Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-07-10

Editor Of The Sar;-It seems, from your
report OF the proceedings Of the school board
on Tuesday night, that the proposition OF the
committee on the course OF study, to intro
duce into the public schools the teaching OF
good morals and gentle manners, was rejected.
To me this Is source OF great disappointment
and regret, because l kaOw the need OF such
instruction. believe, too, 1t Will occasion dis
appointment to nearly every parent Of virtuous
1nclinatiODS in this city.
This action Is especially to be regretted as
there are now in use In the public schools GER
tain books, introduced without any authority
from the bOard) whose influence cannot be
other than pernicious. allude to some OF the
books used for extra lessons in reading Take
for example, Charles Lambs Tales from Shake
speare. which, strange to say, IS used In girls
schools of the seventh grade, where the pupils,
just on the verge Of womanhOOd, should be es-
pecially protected from communicating in
fluences In this book. the burden Of nearly
love that prompts woman to defy the re-
strafnts OF society, and to become sort of DO
etc prostitute. In the Midsummer Nights
Dream, to Illustrate, two young ladies', filled
with this indecent love, wander about the
woods at night In company with two young
men, whose whole talk is OF love: In the tale
self In the garb OF man and wanders about
forest. meeting young men and inviting them
to her cottage, where nothing but love IS talked
other young lady donS male attire, and wanders
off to distant city in quest of an absent lover
and Eer adventures are enough to make any
woman blush. In Much Ado About Nothing
the interest turns principally upon tue
fact that young woman engaged to
be married to gentleman, is supposed to have
admitted strange man to her bedchamber at
dead OF night just before her expected mar
rage. In Twelfth Night young lady. who
happens to be ShipWrecked induces the captain
Of the vessel to dress her In mems clothes, and
to take her off TO distant city. where she lives
until her sex is discovered, and she gets mar
ried. While she seems man another lady falls
In love With her and begS her hand in marriage
But In Measure for Measure" the most indie
cent story Of all appears. The substance Of 1t
IS that young man seduces girl, and under
the laws or the country Is condemned to death
for 1t. While under sentence, his sister, who Is
about entering convent, Is induced to appeal
(who. 1t seems has wife,) conceives an unholy
passion for the young novice and offers, on
condition that she shall yield herself to his lust
to pardon her brother. This offer Is nominaliy
accepted but the governor is deceived by hay-
Ing, In the darkness OF the night, another woman
introduced, &c, sc.
Is It not surprising that, while the Board OF
Trustees Of the public schools refuse to allow
Tie subject of gooo morals to oe ttenght. they
books as this "Tales from Shakespeare" an
no prude, Mr.. Editor, but say that such book
Is unit for virtuous girl to read; Its very con-
cept1on Is m1stake-One OF those gross mis-
taxes which even men of genius like Charles
Lamo can sometimes commit; for While II gives
In 1un the tmlnOdeSt stories, (Which could be
lGst as well read In the originals from which
reproduce any OF the wonderful beauty, the
matchless variety OF thought and language,
with which the great poet has clothed them.
A TEACHER,