| Show 4 1 1 oration fl fu y deli vere a by J alfi alfred e d owen 8 1 i ir at the recent graduating exer eief cyses of the fillmore public high Sell school ool mr chairman i ni ladies and gentleman and fellow students As the bosc important thing thin that students will ever be ca called lied I 1 upon to do isto live tile the life of 4 1 1 1 a citizen I 1 shall speak for a few ini minutes on anthe the duties of a citizen t from earliest history do down W ti to the present timp time we have examples of nati nations ions ri sing rising and f falling nations whose political institutions have flourished and decayed and this deca decay y an and d detthof death of such greatness was due to the fact that their people did not live the lives of good citi zeng zens the most brilliant age of odath aali anian history and we may say till all grecian history for athens represents the height of grec ian all i intellect and attain attainment me tit was from to B CA short space of only y 28 years r yet when n we consider the magnitude of the achievements of those 28 years we wonder and marvel at the greatness I 1 of tile the people tile the gover government tinclent waa intense intensely lv 1 democratic and aila every citizen was keenly alive to the i interests of of the country per acles a tower of intellectual strength and greatness was at the helm helin social strife and petty aims were set aside the wealth which poured into tile the ua city ity was spelt liberally ou on works af of art to adorn the genius was fostered and encouraged artists irtis ts like phidias produced their immortal works the po ets sophocles aud and euripides produced ced wealth of literary treasures which have never been surpassed t was one of tile the greatest ages in the history of the world but selfish interests greed and love of personal gain sprang 0 up and like till all evil grew so rapidly that destruction obstruction could be the on oil ly result spartan tyrants and other greek rivals combined against pro gresson and truth and brilliant athens fell leaving only her history ind and lier her art as the heritage tage of later worlds I 1 rome roine I 1 the re of A low and organization of freeman says is the central lake in which till all the streams of ancient lii history story lose ose thein till and from till all t the he streams of modern history flow rose supreme flouris flourished lied for it a time then fill fell and ill such st i 1 a i full fall bore billere never ever ii was before be foro nor hu ha been beell since ts 1 aft 4 the e early arly in ans were the clio ideal peo people of ancient history in love for order and obedience they rhey were we r e a stern proud class but they obeyed the laws implicitly even tho it wore death tile he roman matrons matrona mat rons thoi clio having I 1 no poli political tidal rights and subject absolutely to the I 1 commands of their husbands were dignified and respected I 1 1 the roman senate senat ethe the flower flowe r of romon manhood was one ode of the noblest bodies which has ever existed yet in time that same noble senate became gre greatly atly corrupted men resorted 1 to bribery and other foul means to secure power in the lie t government and when once in iii a position to do so they in turn accept ed bribes for favors conferred wealth poured into the city from every side the rich became richer and tile poor became poorer the sole ambition of those w who should have labored for the public good was cor or wealth and position and ev ery cry conscientious scruple wits was thrown aside to make way for them every evil power was brought into uso use and all helped to effect the fitial final overthrow of the world empire A the beginning of tile the fatal disease won wo due doe to the fact that rome could ri not ot establish what iye we call a reformed ivil service service soon soon military to fo as used to secure power in ine dae gover government then we have bave the horci bl hlo 0 prescriptions proscriptions ions or derth lei h lists of sullo of gaeser Ai rustus t or of mur mill cus adlonious An lonious and pompey at times rome se seemed emed to rally like tile drug fiend who 1010 is masterful m aste erful and eloquent while I 1 the stimulus lasts but when the over strained nerves relax utter misery and ruin result 1 however all roman leaders were not bad in the good old days of tile the roman Rep republic there w were ere men who were truly put botic biotic mot manlius ilius chirio is an all plutarch tells us that tho lie he had triumphed thrice lie he continued to live in a cottage on oil it a little acre plot which ile he tilled with his own hands bands here the Sani nite ambassador found him dressing turnips in ill tle the chimney corner when they came to offer h him i in it aldge I 1 ge p present resent 0 of f gold curio refused the gift a mau man said he who cin can be coil content with this supper hath n no 0 need of gold and I 1 count it lory glory not to possess wealth th bu to rule those who do 0 oh could we be as great and oble noble ii as that man inan who lived 2000 years ago would that we had the interest of our country at heart ns as did that peasant to city our politics politic 8 and our government are perhaps more punk than they have ever been nevertheless erth orth eless I 1 venturo venture that there is not ono in this house who will disagree with rne me when I 1 muke t tile statement that evils still exist and c 0 o or leaks leah s out ok in our dearly beloved nation the representative of freedom till and the clio champion champi oo of liberty it remains for you and for me to td do our utmost to correct the these evils to spend our lives if tiec nee essary essary 1 to purify our nation it if 1 youash you ask but what can E 1 do 11 6 if every mail inan repeats that question and alid does not do and net act accord ing to their god given st strength i ang th and abilities then know that no T tiling thing ever will bo be done every y 4 man mail lias has it in ill liis his pow power er to accomplish com it a mighty ta work in t this chis direction but in order to doa do t lie ho must lose sight of self and work for the good of all I 1 shall quote sonic somo from air r Poter peterman nian on oil the rights and d duties u of citizens T 1 first as fis citizens of at a civil district we have the right to al full I 1 i and equal protection of the I 1 law a W we have thy thu right to be secure in ill our person and our 1 P property ro perty to demand that the peace be observed and to do till all things I 1 according cc to our will so long as we do not trespass on the rights of others all legal voters have the right to participate in the goberni government t by exercising a fr e 4 in ill the selection of offic V W i 1 4 ors era they auve tile the right to ast their votes with without out felir fear ar 4 favor 0 this is tile the most import I 1 ant right th that at freemen possess pree government c d cannot t e exist x without it s s aalthe citizens citizen s odthe civil dis t pid have r rights so 11 also they have corresponding 6 duties u ie s as they illey 1 may day demand lb fiand protection and arese prese preservation ovation of tile the p peace bee so 80 it ia their duty to obey the law a and assist in ats enforcement ment in iii order thattie atthe th the s same ame pro lection ma may 31 bo extended to th the j hole people each should ab stain from acts that injure oth tirs rs and render cheerful aid to all in securing their rights by the law all qualified voters have the right to vote an itis it is their d duty u to vote they elect the officers and are therefore the sovereign body whets they fail to io vote they fail fai I 1 to rule fail in iii their duty to the lie people ani and to them thein t 11 selves tse yes the duty to vote 1 im in pries jie the duty to vote right to i 1 voto for good men and good measure measurer ra ts men meil should study i heir duties as voters that they midy a a elect honest faithful capable officers cHrs and support the par ty and the principles principle s that out will best promote note the t good of the count country rv itis it is the tha duty of the people to love lobe and serve the country to flavor for the public good t to I 1 0 obey I 1 the law and sustain the officers officers of the law if the district bethe or the nation has bas good government then the voters deserve the credit but if t the ahe government be bad then the voters alone tire are to blame it is the duty of every person tv to consider the rights of othor other persons and if they do not do this then the law interferes interfere and deprives him of certain privilege leg es but on the other hand the aie lenaw who loves his neighbor as himself the man inan who labors labor s for the public good suld and u uses ses the tight right of franchise franchis 1 e truly well serves himself his country and his god the story of socrates Socrate sone of the greatest and noblest phi loso pliers ahers that tha have ever lived well aermes to establish the principle that under all circumstances it esthe is the duty duly of a good citizen to obey the law of hl iny s country socrates was accused of attempting to corrupt the athen efy 1 fy F f i ian youth by teaching thorn them his ideas of philosophy ophy he was vas judged guilty and sentenced oed to death among his mends friends who were present at thie the arial wis cito a wealthy athenian who candeto ca came nieto to pay a fine for foi socrates Soc rateb should one be imposed he of ten tell visits socrates socrate s in prison and one morning coming extra e early arly lie he finds socrates sleeping quietly he brin brings 9 s tile the intelligence that tile the ship tile the arrival of which gouid be a signal for his death on the following day is is expected to arrive forthwith and takes occasion pc casion to antrea socrates socrate tomake to make his escape the means of which are already pro pre pared thereupon socrates having promised to follow the advice of orito after the matter has be en full fully y discussed it should appear to be right to do so proposes to consider the duty of a citizen toward his coun try and having esta established blushed bli shed tile the divine principle that it is wrong to td return evil for evil goes oti on to shoW show that the obligations of a citizen citizen citi zep to his country aro are even mole binding than chope e of a child to its parent paren fc or a S shive lave to its master an and that therefore i is his bis duty to obey the establish ed laws at Nhat whatever ever cost to himself an and d I 1 want to as 1 pheth er when a man has promised ed to do certain things that are ju just st ought he to do them or evade evada his promises arito says he should keep his promises then socrates goes on oil to explain that the city lias has given him birth and nurtured and educated him and conferred apoll upon him the rights that were possible to confer upon auy any athenian and that it still allows any athenian to leave the city with all his good if when lie ho arrives at the age of accountability is dissatisfied with tile the laws socrates had lived in athens all his life an and by so 80 he lias made a compact paCt with tile the city to do what it orders and any man ahan who does doe s not do this is guilty of an all i injustice Dj ustice could we but understand the depth and purity of tile mind of the great socrates and model ours al a ler it what joy and what liar mony would be our lot w no person iq ia a fit member of society who does not uphold tile the laws of the land and and also list fulfs fulfill fu at ala Z A v i his obligations usa us a citizen let us as as men rne n and as women and as citizens of the great commonwealth commonweal weal th of tile U S live worthy of the name of citizens lot uc u array ourselves our elves under unde r the bauner banner I 1 ner of truth and bight rig lit with i u motto do and da barj rd so 80 thaw t when we die the world will b bf better for our having li lived ved ill in it ii |
