No more clear statement of the soviet ideals
of this group, which seeks to set up a national de
paitment of education and take the control of
millions of children from groups of parents, where
it belongs, and place it under a bureaucracy, could
be made.
As we have stated in this column before, there
are two ideas about government: One is that the
state is a servant of the people. The ether, soviet,
idea is that the people are servants of the state.
Public schools should not be run for the pur
pose of giving “solidarity to the government.”
They should be run for the children.
Furthermore, every true American will rise in
rebellion at the idea that our children should get
their “ideals, values, attitudes, and reverences” at
schools. These are things that are strictly the
children's and their parents’ business.
What schools should provide are information
and mental exercise.
With a constitution guaranteeing our citizens
freedom in thought and beliefs, a group admitting
a purpose to teach standardized “ideals and rev
erences” has forsaken the American principle of
liberty.—Seattle Star.
We would ask those who oppose entrance of
full- bleed Indian children in the public schools if
H is their wish to prevent these future citizens
from “inculcating the ideals, values, attitudes,
reverences * * *” for our government. If such is
their idea then they should be successful and if it
F not their idea then it might be well for them to
explain just why they are so bigoted and
intolerant.
_V
MAKERS OF ALASKA HISTORY
-x
It is eighteen ye-?.vs now since a little group of
six men were gathered in a room with Rev. Mc
Afee . D. D. cl the Presbyterian Church in Juneau
la discuss the vexatious problems which hindered
their progress to higher citizenship. His advice to
that group was to organize into a society and
through solidarity work to achieve the good for
themselves, and the territory in general, which
they desired. So was born the Alaska Native Broth
erhood. And each year it grew in strength and
understanding as its membership secured greater
educational advantage and carried on the ideals
cf the organization.
The first marked step took place in 1918 when
the convention of this organization at Juneau
adopted the planks which urged better education
through better educational facilities; citizenship;
in every sense of the word as enjoyed by adopted
find natural born citizenry; better economic op
portunity whereby every advantage for develop
ment of a higher type of citizenship could be
secured; the higher development of mind and
body for the development of competent, Christian
citizenship.
The next step took place in 1919 when through
the agency of the Brotherhood, the factional
hatreds of generations were wiped away and the
heads of opposing forces partook of food together
at the same table as brothers.
Then in 1921, with an organization completed
in all major towns and villages, they sought to
carry out the program with greater force and with
a determination that has wavered, perhaps at
times, but which has never lost its objective.
With the seeds of distrust and dissatisfaction
sown by unprincipled and unscrupulous politicians
in the past four years, came a gradual disintegra
tion of the solidarity which gained so much for
the Territory. This year at Yakutat, every issue of
controversial nature was brought out upon the
floors of the convention and not allowed to leave
the thought of the delegates until it had been met
and a solution set forth.
Taking with them “the spirit of Yakutat” the
sixty delegates returned to their homes with a
new determination to work together for the good
of not only themselves and prosterity, but for the
good of the Territory.
And what a lesson it would be to the literati
and political demogogues of the Territory to sit
in at those sessions and listen to the ideals and
hopes of a people who, condemned for being “ill
iterates and ignorant” yet have the foresight to
stand steadfast and firm for principles which will
In the end bring to the Territory a development of
its resources as no other agency ever has.
SUPERIOR HUMANS
-x
The hallowed democratic axiom that one man
is as good as another gets roughly treated by
Professor Kahn, the Yale physchiatrist. Govern
ments may insure a man against caste prejudice,
starvation and political oppression, but “only
nature herself can provide men with equal
abilities.”
Few people are thoroughly convinced of this
axiom. Millions of people rush to vote for a person
no abler than themselves, under the belief that he
really is. Members of the human race have a
touching faith in the superiority of somebody else,
either because he has a long beard or that when
he comes to town he is proceeded by motorcycles
and a brass band.—Seattle P. I.