Loyal citizenship

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Preface

THE course that this text is designed to fit has for its purpose the training of pupils for citizenship. To this end two things are essential: first, to give the pupil the necessary minimum of knowledge of the institutions and principles of government and society — old Civil Government reduced to its lowest terms plus new Economics and Sociology simplified to his understanding; and, second, to inculcate the habit of civic-mindedness not merely by example and precept but by practice as well.

The first of these essentials — supplying necessary information — the text carries out directly, but with the qualification that the details of state and local government, so far as the^ depart from Jhe general pattern, are to be suppHed by the teacher or through special reports on the part of the pupil.

The second essential — inculcating the habit of civic-mindedness — cannot be achieved without the teacher's own patriotic and devoted interest. The matter of interesting the pupil in the problems of citizenship has been given too little attention. It has been assumed that because children twelve to fifteen years of age are a long way from the ballot they can be taught only by abstractions about citizenship. They are, however, members of the community and constantly sustain civic relations. They can be taught the civic point of view more effectively by the continued conscious practice of civic virtues than in any other way. Many of the "Civic Activities" are based on the idea of getting the class to work for the community welfare. The teacher may

V vi Preface

well keep in mind the following passage from John Dewey {Moral Principles in Education), "What the normal child continuously needs is not so much isolated moral lessons upon the importance of truthfulness and honesty, or the beneficent results that follow from a particular act of patriotism, as the formation of habits of social imagination and conception.''

The topics and activities suggested at the ends of the chapters are very numerous; there are far more of them than can be effectively utilized. It is expected that the teacher will choose among them.

In the attempt to dramatize the problems of government for the pupils the teacher will find brief plays, masques, or pageants useful. They have been occasionally suggested under the head of "Civic Activities," but this does not by any means exhaust the possibilities of their use. The teacher will find helpful the following : Payne, F. Ursula, Plays and Pageants of Citizenship; Tucker and Ryan, Historical Plays of Colonial Days; Mackaye, Percy, The New Citizenship.

The references are few in number and are almost all to books commonly used and not too difficult. This does not mean that periodical literature should not be largely relied on for the report work of the pupils. Every public library has indexes to periodical literature, and the sooner the pupil learns to use them the better. A list of the most useful periodicals which should, if possible, be included in the school or class library is given in Appendix 1.

PART ONE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FUNDAMENTALS Cooperation and Liberty

The essential element in patriotism, in the higher patriotism, is unity of spirit — the ability and the disposition to work together for a common good ; and this unity is promoted by getting a large and worthy idea of what the common good is.

Washington Gladden

Fig. 2. "The Family," a painting by Charles Sprague Pearce.

CHAPTER ONE The Family

The family as protector and provic^r. In the hves of most young people, by far the most important fact is family. The family provides not only food, clothing, and shelter, but also the affectionate care and protection which children must have for many years before they can make their own way in life. The family was one of the first associations that existed among human beings, and it remains the most important one into which they enter (Fig. 2).

Dependence upon the family lasts much longer among human beings than it does among the lower animals, whose young soon become self-supporting. Until a girl is eighteen and a boy twenty-one, they are regarded by the law as "minors" and must obey the commands of their parents; and some young people are supported and cared for by their famihes until after they are grown men and women, graduates, often, of universities or professional schools.

Cooperation. The purpose of the family is to increase the welfare of its members. It accompHshes this through cooperation. The father earns the Hving in shop or office or on the farm. The mother ruanages the house, cooks or sees to the cooking, and cares for the young children. The children help here and there with errands, chores, or small earnings. In the wellconducted family, all work together for the common good. /

Authority. If every member of a family always acted as he pleased without regard to the rest, the usefulness of that family would be lost. In most cases natural affection and a common purpose bring about agreement, especially among the grown members of a family. Children, however, are not always wise enough to appreciate the wisdom of their parents. For them there must be, to keep the family acting in harmony, the authority of parents.

When hungry wolves were poking their noses into the chinks of the family hut, there was no chance for debate as to what each member should do. In primitive times, therefore, prompt family cooperation was obtained through the unlimited authority of the father. This was the situation with the early Romans, among whom the father had even the power of life and death over his children. There is no longer need for such extreme power in the hands of one parent: milder authority over the children is now sufficient, and it belongs to both parents jointly.

Family as a type of government. When a boy's mother tells him to wear his rubbers on a rainy day,

The Family 3

he is subject to government His parents' commands are law to him ; when he was younger, they were his only law. The necessity for such law and such authority arises from the fact that all the members of a family are not equal in knowledge, wisdom, and goodness.

Force. Unfortunately, not all persons who ought to obey do so willingly, and children sometimes require force or the fear of it to make them obedient to even the best rules. There are parents who say that they never "force" or "punish" their children, meaning that they never whip them. All parents, however, make use either of superior physical or mental force to secure obedience. Withim the family we find proof of the fact that force is necessary to make government and law effective.

Liberty and restraint. Above all other things, people appreciate liberty — the freedom to go and to do as they please. Liberty is one of the principal elements in any one's happiness, and those who are deprived of it suffer severely, regardless of their material comfort.

Unrestrained liberty, however, would be impossible even among savages. It would at once destroy the usefulness of the family, which is the first social unit (Fig. 3). If, for example, when the family sat down to dinner, the father as the strongest helped himself to all that was best on the table, and if each other member grabbed and kept what he could, the weakest would get very Httle, and there would be an end of the family as a provider of food. There should be in the family and in society generally as much liberty for even the least member as will not

Fig. 3. The family is the social unit about which all government centers.

interfere with successful cooperation. Liberty must be restrained in order to secure orderly and safe living conditions; all the more so, because without restraint liberty would come to be anarchy and true liberty would be lost to all.

What are two of the chief purposes of the family? In the state where you live, how long must children go to school? At what age do boys and girls of your acquaintance begin to earn a living? In

The Family what respects is family life prefereible to life in an institutional home? What is cooperation? Give examples of it inside the home; outside the home. What reason exists for parental authority? What hght does this throw on government and law? Why must there be force behind authority? What is hberty? Can any one have aU the liberty he wants? Why? What are the Umits of liberty in the home?

Look up "government," "liberty," and "law" in any good encyclopedia or in any of the standard texts such as Garner, J. W., Introduction to Political Science; Gettell, R. G., Introduction to Political Science; Leacock, S., Elements of Political Science.

Let each of the pupils resolve to do at home some helpful thing that he has not been told to do by his parents. ^

Suggested activities for boys:

1. Install an electric bell and care for it.

2. Clean the windows of your house or apartment.

3. Make a useful crevice for the home.

4. Bait the hook, and catch, clean, and cook a fish.

5. Make a set of practical playthings for a child three years old.

6. Weed the garden or clean up the back yard.

7. Cut and rake the grass.

8. Clean up the barn or other outbuildings.

9. Chop a quantity of kindling wood and pile it neatly in its proper place.

10. Inspect your home and see whether there is any carpentering that needs to be done that a boy can do; if there is, do it.

Suggested activities for girls (adapted from Home Craft Honors for the Camp Fire Girls) :

1. Gather two quarts of wild berries or fruits and make them into a dessert.

2. Wash and iron a dress.

3. Clean the ice chest thoroughly twice a week for two weeks.

4. Put away clothing, rugs, furs, or blankets for a season.

5. Cook the dinner for the family so as to give your mother a rest.

6. Take care of the baby or amuse the younger children on rainy days.

7. Tell a bedtime story to your younger brother or sister.

8. Gather a group of four or five little children together and teach them Safety First.

9. Do the dusting without being asked to do so by your mother.

c3 e> OXD 'cy T/Z E N5 S WV?

J

LEADER-SHIP

SER.VIC,E

COOPERATION

I

OBEDIENCE

Fig. 4. Steps to good citizenship. Each of these must be climbed. There is no short cut to good citizenship.

CHAPTER TWO From Family to Nation

Family and clan. If human cooperation had stopped with the family, we should still be poor savages,^ often suffering from cold and hunger. But ages before the beginning of history, larger groups of kinsfolk came to be formed. These groups, known as clans, afforded better protection than the family could give against wild animals and savage men. The conduct of clan members toward one another was governed by rules or laws that, for the most part, grew naturally out of the experiences of clan life. These laws might be preserved in the memories of the elders or priests and applied by an a'fesembly of the people or of the warriors. Those AA'ho broke them were in many cases put to death or thrust out of the clan to perish in the wilderness. Old laws were harsh. Keeping ahve was a difficult matter for primitive men, and no one could be allowed to endanger the clan's chance to survive.

The nation. As time Avent on, clan groups became tribes and tribes merged into nations. As the areas within which law ruled became wider, the security of individuals became greater, and they could better practice the arts of peace and civilization. After centuries of struggle, only a comparatively small number of nations have survived, and not more than six of these are of the first importance.

Within a nation men cooperate to secure peace. Thus, as Americans, we regulate our dealings with one another by laws, and join with all our countrymen to repel attack from the outside. That our laws may be fair, well understood, and obeyed, we have legislatures to make them, courts to interpret them, and executive officers to enforce them. Our government has been a wonderful success. It is over a century since the last armed soldier of a hostile foreign power departed from our country. We are safe in our homes, on the streets, and in the schools. There are, of course, persons of criminal tendencies who seek to injure others, but they are few and are able to do comparatively little harm.

In the earliest times the enemy lurked just outside the circle of the family camp fire. In clan days he was kept back only by the village stockade. With the growth of nations, visible danger has been thrust back farther and farther, until today it is a long way from most of us. This does not mean that life is now altogether easy and safe ; but the citizen can at least lie down at night reasonably confident that he will awaken to find his possessions safe and those he cares for unharmed . Cooper at ion for peace and safety w ith in a nation is the greatest political achievement of man. Further progress wiU lie in the direction of more perfect cooperation among nations.

Authority and the growth of individual rights. Cooperation among many people distributed over a large area cannot be secured without the exercise of a good deal of authority. In fact, in the development of nations there were long periods when absolute or nearly absolute power was wielded by one man, the king. There were then few, if any, rights of

From Family to Nation iS^ ^k

Fig. 5. "Out!" The umpire's authority could not be questioned here.

the individual that the king was bound to respect. Just as the absolute authority of the father over his children gave place to a milder rule, so absolute monarchy gradually disappeared.

In all of Europe and America great struggles for freedom have taken place, and the liberty of the individual has been widely safeguarded. In the history of the English-speaking peoples, the rights of the individual against authority were first stated in Magna Charta (1215), reaffirmed in the Bill of Rights (1689), newly stated in America in the Declaration of Independence (1776), and made the highest law of the United States in our Constitution, particularly in the first ten amendments.

Liberty and authority in government. Definite limits for liberty and for authority are not easy to indicate. Other things being equal, the larger the group brought together for any purpose, the more authority there must be if the members of the group are to work together in an orderly manner. A committee of three, for example, can discuss a question without a presiding officer or any rules for debate. If all do talk at once, Httle harm is done. But in a meeting of over a thousand, like a national party convention, there will be required a whole book of rules, a strong chairman armed with a gavel to interpret and declare them, and a sergeant-at-arms with deputies to enforce authority. The 105,000,000 people of the United States today need more laws than did the 3,000,000 of 1787. In considering how far it is right to restrict liberty, these points should be remembered :

For Liberty For Authority

1. Liberty is an important ele- 1. Absence of restraint alone ment in every person's happi- does not give real liberty. We ness. cannot be wholly free except

2. Liberty is necessary to pro- under circumstances that make gress. A slave has no incentive life unattractive.

to improve anything. A people 2. Liberty must stop short of kept in bondage can have no the point where it imperils socifree interchange of ideas, with- ety, for society makes the enjoyout which there can be little ment of liberty possible. The progress. happiness of the people as a

3. It is through liberty alone whole is infinitely more importhat people can prepare for tant that the happiness of any liberty. No man can learn self- indiAadual.

control, except by controlling 3. The liberty of one person

himself. No people can learn must not conflict with the

self-government except by gov- liberty of another, erning itself.

From Family to Nation

Liberty and self-government. We have earned the right to be called a free people, not so much by lessening the authority that may be exercised over us as by self-government. Even severe rules do not seem oppressive when we make them for ourselves. Student self-government, some form of which now exists in most colleges and in many other schools, is successful because students so willingly submit to discipline of their own making. The Americans of the Revolutionary period refused to pay a trifling tax on tea because it was laid by a Parliament in which they were not represented; but they were ready to

Fig. 6. There can be no right without a corresponding duty. Unless all have duties none have rights. The even balance between rights and duties gives true liberty.

submit to heavy taxation when it was imposed by their own representatives.

It frequently happens that we are called on to obey laws that we did not wish to have passed, and we obey them. Since there are bound to be differences of opinion, it is only fair that final authority should rest with the majority. On no other basis could our liberties be maintained. It is only through doing oiu" duty as citizens — obeying lawful authority — that we can cooperate to maintain the privileges of citizenship.

What advantages did clan life give? How were clans governed? What relation does the size of the areas in which men cooperate for peace bear to civilization? How does the dictionary define "government"? Wherein, in your opinion, has the United States government been especially successful? What has become of the enemies that used to threaten every family? What did kings have to do with the growth of nations? What are the principal landmarks in the history of liberty in English-speaking countries? Why are more rules necessary for the guidance of a large body of people than a small one? What arguments can you give for liberty? for authority? How would you apply these principles to an actual case? How does self-government reconcile us to authority?

The government and way of life of the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons before they invaded England, and the development of the English nation out of these invading tribes, will make interesting subjects for reports. These reports wiU illustrate concretely the change from clan to nation which the text describes in general terms. Material may be found in Green's Short History of the English People or in any other standard Ehglish history.

CIVIC ACTIVITIES A liberty hour. The program should include the recitation of extracts from Magna Charta, the English Bill of Rights, the Declara-

From Family to Nation tion of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution of the United States (first ten amendments), and the similar provisions of the state constitution. Such numbers may be interspersed with patriotic songs and selections in verse or prose. , The American Spirit: A Basis for World Democracy, by Monroe-Miller, contains excellent material.

Organize the class for purposes of self-government. Future recitations may be conducted through this class organization. The adoption of a constitution, the election of officers, and the study of rules of order will give practical training of immense value and will, at the same time, greatly stimulate student interest. The first step may well be the resolution of the class to organize. Then will follow in order: (1) The election of temporary officers, (2) appointment of a committee to submit a draft of a constitution, (3) report of this committee, (4) action on the report, (5) election of permanent officers (their term should be short enough to allow offices to be passed around generally). These steps in class organization will occupy all the time that can be spared from a numbe%of recitations based on matter in succeeding chapters. See the first paragraph under "Civic Activities" at the end of Chapter 10.

Fig. 7. The great seal of the United States. Besides its flag, each of the nations has a device that stands for its sovereignty. Similarly, in primitive times each clan had its totem.

Chapter Three

Work. No good thing can he had without work, except the free gifts of nature, such as hght and air. Rehind the food we eat, the clothing we wear, and every comfort we enjoy, is work. You could not stretch yourself in an easy-chair, except for the fact that some one had labored to build it. Most men and women work hard, and it is necessary that they should, for there is scarcely enough food in the world to go round.

Fortunately, work is not in itself an evil, although too much of it may be. Many people rather shrink from work; but in reasonable quantities it makes people stronger, better, and happier than they would be without it. Every one should work at least enough to pay his own way. The tramp, the criminal, and the loafer — ^whether rich or poor — are all dead weights to be carried by the rest of us; they do not cooperate.

Division of occupation. There was a time when each family was seK-supporting. The game and fish it ate, the skins it wore, the wood it burned, the rude hut that sheltered it, were all produced by the family itself. If cooperation had never gone any farther than the family, we should have scanty food, clothing, and shelter, and few other material advantages. With the spread of cooperation to a larger unit, the clan, came the opportunity for division of occupation. If one man proved to be an exceptionally good maker of arrows, he could make more than he

U. S. D.

Fig. 8, Counting sheep on a Western ranch. The cooperation of men everywhere — of workers with hand and brain — is necessary to produce the food we eat and the clothing we wear.

needed for himself and exchange the extra ones for game, fish, skins, or whatever else he could get. Another clansman might devote himself to making hammers, and because of his skillful labor the community would have a better supply of hammers than it had before. Thus, division of occupation increased until the common trades we know today came into being, as carpentering, blacksmithing, and masonry. Society was better off because a given number of persons, each skilled in a particular task, could accomplish more than an equal number of Jacks-ofall- trades. As the areas of peace and order grew, there was still further division of occupation. One village had clay for bricks and exchanged its bricks for an-

American Wooleii Company

Fig. 9. Sorting and grading wool at a mill in Massachusetts. The occupation of these expert judges of wool is very different from that of the ranchers, yet it contributes to the same end.

other village's salt fish or yet another's tanned hides; and so cooperation among men has extended until today the very clothes we wear are the product of every clime and represent the labor of ten thousand hands.

The story of a woolen suit. Up on the highlands of southern Wyoming are a lonely sheep herder and his flock. We shaU not try to trace the career of the sheep herder, although it took the cooperation of many people to get him and his outfit on the range. At dipping time he drives the sheep to the dipping vats; at shearing time to the shearing pens. Here the brawny hands of others are brought into action.

American Woolen Company

Fig. 10. Spinning woolen yarn. These intricate and costly spinning frames effect an enormous economy of labor. Their product enters into the clothing of millions of people. We could not have such machines if it were not for capital.

The sheared wool, in bags, is carried perhaps fifty miles by motor truck to a railway station. There the bags are loaded on a car, which in tm-n becomes part of a train, and the shipment starts for Chicago or Boston. A multitude of brains and hands help to run the series of railroads over which the wool journeys. Once arrived at the raihoad terminal, the bags of wool are bumped over the pavements, again by truck, to a great wool warehouse. Thence the bags go to a woolen mill, perhaps in Massachusetts, where the wool is put through processes which make it first into yarn and then into cloth. There are

American Woolen Company

Fig. 11. Weaving the woolen yarn into cloth. The modern world could scarcely be clothed if we depended on the old-time weaver at his hand loom.

dippings, dyeings, spinnings, weavings, the work of delicate machines directed by skilled hands. Away goes the finished cloth to a New York clothing ihanufacturer, and once more many flying fingers are set to work. Designers, cutters, stitchers, and finishers bend over it until the suit is produced and starts on its journey to the retail store. There a clerk sells it, a cashier takes the money and records the transaction, and finaUy a man delivers it at the purchaser's door.

Kinds of work. The many kinds of work that are required to supply a suit of clothes, to furnish a meal, or to build a house are all honorable because they contribute to the welfare of humanity. Some labor is done chiefly with the hands, some chiefly with the head. It is perhaps difficult to realize that the

Fig. 12. The manufacture of cloth into clothing. Some of these men do nothing but stitch buttonholes and others sew only hems or seams. From ranch to clothing factory, many kinds of work are performed by many different people, and the result of their combined efforts is the woolen suit that you may wear.

chief of a great corporation is working, as he sits behind a big, clean desk for a few hours a day dictating letters and receiving callers. He may, however, be working hard and effectively indeed. Comparatively few men can think clearly and continuously enough to fill positions like his. Such a man's work is of a kind that not many are quaUfied to undertake. He carries the burden of responsibility. It is often more trying to say "y^s" or "no" — to make a decision on an important question — than to saw a cord of wood.

Competition. Half a dozen boys are lined up at the mark for a quarter-mile race. Revolver in hand, the starter stands just behind them. Every muscle is taut, every face strained with excitement. Each of the boys is eager to compete — to run until his legs ache and his feet grow heavy, and until his breath comes in painful gasps. WhyP Because there is a cup for the winner .^^ That has something to do with it, especially in getting up the race; but once in the race, the boys will run their best, cup or no cup. The real reason for their effort will be the desire to excel, the determination to win. The competitive spirit, which prompts each boy to do his best, is a common human quality.

The gun cracks and the quarter-milers are off at a terrific pace. Who will winP Barring accident, the best runner — fhe one with a combination of natural running ability, good training, strength of will, quickness of wit. Why all this effort to find out who is fastest at 440 yards P Why not have a debate on

Fig. 13. The finish of a hard race. The spirit of coi%petition has caused each runner to do his best.

the subject followed by vote among the people in the stands.^ Racing is hard and painful for the racers, but it is the only way to determine the best runner. Competition is necessary to bring out the best efforts of all of us. It is through competition that the leaders in business and industry are selected. In no other way can their abilities be proved. But competition, however vigorous, ought to be fair and even generous. Roosevelt said, "Don't flinch, don't foul, and hit the hne hard!" Success cannot be won by indifference, laziness, and cowardice, but only by putting forth our best effort — ^by steady and honest work.

Work, capital. The principles of cooperation and competition, opposed as they may appear to be, are essential to successful work. To make both of these principles most highly effective we need another economic force — capital.

What things are to be had without work? Is work good or bad for us? Is there any reason why each person who is able to do so should not pay his own way? What is meant by division of occupation? Give examples. How has division of occupation progressed? Why is most work honorable? Does the brain worker really work? In what sense is the carrying of responsibility work? What is meant by competition? What effect does it have in developing energy? Why is not the process of election always as good a means of picking men as competition? What danger is there in competition? How can it be avoided?

The history of other familiar articles, as hats and shoes, may be traced as we have traced the history of a woolen suit. The trades in your community may be made the subject of reports. Information concerning these can be obtained through business men and labor officials.

There are no books dealing with the fundamentals of economics in which the facts are simply enough stated for ordineiry presentation in the eighth or ninth grade. The nearest approach is probably Ely and Wicker, Elementary Principles of Economics. The teacher will find valuable for personal use the standard works on Economics, such as those of Taussig, Seager, Mill, Walker, Hobson, and Marshall. Approach to economic fundamentals may frequently be best achieved by way of economic history. See Bogart, E. L., Economic History of the United States; Cheyney, E. P., Industrial and Social History of England; Coman, K., The Industrial History of the United