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Title: The light
An educational pageant
Author: Catherine T. Bryce
Release Date: December 18, 2022 [eBook #69573]
Language: English
Produced by: hekula03 and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
https://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images
made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.)
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THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS
BOSTON
THE LIGHT
An Educational Pageant
_By_
Catherine T. Bryce
_Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Cleveland, Ohio_
[Illustration: (Colophon)]
Boston
The Atlantic Monthly Press
1920
Copyright, 1920, by
THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS, Inc.
[_This pageant was prepared for presentation
at the Cleveland Convention of the National
Education Association, February, 1920._]
PROLOGUE: THE VISION 1
THE FIRST GLIMMER: EXPERIENCE 5
THE SECOND GLIMMER: TRADITION 8
THE THIRD GLIMMER: INVENTION 11
THE FOURTH GLIMMER: TRAINING 15
THE FIFTH GLIMMER: DISCIPLINE 16
THE SIXTH GLIMMER: A FIRST LESSON IN DEMOCRACY 18
THE SEVENTH GLIMMER: THE BOOK 27
THE EIGHTH GLIMMER: FORCE 29
THE NINTH GLIMMER: TRAINING FOR DEMOCRACY 36
THE TENTH GLIMMER: A WARNING 45
THE ELEVENTH GLIMMER: EDUCATION’S DREAM 52
EPILOGUE: THE GLEAM 56
MUSIC
Incidental music may be introduced at appropriate places throughout
the pageant. The following suggestions may prove helpful:--
_Glimmer_ I. During a moment’s tableau just before curtain
falls: strain of a dirge.
_Glimmer_ II. To accompany girl’s humming.
_Glimmer_ III. Indian music for curtain.
_Glimmer_ IV. Music throughout.
_Glimmer_ V. Martial music.
_Glimmer_ VI. Accompaniment for minstrel.
_Glimmer_ VII. Solemn, followed by patriotic, music during time
curtain is raised.
_Glimmer_ IX. Patriotic music as curtain falls.
_Glimmer_ XI. As indicated in the text.
_Final_--Star-Spangled Banner.
PROLOGUE
THE VISION
_Characters_
ANY CITY: a boy.
EDUCATION: a girl, taller than the boy.
ANY CITY _is dressed like a modern business man_. EDUCATION
_is dressed in classic robes, hair in loose Grecian
knot with gold fillet. She carries a lamp shaped like
the old-fashioned one so frequently used to illustrate
Education._
ANY CITY _is studying the proposed tax levy for the year.
He is seated in an easy chair._
ANY CITY (_impatiently_). H’m. It just can’t be done! It is out of
the question to raise so much money by taxation this year. This
list of appropriations must be cut. But where? What can be cut
without raising a row? (_Looks over the list._) Half a million
dollars for a new bridge over the canal at 7th St. There’s a
perfectly good bridge at 9th St., and another at 3rd St. But the
railroad and marketmen will strike if we don’t build this new
bridge. To keep peace, I’ll have to stand by that appropriation.
(_Pointing to different items on the paper._) That must not be
cut; nor that; nor that; nor that! H’m! Three million dollars
for the extension of Grand View Avenue. Really, that’s not
necessary. That road is being opened only for the accommodation
of some rich men who take advantage of my city opportunities, but
live in the suburbs and evade paying any taxes to me. But their
financial influence is so great, I dare not cut this appropriation.
(_Continues study of list._) No, not that; nor that; nor that! Ha!
here is the school appropriation: three and a half million dollars.
I hate to do it, but I’ll have to cut here. Of course, it means
curtailing the kindergarten, deferring the building of the much
needed new elementary school in the 3rd Ward, the abolition of
summer schools, the serious handicapping of junior and senior high
school work, the overcrowding of classes, and no hope of increase
in teachers’ salaries. Oh! I hate to do it! But I must! It’s
positively the only place I can cut without bringing about a strike
or at least a kick. But--oh--Taxation is Vexation!
_With the paper still in his hand, he leans back in his
chair, relaxes as one who has solved a weighty question
satisfactorily, and is soon as fast asleep as his
neighbors, the other cities of the land._
_Enter_ EDUCATION, _holding her lamp aloft. She glides
slowly across the stage to the sleeper and holds her lamp
above him. He awakes slowly, stretching his arms, and in
so doing drops the paper to the floor._
ANY CITY (_sleepily_). A light! (_Suddenly perceiving_ EDUCATION,
_he sits forward in his chair_.) And you! Who are you?
EDUCATION. The bearer of the light.
ANY CITY. What is your name?
EDUCATION. Since the beginning of time I have borne many names.
Men have called me Experience, Tradition, Discipline, Invention,
Culture, Ambition, Knowledge, Training, Learning, Teaching,
Instruction, Development, Information, and many other names, and I
answer to all. But I am more commonly called Education.
ANY CITY _starts up, snatches up the tax budget, and holds
it behind his back_.
ANY CITY. Why are you here?
EDUCATION. Because I have need of you; and because you have need of
me. Here, hold my light for a moment.
ANY CITY _holds the light carefully in both hands, dropping
his paper in order to do so. The light grows somewhat dim._
EDUCATION. The light still burns. It does not go out in your
keeping. By that symbol, I know that by my light you may still
choose the right path, that you may follow the path in confidence,
that you may arrive in safety at the journey’s end. Come with
me for a while into the shadows, and watch my light glimmering
through the ages. Me you shall not always see in person, but
wherever my light burns, know that I am surely there. Come.
_As_ EDUCATION _speaks the first “Come,” she takes the lamp
from_ ANY CITY _and holds it aloft. At the second word “Come,”
she takes his hand and leads him behind the curtain. Before
leaving, Any City picks up his paper, which he carries as far
from_ EDUCATION _as he can_.
_Curtain is raised._
FIRST GLIMMER: EXPERIENCE
_The light of_ EDUCATION _is hanging above. The background
for this and the next two pictures may be the same--a
forest scene._
_Characters_
STRONG ARM, the Father
FLEET FOOT, the Daughter
RASH DARING, the Son
_Costumes_: Flesh-colored tights and skins of animals.
RASH DARING _is writhing on the ground in agony_. FLEET
FOOT _runs toward him with water in her cupped hands. On
the ground lies some brightly colored fruit._
FLEET FOOT. Here, my brother, drink the pure water. It may allay
your suffering. Oh, that ye had heeded my words, my brother!
_She kneels beside_ RASH DARING, _and tries to force him to
drink. Then smooths his brow with her moistened fingers.
Suddenly_ RASH DARING’S _body jerks spasmodically; then is
still_.
FLEET FOOT (_seizing his hands in terror_). Look at me! Speak to
me, my brother! (_Cries aloud._) O father! father!
STRONG ARM _rushes in, takes in picture at a glance, and
kneeling beside_ FLEET FOOT, _examines the body of the boy_.
FLEET FOOT. What shall I do, father? Shall I fetch more water?
STRONG ARM. Nay, little daughter. There is nothing to be done. Your
brother is dead.
FLEET FOOT _throws herself down, weeping bitterly_. STRONG
ARM _touches her head gently with his hand_.
STRONG ARM. Tears are but idle. Sit up, my daughter, and tell me
what caused the death of my son.
FLEET FOOT (_controlling herself by a great effort_). Far away in
the forest we found a small tree covered with beautiful fruit. See,
father, there is some of it at your feet. (STRONG ARM _picks up a
fruit and examines it, while_ FLEET FOOT _continues her story_.)
Rash Daring wanted to eat some of the fruit as soon as we found it;
but I persuaded him to gather it and carry it home for you to see,
for I feared it was poisonous because, with many monkeys in the
neighboring trees, not one fruit on the small tree had been bitten
or plucked. On our way home I ran ahead of my brother. Suddenly
he cried aloud. I hastened back and found him lying on the ground
in great pain. He told me that he had eaten some of the fruit and
suffered greatly. I ran to the brook for water, but he could not
drink it. Then I called you.
STRONG ARM. Yes, the fruit is poison. Would that we could purchase
our experience at a smaller cost! O my son! my son!
_As_ STRONG ARM _speaks the sentence, “Would that we could
purchase,” etc., the light burns brightly_.
CURTAIN
_As the curtain falls_, EDUCATION, _bearing her lamp and
leading_ ANY CITY, _steps before it_.
ANY CITY. But, Education, I do not understand! Your light burned
aloft; but there was no school!
EDUCATION. No school? You have visited the hardest school in the
world, the school ruled by the sternest teacher in the world--the
School of Experience. Fortunate are they who learn from the
experience of the past and the experience of others.
_As_ EDUCATION _speaks, her light is cast for a moment on
the tax paper_. ANY CITY _glances at the paper and tries to
conceal it. With a beckoning gesture_ EDUCATION _leads him
again behind the curtain_.
SECOND GLIMMER: TRADITION
_Characters_
OLD WOMAN, and several maidens
_They are seated in an almost closed circle, each grinding
grain between two flat stones. Above them hangs the light.
They are dressed in Oriental costume, the bright colors
of which serve as a background to the gray stones. They
grind with a rhythmic movement, humming a monotonous tune.
Gradually one of the maidens stops and gazes dreamily
toward the light._
OLD WOMAN. Get thee to thy work, maiden. Thinkst thou idle fingers
and dreaming eyes will grind the corn?
MAIDEN (_with hand on upper stone as if ready to resume work, but
with eyes toward the light, which glows brighter as she speaks_). I
was but wondering if there be not some better way to grind the corn.
OLD WOMAN. Better way to grind the corn, she says! She means easier
way--an easier way for her own idle self! Shame upon thee, thou
lazy maiden! Shame upon thee, thou presumptuous maiden! Thinkst
thou that in thy foolish mind lies the wisdom of the earth? Had
there been a better way, would not our fathers, the wise men of
the land, have discovered that way and handed it down to us? Have
not the women of our country from generation to generation ground
their corn in this way? If this way were good enough for them,
it is good enough for us! Thinkst thou that thou art better or
wiser than they? I have no patience with thy dreams, born of thine
own laziness! Get to work, maiden, and let me hear no more of thy
better ways! Better ways, forsooth!
_While the_ OLD WOMAN _speaks, the light burns dimmer. The
other maidens stop their work to listen, all showing their
approval of her words, and their condemnation of her who
dared to dream of better things. As the_ OLD WOMAN _finishes,
they resume their task and their monotonous tune_.
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. Good for the Old Woman! I believe in sticking to old
well-tried things. So many people believe that just because a thing
is new, it is the only good thing in the world.
EDUCATION. But a greater number believe that just because a thing
is old, it is sacredly all sufficient. If everybody had thought
with you and the Old Woman, how would the world be fed to-day?
Think you those primitive stone-grinders rival the great flour
mills of the present day? How many hand-mills think you would be
necessary to grind the wheat of our vast plains?
ANY CITY. Of course, I don’t mean that I want things as they were
long ago. But there are some people who are never satisfied. They
are continually wanting things different.
EDUCATION. No, you don’t want things to remain as they _were_.
You want them to stay as they _are_. That is all the Old Woman
wanted in her time. She didn’t want to go back to the earliest days
when the grain was ground only by the teeth of the consumer. Had
everyone followed blindly the tradition of his own time, we should
still be at the very beginning. Look you to the justly dissatisfied
man for all that has made for progress in the world. Saw you not
how my light brightened at the words of the maiden? Remember that,
far as we have journeyed in the past, so far and perhaps still
farther lies the way of the future along the Highway of Progress.
_Be not you bound too tightly by the bonds of old tradition._
_As_ EDUCATION _speaks the last sentence, her light plays
for a moment on_ ANY CITY’S _paper. With a guilty air he
tries to conceal it, as he follows_ EDUCATION _behind the
curtain_.
THIRD GLIMMER: INVENTION
_Characters_
HIAWATHA and a group of Indians
_A deerskin with picture-writing on it (see text below) is
in the centre of the background. Over the writing burns the
light._ HIAWATHA _stands before the deerskin instructing
his people, who are grouped about him. During his lesson
they show signs of eager approval._[1]
HIAWATHA.
Lo, how all things fade and perish!
From the memory of the old men
Pass away the great traditions,
The achievements of the warriors,
The adventures of the hunters,
All the wisdom of the Medas,
All the craft of the Wabenos,
All the marvelous dreams and visions
Of the Jossakeeds, the Prophets.
Great men die and are forgotten,
Wise men speak; their words of wisdom
Perish in the ears that hear them,
Do not reach the generations
That, as yet unborn, are waiting
In the great, mysterious darkness
Of the speechless days that shall be.
On the grave-posts of our fathers
Are no signs, no figures painted;
Who are in these graves we know not,
Only know they are our fathers.
Face to face we speak together,
But we cannot speak when absent,
Cannot send our voices from us
To the friends that dwell afar off.
_Turns to deerskin, and points with an arrow to different
symbols, as he names them._
On the white skin of the reindeer
I have painted shapes and figures,
Wonderful and mystic figures,
And each figure has a meaning,
Each some word or thought suggesteth.
Gitche Manito, the Mighty,
He, the Master of Life, I’ve painted
As an egg, with points projecting
To the four winds of the heavens.
Everywhere is the Great Spirit,
Is the meaning of this symbol.
Mitche Manito, the Mighty,
He, the dreadful Spirit of Evil,
As a serpent I’ve depicted.
Very crafty, very cunning,
Is the creeping Spirit of Evil,
Is the meaning of this symbol.
Life and Death I draw as circles;
Life is white, but Death is darkened.
For the earth I draw a straight line,
For the sky a bow above it;
White the space between for daytime,
Filled with little stars for night-time;
On the left a point for sunrise,
On the top a point for noontide,
And for rain and cloudy weather
Waving lines descending from it.
Footprints pointing toward a wigwam
Are a sign of invitation,
Are a sign of guests assembling.
Thus, my people, I would teach you
All the mysteries of painting,
All the art of Picture-Writing.
Go ye then and mark your grave-posts
Each one with its household symbol.
And the Jossakeeds, the Prophets,
The Wabenos, the Magicians,
And the Medicine-Men, the Medas,
Paint upon the bark and deerskin
Figures for the songs ye chant us
For each song a separate symbol,
Figures mystical and awful,
Figures strange and brightly colored;
Let each figure have its meaning.
Thus shall live the great traditions,
The achievements of the warriors,
The adventures of the hunters,
All the wisdom of the wise men,
All the craft of the magicians,
All the visions of the prophets.
CURTAIN
_As_ EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain,
Any City is protesting in sputtering confusion_.
ANY CITY. But--but--I--I can’t for the life of me understand why
your light burned so brightly over those crude drawings!
EDUCATION. Crude they were, I grant, but they meant much to me.
Through them was passed on the results of my work for ages--all
that I had taught the people through experience and tradition, all
that they had achieved, their strivings, their conquests, their
beliefs, and their dreams. Invention, originality, self-expression,
call it what you will, is the gateway to Progress. Honor to the
man who is not bound by old precedent, who is not swayed by might
or favor, who establishes a new procedure based on right and
justice. (_Light directed to paper._)
ANY CITY (_in confusion, as he conceals paper_). I thought that
Education is training and discipline!
EDUCATION. Those are two of my attributes. Come with me and you
shall see some early lessons in training and discipline.
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _withdraw from before the curtain_.
Footnotes:
[1] The following has been adapted slightly from _Hiawatha_.
FOURTH GLIMMER: TRAINING
_Young men and maidens in ancient Greek costume at exercises
for the training of the body. The lamp hangs above._
I. Maidens playing with a golden ball (to music).
II. Young men throwing discus.
III. Dance.
_Curtain lowered for one minute._
FIFTH GLIMMER: DISCIPLINE
_As the curtain is raised, boys representing Roman soldiers
march in. Under the command of their leader, they go through
some military evolutions. At last the order corresponding to
our “Attention!” is given. Every man stands like a statue._
_A_ MESSENGER, _wildly excited, rushes in from right of
stage_.
MESSENGER. Fire! The whole city burns! Your homes and all that you
hold dear are in danger!
_Rushes off at left._
_During the alarm not one man moves. Not a quiver betrays
their feelings. Officer gives command and leads them off at
double-quick toward fire at right._
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. Magnificent! Now I know the source of that “Glory that
was Greece,” and that “Grandeur that was Rome!” Surely never since
those olden days have you seen such grace of body, such discipline
of mind!
EDUCATION. Yes, I have seen little children at play who were
as graceful as any trained dancer of old Greece; and have you
forgotten our American lads that went down on the Tuscania? Surely
the discipline and courage of those untried boys, who met death
with a song on their lips, were equal even to that of the trained
and tried legions of Imperial Rome.
ANY CITY. But surely you do not deprecate such training and such
discipline?
EDUCATION. Nay, far from it! It is only when such training and
discipline are given but to certain classes that I tremble. Come
with me and I will show you how the trained, the selected classes
had power over their brother men until--But wait; you shall see for
yourself. Come.
_Exit_ EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY.
SIXTH GLIMMER: A FIRST LESSON IN DEMOCRACY
_A room in a feudal castle in England._ _A_ MAN _and a_
MAIDEN _dressed as servants of the time (1215) are standing
near an open casket. The_ MAN _holds an illuminated book
in his hand. The_ MAIDEN _is peering over his shoulder at
the beautiful decorations. At her feet lies her distaff.
The light burns dimly above. Some humble stools, and two
high-backed chairs covered with gorgeous tapestry are the
only furnishings._
MAIDEN. _Oh, how lovely! I could look at the gay colors for years
and never tire!_
MAN. And I would give years of my life if I could but read the
writing in the book.
MAIDEN (_clutching his arm in terror_). Oh, say not so! The very
walls have ears! If it were known that thou didst entertain an
ambition so high above thy station, it would mean, at least, the
stocks.
MAN. I care not. Why should this book and all the learning of the
sages be closed to me because I was born in a hovel, and opened to
my master just because he chanced to be born in a castle? I tell
thee it is not fair! I--
_Enter the_ LADY EDYTH. _The_ MAIDEN, _who first sees her,
covers the_ MAN’S _mouth with her hand, so staying him
and preventing the_ LADY EDYTH’S _hearing his words. She,
however, sees the open casket, and the precious book in
the hands of the servant, and sweeps angrily forward._
LADY EDYTH. How now, sirrah; what dost thou with the precious book?
MAN (_humbly_). I but looked at it, my lady.
LADY EDYTH (_snatching it from his hand_). Thou “but looked at it”!
Thinkst thou such a book was made for a boor like thee to look at,
let alone to handle with thy great rude hands? How durst thou even
open the casket? I have a mind to have thee flogged.
MAIDEN (_falling on her knees_). Nay, my lady, spare him, I pray
thee! The fault is wholly mine. I opened the casket. I placed the
book in his hands. I--
MAN (_stepping forward_). Say not another word. Thou shalt not
sacrifice thyself for me. Heed her not, my lady. I alone am to
blame.
LADY EDYTH _looks from one to the other and her face softens.
She replaces the book in the casket. Then turns again to the
servants._
LADY EDYTH. Methinks ye are both to blame; an’ ye transgress again,
I shall see that proper punishment is meted out to both. Pick up
thy distaff, wench, and get thee to thy spinning. (_A knock at the
door is heard._) And thou, sirrah, open the door.
_The_ MAIDEN _picks up her distaff and, seating herself on
one of the stools, begins to spin_. LADY EDYTH, _with one
hand on the casket, stands looking toward the door as the_
MAN _opens it and admits_ BARON OLDITCH, _a gentleman of
the times, splendidly attired. Following the_ BARON _comes
a_ MINSTREL, _dressed in the garb of his profession. In his
belt is thrust a scroll. Across his shoulder is slung his
instrument--a mandolin, harp, or any stringed instrument
common to the times._
LADY EDYTH (_extending her hand_). Thou art doubly welcome, baron:
I looked for no guest this stormy morning, and I am weary of mine
own company.
BARON (_bending over_ LADY EDYTH’S _hand_). In thy gentle presence,
I heed not the rude blasts of the storm; in the light of thine
eyes, I know not, nor care, whether the sun be shining in full
glory or hidden behind a cloud. As for thy weariness, I can
speedily dispel it. I have brought with me a minstrel, with a new
ballad that has set the whole town of London agog. If thou wilt be
seated, he will begin his lay without further ado.
LADY EDYTH _graciously bows, and the_ BARON _leads her with
great ceremony to her chair. The_ MAIDEN _steps quickly
forward to place a footstool under her mistress’s feet.
The smiling_ BARON _bends again over_ LADY EDYTH’S _hand
and takes a step backward. In doing so he treads on the_
MAIDEN’S _distaff, which she has dropped, and nearly loses
his balance. The smile leaves his face. In a rage he kicks
the distaff away toward the_ MINSTREL.
BARON. Out of my way, clumsy stupid wench!
_He raises his hand, and the kneeling_ MAIDEN _at her
mistress’s feet cowers as if expecting a blow. The_
MINSTREL _and the_ MAN _each take a step forward, the_ MAN
_with clenched hands; but the_ BARON _carries his hand to
his head and strokes his hair_.
LADY EDYTH. Forgive the maid, baron. She is a good wench and truly
skillful.
BARON. There is nothing, there is nobody I would not forgive an’
thou asked it, my fair lady. (_Turning to_ MAIDEN.) And now, stupid
one, up and fetch a stool for the minstrel.
_The_ MAIDEN _obeys, while the_ BARON _seats himself beside_
LADY EDYTH.
BARON (_turning to the_ MINSTREL). And now, sir, we are ready to
hear thy ballad.
_The_ MINSTREL _advances to the seat the_ MAIDEN _has placed
for him. As he passes her, with a low bow, he hands her the
distaff which he has picked from the floor._
LADY EDYTH (_aside to the_ BARON). Marry, but thy minstrel has
right courtly manners!
BARON (_aside to_ LADY EDYTH). He comes here direct from the court.
MINSTREL (_standing before_ LADY EDYTH, _bowing very low_). I am at
thy service, my lady.
LADY EDYTH. Talk not of _service_, O minstrel; it is pleasure thou
bringest, I know. Most welcome art thou, for dearly love I all
ballads. Pray be seated and favor us with thy rhymes.
_With another low bow the_ MINSTREL _seats himself on the
stool placed before_ LADY EDYTH’S _and the_ BARON’S _chairs.
While he unslings his instrument and makes ready, the_
MAIDEN _seals herself and resumes her spinning. The_ MAN
_watches the_ MINSTREL _with eager, longing eyes. As the lay
is chanted, he is visibly affected. He forgets his work, he
forgets his station, and, as if lured by the rhyme, creeps
nearer and nearer._ LADY EDYTH _and the_ BARON _are
unconscious of the effect of the minstrelsy on the_ MAN _as
the backs of their chairs are toward his position_.
MINSTREL. I will recite for you, my lord and lady, the lay of
Thomas Rhymer.
“True Thomas lay on grassy bank,
And he beheld a lady gay,
A lady that was brisk and bold,
Came riding o’er the fernie brae.
“Her skirt was o’ the grass-green silk,
Her mantle o’ the velvet fine;
And on the locks o’ her horse’s mane
Hung fifty silver bells and nine.
“True Thomas he took off his cap,
And bowèd low down on his knee:
‘All hail thou, mighty Queen of Heaven
For thy peer on earth could never be.’
“‘Oh no, oh no, True Thomas,’ she said,
‘That name does not belong to me;
I am but the queen of fair Elfland,
That am hither come to visit thee.
“‘Now, ye must go with me,’ she said;
‘True Thomas, ye must go with me;
And ye must serve me seven years,
Through weal or woe as chance may be.’
“She turned about her milk-white steed;
She took True Thomas up behind,
And aye, whene’er her bridle rang,
The steed flew swifter than the wind.
“O they rode on, and farther on,
The steed flew swifter than the wind;
Until they reached a desert wide,
And living land was left behind.
“‘Now light ye down, True Thomas,’ she said,
‘And lean your head upon my knee,
Abide ye there a little space,
And I will show you wonders three.
“‘O see ye not yon narrow road,
So thick beset with thorns and briers?
That is the Path of Righteousness,
Though after it but few inquires.
“‘And see ye not you braid, braid road,
That lies across the lily leven?
That is the path of wickedness,
Though some call it the “Road to Heaven.”
“‘And see ye not yon bonny road,
That winds about the fernie brae?
That is the Road to fair Elfland,
Where thou and I must go this day.
“‘But, Thomas, ye must hold your tongue,
Whatever ye may hear or see;
For speak ye word in Elfin Land,
Ye’ll ne’er get back to your ain countrie.’
“O they rode on, and farther on,
And they waded rivers above the knee;
And they saw neither sun nor moon,
But they heard the roaring of the sea.
“Syne they came to a garden green,
And she pulled an apple from a tree:
‘Take this for thy wages, True Thomas;
It will give thee tongue that can never lee.’
“He has gotten a coat of the even cloth,
And a pair of shoes of velvet green,
And till seven years were past and gone
True Thomas on earth was never seen.”
_By the time the_ MINSTREL _has reached the last stanza
of the ballad, the_ MAN _has advanced until he now stands
directly back of_ LADY EDYTH’S _chair_.
MAN. Bravo! Bravo! Oh, what would not I be willing to give if only
I might write--or even read--such lays as that!
_The_ BARON _and_ LADY EDYTH _are startled at hearing a voice
so close_.
BARON. (_Starting to his feet in a rage, he makes a mad rush for
the servant, belabors him, and throws him to the floor._) How
darest thou comport thyself thus in the presence of thy betters!
Write lays! read lays! What is the world coming to, forsooth, when
every lazy churl aspires to lift himself from the station in which
he was born!
_He advances threateningly toward the_ MAN, _but the_ MAIDEN
_rushes between and, falling on her knees, raises her hands
in pleading_. _The_ BARON _stops_. LADY EDYTH _leaves her
chair and advances toward the_ BARON, _as if to intercede,
but he does not see her_.
BARON. Out of my way, wench! I will have him flayed alive for his
insolence! I will have him thrown into prison! I will--
MINSTREL (_interrupting_). Thou shalt do him no ill.
LADY EDYTH _and the_ MAIDEN, _still on her knees, and the_
MAN, _who has raised himself until he reclines on an elbow,
look to the_ MINSTREL _with various expressions on their
faces_: LADY EDYTH’S _look is one of wonder, and fear for
the consequence of his words; the servants’ faces express
fear and a glimmer of hope_.
BARON (_astounded_). What? What? By what right darest thou thus
address me?
MINSTREL. By the right granted by the King. Thou art far from
London, and so methinks have not heard the news. Over a fortnight
ago King John signed the Magna Charta.
BARON (_forgetting his rage in a desire to hear all_). Tell on.
MINSTREL. The barons compelled him to sign the charter granting
civil liberty.
BARON. Yes, granting greater liberty to us--the barons. Now more
firmly may we deal with such upstarts as this varlet. I will--
MINSTREL (_again interrupting_). Hold! The rights and the
privileges granted to the barons are extended to their vassals.
Listen to these lines.
_As the_ MINSTREL _speaks, he draws the scroll from his belt
and unrolls it. While he reads, the light burns brighter._
MINSTREL (_reading_). “No freeman shall be taken, or imprisoned, or
dispossessed, or outlawed, or banished, or in any way destroyed;
nor will we pass upon him, nor commit him, but by the lawful
judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land.
“To no man will we sell, to none will we delay, to none will we
deny, right or justice.”
Thou seest, baron, it is for all men!
MAN (_rising slowly to his feet_). “For all men.” And I am a man!
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. I am wondering if the book--the learning for which he
hungered--was placed in the hand of the serf even after a more
democratic government was established.
EDUCATION. No, not _put_ into his hands; but he might reach forth
his hands and take, and no man deny him. Come, I will show you two
pictures: the first, the book in feudal times, the second, the book
in a democracy.
_Exit_ EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY.
SEVENTH GLIMMER: THE BOOK
FIRST PICTURE: _A high reading-desk to which a book is
chained. The light feebly burns above._
SECOND PICTURE: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, _the boy, reading close
to the light of the fire. The light of education burns
brightly above his head._
_The curtain is dropped for a moment between the two
tableaux._
_When the curtain is lowered after the pictures_, EDUCATION
_and_ ANY CITY _again appear before it_.
ANY CITY (_speaking as if continuing a conversation begun behind
the curtain_). But the chained book is but a symbol!
EDUCATION. No, it is a pictured fact. The book was so chained
during the Dark Ages.
ANY CITY (_with satisfied manner_). Well, thank fortune that we
live in a democracy, where anyone who wants it may have learning.
EDUCATION. Congratulate yourself not on that fact. How many Abraham
Lincolns, think you, are in this land to-day--boys who will travel
miles of rough road in stormy weather and work at hard labor for
weeks, for the privilege of reading a book? The few such give us no
care. They mould their own future. But can we allow the millions of
less ambitious young citizens, the lawmakers of the future, to go
without the education they so sorely need, but never would secure
through their own efforts? No! No! No! “The Spirit of Democracy
is the fruit of Education.” And he who in any way curtails the
opportunities for the education of American boys and girls is
working directly against the Spirit of Democracy.
_As_ EDUCATION _speaks the last sentence, her light plays
on the paper_. ANY CITY _raises it as if to toss it away,
but reconsiders his action and places it out of sight_.
ANY CITY. But I still maintain that things are made too easy for
the children of the present day. They should be forced to learn as
they were in the past.
EDUCATION. Have you ever seen “forced learning” in operation?
ANY CITY. No, but I know it is good for children to be forced into
right ways at times.
EDUCATION. Come with me into the past and see Force at work.
ANY CITY. No, I really don’t care to.
EDUCATION. To paraphrase your own words, “It is good for a _city_
to be forced into right ways at times.” Now is such a time for you.
Come!
EDUCATION _leads the reluctant_ ANY CITY _behind the curtain_.
EIGHTH GLIMMER: FORCE
A DAME SCHOOL
THE DAME _(teacher) is a sour-looking old woman. She wears
side curls and a high comb, a kerchief and hoop-skirt. Her
voice is loud and rasping._
_The pupils in old-fashioned costume--boys in long trousers
and short jackets, girls in full long skirts and plain
bodices and aprons--are seated on benches made by placing
boards on two wooden horses or other supports. There is
no rest for the pupils’ backs; the feet of the shorter
children swing above the floor. The boys are seated on one
side, the girls on the other. A boy with a high peaked cap,
on which the word “Dunce” is printed, stands on a stool at
one side of the room. A little girl stands on a stool on
the other side. About her neck is hung a placard on which
is written, “I brought my puppet to school.” Her puppet, a
rag doll, lies at her feet._
THE DAME _carries a switch in her left hand. A bundle of
switches lies on her table. On the middle finger of her
right hand she wears a great brass thimble. Whenever a
child is reprimanded or punished, the other pupils laugh as
if enjoying the discomfiture of a class-mate, thus showing
the worst influence of the teacher in the lives of her
pupils._
_As the curtain goes up, the_ DAME _is speaking to the girl
who brought her puppet to school_.
DAME. Thou hast stood on the stool now for thirty minutes--time
enough for thee to repent. Sit thou now on the stool for another
thirty minutes as an example to others.
_Child obeys, crying. She lifts her apron to wipe her eyes._
DAME. Put down thine apron at once. (_Sarcastically._) Wouldst
cover thy beautiful placard? Let us all see thy shamed face and thy
repentant tears. They are a sign of grace.
_While she is talking, a little girl whispers behind her
book to another._ DAME _spies her_.
DAME. So, thou canst not keep thy mouth closed without help, Susie
Gray? Well, I’ll help thee!
_She takes a large handkerchief from table and ties it over
child’s mouth._
DAME. Now go back to thy place! Next time, I will paste thy mouth
shut.
_She raps child over the head with her thimble, and_ SUSIE
_goes weeping to her seat_.
_While the_ DAME _is disciplining_ SUSIE, _a boy reaches
out his foot and draws the rag doll toward him. He has all
but secured it when the_ DAME _discovers him_.
DAME. So, Johnny Green, thou likest the puppet, too. Well, I think
we will let thee play with it for a while. Bring it to me. (_Boy
comes sheepishly forward, carrying the doll by a leg._) Nay, that’s
not the way to hold thy dear puppet. Take it in thine arms, so!
(_To girl on stool._) Bring thy placard here. Here is one who needs
it more than thou. (_She removes the placard from about the girl’s
neck and hangs it about the boy’s._) Now take thy place on the
stool, that we may all see how well thou canst hold thy baby.
_As the boy takes his place, the other children snicker.
The owner of the doll giggles with them, until she sees
the boy slyly tear a leg from the doll. Then she begins to
weep, but is afraid to tell the_ DAME _of the boy’s act_.
DAME (_to boy in dunce-cap_). Come here, little dunce, and see if
thou knowest thy lesson now.
_Boy climbs from stool and takes position before_ DAME,
_with hands folded behind him_.
DAME. Spell _joy_.
BOY. G-o-y, joy.
DAME. Back to thy stool, and stay there until thou hast learned thy
words.
BOY (_retreats toward stool, then turns at bay_). An thou keepst me
on the stool for a week, I cannot learn my lesson without a book!
DAME. Insolence! Come to me and I will teach thee respect to thine
elders.
_As the boy comes slowly toward her and her upraised switch,
she detects another boy holding his slate so that a girl may
see a picture he has drawn of the_ DAME. _She pounces upon
him, while she waves the dunce to one side. The dunce takes
advantage of her preoccupation with the second boy, to seize
a book and study half-aloud, “joy, j-o-y,” before resuming
his place on the stool._
DAME (_ignoring picture of herself, speaking sarcastically to young
artist_). Oho, so he wants the girls to see how clever he is! He
would like to amuse the girls! Go, then, and sit with the girls.
SECOND BOY. I don’t want to. I’d rather take a whipping.
DAME. Oh, be not so modest as to ask but _one_ punishment. Thou
shalt have it _after_ your pleasant visit to the girls’ bench. Take
thy place in the middle, little girl-boy.
_The girls crowd together, to make as much room for the boy
as possible as he takes his place in the middle of their
bench._
DAME (_to boy on stool_). Now, dunce, come here. (_Boy advances and
stands before her._) Spell _joy_.
BOY. J-o-y, joy.
DAME. Take thy seat. Have thy lesson to-morrow or--(_Holds up
switch and shakes it._)
_As the boy goes to his seat, he “makes a face” at the_
DAME, _which she cannot see, but which is enjoyed by his
classmates_.
DAME. The first class in reading will now come forward. The rest
will sit with folded arms as a punishment for the disorder in this
school to-day. And let me see no one talking or swinging his feet,
or it will go ill with him. I have a fine new bundle of switches
itching to be used.
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. A very much exaggerated picture. I am sure that children
never were so tortured in school.
EDUCATION. An exact picture of Dame Weary’s school in Colonial
days. And you have not seen half the tortures inflicted on her
hapless pupils as recorded in authentic records. When force rules,
a despot reigns, and a despot can beget naught but despotism. The
strong bullies; the sly escapes; the unscrupulous gathers the
spoils. There is no foundation laid for a true brotherhood of man.
In short, there is nothing in the teaching or in the discipline in
a school of force that fitly trains pupils as present and future
citizens of a democracy.
ANY CITY. No, not in the school you have just shown me. But what
of the little red schoolhouses? There we had true training. The
pupils were not helped over-much. They had to solve their own
problems. Those pupils could spell. Think of the good old-time
spelling-matches! They could recite the orations of America’s great
men. Those little red schoolhouses turned out scholars and patriots.
EDUCATION. All honor to the splendid men and women, teachers in
the little red schoolhouses of the past! Far be it from me to
decry in any way their work. But, methinks, the ruddy glow of the
exterior and the mellowing influence of time have thrown a warm
glow over the cold hard facts concerning the work that was carried
on in the interior of these buildings. And, even if the little
red schoolhouse was all that fancy has painted it, it has served
its time; it is as inadequate to the work of training the boys
and girls of to-day as are the primitive stones to the task of
grinding wheat for the people of America in the twentieth century.
You say that the little red schoolhouse turned out patriots. The
first of these schools were built by English-speaking people who
sought civil, religious, and educational freedom. They built their
fort, their meeting-house, and their school at the same time. I
tell you, the little red schoolhouse _received_ patriots, patriots
bred in democratic principles. Our schools to-day receive people
speaking many languages, bred in ideals far removed from those of a
republic. When you speak of the schools of the past, you think of
the best; when you speak of the schools of to-day, you speak as if
you knew only the worst. How long is it since you actually visited
a real American public school?
ANY CITY (_embarrassed_). Why, I--really--I must confess that I
have not visited a school since I was a pupil. I left when I was in
the sixth-grade.
EDUCATION (_with light shining on tax paper_). And you presume to
pass on present day educational needs with a hazy idea of what
education has wrought in the past, and absolutely no knowledge of
what she is accomplishing to-day?
ANY CITY _shows signs of embarrassment and discomfiture, but
does not answer_.
EDUCATION. Come with me. We will visit a sixth-year grade of to-day.
EDUCATION _leads_ ANY CITY _behind curtain_.
NINTH GLIMMER: TRAINING FOR DEMOCRACY
_The light bums brightly over a modern schoolroom. The
pupils are seated in chairs or at movable desks, well
grouped._ MISS WHITE, _the teacher, is seated near her
desk, or table, which is neatly arranged and is brightened
by some flowers_. _She is dressed in a pretty, serviceable
frock, with white collar and cuffs. She wears well-fitted,
medium-heeled shoes. Her hair is neatly and becomingly
coiled. All her movements are graceful but thoroughly
alive. Her voice is pleasing and her articulation is
perfect. In dress, voice, and movements, the pupils reflect
the teacher’s influence._
_An elderly gentleman is visiting the school. When the
curtain is raised, he is standing beside a chair near the
teacher and is speaking to seven boys and girls standing in
line. He holds a paper containing a list of words in his
hand._
VISITOR. I congratulate you, young people. The list of words I
gave you in the spelling-match just ended, is the very list that
was given over a hundred years ago in a spelling-match held in
the town hall of a New England village. Pupils from two district
schools took part in the contest, and the hall was crowded with
their friends and relatives. At the close of the match everybody
was spelled down but one boy, Hiram Edwards, afterwards a famous
preacher. At the end of our match to-day, we have seven girls and
boys still standing. I congratulate you more once.
_The pupils bow and return to their seats._
VISITOR. Miss White, this is my first visit to a schoolroom in ten
years. I am interested in the modern methods of education. May I
ask you a few questions?
MISS WHITE (_who has risen to her feet on being addressed by her
elderly visitor_). Certainly. My pupils and I will gladly answer
all the questions we can.
_A questioning smile of the teacher’s is answered by assenting
smiles from the pupils._
VISITOR. What are the pupils doing in geography?
MISS WHITE. Will someone answer our visitor?
_Several pupils rise._
MISS WHITE (_choosing_). Mary.
MARY (_looking straight at_ VISITOR). To-day we are to show whether
or not Argentina is a progressive country.
VISITOR. Aren’t you going to take just what your geography says?
That’s what we did when I went to school.
MARY. Yes, but we want to know more than our geography tells before
we can decide.
VISITOR. Bless me! I don’t see how you’re going to get anywhere.
Suppose half of you say Argentina isn’t a progressive country, and
the other half say it is, and the geography says nothing--who is
going to decide?
MARY. Oh, we must all prove our statements, show our authority.
(_Taking up a book and looking around._) See, we all have
reference books. (_Other pupils produce books which they hold up._)
They are all different.
VISITOR (_walking over and peering at titles through glasses_).
Different! So they are--as different as our way of studying
geography from one book in the past. Well! Well! What are you doing
in arithmetic?
_Again several pupils stand._
VISITOR (_choosing one_). You tell me, young man.
PUPIL. We are working problems in percentage. I am on page 201.
VISITOR. And where are the others, pray?
_Pupils stand and answer in turn at nod from visitor._
FIRST PUPIL. I am working on page 199.
SECOND PUPIL. I am working on page 204.
THIRD PUPIL. I am working on page 200.
VISITOR. My! This is as bad as a district school! All working on
different pages!
MISS WHITE (_to_ FIRST PUPIL). Tom, will you please tell our
visitor how we study arithmetic?
TOM. Miss White explained what percentage is, that it is a sort of
other name for decimal fractions, and the problems can be worked
just like common or decimal fractions. Then we work them. That’s
all. I’d have been farther, only I got stuck on the eighth problem
on page 197. But I finally worked it all right. And now I am just
sailing along.
VISITOR. Good for you! Good for every one of you! I like the child
or the man who solves his problems independently. I had an idea
that nowadays teachers did the real work and pupils only copied
it. That’s what I’ve been told.
_Pupils look bewildered for a second, then, thinking this an
attempt at a joke, laugh._
VISITOR. When I was a boy, we used to speak pieces on Friday
afternoons. I liked best to recite bits of patriotic speeches. Do
any of you know Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address? (_Most of the class
stand._) Bless me! So many!
MISS WHITE. If you would like to hear one of my pupils recite it,
choose your orator.
VISITOR. I think I’d like to hear this little chap speak those
great words of a great man.
GEORGE, _the boy chosen, comes to the front of the room and
recites_.
ADDRESS AT THE DEDICATION OF THE GETTYSBURG NATIONAL CEMETERY
Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth
on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether
that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated,
can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that
war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as
a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives
that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and
proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate--we cannot
consecrate--we cannot hallow--this ground. The brave men,
living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it
far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will
little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living,
rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which
they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It
is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task
remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take
increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the
last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and
that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.
VISITOR. Thank you, my lad, thank you.
MISS WHITE. Sometimes we make original one-minute speeches. Would
you like to hear one of those we prepared on Theodore Roosevelt? If
so, choose your speaker.
VISITOR. Indeed I would. I think I’ll choose you.
_The pupil chosen comes to the front and delivers an original
speech._
VISITOR. Great work! Great work! I’m sure there is another Lincoln
or Roosevelt in the making, right here in this class. I am
especially pleased to hear these good American speeches, for I can
see by your faces that some of you, or perhaps your parents, came
from foreign lands.
MISS WHITE. Those who were not born in America please stand.
(_Seven pupils stand._) In what country were you born?
_In turn each answers: 1, Italy. 2, Russia. 3, Ireland. 4,
Sweden. 5, Russia. 6, Austria. 7, England._
MISS WHITE. Now, will all those whose parents--one or both--were
born in other lands please stand also? (_More than half the class
rise. Motions pupils to their seats._) What are you all now?
PUPILS (_emphatically_). AMERICANS!
MISS WHITE. I am sure our visitor will be pleased to hear, “I am an
American,” recited by Alice and Peter. Then we will all recite The
American Creed.
ALICE _and_ PETER _come to the front of the room and recite_.
ALICE.
I am an American.
My father belongs to the Sons of the Revolution;
My mother, to the Colonial Dames.
One of my ancestors pitched tea overboard in Boston Harbor;
Another stood his ground with Warren;
Another hungered with Washington at Valley Forge.
My forefathers were America in the making:
They spoke in her council halls;
They commanded her ships;
They cleared her forest.
Dawns reddened and paled.
Stanch hearts of mine beat fast at each new star
In the nation’s flag.
Keen eyes of mine foresaw her greater glory:
The sweep of her seas,
The plenty of her plains.
The man-hives in her billion-wired cities.
Every drop of blood in me holds a heritage of Patriotism.
I am proud of my past.
I am an American.
PETER.
I am an American.
My father was an atom of dust,
My mother, a straw in the wind,
To his Serene Majesty.
One of my ancestors died in the mines of Siberia.
Another was crippled for life by twenty blows of the knout;
Another was killed defending his home during the massacres.
* * * * *
But then the dream came--
The dream of America.
In the light of the Liberty torch
The atom of dust became a man
And the straw in the wind became a woman
For the first time.
“See,” said my father, pointing to the flag that fluttered near,
“That flag of stars and stripes is yours;
It is the emblem of the promised land.
It means, my son, the hope of humanity.
Live for it--die for it!”
Under the open sky of my new country I swore to do so;
And every drop of blood in me will keep that vow.
I am proud of my future.
I am an American.
MISS WHITE _steps forward, and placing a hand on the
shoulder of each, leads the class, as they stand proudly
erect, in reciting The American Creed. The Creed must be
spoken clearly and emphatically_.
CLASS.
I believe in the United States of America as a government
of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just
powers are derived from the consent of the governed;
a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many
sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable;
established upon those principles of freedom, equality,
justice, and humanity for which American patriots
sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it;
to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect
its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. Do you mean to tell me that all the sixth-grade pupils in
America are being taught as are these children? If so, no sacrifice
is too great for the public to make, that such schools may be
maintained.
EDUCATION. Alas, no! I have shown you one of the best schools.
But there are hundreds of such schools in the land to-day; and I
tell you, no sacrifice is too great for the public to make that
all schools in the country may be brought to this standard, may be
advanced beyond it. It is owing to the self-denial and patriotism
of the best teachers of America that the average standard of her
schools is as high as it is to-day; it is because of their untiring
efforts that America has to-day schools beyond the price the public
is paying for them.
ANY CITY (_as if thinking aloud_). Yes, such children--children
with a thorough education; children trained to think and act for
themselves; children who learn to stick to a thing until it is
finished; children who are healthy, courteous, and patriotic--will
be a power for good when they become men and women.
EDUCATION. Yes, it is to the school-children of to-day that you
must look for the controllers of the future destinies of America.
Upon the training you give them now depends the fate of the Nation
in the years to come. We are at the dividing of the ways. The
public must either provide the means for the democratic training
of all boys and girls, or permit class-distinctions in citizens of
a republic. That you may know the danger that thus threatens, come
with me and behold a possible school of the future.
_Exit_ EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY.
TENTH GLIMMER: A WARNING
_A public school of the future suffering for lack of
public support. The pupils are crowded into dilapidated
desks--two pupils at each. Benches on which other pupils
are crowded are arranged along the wall. The pupils are
unkempt, ragged, rude. A small blackboard, much defaced, is
at one side of the room. On it is some very careless work,
misspelled words, poorly made figures, etc. The_ TEACHER
_is slovenly in appearance: hair fussy and untidy; she is
dressed in a sheer chiffon waist, much worn and entirely
unsuited for business purposes; a badly hung skirt; shabby
slippers with “run-down” high heels. Her movements are
awkward and abrupt; her voice harsh; her articulation poor,
the “g” being constantly dropped from words ending in
“ing”; her pronunciation incorrect, and her grammar faulty.
She is the type of teacher to be expected if teachers’
salaries are not materially advanced. Teacher’s desk is
cluttered with books, papers, etc. As the curtain goes up
the_ TEACHER _is talking to, or rather screaming at, a
foreign-appearing woman--a woman with a black handkerchief
on her head, who has brought two children to school_.
TEACHER. No, I can’t take them. Look at this room! For the land’s
sake, where do you think I could put two more? Hang them on the
wall, or plaster them to the ceilin’? Gee! I’d like to quit this
job! (_Raps on desk._) Stop yer talkin’! You’d think you had never
been learned any manners. You know it ain’t perlite to talk when
I’m speakin’ to a lady. (_Turns again to visitor._) No, it won’t do
you any good to see the Board of Education. They’ve got troubles
of their own, I guess. I jest can’t take another one in this class
and that’s the end of it. You’d better go now. I’ve no time to fool
with visitors.
_Woman leaves, shaking her head._
TEACHER. The A division will take out your Arithmetics. (_The A
division obey noisily._) For the land’s sake! I didn’t tell you to
smash your desks with them. I bet some of you bust your book-backs.
_Pupils examine books; one boy deliberately tears back
binding. All laugh. At this point, one of the old seats
gives way and the occupants are thrown to the floor._
TEACHER. There, I’ve been expectin’ that to happen any time for the
last month. I have begged and begged for some decent desks, but the
cry is always, “No money! No money!” Are you hurt, boys?
FIRST BOY. No.
SECOND BOY. Yes, I twisted my wrist.
TEACHER. Well, go home and have it ’tended to. I have no time to
fix it for you. And (_turning to_ FIRST BOY) you can go with him,
Sam. You might as well, for I have no place for you now your desk
is broken.
_Boys leave and_ TEACHER _turns again to the class_.
TEACHER. The B division will--
_The class interrupts, A and B divisions shouting at the same
time._
A DIVISION. You never told us what to do yet!
B DIVISION. You forgot to tell the A’s what to do with their
Arithmetics!
TEACHER (_placing hands over ears, and screaming_). Hush up! Do you
want to make me deef? A’s do the first five examples on page 97.
_The first, second, and third pupils speak at the same time._
FIRST PUPIL. Aw, I can’t do them examples!
SECOND PUPIL. You never told us how to do them examples!
THIRD PUPIL. I don’t know what this word means!
TEACHER. You’ll have to do the best you know how. I’m sure I
haven’t got any time to stop and explain things now. If I have time
later, I’ll explain anythin’ you want to know.
FOURTH PUPIL. I hain’t got no pencil.
TEACHER. Correct your English.
FOURTH PUPIL. I ain’t got any pencil.
TEACHER. Borrow one off of another pupil.
_The_ FOURTH PUPIL _creates further disturbance by proceeding
to borrow a pencil_.
FIFTH PUPIL. The point of my pencil’s busted.
TEACHER. Well, you can git along as best you can. With seventy-two
pupils I haven’t got time to see that pencils are sharpened.
SIXTH PUPIL. I haven’t got no paper.
TEACHER. Well, do your examples on the blackboard. The stingy
allowance of paper provided for this class is used up long ago.
SIXTH PUPIL. The page is tore out of my book.
TEACHER. I’m not surprised. We should have had new books two years
ago. These have been in tatters for ages. Look on with somebody
else.
SEVENTH PUPIL. I--
TEACHER. Oh, do be still! I won’t listen to another word. I’ve got
to hear the B history lesson now. Let me see everybody at work at
once.
_A division takes its time getting ready, slouches down
in awkward, unhealthful attitudes and makes a pretence of
solving the problems it does not understand. The_ TEACHER
_meanwhile is giving her attention to the B division_.
TEACHER. To-day we will have a review of America’s great men. (_She
opens her book and reads the questions from it._) John, who was
Washington?
JOHN. Washington was the first President of the United States.
He was the father of his country. He cut down a cherry tree. He
fought. He killed a colt.
TEACHER. Very good, John. Does anybody else know anythin’ about
Washington? (_A number of hands are raised._) Well, what do you
know, Mary?
MARY. His birthday is February twelfth.
TOM. Hear her, February twelfth! That’s Valentine’s Day.
Washington’s birthday is February twenty-second, and we have a
holiday.
FRED. You’re wrong yourself. February twelfth is Lincoln’s
birthday. Valentine Day is the fourteenth.
TEACHER. Stop quarrelin’. Fred is right. Now, Fred, what can you
tell me about Lincoln?
FRED. He was a poor boy and split rails for the railroad. He was
president. He was shot.
TEACHER. Good.
FANNY. I know something else about Lincoln. He--
TEACHER (_interrupting_). Never mind; we have no time to hear more
about him. Tell me what you know about Franklin instead.
FANNY. One day a girl saw him walking along the street eating a
roll. She laughed at him and so she married him.
CARRIE. Franklin wrote wise things. We have a book about him at
home. He said, “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man
healthy, wealthy and wise.”
PETER. Call that wise! Gee, I never go to bed before eleven.
FANNY. I don’t believe Franklin ever said that. It don’t say
anything like that in our history book.
TEACHER. Well, if it don’t we’ll not talk about it. The land knows
I’d be tickled if I had time to hear all that your book says,
without huntin’ up more trouble in other books. Now we must stop.
Time’s up, but you have done splendid, children. Nobody can say I
don’t teach my children American history as good as anybody, even
if I have such a whale of a class.
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
ANY CITY. But it is impossible that such a state of affairs can
ever exist in this land!
EDUCATION. Impossible! I tell you the beginning of such a state
of affairs exists in this land to-day. The danger is even now
at your doors. When the penurious, short-sighted policy of the
public drives the cultured, trained, and efficient teacher from
the classroom, her place is taken by the ignorant, the untrained,
or the inefficient. There are scores of thousands of untrained,
inefficient teachers in American schools, teaching American
children to-day; and, unless the public speedily awakes to the
danger, and pays the price for competent service, such teachers
will predominate in the schools of to-morrow. Unless measures are
promptly taken to secure for every child in America a seat in a
healthful schoolroom, and books and materials for his education,
the public schools of the land will surely sink to the level of
the classroom I have just shown you. Are you willing to trust the
government of this country to citizens so trained?
ANY CITY. But the children you showed me are the children of the
poor, the ignorant. Surely the children of the rich, the cultured,
will have better training.
EDUCATION (_sternly_). The children I showed you are the children
of America; and would you train a selected few to rule this land?
If you say _yes_, then are you a traitor to America. You would
overthrow this Democracy--the “government of the people, by the
people, and for the people,” and substitute an aristocracy--a
government of the people, by a favored class, for--what? Nay! I
tell you, “the end of American education is the knowledge and
the practice of Democracy.” The education of the children in a
democracy is the concern of all the public. It must be an education
of all the people, paid for by all the people. You sent millions
of Americans across the sea to make the world safe for Democracy.
You must educate every child in the land to make democracy safe for
America. “Education is the most sacred concern, and the only hope
of a nation.”
ANY CITY. You are right. I wish that you had shown me a happier
view of the future, however.
EDUCATION (_eagerly_). I will. I will show you my dream for the
future education of America, and I can make the dream come true if
you will lend your aid. Come.
EDUCATION _leads, and_ ANY CITY _eagerly follows her behind
the curtain_.
ELEVENTH GLIMMER: EDUCATION’S DREAM
_When the curtain is raised, the stage is almost in darkness,
only the light of_ EDUCATION, _from the lamp hung near the
front, streams across the stage. A searchlight should be
arranged to suggest the brightening of_ EDUCATION’S _light,
turning the glimmer into a broad gleam. Into this bright
light march those who are a part of_ EDUCATION’S _dream.
All the characters of the past, those who took part in
previous glimmers, should be grouped in the background--the
Past looking toward the Future. The procession_--EDUCATION’S
_dream--carry banners showing who they are. As they march,
they sing._
ORDER OF PROCESSION
1. _Leader_, carrying American Flag.
2. _Kindergartens_, first a girl and boy, each carrying something
to suggest their work. After them marches a third child with a
banner on which is printed: “Kindergarten--From 4 to 6.”
3. _The Elementary Grades_:
2 First-Grade pupils.
2 Second-Grade pupils.
2 Third-Grade pupils.
2 Fourth-Grade pupils.
2 Fifth-Grade pupils.
2 Sixth-Grade pupils.
_Some of above carry books and samples of work, showing
that there is no lack of books and materials provided;
others carry Indian clubs, dumb-bells, footballs, etc.,
showing that the physical welfare of the child is
considered._
_After the elementary grades marches a boy bearing a banner
on which is printed: “Elementary Schools--From 6 to 12.”_
_Then follow the pupils representing the higher schools.
Each group carries objects suggesting its special school
activities._
4. _The Junior High School_--From 12 to 15.
5. _The Classical High School_--From 14 to 19.
6. _The Technical High School_--From 14 to 19.
7. _The Commercial High School_--From 14 to 19.
8. _College_--From 18 to 22.
9. _Extension School_--From 18.
10. _Americanization_--For all.
_As they march they sing._
PROCESSIONAL: HYMN OF FREEDOM
(Tune: “Stand up, stand up, for Jesus.”)
Unfurl the flag of Freedom,
Fling far the bugle blast
There comes a sound of marching
From out the mighty past.
Let every peak and valley
Take up the valiant cry,
Where, beautiful as morning,
Our banner cuts the sky.
Free-born to peace and justice,
We stand to guard and save
The liberty of manhood,
The faith our fathers gave.
Then soar aloft, Old Glory,
And tell the waiting breeze
No law but Right and Justice
Shall rule the seven seas!
_The procession forms a tableau toward front of stage. The_
LEADER _with the flag stands in front. All banners held
at the rear face audience. In the centre of the line of
banners is a very large one bearing the legend_:--
A PLACE FOR EVERY CHILD IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
_and_
EVERY CHILD IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL
LEADER. Let us repeat our slogan.
ALL. Education for all!
LEADER. One country!
ALL. The United States of America.
LEADER. One language!
ALL. The English language.
LEADER. One flag!
ALL. The Stars and Stripes.
CURTAIN
EDUCATION _and_ ANY CITY _appear before the curtain_.
EDUCATION. And now, speak no more of the cost of education. Fear
rather the cost of ignorance. Never yet has America failed to
give, and to give generously, to the cause of Freedom. And through
education comes perfect freedom. Uncounted millions were spent in
the war to make the world safe for Democracy. Will America not
gladly spend a tithe of those billions for peace and to make safe
the democratic principles of this republic?
Were half the power that fills the world with terror,
Were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts,
Given to redeem the human mind from error,
There were no need of arsenals and forts.
Nor will a plea of ignorance avail. I have shown you glimmers of
the past. I have told you the needs of the present. I have given
you a gleam along the pathway of the future. By its light you may
find the right path, you may see to walk in it, you may arrive
safely at the journey’s end. Up! follow the gleam!
_As_ EDUCATION _says, “Up! follow the gleam!” the lights
are turned off_. EDUCATION _steps behind the curtain, her
hand holding the light being withdrawn last, so that the
gleam remains after she has “faded” from sight. During the
moment of darkness_, ANY CITY _resumes his chair, and when
the lights are turned on, is seen, as in the Prologue, fast
asleep_.
EPILOGUE
THE GLEAM
ANY CITY (_opening his eyes, as if waking from sleep_). What a
dream I have had! No, I believe it was what the seers of old
would call a vision, for a light seemed to be with me always.
(_Picks up tax paper and opens it._) Well, dream or vision, I have
learned a lesson. I will follow the gleam! By the gleam I see
my path--I will cut off my hand before I cut one cent from this
school appropriation! By the light of the gleam I will follow the
path--I will give more, and more, and more, that my children may be
educated in the knowledge and practice of Democracy. By the gleam
I shall reach the goal--the democratic education of every soul in
America. Only by thus following the gleam may I make certain that
“government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall
not perish from the earth.”
=TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE=
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=.
Obvious punctuation errors have been corrected after careful
comparison with other occurrences within the text and
consultation of external sources.
Some hyphens in words have been silently removed, some added,
when a predominant preference was found in the original book.
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