The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1919-03-06
The War as an Educator.

= WASHINGTON, Feb. %. The Republic
can Publicity Association, through it's
President, Hon. jonathan Bourne, Jr.,
today gave out the following statement
from Washington Headquarters:
Whatever may have been the evil
effects OF the war, it cannot be denied
that it has been the greatest educative
influence of modern times. People of all
countries have become better acquainted
with the citizens of others, and have a
larger understanding of the national as
plratlons of neighboring states. In our
own country attention has been directed
as meyer before to world problems. By
constant reading of the war news the
average citizen of the United States is
quite familiar with the geography of Eu-
rope and Asia, the struggles for independ-
ence OF their races, and the present
| economic condition of the states involved
| In the war, and is possessed of general
/ comprehension OF foreign questions about
which he understood practically nothing
five years ago.
: THE same effect is noticeable with re-
spect to similar matters in our own coun-
| try. The composition of the government
at Washington, the power which Federal
authority holds over the people, the rea-
ton to each other of the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches, the
power of the President under the Con-
stltutlon, the question of government
control of public utilities, methods of
raising revenue and appropriatng it for
the expenses OF the government, the
conduct of our foreign affars--all these
subjects and many others are matters of
a ont he, l..
so intimately connected with the waging
of the war that the reading of war news
has carried with it a general study of our
government in its varied aspects.
''Partlcularly has this influence of edu-
cation been felt In the training camps for
our soldiers here and abroad. Men have
been taken from all levels of society bv
the draft and blended together on terms
OF practical equality in the army Men
OF nigh social standing and education
have come to know of the hundreds of
thousands of poor people from the sparse
ly settled regions of the country where
practically all opportunities for self i'm
provement have been denied On the
other hand boys from those sections have
received liberal education in economics,
history, and government that they never
would have acquired had it not been for
the war. 10 the men who have been
sent overse as the opportunities of course,
have been still greater. Some will come
back, says Gen Carter, manned and
Sorely wounded, but the greater body of
them Will come home improved mentally,
morally, and physically by their service
I'm an educative sense the results of
the war will vitality affect the future life
of the Nation. In no direction will they
he dpanly ~;
tics. The Republican party can look
forward with confidence to the changed
condition of things. That party has al
ways been the party of truth 1t has
never had anything to fear from frank
DISCUSSIONS OF its policies, and has always
taken the position that were ali the vot-
ers OF the country instructed in our past
economic history the Democrats would
be relocated to the discard for all time
In general, the Democratic party is the
party of ignorance 1t depends for its
strength upon the votes of the more un-
intelligent sections of the country. This
is amply proven by the statistics of Hit
eracy. The Republican party, on the
other hand, is and always has been the
party of enlightenment, of education, and
OF research. just in proportion as the
intellectual tone OF the country as a
whole is raised that party can look to an
increase in its strength
Hence, in an abstract way, the Re
publican party will grow in power as the
votes and influence of the returning SOL
diers come to be more and more felt
throughout the land. This is entirely
aside from any consideration of the man
ner in which the war has been conducted
by the party in power. The general
mental uplift is sufficient to guarantee
success for the Republicans, but when
that new mentality is applied to an an-
alysS of the conduct of the war by the
Democrats the resulting condemnation
for the soldier vote of the country will
be sufficient to remove that party from
the Nations councils for scores of years
to come"