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Show Pathways to Good Citizenship By Curn C. Harvey and Class, Milford Elementary School An important pathway to good citizenship is to know the problems of our country and to do our part in solving them, j One of the greatest problems today is the protection and wise use of our natural resources soil, minerals, forests, waters, wildlife and fish. The lait issue of The Milford Siren dealt with this problem. The edition emphasized that it is as much our patriotic duty to preserve and protect our natural nat-ural resources as it is our duty as citizens to obey our country's laws and defend it against enemies. ene-mies. It emphasized that if we waste our resources we will also run the risk of losing our freedom. free-dom. Conservation has become a major basis of peace among nation. Our natural resources have been responsible for our high standard of living and in large measure for the greatness of America. The importance of conservation conserva-tion as a citizenship problem is emphasized by two of many letters let-ters The Siren staff received following! the publication of the special number on conservation. One is from a prominent official cf the University of Utah, and the other from Sec. Douglas McKay Mc-Kay of the U S Department of the Interior. Mr. McKay, who heads one of the two departments in our national na-tional government concerned with conservation, writes: "I want to congratulate the Milford Elementary School and the editors of The Siren for their interest and contribution to this very vital conservation program which means so much to the welfare and development of our Nation. I know that I will find the articles of interest and I am glad to have art opportunity oppor-tunity to examine the school paper." Dr. Harold W. Bentley, Dean and Director of the University of Utah Extension Division, is head of a division rof the University Uni-versity which carries on a program pro-gram in conservation education. Dean Bentley writes: "I send you our congratulations congratula-tions for doing an excellent job. "Your Conservation Edition does great credit to you. It we could arouse a similar interest among all, or most, of the schools of the state it wouldn't be long until we should have an informer! and sensitive citizenry citi-zenry on the matters concerning concern-ing our natural resources and beauties. Keep up the good work." Other letters this week include in-clude cue from the .". ".an who was First Lady of the Land longer than anyone else, a native na-tive of Utah who is now President Presi-dent of the University of Ore-yon, Ore-yon, and the Governor of Kan-; Kan-; as. HYDE PARK Duchess County, N. Y. My Dear Dianne: When I was very yoi'ng my father wrote me u letter about doing one's BEST. Later I came to see that no individual in a democracy could do his or her best alone. It takes ALL our b(!t efforts to make our form of government work. Very sincerely yours, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT. Miss Dianne Turner. UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Eugene, Oregon D( ar Sherman: You and your fellow students are to be congratulated on your interest in good citizenship. The 'iact that your paper is trying to find a Pathway to Good Citizenship Citizen-ship is one of the most promising promis-ing signs that you will find the way. A long time ago a great Greek philosopher, Plato, said, "What is honored in a country will be cultivated there." If you and other boys and girls in the Milford Elementary School, by your writing show that good citizenship is so desirable i that all of you are seeking it, I the idea of good citizenship will become popular. A good citizen 1 will be honored and most of your fellow students will try to be good enough to deserve such honor. It was kind of you to suggest that I may be a good citizen and that my experiences could be of some help to you in finding the way. There is nothing unusual un-usual about my life, but perhaps I could give a little advice. If I were to try and draw a path toward good citizenship, I believe be-lieve I would say: 1. Don't be afraid of work, and in school, be prepared. 2. Never be afraid to ask questions;. 3. Never pretend to know more than you do; never pretend pre-tend to bo more than you are. 4. Whenever you have to make a decision effecting you and others, never make the decision de-cision until you ask yourself how it will affect the others. 5. Remember that you are important im-portant and therefore that yoj must be good; but remember that unless you are interested in something bigger than your-1 self you will never be very u.se- ' ful or very good. J A good citizen must be inter-1 ested in something at least as ' big as his city, usually as big as ' his state or country, and a great citizen is interested in all mankind. man-kind. Sincerely yours, O. MEREDITH WILSON, I President, University of Oregon. j Mr. Sherman Myers. THE STATE OF KANSAS Topeka, Kansas Dear Betty Jean: I am pleased to answer your letter in which you asked for comment on good citizenship which may be useful to you and to other boys and girls. My story may be told very briefly, I believe, since the fundamentals fun-damentals of good citizenship are not complicated. I think "what counted most" in my early citizenship training train-ing were my parents. I believe that is the case with most persons per-sons who are fortunate enough to have their parents to guide them during early years. Everyone hat an opportunity for good instruction on how to become a good citizen. If, as is true in many cas-es, parents are not there to guide them, there are Sunday SchooJ teachers, leaders in the church, teachers in the schools, good neighbors any number of mature leaders who are willing to help. I believe that all of us "have from the beginning of our lives the ability to distinguish be- tween right and wrong. As we j mature we recognize the di'f-1 di'f-1 ference between good and bad teaching. Good citizenship as I see it, comes not from any single incident experienced, but from taking advantage of sound teachings made available to all of us during each day of our lives. My best personal regards, FRED HALL, Governor, The State of Kansas. Miss Betty Jean Bills. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Salt Lake City Dear Allen: When I first thought of how to answer your question as to what counted most in making me a good citizen, I tried to recall re-call ,some exciting, spectacular incident in my childhood which influenced me in becoming a good citien. I could think of none. As my thoughts continued I decided that just being a member mem-ber of a family who were good citizens helped most. There I learned about the many things other people did for my welfare wel-fare and in turn was taught to do th'tigs that needed doing to help other people. Being a good citizen means being an effective member of a group an increasingly larger larg-er group: home, neighborhood, school, town, state, nation and world. The same skills are needed no matter how big the group. Learn to talk things over together, to-gether, decide what needs to be done, then share the responsibility responsi-bility for doing it. Home and school are the best places to begin be-gin practicing good citizenship. Sincerely yours, HIT A F. HAGERMAN, University of Utah. Mr. Allen Mahoney. |