The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1922-02-17
EDUCATE THE CHILDREN

EDUCATE Iuc CulIUTcHs NV MOIltdld
child should fail to receive an educa-
ton. Every child in this state is en-
titled to an education. No matter
how hard the times, no matter how
heavy the taxes, no matter what any
propaganda says who is insidiously
assailing the public schools of the
state in order to cut taxes for selfish
interests, if the intelligent people of
Montana have the courage to guard
theri fundamental social welfare, they
will rise in solid ranks and fight to
the last ditch the effort being made to
destroy the public schools and leave
the children of the state without a
chance for education.
The little children of Montana will
never be allowed to grow up in ignor-
ance at the behest of subtle propa-
gandists who preach against the
schools on the ground that they cost
too much, or who send out printed
propaganda intended to close the
schools and leave the children without
schooling.
GuuCdClOl 10 at JIC DdSlS VI Al Hu-
mar uplift. 1t is the rock upon which
is erected all intelligent society. Our
democratic political system rests upon
it. The ignorance of Russia, China,
India, Mexico accounts for the spirit
ual and political degradation of those
countries. We want none of that in
America or Montana.
This is a white, civilized, American
commonwealth, and it's children must
be educated, every one of them. Many
of the counties in this state are in
bad financial trouble, and curtailments
of every kind possible to save public
money must be made. But these
economies must stop short of the de-
NAL to the children of an education.
The public should remember that
the public schools are suffering from
the conditions effecting all business
and industry. All of their overhead
expenses-coal, furniture, supplies of
all kinds, buildings, and everything
they use-have tremendously increas-
ed in cost. The dollar they get from
taxes a while ago would not buy half
what it would buy before the war,
and it is still crippled in purchasing
power. But this condition, the pub
lie should also remember, will slow
ly disappear as economic and indus
trial conditions are normally readjust-
ed in America. This is a time of strain
and the great danger is that the peo-
pie will allow the schools to be in
jured, under the attacks of the prop
agandists and the stress of the times,
before normally is reached. This they
must guard against, and prevent at
all cost.
Closing the doors of the country
school houses means stopping the
march of humanity. 1t is not only a
crime to bring up a child i~lliterate,
but it is a blow at American civili-
cation. The schools and colleges of
this nation are it's invaluable cultural
and spiritual assets; there is no other
social force in existence comparable
to them.
Hence the school and colleges of
arc llC DdSlS VI tIlc SJdIe 5
economic, social and political welfare.
1t may be that taxes must be reduced.
1t may be that some of the school de-
partments and adjuncts of inferior
value will have to be Topped off. But
education must not stop. Every child
must get at least a fundamental edu-
cation in the three RS, reading, writ
ing and arithmetic, with their con-
comitant studies, spelling, history,
geography and the like, and every one
that a command the means or has
the necessary fighting qualities and
the hunger for learning should have
an opportunity for a college educa-
ton.
Montana must not fall behind the
other states of this union. There must
be no step backward. Public schools
must be kept open for every child in
that state of Montana. This is a mat
ter of mere self-protection for the
people of the state. Let every re-
dundancy and every inessential in the
school courses be excised, but let no
child go without the schooling that
IS essential to al ordinary, workable
education. The people of Montana