| Show DAILY Y HASKIN LETTER SCHOOL REPUBLICS Teaching Citizenship I I I By FREDERIC J. J HASBIN HASKIN A new citizenship Is 15 slowly rising In American rf n J public life It Is 18 recruited tro from the tho model school republics school cities and school states which are gradually berig beig be be- rig ig set et up lip throughout tho the country Just Justas Justas as RS chemistry no longer Is drilled In but not r h by the use of or text books alone but by iy actual demonstration in laboratories so so civics s and tho the democracy o of our country now non are beginning to sink Into tho the l consciousness of the na nation na- na I tion tl ii through h the everyday practice of or school government h by the students es The school republic Idea Isby Is Isby b by no means mean general enral oven even though i W. W t was as begun as R far lar back aa as Sn But It has recel received d a ti I n new w Impetus of or late And it has worked successfully not nol only In our ouro o own n cities clUe but also nIso In iii Cuba Cub In Alaska among amon the Indian schools chool and has hall been considered rl tot rOt the schools of or the Philippine Philippine Philip Philip- pine l Islands lands the Hawaiian allan islands and Pot to Rico School government O In some form orm or other Is not at all nil a new thing but a definite method of teaching b by practicing the tc duties ditties and responsibilities of oC citizenship citizen citizen- citizenship ship of or In Instilling b by practical application good morals moral cleanliness orderliness and courtes courtesy In the little citizens of our sChool did not become a concrete ex experiment ex- ex until It was Inaugurated In a number of cast side high schools In NewYork New New- NewYork York City h by Mr Ir Wilson L. L Gill GUI in lie He and a teacher organized 1100 I foreign born children from 6 S to IS 15 years as citizens of ot a republic taught theta them to make mako laws to 10 carry them Into c execution c to adjudicate difficulties and nd to elect officers Tho experiment was sae wasI thoroughly hl successful rul and toda today thirty thirty- unree r ew cw i tot vorK 91 i v Ity use ee a It u. u 4 I I I I unree r ew cw i tot vorK 91 i v Ity use ee a It u. u 4 ny nince that tha 1 time timo It tas' tas been been tried sporadically in nearl nearly r e every state talo of the union General Gent Gen eral oral public Interest l In tho the movement Jt fin has baa long lone ago ngo passed d Ute tie experimental expert expert- mental stage stag lisa lias b been en revived re through the verv eo recent nt publication Ion b by Mr Gill GUI of ot his book A New ew Citizenship He lie J Is II a la lawyer R and a u civil c engineer whose Interest In tc teaching American citizenship at tho the source the source the child b child began began san nearly nearh thirty eJ a ago o. o A s the ito author points out f forcibly In his I latest tp volume we are arc expected h when n wo we r a h the voting oUn ago O. O to take our purt part In iii the fLit community as respectable Independent dent citizens always aIWAs r cay to take the Initiative and to do teamwork for or the public welfare we But ho contends that a 1 avery very er great majority of us do 10 not 1 now how to do our part for tor or the the rC reason on that at al home at nt school and even eon Jit at t colle college c we e were trained as SHI Irresponsible subjects of a monarchy benevolent ns as It was wa ratter than as All responsible citi citi- T. T zens of a It republic In oth other r words learn learn- rn In lag ing civics only b by the abstract tract theorizing of ot text books and with no actual practice tice ice In the tue formation period our Irr- Irr in reference to government has ban been hen d hub Into a n habit before beora we W. reached the voting ago age J. J of or 21 1 Is 18 s not this thle a basic baric explanation of or this crying Indifference of the average American to the us its lIU of the tho ballot Does It not la lay ba bare re the fundamental reason rason for tor tho the ex- ex silence of the tho boet boss tend the system The school republic or city or an any other form adopt adopted If Is a II method by which the Iho oldest t students In a f university arid and nd the youngest children n In a kindergarten ma may be trained positively to develop eloD In In ln dependence and every weT other feature of character tha that t Is III n necessary ce ary for the high high- est eat personal A stud and community welfare lla r it furnishes tho the spirit ani n l the practices of ot q citizenship and suggests forms of or organIzation organ organ- such as aft those of or village town city state and federal government govern govern- o er ment meat which are elastic As such Nuch the they ma may be adapted to the circumstances s of an any school club or association of or young or older people where there Is some chance of Instruction and practice In citizenship It do does not lot compete but rather heartily op co-op operates cooperates ra t s with the Boy Bo- Scouts the Campfire Girls the Red Cross the thc American Institute of oC Child Life Lite the tio George Georgo Junior republics republic etc One of or Leagues League's Activities This movement mo represents one of tho the activities o of tho the American Patriotic league leagur of ot which Mr Ir GUI Gill Is president chartered b by act of or congress In in 1891 It was organized to promote th tb the cause au e of civic education and arid It formed chapters I throughout tho the country to study citizen citizen- ship and government These wore In con eon with Ith other societies tle clubs schools churches churcheR and the arm army and navy nan Later It published Our Country Countr a n magazine of ol Instruction in civic ma mat t- t terse era This work ork was is-as continued until It Jt led to th the realization rel that It its work Tork wa was WaR wholly academic and that tho the b best way to teach citizenship Is by practical labo habo- methods Then tho school gov go government 0 eminent Idea W was WAR H started In 1897 as 3 pr previously outlined Many prominent men of the thc past have haye h been officers of th the Ia league 4 including p Presidents Hayes LJ jr l I Ia league 4 p LJ including Presidents Hayes jr l lIar Har rIll rison on Cleveland clan McKinley and elt and nd Dr Edward Ed Everett Hale At th tho present time the roll roU of or officers shows sho among others the tho names of or of Admiral George Dewey Dewe Ma MaJ Gen Oen L Leonard Lonard ona rd Wood GIfford Pinchot William H H. P. P Faunce Levi P. P Morton Pa Patterson tte on Du J Frank Goodnow Judge Don Bon B. B Lindsey Rev Rc Thomas R R. R nicer Jo Josiah Strong R. R Il Fulton Cutting Francis FrancI E. E Clark ana atia Prof John R. R Commons Whatever cr you ou would put Into Inlo the lib state you ou must first put Into the schools school said ald Humboldt the Pru Prussian lan philosopher This TItle Is the thc nuh nub of th the tho school 1 government propaganda Nearly I immigrants pour Into this countr country every cry I year r. Twenty or thirty years ago th the bulk hulk of or them were wern of the Germanic and Scandinavian races Their standard ot Intelligence and literacy was 38 high a and lid the they tarried In our c congested t d ports only long enough to pick a n far Western ben loca I lion tion th there rc to carve carvo out a new empire III In the forests forest and on the he broad prairies But lint toda today our new nets citizens flock from I southern Europe the Balkans Balkan darkest e t Russia The They never et had bad a chance hane Too I man many of them are arc of ot Jo low mental moral I and ph physical standard They Thai come to 10 I this free tree land to tt b-tt better t their condition I They come here hert not with the hh high h cx- cx ex lions of the Norske and the Oar Gor I man alan that psychological state o of mind which creates achievement tho they come in d despair and make one last lut attempt to Cu survive lIunI s' s Re Settle Among Own 11 Kind The They Tiie settle sette among their their own kind In the slums lulUs of er our great cities As Aa many of their children who can be spared parel from bread bret winning toll toil J go 10 to school What avails alls It If this second generation of new new- citizens grows up with Ith a practical knowl edge of ot our 11 political RI Institutions limited to lo the lie ward warl heeler hl the this old and the grafter H Here re I Is I where thin the school chool democracy can step t p Jn n From th the first l grade Krada those 1 boys 08 ned girls gIrl get gel ot actual practice In lii government and the lie work does not nol r require more than an Rn extra hour limit or two to n a week ek Th The children n ar are told In I the tue hl beginning that a tt try necessary element clement I |
