The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1921-09-08

is to let them 60 until they are all
| in pieces, and then spend another big
; sum in rebuilding. Every mile Of i'm
proved country road should be under
| the watchful eye Of some man charged
with the responsibility of taking quick
action when the natural wear or the
effect of storms begin to show. In the
long run this will be found the best
kind of economy. as well as sound
common sense. 1t is not easy to find
really good road men. We shall prob
able have to train up some But we
can get them if we make it worth
while for them to go into such bust
ness.
School begins again today, after
the summer vacation. The streets are
full of kiddies with clean faces and new
clothes, on their way to face the new
teacher. Times have changed since
some of US went first to school, and
children no longer learn
"Readin' and writin' and 'rithmetic,
Taught to the tune of hickory stick"
for the hickory stick is now taboo. 1t
is just as we'll, for the stick was often
an instrument Of torture, and while it's
discipline was sometimes needed, its
unrestricted use did not always, nor
even in a majority of cases, develop
fine strong character. The theory
that was behind it's use was that child
rem were beings in whom total de-
pravity had fine illustration and that
punishment was the first thing to be
administered. We have forgotten the
total depravity idea, and we have dis
covered that children can be handled
better if we take them as candidates
for humanity" who make mistakes
and impulsively go at things wrongly
The seal of the public's approval seems
to be put on this conclusion by the
generous way in which taxes are vot-
ed to erect costly school buildings
wherein we find every sort OF equip
ment designed to develop in the child
mind an eager interest in learning the
fundamental lessons of living. We
strive to get the idea into the mind of
the child that knowledge is an inter-
esting and attractive thing, and that
the pursuit of knowledge is fascin
ating exercise The child comes to us
with natural curiosity and desire
for experiment. Whether this can
be cultivated and made active in later
life is a question largely of the teach
er's personality and method. Presi-
dent Garfield said that his idea of a
university course was to sit on one
end of a log with Mark Hopkins on
the other. Those who have been for
tunate enough to come under the in
fuence of some teacher who had q
genius for making learning pleasure
know what Garfield meant. We hope
and believe that Valley City's schools
have many such teachers, and that our
children will be led effectively in their
search after real education.
Labor Day is here once more, and
all will be reminded by the holiday of
the interests and claims Of the men
who work with their hands. 1t will be
we'll also if we are all reminded of the
worlds debt to the laboring man. In
the last two or three decades we have
discovered how much we depend on
the work of men whom we never see
for many of the necessities, conven-
fences, and comforts that go to make
life livable. We tend, however, to
forget this. We turn the electric
switch in the home, and get light, with
out thinking of the watchful care of
the man at the electric light plant who
is on the job, doing his work, without
which labor we should be put to much
bother. We take down the telephone
receiver and find at the other end of
the wire lady who is ready to put US
would speak to. The coal we burn is
mined by men who work in deep, damp
often dangerous mines. Much of the
food we eat is prepared by people
whom we never have known and can
not know personally. Our clothing
is made by people who work long
hours in far-away factories. In a
thou sand ways we have become de-
pendent upon the work of men and
women who mean nothing to us.so far
as personal acquaintance is concerned:
It is we'll that once year we should
be reminded that these folks are hui
man beings who have hopes, dreams:
plans, disappointment, failures, sue
cesses; who work, play, love, hate:
just as we do. 1t is one Of the hard
!: things that the same ingenuity which
has brought us so many conveniences
in modern life should at the same time
have done so much to remove us from
any sort of personal contact with the
: people whose labor is essential to our
. living. The impersonal in any line Of
human activity is always less desir-
, able than the personal. In proportion
: as we develop and maintain our sense
: Of personal value we enrich our lives
) and the lives Of those with whom we
come in touch. The workingman re-
sents, and rightly, being classed as an
impersonal unit, piece of machinery:
l or number like convict in the pris
: on. He is very much alive, has indi-
, viduality, and wants fair chance to
express that individuality. The fact
that this desire has been seized upon
+. by demagogues and radicals and ex-
: tremists Of every type and distorted to
the great injury of the laboring man
and society generally should not blind
/ US to the essential justice / Of the
7 claims and needs of the man who
: works. He wants and must have rec
ignition and square deal, and he is
going to get it. Everybody will be
!, better off when he does get it. Labor