the masses
are schoolcd properly popular govern
ment will 20 upon the rocks and
wreck itself in the most hopeless man
nor. Therefore We must educate or.
we must perish.
For above a century our educational
program has been evolving. Ever
newer standards have succeeded the
new; ideals have been moving forward
with the passing years. The high
water mark Of each passing year
crawls up the sleeps Of efficiency. A
growing consciousness Of adequate
equipment is sensed and we are ex-
periencing the results in up-to-date
educational buildings, Fairgrounds, IL
brares, laboratories, ct al.
Rightly may we boast ourselves as
having caught the vision Of the best
only being good enough for the grow
ing generations. Like breeding thor
oughbrcds and generating new plants,
the American schools have brought
forth equipment, methods, curricula
and results until the public school sys-
TEN Of America is exemplar in all
the world. Gradually iliiteracy has
receded and in it's stead cultured citi-
zens have been produced, and self
government thereby gains reassur-
ance.
However, in spite Of it all, the 1910
censns tahnlatas & 51R LEO In thn ool