The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-09-25
EDUCATIONAL.
by j. w. voboril)

/
fairly well indicated by the amount of
taxable property, the extent and vari-
ETY. of natural resources, and the in
ventve genius and scientific achieve
ments of its people.
1t is fine to have all these things in
abundance, and surely the United
States is blessed in these respects above
all other nations If we use these
things for ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, if we
fail to establish ourselves in the world
as great influence for good, we will
become as sounding brass and tinkling
cymbal.
During this month probably twenty
millions of children will be gathered
into our greatest national industry
the public Schools-that they may re-
ceiye that training which will enable
them as men and women to assume the
duties and responsibilities of American
citizenship.
American citizenship! How the term
expands as our wealth and population
increase, as our natural resources are
developed as trade lines grow shorter
and communication with all ports of
the earth becomes easier All citizen
ship is fast becoming a world citizen
ship. 4 League of Nations is newt
able. This will be a huge incorpora-
ton of all peoples of the earth for adj
vancement of the welfare of all man
kind. There will be no eXploiters and
no one will be exploited.
Citizens of all countries have one
thing in common-they are for the
most part provincial. / do not know
whether Germany was the most pro-
vincial of all nations or not. 1t may
he that her provincialism has been bet
ter advertised than that of other coun-
tries, but | am sure that had the Ger
mans had more cosmopolitan outlook
upon the world, there would have been
no world war, because they would have
seen lHc lltNltdblC Cuu anu ""uiu h"'N
abandoned the enterprise, if not on the
grounds of its gross immortality, at
least as being impractical.
Americans are no exception. The
term "Dago," "Chink," "Sheeny," and
"Polock,' so commonly used in our
country, serve only to emphasize our
own provincialism.
The public school, the sole function
of which is to train for citizenship,
should not intensity, but rather Grad
cate the last trace of prOvincialism in
American life. No school in the world
is superior to the public school in this
country The most hopeful thing
about our public school is that the men
and women who are administering it
make no claim as to its perfection.
Great as it is, the American school is
susceptible to much improvement.
Two subjects are taught in our
schools that require most careful
thought One is history and the other
is geography. Most children when they
finish American history, are ready to
go to war with England, What we, as
citizens of the United States need to
know most is what England is now.
England's contribution to human lib
erty should he emphasized-the Magma
Charta, trial by jury, the writ of ha-
beas corpus, the suppression of human
slavery and the like. Burkes address
should be read with the story of the
execution of Nathan Hale.
Recently | read an article from the
pen of an Englishman in which he says
that the most British thing the Ameri
cans ever did was to take up arms
against George III.
Our geography lays too much stress
upon the idioSyncracies and peculiari-
ties Of foreign peoples. The boy in
school learns that the Chinese are
heather, that they eat rats, that they
wear queues, that the women bind their
| feet. When he reaches mans estate he
| finds himself confronted with this ques-
ton; Shall Shantung be returned to the
| Chinese or shall it become a japanese
province? Really it is much broader
question than this The question he is
called upon to decide is really this:
Shall the Chinese empire be broken up
and its territory be divided among the
other nations of the earth? 1t seems to
me that the things that the boy learned
about China in his geography lesson
form very poor basis upon which to
rest his judgment.
What he should be taught in geog-
raphy is the real world value of every
country and of every people. He
should learn what each country has
contributed to the general happiness of
mankind. A nation that has given to
the world silk, tea, paper, printing,
rice, gunpowder and the mariners
compass, is probably worth preserving.
AS the world value of different coun-
tries and different peoples breaks in
upon the consciousness of the child,
his proyincialsm begins to fall away
from him. His interest in and sym
pathy for all mankind increases. His
one desire is cooperation. When our
country reaches this attitude of mind
H.. a ont