The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-07-10
WEEKLY BAZ0O.
SEDALI NC
TUESDAY, JULY 10 1888.
MORAL CULTURE IN SCHOOLS

Our schools and seminaries have
closed for the summer vacation. 1t is
a fact greatly to be regretted that the
finer sensibilities which enter 60 con-
sipcuously into the composition of
perfect manhood are 30 universally
ignored, or at least neglected, by
teachers of our schools the individ-
uals to whom are entrusted the high
and important mission of bringing up
our children in the way they should
20. This misfortune is attributed in
part to neglect Of duty by the teacher
but the teacher is not entitled to all
the blame. Too often are the gross
impulses of the parent seen in the
background, shaping the background
shaping the course of the moral in.
struction of the child-That parent
for instance, who insists on his son
being taught only those things neces-
sary to fit him for business-life-''sich,
to use his own expression, ''as readin'
writin' and rethmetic. The ,ament-
able result of this injunction need not
be pointed out. 1t is to be seen
all around you in the ruling charact-
eristics of men of almost all classes
the close-fsted and beartless acquisi-
,iveness, the ungenerousness and IN
human struggle for gain. We need
more cultivation of the heart aid
finer feelings and less examining OF
mathematical problems, a little more
moral culture,-enough, at least, to
form the earlier sentiments, to ingraft
some warm feelings Of sympathy in
the breast that will in some degree
influence and control the motives of
the looming man." On this qualif-
cation should begin the examination
of the teacher. First of all things, he
shonld be found perfect in moral
principles, and endowed with an abili-
ty to strengthen and cultivate the
moral nature of others. Every indi-
v;dual child is born with moral prin-
ciples susceptible of being nurtured
and improved by education, or i'm
poverished and destroyed by neglect.
tits a mistaken idea that the evil dis
,,ostion manifested nv some men was
ssborn and bred in the bone" God is
author of mans existence, and it is
certain that he is the creator of no
evil. The moral virtues implanted in
mans nature may be likened unto
the vegetation of the earth:
"The weeds may clasp the tender flower,
And suck its little Lille away"
may the surrounding vices suck
all the nobler passions from the heart
of man and leave him but "breath-
ing tent of flesh"
Every observer of the political de-
generacy of the times must have felt
in his heart a deep sorrow at the ap-
parent malignancy pervading the
motives and conduct of the majority
of modern politicians. To remedy this
evil in future it is necessary to care
fully train the hearts of the future
men and women. In moulding the
characters of our boys and girls, we
should have in view the characters Of
our future legislators, !! magistrates
and citizens.
Mr.. Seward once said, 1.-The spirit
of the law in any country is true in.
dex to the morals of the people just
in proportion to the power they exer-
else in making them" In America,
where every individual is sovereign
where man or woman is king or queen,
and every boy and girl a prince or
princess, the spirit of the laws of our
country IL ga true index to the NOR
als" of the American people, and that,
too, "just in proportion to the pow.
er We exercise in making them," the
morality Of the people should be we'll
cultivated and maintained; for tie
people, through their representatives