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VOL. 18, no, 12
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Our Public Schools the
Nation's Bulwark
John F. Murray, Berkeley, California.
Ghliil conservation and develop
ment fir all important for time, and
for eternity. Ab wo rear our boys
and girls to yoar.s of understanding,
mentally and morally weak and vile
or clean and capable, so is certain to
become 'our every human activity.
If we want to abolish graft from
politics, greed from businoss and
frivolity and deceit from society the
way to do it is to give oycry child
full-rounded mental, moral and phy
sical development.
From the soil comes everything
ossontial to human happiness. Tho
farmer should occupy a loading
placo in tho couijsols of stato and na
tion, and tho farmer's wifq should be"
tho "first lady of' tho land!" History
provos that whonovor a nation gave
its tlllors of tho soil duo considera
tion, prosperity abounded on farm
and in city.
Tho placo to rear ohil'dron is in the
nomo, wnoro a mau ana woman aro
ganizod as in tho city without any of
tho city's downward pull.
Happy tho man who plows a field
content with rural labor,
Earth to him will a living yield what
e'er befalls his city rioighbor.
GI-flLD LABOR AND POVERTY
ABOLISHED
Every Saturday afternoon to be
given to pastime. A neighboring
school would bring its band and ball
team. With tho old people sitting
around chatting, and knitting, the
children fishing and swimming, lov
ers boating .and singing, bands play
ing, athletes contesting, life on the
farm would take on a different
aspoct.
No longor would our country girls
and boys have to go to a city seeking
pastime, where too frequently seem
ing innocent pleasures lead to the
downward road. But the reverse
would bocomo true, and city boys and
1IV1IIU. VVUUIU il 111(111 UllU WWtllU.ll UU wi uwvw.wvj iuw, v..w ; .
happily mated is naturo's and Qod's j girls would doom it the highest ljonor
placo to dovelop children, Pro
YjcpiUon is better than euro. It is
easier to "turn: 'tho course of a river
whifo it is moandoring across a mea
dow, than after it has plunged over
ramdo or falls..
As tho public school is tho only
ch'nd developing institution where
tho "public may onter. advise and
regulate, it is the-nation's bulwark. j
Hence, an ideal public school would
have a home-farm- environment.
" THE COMING! SCHOOL SYSTEM
Jloloct as n school sito forty or
ojglity acros of ground. .Erect- there
on the finest homo in tho district.
Employ, for lifo, a man and his wife
as toachors. Pay each of them a
salary.
Having no worries over monoy for.
sicknoss or old', age these well
oquippod paront-toachors would give
their every energy to developing tho
community character through proper
child development and conservation.
Being permanently located, at least
during their capacity to load, these
parent-teachers would improve the
school ground as tho farmor who
owns his land improves his farm,
kooping the buildings painted, fences
ropairod and tho grounds beautifiod
with a well-grassed lawn made beau
tiful with shado trees, shrubbery and
flowers.
.. Erect a many roomed school build
ing. Have a library well stocked with
choice books, a music room well filled
wtU all kinds of musical instruments,
and an auditorium for public meet
ings, spoiling bees and singing
classes.
'Have .a bras3 band, ball toam and
other athletic clubs. Every unmar
.V1qL jnan and woman in the district,
as;v,oU as tho school children, to
belong to one or more of these
sodletios. Thus would tho school bo
tpmo the very lieart beat of the com
munity. Havo alakowoll stocked with fish;
have a ton aero fruit field; a ten aero
play ground and a ten acre grove.
Each school to havo a dairy, hog
pen and chicken yards so that tho
children could learn to do by doing.
TIiub would children learn to appre
ciate and enjoy farm life by learning
Bcietftiftc, intensive soil cultivation.
Tho farmor needs a more varied
sooial life. Hero he would get it to
tho full. Tho rural life cannot be
organized because of the inhabitants'
isolation. But here music, games,
partes and play times would bo o'r-
to receive an invitation to a rural
school' Saturday afternoon entertain
ment. Such a home-farm school would
unify the child's capacity and desire.
As our desires too frequently over
leap our capacity we find tho world
filled witfh educatod misfits.
Every school district to take into
its home-farm school every homeless
child and every orphan in the district
whoro it would: receive the same
treatment as one of tho parent
teachers' own children.
Here each child would receive die
strength of charactor gained from
rural environment, likewise the in
tellectuality received at our best city
schools.
Think of tho uplifting influence of
such a home-farm school system.
Every ch'ld in the nation well fed,
warmly clothed, its body and brains
kept clean, tucked into bed every
night with a kisa and a smile. At
present too many of them go to bed
with a kick and a curse as their
nightly benediction.
Every rural1 teacher., to" be ap
pointed a postmaster. Tho rural mail
carr'er could deliver the mall to hun
dreds of farms daily. In tho morning
he would got into an automobile, de
liver the incomlncr m.an fnr tVm
district to the school, take the out
going mail and speed away to
another school. In tho evening as
tho children started for home the
teacher would pass out their family
mail. Thus would be solved cheaply
and effectively, a free daily mail to
the remotest home in the nation.
Tho question of providing an out
ing for the tired mothers and sick
children of our underpaid wage
earners would here be settled to the
full. With such a school system
established, every idle hour would bo
an outing for children, and -every
evening would bo a rest, and recrea
tion for tired mothers and fathers.
One trouble with rural schools is
the lack of homo comforts for teach
ers who are forced to live in town
and drive to tho school. Thils tho
district is deprived of tho moral and
intellectual association of the teacher
in society, church and Sunday-school.
Farming is the supreme im
portance. Every city on parth might
b.o swept away but so long as tho
earth yields her fruits to the plow
and hoe humanity will exist.
Each school would need a power
plant to pump water and supply elec
tricity. And so. every farm house
could havo hot and cold water in
every room, with bath and toilot in
connection with every bedroom.
With electricity for .cooking, wash
ing and ironing much of the drud
gery would berlifted from the backs
of farm women.
And the .men coming from the
fields hot and dusty would stem
under a shower bath, cleanse and cool
tho body,, then go to their meai
flically and mentally refZ7
Let ns look into the future i,V
human mind can see W
ssote tno glories of this life M
the wonders that might be
If each child had nroner m
and selfishness was .lata 8 ihn
By a brptherhood of man,
righteousness did reign. i
Sl
An Ideal Christmas Gift
Mr. Bryan's New Book
F TO HEAP
APPEALS
An especially fitting and desirable book for tho Christmas and
holiday season is the new volume which contains a careful collection,
made by Mr. Bryan, of the Heart to Heart Appeals scattered through
the speeches delivered by him during a quarter of. a century.
This book contains brief, comprehensive and select extracts cover.
ing all Issues before the country during the eventful period of his
connection with American and world politics -all arranged iu such
concise form .that they will be of "interest to ttie reading public,
especially to students. ' , e ; -
A Book of Pmffianerifclnterest
These-Heart to Heart Appeals are "collected, and republished in
the belief that they may be of permanent interest to Mr. Bryan's
friends and to co-workers during his career,... Mr. Bryan is especially
anxious to get the . book into the" hands of University, College and
High School students. .
This volume makes an ideal gift bppk. It is printed in large read
able type on the best book "paper t andTls handsomely bound in bluo
cloth, with handsome stamped white titles. A copy will bo mailed
to any address on receipt of price, flf66 Special! attention will be
given to .Christmas and Holiday orders!-'
a
Send all orders and make remittance payable' to
The Commoner, Lincoln Nebr.
1
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN,
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THE MESSAGE FROM BETHLEHEM - ' '
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aiU3 FRUITS OF THE TREE " '"' r
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FLEMING IT. REYELfc'cOMFANY,
iioaaon Mad Edinburgh
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