Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-26

rot parents and teachers direct him in these
hings? 1t should be so 10 religious trsin.
ng. II is not necessary that wickedness |
should he the first product Of the human
heart, 20 the extent that some would have |
ls believe. II Ia not necessary that child
lie before ehebecomestru,h'u 'ul that he should
kill or steal before he learns to respect the |
rights Of person or properly: that he should |
cheat or defraud before be becomes honest
that he should pro:sne the name of God |
and his holy dav. before he becomes rover
ent and conscientious; or that be should \
he disobedient and reckless. before he 1
learns obedience and circumspectiop. But
rather the reverse of this IL true. have
sometimes thought that If . being from
some other world should pay our earth q
visit, for The purpose OF ascettaining what |
kind of creatures Inhabited It, and should
happen to alght 10 some Of our school |
houses. and there form his opiniop Of our |
nature exclusively from the exercises be-
fore him, be would wing bis way back !
again. with the mournful intelligence that
man has no soul. For he would hear
nothing about it, and see nothing. Nothing |
would be done, perhaps. from one week to |
sion that man has q moral nattre; but n |
Of many teachers, a studied effort to avoid |
anything that would lead to such suspi-
cions, or bctray the fact that man is endow.
ed with an immortahosture living soul. |
Now. whether such teaching as this will
ever effect anything for the moral and |
social elevation of the race. leave for
candid and honest judges to decide. The
school law of Dakota declares ihat'iThe |
Bible shall not be excluded from any pub.
lie school. nor deemed 9 sec'arian book"
l am glad this provision has been made. |
The Bible is an educational force that should
never be ignored. If any one should inquire
why the Bible possesses such power as an
instrument, We would reply that
God made it, and he made man, having a
full knowledge of his capacity. and of the
best educational forces. He therefore made
the bible for the very purpose for which We
propose to use il, for the moral and religious
culture Of youth, and he, knowing all things
from the beginning, is supposed to have a
better understanding, as to what is best cal
culated for this purpose, than any merely
human tribunal. No creeds, or confessions,
or human devises, therefore, should be al
lowed to usurp it's place. God made mind
and matter, the one administers to the other.
He also gave man his revelation. The de-
sign Ia obvious. Nature and revelation are
designed to make man wiser, better, happier.
The Bible has stood the shock of error and
falsehocd, the combined opposition of inf.
del,y leagued with darkness, for four thous-
and years, and yet its truths shine brighter
than ever before. Like the oak that is buff
fe,ed by the storm, these truths have taken
deep root in the soil of the human hearts and
they lift their boughs higher and higher to
scatter their fruits among the nations of the
earth. If the views already advanced are
correct then the teacher should possess
correct understanding Of the being to be
educated his capacity physical, intellectual
and religious He should also become tho :
on9hly converant with the order of growth
development of the faculties, become we'll
acquainted with the nature and value of the
educational forces, and acquire the necessa.
ry knowledge and skill for applying them.
Teaching is an art, and as such has been
undergoing progressive Improvement
through many ages of research and discov-
cry. AS the human mind has been more
and more profoundly studied, and is laws
aud capabilities, its social and material! re-
lat ons have been drawn out. the methoda
Of imparting instruction and the whole art
Of school organization and management
have undergone changes corresponding to
these new directions Of thought.
"I The proper study Of mankind is man"
To the educator no knowledge ia 80 impor
tant "a self knowledge, or that which relates.
to man and his education. 1t ranks high
est, both az it relates to discipline, and TO ite
utility in the education of Others. Without
this knowledge, the teacher would be fitly
represented by an individual having large
collection of drugs and medicines, yet ig-
norant Of their effect on the human system.
He would be unable to weld his in
strumeptallties successfully in The accom-
plishment Of the purposes for which they
were intended. The most arduous ard re-
-ponsihe duty ever conferred upon mortals
is the education Of human beings To enter
upon this work without the proper quallfica
tions is almost criminal. In all The realm
of animated nature there is nothing more
feeble and helpless than human being
when it first opens lts eyes on the light ol
the world. Yet there is nothing Of vastel
importance. The proudest. works of ar,
will perish. The pyramids of Egypt vii
crumble to dust. The cataract Of Niagar.
will cease to flow. The proudest natior
whose conquering eagles have defed con
| VIII hoSC tthNSSu DuN SAS
teachers influence will live on undying a
the mind. The agricultural, for instance
can afford to make mistake in raising
crop; SO can the mechanic, in building
ship or house; for these appertain only tt
the grosser interests, and perishable sub
stances The painter can afford to make
mistake in minRling his colors, or in givin
his form or expression to the features {
picture; or he can afford to see it blurred an
ma,red. and even rent asunder BY unskille
or wicked hands; for 10 such case, the ODi
loss is the waste of material and labor, sn
perchance his hopes of gain. The sculp,e
can afford to see his beautiful figure upo
which he has spent wears Of anxious toi
shattered to. atoms In HE presence. or sun
to the bottom of the ocean. The lo
j. might be more than compensated By repr
duc,ion. But who will undertake 10 con
pensate for the loss of human bein
frelghted with desthless cargo of eteru
interests! Who will undertake to reps
, the damages done TO 40 Immortal spiri
1 Who will undertake 10 remove the blu
and stains from the face of human chsract,
) or stop the influences involved
/. error. The agricultural, the artist, and
I material vOrEera can Vell afTnrd m M