28.Indifference to public duty is another bad thing.Every citizen should know about the government and what it is doing.Every voter should take pains to vote，and to make sure that he does not vote for bad men.If people do nothing to make politics good，they have no right to complain when they find corrupt politicians in office，In fact，everybody ought to be a politician.That name should not be a term of reproach，as it often is now.
29.People are too eager to get rich rapidly.Many have done that.But many more have failed.And the eager strain after sudden wealth makes men envious of those who succeed，and too often teaches dishonesty as a less evil than poverty.In fact，every one ought to be able to earn an honest living，and，if possible，to lay up money for the future.But absolute honesty is better than all the riches of all the millionaires.
30.Another evil is that we are apt to pay least attention to what is going on nearest home.We get excited about the tariff，or the kind of money the government issues，or some foreign war，and forget all about our own local government.One of the worst defects in our republic is the bad government of our cities.If people would try as hard to get honest aldermen as they do to get their candidate for president elected，we should have a much better government at every point.If city and countypolitics are full of corruption and inefficiency，state and national politics will not be much better.Patriotism，like charity，should begin at home.
31.Some of Our Needs.In a free republic all the citizens ought to be intelligent .Every one should know about the government，and should understand his rights and his duties as a citizen.
32.We need more independence ，less following party leaders.Voters should make up their own minds as to what is for the public good，and then vote as dictated by conscience rather than by a party.
33.We need a higher sense of honor .We should feel that selfrespect is better than riches，and that no one can do a mean or dishonorable thing without losing respect for himself.But dishonesty in politics and in public office is both mean and dishonorable.
34.We need a more exalted patriotism .We should love our country so well that we not merely are proud of its great deeds，but also are jealous of its fair fame.We should be ready，if need be，to die in its defense，as so many brave men have done on the field of battle.We should also live in its service，doing all in our power to keep it free from reproach.
35.Our National Hymn.Samuel F.Smith was born in Boston in 1808，and graduated at Harvard College in 1829，in the same class with Oliver Wendell Holmes.It was at a reunion of that class that Dr.Holmes read a droll poem called “The Boys，”in which he referred to Dr.Smith in the following lines：
And there’s a nice youngster of excellent pithFate tried to conceal him by naming him Smith；But he shouted a song for the brave and the freeJust read on his medal，“My country，of thee！”
36.“America”was written in 1832for a children‘s Sundayschool meeting in Boston.It is now the favorite national hymn.Dr.Smith died in 1895.
MY country！’tis of thee，Sweet land of liberty，Of thee I sing；America
S.F.SMITH
Land where my fathers died，Land of the pilgrims‘pride；From every mountain side，Let freedom ring.
My native country！thee，Land of the noble free，Thy name I love：
I love thy rocks and rills，Thy woods and templed hills；My heart with rapture thrills，Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze，And ring from all the trees，Sweet freedom’s song；Let mortal tongues awake，Let all that breathe partake，Let rocks their silence break，The sound prolong.
Our fathers‘God！to thee，Author of Liberty！
To thee we sing；
Long may our land be bright With freedom’s holy light；Protect us by thy might，Great God，our King！
APPENDIX
A Brief Account of the Constitution of the United StatesTHE Constitution of the United States，briefly mentioned on page 87and page 88，was made by a convention of our wisest men，which met at Philadelphia in 1787.The Constitution consists of a short preface，commonly called the preamble；of seven parts，called articles；and of fifteen additions，called amendments.These amendments have been made at different times，the last having been adopted in 1870.
THE PREAMBLE
“We，the people of the United States，in order to form a more perfect union，establish justice，insure domestic tranquillity，provide for the common defense，promote the general welfare，and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity，do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Article I
This article treats of federal laws .It is divided into ten parts，called sections .
The first six of these sections provide for the federal lawmaking body，thecongress （p.112）.
