Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1919-03-05
How to Foster the Ideals Of Democracy

speak or understand the English
tongue has little chance of under
standing tie history Of this nation.
One of Our first concerns should be
an insistence upon those who come
to live among US Of adopting our ma
tional language.
All over this land in cities, vii
lagos, hamlets and country school
districts where soldiers are return
ing home, plans are being made to
| give concrete expression to the ideals
for which they stood ready to yield
the last full measure of devotion, in
the erection Of suitable memorials. In
many instances these memorials are
taking the form-not OF a cast iron vol
unteer leaning on his musket, or 9TH
er factory made works of doubtful
are, but by happy inspiration, of beau
! tIful commOdiOus, modern public
school buildings, suitably ornamented
and nScribed-memOrials in which
the youth of tomorrow may be taught
the ideals which the youth of today
so nobly safeguarded, memorials
which will serve as community cen
tiers where young and old may meet
on common ground in the genuine
spirit of democracy and busy them
selves about democracy's business.
Nothing could be happier, could bet
ter attest the admiration of a CRATE
full community to those whose sac
rifice made it safe, or could offer bet
ter inspiratiOn-for beyond all cues
ton, the hops of democracy lies in
our public schools.
/ The safety of democracy depends
upon an intelligent and conscientious
exercise of rights and acknowledge
ment OF those of others, in personal
relations and in political life There
is nothing that gets nearer the heart
of real democracy than community
| gatherings, where folks come togeth-
er for the consideration of problems
OF practical government, in which ev-
cry man and every woman is given the
right to participate.
In Liberty bond and other big cam
! palgns we came to a realization of
the truth that if a big thing is to be
done, 1t is not done by the legislature,
or the mint, or any other established
institution, but by the people them
| selves. We discovered, to our sur
prise, that we, not few people housed
IN imposing buildings down at Wash
lngtOn, are the Government, knowing
this should help to take the mystery
out OF the government, and make us
realize that government after all is
nothing but folks trying to live to-
gether in safety, comfort and happi-
ness, and that officials are nothing
but other folks hired by us to attend to
looking after the details. When every
citizen has assimilated this fact, has
taken it to heart and applied it by
helping to make his own community
safe for democracy, then real democ-
racy is born. That the powers of ev-
II gain sway in our land is due to our
own selfish indifferences and failure
to accept our individual responsible
it,.
If Lancaster is to let slip that splen-
did spirit of wholehearted community
cooperation that so successfully car
rled on the various war activities here
the loss will be nothing short of
tragic for us. The same unselfsh
cooperation that accomplished so
much for us in time of war, can ac-
! cOmplish great things for us in time
/ OF peace. This potential power can
not be used advantageously unless it
is organized. Community team work,
in flexible form, offers to democracy
its next great opportunity. Business
men, members of school boards. cler-
gvmen, farmers, civic officers. and
other men and women representing
the cOmmunitys' various groups and
| interests, should form a nOn-sectar-
ian, non-partisan group, after the
manner of the Federal Neighborhood
association and should foegather Of
ten to frankly and freely discuss
matters relating to the community's'
welfare.
Such an organization. if gone about
with the same unselfishness and en-
thusiasm that characterized the war
organizations, would quickly eman-
cipate us from reaction, and preiu-
dice and suspicion, and put us on the
road to progress. 1t would give us
vision to see what we have not Wv
iidly recognized heretofore, that
the men and women who reside in the
outlying townships are, by grace of
automobiles, our next door neighbors,
and should play much greater part
in our community life.
! POpularizing of public business. hui
manizing of government by getting it
down to our own everyday affairs. is
bound to have much greater infiu-
ence on democracy than the inc lent
/ al solving of our own civic and social
problems. BY educating the men and
women Of community to habit of
active participation in their govern
/ ment, and offering them fair means
of checking up the work of public
servants, it will at the same time
give them an understanding of their
individual responsibility and the
community and nations welfare, and
of their own opportunity to serve. 1t
is, in fact, a practical example of
constructive, aggressive, day in and
day out idealism, such as the aver
age, unheroic American can partici-
pate in
Someone spoke great truth when
]. 49,