Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1873-08-28

Will make them citizens. 1t is a ss
cred maxim of the Mussulmans, tina
"the ink of the learned and tn
blood of the martyrs, are of equs
value in the sight of heaven . an,
that "the world subsists by fou
principles, namely: the science o
the learned, the justice of princes
the prayers of the faithful, and tn
valor of the brave"
The child erammed with arithme
tic and starving for morals, has tn,
same inclination for evil, but ability
to perform it, greater than the chilt
ignorant alike of morals and of arith
metic, by the difference between
his knowledge of arithmetic anG
none. Prison statistics show only
two per cent. of criminals literally
educated, while sixty per cent. car
read and write. Reading and writ.
ing, therefore are no guarantee
against crime; but unaided by
science, morals and manners, they
are premium upon crime. What
the poet meant by "deep," can not
be definitely ascertained ; but when
he wrote,
"A little learning is dangerous thing,
Drink deep or taste not the Pyeran spring,
he taught that to drink
"deep," is the compliment of iails
and poor houses; for by statistics, it
appears that but two to five Per
cent. of criminals and paupers are
educated, but that the cost of iails
and poor houses is one-third of what
it costs to maintain our schools.
Since such transcendent influence
is accorded to the teacher, in shap-
ing the future of children, how in.
slant is prayer, how full of resource
es and how active ought the teacher
to be, That he shall WELD the ele-
ments to the best interests of the
state, in that he shapes them so as to
promote a correct knowledge of
Gods laws. To stimulate children
to observe more, and thoroughly, to
think quicker and more vigorously,
to glorify others, and to place more
nearly just estimate upon self, to be-
lieve in the persistence of natural
laws, and less implicitly in individu-
al human ability to shape destiny, is
to contribute more towards securing
an adequate correspondence between
the means God has created in men
to work tremendously, (and, hence,
more actively for the ends he has
to accomplish.
A writer says, "The exaltation of
talent, as it is called, above religion
and virtue. is the curse of the age.
Education 3 now chiefly stimulus
to learning, and thus men acquire
power without the principles which
alone make it good Talent ia wor-
shipped but if divorced from recti-
tude, it will prove more of a demon
than a God"
But | am aware that precise meth
DDS are better than outlines, and
hence, you will permit the following:
The books which are used in schools
are not alone educators of the youth.
Neither is the teacher who reduces
everything learned to set formul@
and principles, the sole director Of
the thought and development of the
children.
Every thing which impresses the
senses educates the child; therefore,
the surroundings may become as po-
tent as the instruction of the teacher.
What man or woman does not re-
member precisely the appearance of
the ''old school house" with its batter.
ed, kicked and slammed appearance,
the desks covered with knife cuts,
nail holes, and painted with human
lumber, the ha, racks, il any, devoid
of every appendage except now and
then stubs or nails; tho stove with
lily fitted slide and doors, and pipe
bruised and lily jointed, put up a
skew, rusted with the exhaled va
pors.-and every thing having the
appearance of lack of care, of de-
structiveness and of responsiveness.
Outside, the fences, if any, half bro
ken, heaved out Of line. gate off the
hinges, and out-houses too repulsive
to be mentioned.
The yard with an old battered
stove pipe and half burned knot. that
had been kicked for years from door
to gate and back; the almost invari-
able pile of wood, chips, and ashes,
need not be mentioned as lying just
at the side of the outside door, as
their absence is frequent. 1t is not
possible for the children to see things,
year after year, without an effect
upon their estimation Of them; and
those same children will make the in
side and outside of their homes and
places of business resemble the school
premises as nearly as possible.
Does the listener chew tobacco?
use profane language2 spend his time
in idleness? in short, go through the
world shocking the sensibllities OF
the great majority of women and of
many men? If so will he not say
these habits, were acquired between
the ages of twelve and eighteen
years, and that the school had much
to do, directly or negatively, in fash
ioning his character thus?
The man drives his wagon, know
ingly with a missing bolt, the abb
sence of which unduly strains other
parts, and "brake down" and "run
away" results, imperiling life and
limbs; but the habit of negligence
was formed in school, or, being nat
ural," might have been largely mod
fled or possibly eradicated, if the
school and its appurtenances had
been right. Every mans experience
proves, that the school and surroun-
dings educate him in that insidious
development that makes him useful
member of society, or a criminal
a producer or q consumer.
Now comes the question, how
shall the school correctly shape the
child's habits of neatness, order and
despatch? The teacher, with half