Dokument 
The congress of women held in the Woman's building, World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, U.S.A.,1893 : with portraits, biographies, and addresses, published by authority of the Board of Lady Managers / edited by Mary Kavanaugh Oldham Eagle
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THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN

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make a good citizen of every child in his town; then ask your mother to give us any clothes which you may have outgrown, or you can spare, to clothe the destitute. Tell her we will visit every case, and see that her bounty is judiciously used. The response to this was that more clothing was furnished than can be used in two years, if two hundred destitute children should be found each year.

The next duty devolved either on the principal or on his most trusted and worthy teachers. Every indigent family was visited, and about this dialogue occurred:

Mrs. Smith, we greatly regret that your son John is out of school; would you be willing to have him attend, provided we clothe him? Indeed, Madam, I would be glad to have John in school; he needs schooling badly enough; but I need his wages, small as they are, to provide food for my fatherless children. If we pro­vide the equivalent for Johns wages, will you let him attend school four months?

The poor woman knows that if the state does not take care of John now, it may have to do so later, and she gladly consents.

The result of this organized effort was that seventeen wagon-loads of provisions were provided for the seventy destitute families, the two hundred children were clothed, and nearly every child not an invalid, between seven and fifteen years of age, was in school four months. There were some pathetic scenes for our land of plenty. More than one boy was found who had not been the happy owner of a complete suit at one time. When he had owned a coat, he had had no shirt or vest, and when in summer he had worn a calico shirt, he had had no coat. More than one shed happy tears at seeing himself or herself clothed neatly from head to foot. After all this care to have every child in school of proper age, you may be sure the teachers made good use of those four months to instruct in ethics and civics.

The League will insist on the principle that when the state incarcerates a criminal who might have been a good citizen, if taken young, a gross, rankling act of injustice has been committed.

Patriotic League, Teachers DepartmentThe Pledge.

I hereby promise my God and my country to keep in mind that the object of my school is to make good men and women for society and the state. To that end I shall do what I can.

First: To lead a noble life myself and to secure the best moral development of those committed to my care.

Second: To inspire a deep love of country in my pupils, and to instruct them in the principles of good citizenship so as to make them incorruptible in the use of the ballot or in office.

Third: To make good citizens of the children of foreigners, of the poor and of the vicious.

Fourth: To organize my school as helpers in this work, and with the aid of my pupils, see that poverty keeps no child in my district or ward out of school.

Fifth: To carry out the lines of work of the Patriotic League, and to make my pupils feel that together we are responsible for the morals of our community.

I invoke the help of my Heavenly Father to carry out this work. Name.

The Patriotic League, Pupils DepartmentThe Pledge.

I hereby promise my God and my teacher to be one of the helpers for improving the citizenship of this country.

First: I will use no intoxicating liquors of any kind myself, and I will discourage others from using them whenever I can. I will do what I can by my influence (and my vote when I have one) to put down the traffic in, liquors.

Second: I will not gamble and will do all I can to keep others from gambling.

Third: I will act as a Leaguer to assist any family in my ward or district that is in a suffering con­dition and to see that no child is out of school because of poverty. I will find out and report all cases to my teacher either of destitution, or of foreign families whose children are out of school, but I shall be careful not to speak of them to others.

Fourth: I will be faithful in trying to understand the principles of the government of the United States, so as to fit myself to be a good citizen, and I will look after young people who are not as fortu­nately placed as I am, to see that they have civil and moral training.

Fifth: I will endeavor to obey the laws of the school, accepting them as a discipline in fitting me to be a good citizen of the Republic.

Sixth: I shall take an active part in the literary work of this society.

Seventh: I will pay the dues and assessments which my League shall decide to be necessary to help the purposes of this society.

I invoke the help of my Heavenly Father to carry out this great work.