Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1937-08-26
YOUR sTATEHoUsE AND NINE
(Ry Paul P. Yoder)

One of the most enJOyaDle OccaS
ions within my recent memory, was
meeting | attended on recent
Sunday at Oxford, Ohio. 1t was
celebration, held at Miami Univer-
sitv. in honor of William Holmes
McGuffey, Ohio's great pioneer edu-
Gator, whose memory has been en-
shrined in the memory of practical
" every family in the state-and far
beyond it's confines.
I listened to various speakers tel
of the accomplishments OF this hum
BILE man, who compiled for the
schools a series of readers, which
today are considered by many to be
superior to any since written, ard
ones that will, in the minds of those
brought up under their precepts, re-
main long after others have been
forgotten or discarded.
7 remember we'll my own father
quoting from the McGuffey readers,
and many of the poems they con-
tanned, he had committed to men,
ory. The stories were virtually a
household word.
Whereas in my own mind / had
formerly associated William Holmes
McGuffey as the author of a series
Of books that had become classics
at Oxford Sunday / learned many
interesting things about the man,
McGuffey-his humble and retiring
nature-his sincere ambition to pro-
vide text books for school children,
which were destined to form the
basis of thought for the oncoming
generations His simple though:
and inherent honesty, his faith i'll
humanity were some of the thoughts
that persisted in my mind.
Before / left the beautiful Miami
University campus, l had allowed
my fancy to take me back to the
days when McGuffey was member
of the faculty of this very same
university. l found myself visual
izing citizenship of that day. l
thought of the teachings of that
great educator, in terms of present
day government.
What wonderful state Ohio
would be today if state, county and
township officials We're imbued with
the same rugged honesty, the same
uGSlIc 10 De DcHGul " ulduhlIlu
If officials would take the same
pains, give the same thought ard
have the same ambition McGuffey
had when he prepared series of
readers for school children; a series
of text books that had much to do
with the moulding of thought and
principle of the youth of nation
much influence on their after life.
Transporting the thought into
politics and state government,
could not help but dream of what
|might-and could-be accomplish
ed for the good of the greatest num-
ber at all times.
And calling on characters from
other books, David Harum entered
the picture-''just supposing," as he
did (when he traded horses with
the church deacon on Sunday.
Just supposing" a legislature con-
vened with the same ideals inculcat-
ed by the McGuffey ylBreaders, with
nothing but the simple and honest
desire to be of benefit to all man
kind. I must admit I do know some
legislators who have such ideals,
and who live up to their ideals
but they have an unhappy lot When
they honestly want to go deeply in
to the merits of a matter-when
they want to investigate and correct
some irregularity Of government for
the benefit of those who are govern
ed, they are called ''snoopers, ami
their motives are impugned, re-
gardless of how fair and honorable
they actually may be.
In such cases, every known kind
of obstruction is thrown into their
path. Every possible bit of pres
sure is applied. Everything possible
is done to prevent such a legislator
from performing the political service
he knew to be his sworn duty when
he took the oath of office. And if
it was his duty then-is it any the
less his duty now?
Visualize the contrast-if you
can-between what the average Of
fetal does in office-and what he
was taught to do, when a student in
school, following the text books of
such great man as McGuffey. 1t IS
a long stretch of the Imagination
but sorry as I am, it is a fact-there
is great and unabridged distance
between the two focal points 1t
would be the height of my ambition
to preside in a legislature of mem
bers who did what they knew to be
right, rather than the things they
think are polite.
Bristol Grange
Friday evening, Sept. 8: Duet, Mr.
and Mrs. Hamer Richey; reading,
Katherine Reed solo, Dee Dunkle;
reading, Raymond Ray; games, Liz
zie Macklem; essay, Grace Camp