The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1918-03-21
EDUCATIONAL,
EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY

EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY
President Wilson declares, "The
world must be made safe for democra-
cy." To this sentiment every loyal
American instantly and heartily re-
spends. The burden of making the
world safe for democracy at this critic
al moment falls upon the men, the
women, and the youth OF today. Our
people are responding and will con-
tinue to respond as did the gallant boys
in '0l who responded to the call to pre-
serve this Union as an undivided na-
tion. To President Wilson's statement
may we'll be added, Democracy must
be made safe for the world" This
task falls upon ALL but it rests with
peculiar force and significance upon
the teachers who are training the boys
and girls of today,-the active citizens
OF tomorrow. whether democracy is
to be safe for all the world, or even
safe for America, must depend in large
degree upon the kind of instruction
given in the homes of our people and
especially in the schools in which our
children are taught. Democracy is
not form that can once for all be
adopted by a people as their kind of
government. Like religion, democracy
is thing that must be lived, ,-must be
preserved and developed by effort, oft
en- effort of sort that tries the souls
of men as does war.
What is the instruction and the
training most appropriate and funda.
mental for the children and youth of a
republic? l take it that such instruc-
tion must reach down into the very
depths of human nature and human
character and there create ideals and
attitudes of mind that we are proud to
call democratic. The people of dem
ocratic nation must be taught to re-
spect the rights and liberties of other
people and of other nations, but with
out being so pacific as TO allow their
own rights and liberties to be trampled
upon. They must be taught the signi-
ficance in our Declaration Of Independ-
ence of the words, life, liberty, and
the pursuit OF happiness;" they must
be taught to observe good faith and
justice toward all people and all ma
tions; they must be taught respect for
government and Obedience to the law;
they must be taught that in democ-
racy it is the duty and the responsible
ity of all citizens to be interested In
governmental affairs Of both state and
nation; they must be taught the duty
of informing themselves on public
questions, and of exercising the right
OF the ballot. 1t is not the business OF
the schools to teach hatred of men, but
it is the business of the schools in a
democracy to teach the inestimable
value of democratic government as over
against autocracy in any form.
Self government Is the only kind OF
government that can ultimately prevail
in the world, because it alone is the
kind OF government that can be free
from caste and class; and the idea of
caste and class is repulsive to the fund
amental nature and instincts of free
and independent manhood. A democ-
racy, however, is prone to certain
weaknesses, and to eliminate these
weaknesses our schools must incessant-
ly strive. Freedom is not freedom to
injure ones neighbor, and liberty is
not license. Let MS take thought at
this time as never before with respect
to the great and inestimable worth Of
democratic government as adapted to
the most advanced civilization, and at