Roanoke Rapids herald., 1923-10-05
EDUCATION DUE
EVERY CITIZEN
PRESIDENT COOLIDGE ISSUES
PROCLAMATION CALLING FOR
OBSERVANCE OF WEEK.
BEGINNING NOVEMBER 18TH
Hope of Self Government Depends
Upon knowledge Of Voters, Says
President.

President.
Washington-Pres Coolidge is
sued proclamation calling for OBJ
servance of the week beginning No
Vember is as national education week.
Every American citizen the pres
ident said lis entitled TO liberal
/ education, Without this, there no
/ Guaranty for the permanence of free
Institutions, no hope of perpetuating
self government. Despotism finds its
4 chief support in ignorance. Knowl-
edge and freedom go hand in hand"
| Education week is held each year
under the joint auspices of the ma
tional education association. the Unit
ed States bureau OF education and the
American Legion cooperating with
more than a hundred other national
organizations, the purpose being to
bring the people closer to their
schools
The presidents proclamation fol-
lows.
From its earliest beginnings. Amer
ica has been devoted to the cause of
education. This country was founded
on the ideal of ministering to the in
dividual. 1t was realized that this
must be done by the institutions of
religion and government. In order
that there might be a properly edu-
Gated clergy and we'll trained civil
, magistrates. one OF the first thoughts
OF the early settlers was to provide
for college OF liberay culture, while
for the general diffusion OF knowledge.
primary schools were established.
This course was taken as the neces-
sary requirement OF enlightened So
ciety
Such a policy. once adopted, has
continued to grow in extent With
the adoption of the federal constitu-
tion and the establishment OF free
governments in the states OF the
union. there was additional reason
for broadening the opportunity for
education. Our country adopted the
principle of self government by a free
people. Those who were worthy of
being free. were worthy of being edu-
Gated. Those who had the duty and
responsibility of government must
necessarily have the education with
which to discharge the obligations of
citizenship. The sovereign had to be
educated. The sovereign had become
the people, schools and universities
were provided by the various govern
ments and founded and fostered by
private charity, until their buildings
dotted all the land.
The willingness of the people to
bear the burdens OF maintaining these
institutions and the patriotic devotion
OF an army OF teachers, who. in many
cases, might have earned larger in
comes in other pursuits. have made it
possible to accomplish results with
which we may well be gratifed But
the task is not finished it has only
been begun.
We have observed the evidences of
broadening vision of whole edu-
cational system. This has included a
recognition thet education must not
end with the period of school attend
ance. but must be given every encour-
agement thereafter To this end the
night schools of the cities. the moon
light schools Of the southern Appa-
lachian countries, the extension work
OF the colleges and universities. the
provision for teaching technical, ag.
rlcultural and mechanical arts, have
marked out the path to broader and
more widely diffused national culture
To insure the permanence and con-
tinuing improvement of such an edu-
cational policy, there wust be the
fullest public realization of its abso-
lutte necessity
In order that the people of the ma
tion may think on these things. II is
desirable that there should be an an
nual observance of educational week.
Now. therefore, |, Calvin Coolidge.
president OF the United States, do
hereby proclaim the week bginning
on the eighteenth of November, next,
as national education week and urge
its observance throughout the country
l recommend that the state and local
authorities cooperate with the civic
and religious bodies to secure Its most
general and helpful observance, for
the purpose of more literally support
ing and more effectively improving
the educational facilities of our
country"