'
* ;
The Conservative.
TIMELY PREPARATION.
Soon after the re-election of Mr. McKinley -
Kinley he considered it necessary , or
politic , to announce that he would not
accept the third term of office , which a
prominent partisan had already sug
gested. A little later , in a party assem
blage , Mark Haima was proposed as a
suitable successor to the authority
which he had so long wielded behind
the scenes. And recently President
Roosevelt declared his willingness to
preside , by future election , over the des
tinies of the nation , as well as hiR de
termination not to attain to such dis
tinction through any dirty work of
political demagogues. These facts go
to show that the leaders of the republi
can party are already' thinking about
and scheming for the election of 1904.
On the other hand the hints and
manoeuvres of the twice-defeated "Free
Silver" candidate show that he is ready
to court the "three-times-and-out"
failure which is sure to overtake him ,
and not only himself , but the whole
democratic party , if he and his short
sighted theories are again allowed to
challenge public opinion. What the
democrats want for a candidate is a
man of education , experience and incor
ruptible honesty , and such a man can
easily be found. If our republic is to be
saved at all , it must be at the next
election ; a longer following of the
present policy would commit us irre
mediably to ' imperialism , " with all the
worn-out tyrannies which that term
implies. And the overthrow of this at
tempted Subversion of the'government
can be effected only through the ad
vocacy and successful development ol
certain vital issues which are suggested
by the present condition of affairs.
1. Our financial system must be
firmly established on the gold basis.
The'overweening'conceit of a large pro
portion of our citizens , joined to their
profound ignorance of the teachings of
history upon this subject , lead them to
demand a separate currency for our
nation , in order to make our silver
mines pay to the utmost , and to dis
charge the public debt at our own valu
ation ! But the experience of the work
is against such isolated attempts , anc
to yield to * this senseless clamor would
be to bring distress and ruin upon our
industries and discredit upon our
financial relations with wiser govern
ments.
2. Our colonial policy must be re
nonnced and abolished at once and
without reserve ; not only for our future
security as a republic , but also to wipe
out the stain of deceit and treachery
with which our recent "criminal ag
gression" has besmirched our nationa
honor.
We know now that the great body of ou
people was tricked into the war with
Spain , and that the war might easily
have been avoided , had it not been fo
rySvvtif" '
he ambition of a few politicians and
he greed of a few capitalists ; we know
oo that the Filipinos trusted us to help
ree them from oppression , and that we
etnrued their confidence by claiming
.hem . as our own booty.Tho whole world
appreciates these facts , and our moral
reputation has suffered infinite harm by
our sharp jpraotice , while our people as
a whole show increasing indifference to
the noblest ideals of national develop
ment and are becoming brutalized
through familiarity with the degrading
nfluences of war. It will take genera
tions to undo the evil effects of this ont-
) urst of imperialism well for us if we
are able to check the tendency in time
to avert complete and final disaster !
8. An imperative need for the future
security and worthy progress of our
people is the entire and definite secular
ization of our public schools. We have
trifled long enough with the sacred
rights of our citizens in' our attempt to
mingle religion with the necessary in
struction in practical knowledge , an
attempt which never can satisfy any
body and which is a decided wrong tea
a large proportion of taxpayers. There
is no use in saying that a simple , non-
doctrinal service ought not to offend
any person , of whatever belief. The
fact is that it does offend.
Catholics do not accept the Protestant
version of the Scriptures ; Jews do not
recognize the New Testament ; Moham
medans , Confucians , Buddhists , Free
Thinkers , ignore the whole Bible , and
yet all of these have the same right to
the privileges of the public school as the
Protestants , who , as they have thus far
been , and still are , in the majority , con
sider themselves competent to lay down
the law for the whole nation. Even in
states and communities where religious
instruction in the public schools is for
bidden by law , that law has been openly
and persistently transgressed and never
more boldly than within the last few
years ; each teacher evidently feeling
that prevalent opinion , from the White
House down , would sustain that rebel
lion. There must be an end of this
The religious character , or the sectarian
bias , of the President should not be al
lowed to influence the conduct of per
sons appointed to direct the education
of the young. There is not the slight
est evidence that such religious exer
cises have any improving effect upon
the pupils. If they think of anything
serious at all , their minds are at work
upon the lessons which are to follow the
prayers , when success or failure ii
recitation means something of presen
practical importance. The solemn im
pressions which may be evoked by wor
ship in a church or even at the familj
altar , have no chance to develop amid
the suggestions of the school room
The stubborn adherence to the olc
custom of "opening school with prayer'
is dictated by the superstitious notion
of teachers and officials who ignore the
changed conditions which bestow a free
ducation upon a free people , made up
of almost every variety of nationality ,
custom and belief. Moreover , the
chool hours are only too short for im
parting necessary secular knowledge ;
hero is no time for training in vision
ary speculation , and , for that matter ,
morality can be better taught through
the unchanging laws of natural science
han by appeals to what is unknown
and unknowable. A child learns some
thing of sincerity and truth in the
mathematical formula , "Three times
one are three ; " but is only bewildered
by the paradoxical statement , "Three
are one and one is three. " But what
ever arguments may be advanced for
; he continuance of religions teaching
in the time allotted to secular iustruo-
ion , these are all nullified by the evi-
rlent and indisputable fact that the pub
lic school belongs to the whole nation
and hence should be forever freed from
whatever does not pertain to the scien
tific knowledge which it is necessary
for all citizens to acquire.
ELIZABETH E. EVANS.
SEWARD'S JUSTIFICATION.
When William H. Seward thirty-
four years ago negotiated with Rus
sia the treaty for the purchase of
Alaska for $7,000,000 , he provoked an
outburst of sarcastic mirth throughout
the land. As well pay seven million
for the north pole , men said ; there
was nothing in Alaska but ice and
mountains , some seals and a few tribes
of very dirty Indians. No good thing
could come out of Alaska , white men
would not live there , trade was out of
the question , Secretary Seward had
thrown away our money.
Years afterward it was admitted
that the seal herds were worth , per
haps , what we had paid for the terri
tory whoso waters they inhabit ; but
up to the time of the Klondike gold
developments the general opinion as
to Alaska remained unchanged. Al
though the seal herds are on the way
to extinction , trad.e with the territory
is now rapidly developing and new
possibilities continually appear.
The report of the Secre
tary of the Interior contains a
great deal of interesting matter about
Alaska. The new Nome gold district
adds this season $7,000,000 worth of
the metal to the national wealth. The
product of the salmon canneries for
the year 1900 was valued at $0,000,000 ,
and the suegestion is made that sal
mon hatcheries be established by the
government. Silver and platinum
have been found and their are moun
tains of iron , to which , of course , no
body will payany attention during the
gold fever. Copper mines have been
opened and Secretary Hitchcock is of
the opinion that there should be a
commissioner of mines for Alaska.
New York Times.
