The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1854-08-29
REPORT OF PROF. WEIGH AT THE STATE
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.


REPORT OF PROF. WEIGH AT THE STATE
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.
Should Moral and Religious Instruction be
gipen in Common Schools
should not, as member ofthe Committee
offer any additional remarks on this subject,
did not my views differ in important particu-
lars, from the gentleman to whose able report
the Association has listened. believe, in all
sincerity, that the general adoption of these
sentiments and thei' application 10 practice,
would be- in high degree, pernicious. 1t is
acknowledged as an inevitable consequence
from his position that il single parent object,
the teacher muststhrow the Bible out of doors
and never thereafter. i'm presence of his pupils
vocally implore Gods blessing upon mis- school.
Yet, as many teacher knows. the reading of
a short passage OF Scripture without comment
and the recognition of our dependence on God
by brief prayer are most powerful suxiliaries
in the discipline of his school, aye even in its
intellectual progress. But should all devo-
tional exercises DO abandoned The want Of
them as auxilliarics to the teachers labor
would he, by no m,ans, the most serious loss.
Such abject submission TO unreasonable prod
udices, carries with it something of dogration.
We do not sufficiently appreciate the dignity
of the teachers office. Ii Is gravely asserted
that he is placed in tho school rom 10 toaeb
arithmetic, grammar, &c., but that he must
seal his lips upon those great truths, without
which arithmetic and grammar arc utterly
worlhless-thst he may teach Science but
must say nothing of It's infinite sources-in
short, that he may explain fully what is finite,
but must fully avoid its correlative. From
the nature of the human mind such instruction
would be impossible, aud if could be given, its
advocate must hold exceedingly narrow notions
of schoo-room duties. The teachers voct ton
is a high and responsible one. His business
is not merely to deal i'm digits-to dispense
with nouns and verbs, but to mould and de-
velop immortal mind. If you would have him
accomplish this great end, you must give him
control of the means to be used-you must
trust him. You must regard him as q mana
valuable aid in giving to your child symmet-
rcal character, and not a mere machine with
which you can grind ont arithmetic and gram
mar to order He should possess indomitable
energy-let him exercise that energy with a
manly independence. He should be man of
sound jud dgment. Do not tramel and cramp
its exercise. He should have feelings Of high
moral tone-do not fasten paddock upon his
lips. Never attempt the absurdity Of sending
the intellect Of child to school and Keeping
his moral sense to home; and above all, never
commit his instructions to teacher, whose
prayers you are afraid he will hear. For my
part. would rather my pupils would hear
Catholic prayers than no prayers; and history
will sustain mo in the opinion that evon the pa
gan religion ls botter than no religion at all.
Let us give the subject more pointed dis
cussion. For this purpose we will confne our
selves to the question by careful definition
BY moral and religio usnstruetion, We mean
the act of supplying the moral sense and feel
ings with their natural aliment. The moral
sonse and feelings constitute tho religious ele
ment which every child possesses. This re-
lgous element is developed by the study of
those facts in science and elsewhere of which
the duties of life are the outgrowth. Now tho
studies we pursue in school are replete with
such facts. Where is the Physiology or Ge-
ography, for instance, which does not teach
our relations to God, and the duties arising
from those relations. Where is the languae o
whose etymoogy is not full of moral teachings.
We cannot find page in our dictionaries which
docs not show somewhere record Of mans
moral sentiments. Aud then our Readers
what shall we do with them? From fly-leaf 10
finish they are crowded with religious instru-
ton. ] have just opened one and hit, by
chance, on beautiful little poem which every
one has read
"Childl amidst the flowers ut play
When the red light fades away:
Motherl with thine earnest eye
Ever following silently:
Father by the breeze at eve
Called. thy harvest work TO leave
Prayl ere yet the dark hours be
if the heart and bend the knee"
Would you expunge similar passages from
our Readers? Are they sectarianl
Let every man reflect upon the subject
Let him notice how the fact of science-hov
our literature, our language, our actions even
are constantly aud inevitably making religious
impressions, and he will admit beyond ques
ton that the teacher could not avoid giving
moral instruction il he would. All the earn
est duties of life are religious. Could he ban
ish the word duty from the language? Coulc
no drop ought and ought not from his vocabu
. larry: We would not have him "become ar
expounder of the Bible" Would not have
him minister Of religion" in the accepted
sense of the term II there are any such II
our common schools We have not found them
1t is fortunate tho Bible s used nowhere il
these schools as text book. The teacher
should never expound the dogmas Of The sect
but the religious Soaring of those moral truth
found everywhere in tho study OF literature
and science. He should by no means neglec
the moral element in the child. This elemen
is not sectarian-thc great truths OF religion
are not eeciarian. What sect was over found
cd on the facts of Natural Theology, or upoI
any difference Of belief in regard to tho gone
raj duties which wo owe TO each ctherl Ex