Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-08-31
REORGANIZATION
in PUBLIC SCHOOLS
New Course to be Added 10 Cur
riculum When Fall Term
Opens in Iowa.
EFFORT TO DEVELOP
OFFICIAL APPRECIATION
Course to be Instituted in Prepara-
tion During Past Two Years
State Superintendent Calls
Attention to
Officials.

Des Moines, IOwa--When the
public schools of Iowa open this fall
there will be added to the curriculum
courses Of study in citizenship de-
signed to inform the youth on the
principles Of government, the ideals
ON which the nation was founded,
the duties which each citizen owes
to his fellow citizen in work for
and supporting his own community,
state and nation, and the fundamen-
tails of good government.
In addition to teaching these broad
| principles of government am effort
/ will be made to develop an apprecia-
ton of public service and of the
trust imposed in an official chosen
by the people for public Office. The
machinery of government, or the
provisions of the laws with respect
to conducting elections and carrying
on work of public Offices, will also be
set forth i'm the courses.
The courses to be instituted this
fall have been in preparation for
practically two years under the pro-
visions of the law passed by the
Thirty-eighth general assembly re-
quiring that the subject of American
Citizenship be taught in all public
and private schools in Iowa. The
work has been under the direction of
committee of which State Superin-
tendent p. c. McClenahan is the
head.
"At the present time there is
tendency to over emphasize the fra
ilties of the individual and the weak
ness of our government" declares
Superintendent McClenahan In a
statement forwarded to school super
intendents relative to the new
courses in citizenship.
"This tendency is superficial, how
ever, not fundamental. Deep in the
consciousness of most individuals
/ there is love of country and pa
triotic pride in what has been ac-
complished in America. It is the pur-
pose of these new Iowa laws to put
the emphasis on the things which
are fundamental in our American
government and thus help to elimin-
ate the conditions of unrest which
exist.
'Too frequently people believe that
the right to destructive criticism is
| Iinalienable and act upon that theory.
One illustration will suffice to show
our attitude.
"A policeman is a necessity in any
city, yet many citizens who see him
standing at the street crossing re-
gard him as a natural enemy, espe-
cialy If the officer enforces the
traffic law to the inconvenience of
the citizen.
How many people appreciate the
patience of the policeman who stands
in the storm all day to save them
from possible collisions? We often
critic the / per cent of failure and
forget the SO per cent Of service
given.
In Iowa as well as throut this
country there are too many people
who do not know the purpose for
which our country was founded or
the ideals on which our government
was built. Nor do they appreciate
the blessings which they now enjoy.
'Too frequently they see only the
surface conditions, note the ma
chinery of government, and fail TO
realize what the government has
accomplished. We still have many
people who are unable to read or
write, over $4,000 of them in Iowa
according to an unofficial report from
the last census.
"The unrest in this country, how
ever, is not confined to illiterate
or the foreign born. 1t prevails
among vast numbers of misinformed
citizens of American birth and
training. To such people the voice
of the ignorant agitator and un-
scrupulous revolutionary rings with
persuasion. They constitute a dan
ger to the welfare of the country
and to the future of our republic.
"The people of America must un-
derstand America. They must know
why America was founded. They
must appreciate the ideals which in
the past have been fundamental tC
our development. They should know
the constitution Of the state and ma
ton, why they were written, and
why they are fundamental in our
fornl of government. They should be
made to realize that the governments
of the states and the United States
are faithfully protecting their liber-
ties and serving their needs. They
must know that the patriotic AM
eTican not only prizes his liberties
and maintains his rights but also
performs his duties promptly and
cheerfuly."