Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-04-05
Teaching the Love OF Money.

N. Y. Tribune.
Something new in education has been
attempted in Western city, where the
superintendent of schools has under
taken the establishment of asystem of
trade and finance among the pupils.
The children are trained in the arts of
making money, and taking care of it.
They are encouraged to earn an honest
penny in all possible ways-by black
ing boots, selling newspapers, making
small marketable articles, ETC.; and
they have bank for the care and man
agement of their accumulations. The
object apparently is not that they may
earn their education, but that they may
be taught the value of money, the inn
portance of thrift, and the mysteries of
commerce. We are not surprised to
hear that the boys take TO the scheme
kindly. 1t is said that their books are
not neglected; on the contrary, increased
diligence in study seems TO result from
the general spirit of rivalry awakened
at the touch OF trade. The lad who has
got ahead of his companions in mer-
camille transaction ut half-past is still
in an emulous mood when he enters the
classroom at 8. Altogether the schools
are lively.
The children-but, God saves us! are
they any more children? Are these
premature financiers the innocent crea-
lures whom fathers used to take upon
their knee, finding in their simple pratt
tie refreshment of heart after the de-
pressing contests of the busy day? Are
these the models of meekness, docility,
purity and trustfulness upon whom the
Master laid his sacred hands when he
babe us become like little children?
Bankers in round jackets, boys who have
discarded Robinson Crusoe for the price
current, and substituted interest tables
for the Arabian nights, they seem to be
in a fair way to initiate the lawyer in
the BATTLE of life by changing the old
rule. DO as you would be done by, "
into the improved modern maxim, ''Do,
or you will be done Brown" And what
terrible sharps they promise to be when
they rise from the petty operations OF
the playground to the serious bargain
ing; selling, buying, lending, discount
ing, understanding, bulling, bearing. and
corneripg for which their instructors are
ow:.giving them such a practical prep
aration!
If there is anything which American
children have not been taught it is the
Importance of money-getting. That is
lesson they learn soon enough by a
miserable experience. The haste to be
rich is, in the opinion of most observers,
our great national fault. This is the
cause of our instability and recklessness
in trade, our laxity of financial morals,
the frequency of our embezzlements
and breaches of trust, the gross dis
honesty of our governments, the bold
robberies of our public officers, our wild
license of speculation, our vulgar taste
for display, our low standard of value
in all things, material, intellectual and
religious. And there could hardly be
a more striking illustration of the base
mercenary spirit which is destroying us
than the fact that superintendent of
public schools thinks it praiseworthy
action to teach the love of money to
children predestined by inherited faint
or by national example to love it only
too soon and too well.