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.