The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-10-01
HISTORY TEACHERS
HAVE OPPORTUNITY
To Impress Upon Their Scholars the
Lessons of the World
War.

/ How the lessons of the great war may
be taught in the school room is tolt
in Teachers Leaflet, No. |, on "0ppor
tunities for History Teachers just is
sued by the United States bureau o.
education of the department of the in
| terror, for distribution to teachers OF
history throughout the United States.
That the American teacher of history
is this year planning his work under
conditions at once perplexing and in.
spring, is the bureaus statement in an.
nouncing the new work. In its appeal
to teachers the bureau says:
"The nation has finally been drawn
into a great war, war which demands
| for its successful prosecution not only
efficient and courageous service in the
| army and navy, but also the loyal CO.
operation of millions of men and women
who are not enrolled in the fighting
forces directly responsible for the civil
administration on which those forces de-
pend.
First of all comes the duty of keep.
ing, for teacher and pupil the habit
of at least trying to see things as they
really were and are This is not easy
at any time. 1t is peculiarly difficult
at such time as this, when too many
people believe a slight distortion of facts
may be a patriotic duty. In the long
run loyalty to the country as well as
loyalty to history are best served by
looking facts squarely in the face
"The training of young people and
OF the parents through the pupils to take
an intelligent part in the decision of pub
lie questions is important enough at any
time, but it is peculiarly so in this war
whose meaning for the individual citizen
is not so easily brought home. In 1928
and 1927, when the Monroe doctrine was
under discussion, Daniel Webster re-
ferred to the people who thought that
Americans had no interest in the Euro
pean system of mutual insurance for
hereditary rulers against popular move
ments What, they said, have we to do
with Europe? The thunder, it may be
said rolls at a distance. The wide At
lantic rolls between us and danger; and,
however others may suffer, we shall
remain safe. Webster's answer to this
question was strikinglv similar TO some
of the utterances of President Wilson: |
/ think it is a sufficient answer to this |
to say, that we are one of the nations |
Of the earth 1--WE have as clear an
interest in international law as individu-
ais have in the laws of society That /
was said long before the steamship, the
submarine, and the wireless had broken
Town still further our splendid isola-
alton To-day we are fighting for our
own rights, but over and above those
special rights of our own we are fighting
Tor international law itself, without
which no nation can be safe. least OF
I'll those democratic governments which
ire less effectively organized for war
han for peace.
NO one can take an intelligent part
n a great conflict for the safety of
democracy under an orderly system of
law unless he is really in
crested in and knows something about
ther nations than his own-sbout the
Inference between a republican govern
nent like our own or that of France or
he scarcely less democratic constitution
4 Great Britain on the one side, and.
n sharp contrast to all of these,
trongly monsrchial system like that of
he German empire, in which the most
Important measures affecting the ma
ional welfare may be practically de-
ermined by a single hereditary sovereign
r small group Of such sovereigns.'