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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1878)
July. CITIZENSHIP IN OCR COMMON SCHOOLS. Many things should be taught in the common schools not found in the text books generally used, and among these the elements of citizenship is one of the most important. If the boys and girls of our country are expected to he come intelligent and useful members of society, nnd to properly fill the po sitions which they must inevitably oc cupy In the future, they must be in structed in the duties and requirement! of those positions. Reading, writing, arithmetic, gram mar and geography, arc branches of knowledge absolutely necessary for ev ery one to know, but they are small matters compared with the many other manifold requirements of a good citi zen. Gur boys will certainly become voters, law-makers, and executive offi cers. The same may be said of our girls. Great effort is making to secure the voting power to women) and if this effort meets with success, the girls should be prepared to do the work well. If the right to vote should never be granted to women, they will always do much towards training and moulding the character of those who do exercise this power. More attention should therefore be given to the broad rulture of girls in the duties ol a citizen and, the art of government, and less of mu sic, fine arts, and graceful accomplish ments. The latter, of course, should be taught both sexes, but the former as well. The Catholic Church under stands thoroughly where the germs of power lie and look well to their culti vation. Their school for girls is the first established. The leaders of this Church know that first impressions are the deepest and piost lasting, and they are aware that mothers make those im pressions hence their auxicty and care rBr the education of their girls. Our youth is too generally allowed to grow up ignorant of their country's history, ol the constitution and laws of the land, and the way in which our people are governed. They do not know how our laws arc made; how courts 01" jusiice are established, nor what they are for; what an executive officer is; whv nor how taxes arc levied and collected; the difierence between a State and a Territory; nor, for that matter, anything which will mak them useful in the future management of their country's political affairs. All this they arc left to learn by observa tion and experience after they have be come grown. This is all wrong. It is like building the roof before the foundation is laid. How many school in Oregon have on the programme of their daily exercises a subject called citizenship? Outside of the largest three or four towns in the State, no doubt, not one in ten mention that im portant subject during a whole term. Many children in our common schools and not very young children either do not know how the free school is sus tained, nor who regulates the school af fairs of the district. They do not know whether theGovernor of the State is elected for one year, or for life. The same may be said concerning the res ident. Kithcr teachers do not deem this part of nn education of sufficient importance to teach their pupils, or they forget all about it. If the former, they should begin to think when they will probably change their minds; if the latter, they should by all means awake to the vast importance of their office. They should fully understand that they are filling a position, second in respon sibility, to no other on earth, and that the future stability and progress of our country depend upon their faithful dis charge of every duty, and untiring vig THE WEST ilance in the instruction of those who are intrusted to them for training. Months and years are consumed in discussing the modifications ot the noun, the propertecs of the verb, the intrecacies and the perplexities of or thography, where seconds and minutes arc used in treating the duties of a citizen, the requirements of well-regulated society, or the necessities of nat ural advancement. The preserving power of this government, now, and in time to come, is education. But it is that broad culture, that far-reaching intellt'T-nre which make men nracttral. I that is needed. It is not, so much, a knowledge of books that is needed by the masses, but a knowledge of life ind its numerous requirements. Learn ing is not always education. A man may be a giant in mathematics or as tronomy, and lint a puling infant in the art of government, or the simplest principles of political economy. In our academies, high schools, colleges, and universities, much time and labor are bestowed upon the sciences and the classics, while political economy, gov ernment, history and constitution are passed lightly over, occupying a very inconsiderable place in the cureeulum of studies, and a more inconsiderable place in the programme of recitations. Their graduates have explored the re gions of illimitable space among the stars, and strolled through the laby rinths of geometrical diagrams. They have wandered in the blossoming fields of Greek literature and sported with the nymphs and deities of those enchanting mythical shades. They discourse almost divinely of Apollo, Venus, Mars and Juno, hut alas! the labor question, the financial problem, the protective tariff, are yawning chasms, of which, a great majority tremble to speak, untracked glooms Unto which they dare not step. Why should our boys and girls be kept in blissful ignorance of the real, sober, practical issues of the day? Why should their young minds be left un touched with impressions of those fea tures of life with which thev have to contend, and a knowledge of which is all important to them in the contest of manhood and ager why should they be left to build a foundation in the prime of life which should have been well constructed and anchored in youth? Why should thev be pampered with condiments in the beginning instead of being strengthened with solid food: Why should they not be prepared to meet the realities and requirements of life, rather than be set adrift upon its troubled waters to be constantly taken by surprise until experience cnah! them to ride out the storm? These are ceriaiui no iooiism iuil-sim hi--, .is nni young man and woman can testily "forewarned is foreaimed. het us look to it, for we must lie on the wrong track. Let us retrace our steps while we can, and prepare to meet the future equipped for the battle. Poi'NCK. HOOD RIVFR, WASCO COUNTY. Hood river empties into the Colum bta about twenty miles from The l,ill s. It comes rushing and tumbling direct ft, .t Mi II I .v . . nml ahnuiwl. imr in excellent fish. The principal part of the valley lies on the west side jof the river. It is all, more or less, limner land nut when c.careci is fruits. 'The Hoot! river pcachts are me une-i u t 1111 kh. i mu- is , , , - ... I plenty ot room here for enterprising j families. Land can be bought at a low figure and I am convinced will eventu- ally be Valuable. The climate in the I summer is the most delightful I ever! 1 saw ; it is never hot. The wind blowi I ... . . 1 truM constantly, and the air is so dry that one cannot catch cold. Cult!- . vation is carried on by mean of irriga- j 1 tion, as no rain, to call rain, tails l nrUUK WW MINIMI. I . UumiM mil 1 hd ... rh, mill. r,,uah. for .o oer thousand.-!. L. Henderson, in Kugenc Guard. SHORE. SEATTLE, The Dispatch says: Nature has been rather lavish of her wealth in this vicinity, and certainly a more beautiful site could not have been selected upon which to establish the future grand metropolis of the North Pacific. From the water's edge to a distance of a quarter of a mile, the land is perfectly level, and contains the business portion of the city. Prom this a bill rises to an elevation of perhaps from 70 to 300 feet above tide water, upon which is settled the resi- dent population. The formation of the hill aflbrdi an ample opportunity fol terracing, which has been generally observed by the people, and which renders their grounds attractive and beautiful beyond description. Standing upon the hill-side, there bursts upon the vision a prospect well calculated to gratify the passions of the poet or painter. A grand bay stretching out twelve miles in width, skirted on nil sides with forests of eternal verdure, with the Olympic Mountains, their now-capped peaks kissing the skies, forming a background, and vou have a sight in comparison to winch the sto ried bay of Naples is tame indeed, and which is not equalled within the boun daries of the United States. PORTLAND AND OREGON, Senator ("trover, in his speech on the Northern Pacific railroad hill, said of Portland and Oregon as follows: u The wheat market of Portland, Oregon, is as good as the wheat mar ket of Chicago; for the grain, once on board at Portland, is not handled aguin until it is delivered at Liverpool, which can be done in less than four months, witli the expense of simply seamans' wages, costing less than export ratest1"'0'1! 1UU' 'he from Chicago. No grain products, grown west of the mountains, will come east by the Northern Pacific railroad, but they will go west, and find a quicker ami better market. Then, WO are the nearest point of supply to Japan and China, who do not produce wheat, but consume much, and will in future consume a great deal. 1 make these allusions to show that farmers who go to Oregon are not going out of the world, but are going to a new- world and that there are two sides to this continent." Sacvjk's Island. A writer in the Advocate in speaking of Sauvie's Island, says: This island is about twenty miles long, and from two t four wide. There are many small lakes upon it. These in the fall, winter and . spring are literally covered with ducks, l'cc-c ami swan. Ahold oiur III evrrv ten years it is overflown by the Colum bia river, which greatly enriches the soil. Grain of all kinds, grasses, vege tables and fruits are grown in great abundance upon the higher ground Marsh grass girts t he lakes in heavy luxuriant growth, and aflbrdi the finest pasturage for stock, and makes hay cattle that dairymen esteem superior to timothy. Many well-tod) farmers, ! dairymen anil stock raisers live here some who were among the early settlers of the country and have large ,raclli ((f aml( iim iirc milRjng good I improvements ... .. ... . . . . , nil Eugene City Guard claim that .. . ""hough a cow county, has more and better bridges, romantic scenery rich tillable land, enterprising, liberal aml i(l,cigent business men, more t . . ,.r . 1 model housewives , beautiful and lovely , , 7 maidens, attractive widows and prettier babie, than any "salmon " county in . tjlt. State. ... - m Tw" "P0 befd twenty-five Kro" in two hours, near McMinnville, I Yamhill county. 15) A NEW INDUSTRY. Mr, Nordliuger, at Stuttgart, lift many, has just patented a process by which the steins and other parts of the hop plant can be used for manufactur ing paper and various textile fabrics. Should the Invention prove a practical success, an entire new industry would at once open out to Oregon and Wash ington Territory. In the large hop producing districts of Puyallup val ley, Wt T., anil Lane county, Oregon , this invention would go towards m. k. tng a valuable crop of what has hereto fore with the exception of what siml! lot-. have been used in making rope and other rough articles been entire!) wasted. By boiling the hop-vine in soap or soda water for three-fourths of an hour, and then thoroughly washing, and re-boiling in ascetic acid, Mr. Nord linger produces a fibre closely re sembling flax, but of a softer, mote elastic and durable texture, and there fore superior for manufacturing pur poses. Heretofore, in case of failure of the hop itself, the tenderly nurtured crop has proved a dead loss to the unfortunate grower, whilst thin new invention, in case it proves practical, would make it possible to cultivate hopi tor the vine alone. BWEET HOME. Sweet Home valley is situated oik the south fork of the Santiam river;, thirty miles from Albany, and maybe described as an oval -shaped prairie, two miles long by a mile and a hall" wide. The Santiam river Mows by the north, and the hills forming the divide between the Santiam and the Cnlapooia form the arc of a circle on the east,, south and west. The land is extremely dley a perfect little par ' adisc to look upon. I llll.AN I IlkOl'IST. rhc Kugcnc City (iM.mr, commeut- ang on the stabbing affair at New Km park, gives the ' soft-headed philan thropists a rap on the knuckles, thufcly : "Myers, at last accounts, was in a very precarious condition, and, should his wounds prove fatal, we expect to hear that the professional 4 philanthropists nave iiiusiereu 111 11111 mice 10 protect: the young murderer from the ricWji deserved penalty ot his crime. ThatO ises o a reckless disregard ot tuiimui life, by tp'in ruffians, have become alarmingly frequent. This slate of affairs is, m a great measure, if not al together) charnbla to the mistaken 1 humanity of a lot of tender-hearted women and soil-headed men who-c hobby is 1 philanthrophy.' Their suc cess in shielding all classes of criminals from the penalty of their crimes, and making heroes ami martyrs of murder eft ind thieve! has emboldened these ruffiani to commit crime with Impunity, they having every reason to believe that the law will be powerless to mete out adequate punishment so long as these pious meddlers stand letweeit them and the execution of the law. We hope that the court will give thi rulfian a fair and impartial trial, and.it he is convicted, that the Governor will have back-lmne enough to disregard the mawktlh appeals of these w mental meddlers. 1 To Kid a HoUll ok BlOIUOl Take ten cents worth of quicksilver ami the white of an egg; beat them well together until the quicksilver i like tine pepjRT all through the egg. It may take an hour to beat. Do not use an egg beater, for the silver is jyii tonous. Then apply the mixture with a feather to all cracks or places where there are any bugs. This, if perseertd in, is a 1 ertain remedy. THI Kock Creek, Four Lake Jiiitf Pine (Jrove country, in W T., i at tracting a good deal of attention, and unless present indication arc very de ceptive, the country mentioned will wwn Itc the most thickly populated of any section north of Snake river.