The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-03-09
MORAL TRAINING IN THE COMMON
SCHOOL,

In considering this subject, we shall take a
parents view OF the case In doing thiswe nope
that no teacher will be offended land suppose
that all the responsibility of moral .instrnc:ien
is thrown upon them. On the contrary, we
frankly admit that the burden of accountability
must ever be borne by parents. Yes we 20 far
Their ana say that it is to lack of duty in parents
that greater part of the perfidy and crime which
curses the earth is directly charoeable. Never
tneIess, 4 an e1oIt Is 10 be made TO raise the
neral stanoard of the community, must the
teachers be overlooked? Must they staId with
folded hands and say, that this is no part Of orr
work We are paid to train the Intellect and
will undertake that alone. Will the teachers of
KenOeha County take THE position? We think
not. 1t mas been openly charged that our com
mon schools are immoral. That they are unfit to
receive young and well trained children This
IS no doubt an exaggerated statement; but close
observation will convince any one that there are
too many causes OF complaint. Let the inquirer
pass by the different school houses of the county
and in many cases he will be treated with suayity
and respect. If he stops 10 make inquiry he
will be answered with promptness, honesty and
respect While In other cases. particularly If he
drive spirited team he will be set upon by a
horde OF hooting, yelling, tumultuous sayaoes
which remind him land perhaps the team tool
OF q band OF Comanches on the war path. IF he
Is small man, his wagon sleigh will be
boarded without even the formaliy of ."Please
may have a rider" They will then continue to
pile or until his team balks or until there is NO
room for another. Ii he is a man of spirit and
refuses to be imposed upon, he is beset with
snow balls, eriGktats and the abusive language
which Young America can lay his tongue to- If
ha dlsposes of his team and goes into the school
yard he will see fighting and hear abusive and
profane language. If he examines the fences and
buildings he Will see Indecent writing and pict-
ures. If ne waits for school to call he will haar
the complaints and defense of pickering scholars
and listen repeated falsehoods which the teacher
neglects to investigate, and allows to 60 unpun-
1shed. Teachers can you be surprised If this
visitor goes home and declares that the common
school, is immoral? But you object and say it is
an Overdrawn picture. Granted. But we now
say in alI candor that if you take the trouble
to investigate you viii conclude that scarcely a
tIthe OF our common schools are entirely free
from some immortality. This is a startling fact
and the sooner 1t is realized by teachers the bet
ter Let a careful mother train her children as
she WILL let her spend the best part OF her life in
watching over them; caring for them as tender
plants, WardiGg off all evil, and centerinp IN
them her highest ambition to make them In the.
future, pure, honest, and respected members of
society, then let her send them to an immoral
school, and the probability is that the hope of her
life, and the whole fabric of her labor falls to the
ground. Who can not pity that mother as she
looks upon the soiled remains Of the spotless
garment with which she had SO earnestly labOrad
TO clethe her children.
But this is practical question
The cry is heard in the lard of corruption
that crime and dishonesty prevail that the GOV
eminent officers have broken their pledpes with
the people. That their avar1ce has stained the
halls OF legislation with bribery. That thew have
stolen from the public funds, &C., &c. Why is
this !? Is there teacher present who would da re
to say that these men were once moral school
with playmates, or did mean act? We think
not. They commenced vicious boys and have
grown up to be vicious men. And SO long as the
fountain is orrupt, the stream must ever con-
tlnue to be impure. Train the intellect as you
will if you eglect moral training your labor is
lost nay worse than lost, you have helped to
make a greater rascal,
The educated maleiactor is doubly to be feared,
for he is possessed of power 20 do evil and an
ability to escape detection, which the ignorant
knows not of.
The question then comes up, how shall the
teacher stem the tide of immortality in the COM
mon school? We venture upon this part of the
subject with difidence, feeling that it is almost
unreasonable to expect a teacher to succee ed
where parents have failed. And feeling also
that it is invading the realm of the teacher,
and perhaps attempting TO instruct those who
have made the subject life study. we will at
least be honest while on forbidden ground and
stand ready to be corrected. The first requisite
should be modesty in the teacher. 1t is an &C
knowledged fact that empty precept, unsupported
by example, has but little weight either with chill
dren or old people, The child very naturally
reasons that If protanity, deception. and meanness
are right in teacher they are right in the schol-
ars. The growing boy reasons That his teacher is
q gentleman, he comes into school with drty
boots, splits on the floor, swears cheWs tobacco