Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-12-28
The Public Schools,

Mr.. EDITORIALS it is vacation and the
daily recurring duties of the school
room are for week or two laid aside,
few general thoughts abou, the work and
aim Of public schools may be timely.
The public school should Il. the youth
of the land for making q living. The
school teacher as direct agent in advanc.
ing The material prosperity of country,
is novel figure. Our domain has been
that of the abstract and theoretical, with
the living, practical questions OF life, the
school has had too little to do. Painters
hive pictured the owl sitting over the H.
brary of the recluse and the student Of the
ideal. But the solemn cries of this bird
have been heard even in the school room.
The school should give physical
strength as result ofits work. 1t is a
common but untrue opinion that study is
hurtful to health. 1t would be just as
wise to carry one arm in sling in order
to prevent injury to the eye as not to use
the brain that the body may grow. Ex-
perience soon teaches the child not to put
its finger in its eyes, and experience will
prevent the brain from Destroying the
body.
The school ought to give mental dis
clpline. This does not need any discus
sion, and yet to my mind it is the most
difficult task of all. Some one has said
that if we would educate the chilli, We
must begin with the grand parents. and
the problem of finding the wisest meth
ods Of training the mind Of The child
who is given to the teacher only six
hours per day is a difficult Que.
The school must teach reverence for
law and order. Tie parents do not al
ways do this. To their reproach be it
said, they do not take time. They let
their love for their child Interfere with it's
best Interests. The teacher then must &C.
custom the child to the restraints of law,
to recognize the rights of Others, and to the
unwelcome but golden virtue of 0bedi.
ence.
The school, if it is to be of real use to
must leach the child 10 be
moral. 1t must quicken the conscience
and en:ighten the understanding in re-
gard to the right. I believe that it can
not truly do this unless it Undue the
Child with the thought OF its Immortality.
When the Roman emperor returned from
his conquest splendid triumph awaited
him. He was bourne around the city
amid the applause Of the gathered thous-
ands. To remind him OF the fleeing
char acter of earthly glory, a slave stood
At his side whispering. "you are mortal"
"You are mortal" The word has been
changed in our time. Let the teacher
increase his own faithtulness
aud guide the child to an honest, noble
lie by the thought, we are Immortal. l
make no excuse for advocating this NOR
Atty as part of the teachers work. Re-
ligion as a creed or doctrine must not
be taught in the school. But I would not
teach where l could not quicken the con
sciences Of the pupils by the thought Of
their immortality and their responsibility
10 their Creator.
Having thus rapidly run over the work
Of the school, may be permitted to sug-
gest some of the ways in which the peo-
pie can aid. The people should take an
active, critical interest in the school.
Of course the teacher ought to be capa.
bic of leading in the work. mean that
he parent should take interest in the
',"a'". "f tho child surround it with
good Influence at home and guard against
the distraction of society. 1t is the most
sign of the times that the old
and middle aged have associations for
lhe cultivation OF the mind. Books are
not put away at graduation to gather the
dust Of years, but the mind is kept fresh
by keeping pace with the progress OF art
and literature. Every literary society,
every good book purchased at our stores,
and every we'll ordered home strengthens
the hands of the teacher. At some fu-
ture time should like 10 refer to the work
of high school, and the means of in
creasing its usefulness.
A W. RANKIN