Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-03

fellows would gang daft"
The campaign, from now to the close,
promises to be lively and interesting.
Moral Instruction in Public schools.
We have already alluded, editorially, to
an admirable paper read at the Ohio state
convention of public school teachers, held
last summer at Chautauqua, by Miss Lucie
Stickney, of Walnut Hills, Cincinnati,
most accomplished educator, who is able to
impart her ideas and the results of her ex-
perience and observation with grace and
force. Miss Stickney's topic, on the occa-
sion alluded to was Moral Instruction in
Public Schools which, as a matter Of
curse, must be of a broad, unsectarian
and undenominational character, adapted
to the children Of parents of varied and
conflicting religious beliefs. Miss Stickney
held that morality should be taught in all
public schools; that responsibility to God
and the universe" should always be i'm
pressed upon pupils: that they should be
trained into habits of industry. regularity,
order. promptneSs and accuracy-to dread
tardiness, to be honest to avoid cheating,
the teacher making in his own life Living
lesson in morals, and manners" The child
should be taught that conscience Is the voice
of God. We quote with full, hearty ap-
proval the following fine and strong ut
terance from Miss Stickney's paper:
Surely our pupils do not need simply to have
! their impulses stirred, they need 10 have their
Intelligence trained. They need to be taught
| the consequences and the rank OF ale as well
| as to have enkindled within them a sentiment
| against the meauness Of lie. They need TO
| be taught the meaning OF the word sin, and TO
be able TO hear and speak the word without
| the repugGance which they invariably mani
| fest by a shrinking and shrug, As though II
! were a word not To be used In polite society.
They need to know why a sin IL sin; that they
| are responsible because they-because eyery
| moral being-has been created with con-
| science which is an infsllible guide, not some
times nor generally, but always intallible In
the decision concerning immediate and pres
ent duty. And l believe that they may be
| taught in the schoolroOm that they have the
| where TO go for divine guidance TO the truth,
| and divine help in withstanding temptation.
| They DO indeed need to learn from the conduct
of the teacher that examination day is not the
] Judgment. Why may they not know from his
| definite and Outspoken words that there Is
| Judgment in which God and conscience, not
| the teacher nor the record book, must pro
nounce the sentence.
Miss Stickey gives in her paper ample
quotations from the writings of eminent
men on the lack of moral instruction in the
schools of the people. She quotes from
Rev. DIR. Lyman Abbott, editor of the
Christian Union. New York, this utter
ance: There are unmistakable evidences
of growing public sentiment that our
present educational system is seriously de-
fective. if not totally inadequate, and that
we must find some method of enlarging its
scope so as to include some Systematic
measures for the moral development of the
youth of our country. This conviction is as
yet little more than a discomfort with our
present methods. No prophet has arisen to
forecast the future or point out clearly q
method that is better; but we have gone
along the present line long enough TO dem
on r Ite that intelligence and conscience are
n Il the same faculty, and that we must add
another r to the three Rs. namely, Right
eousness." He says, I'VE have been glor-
flying our public school system so long that
it will take little time to convince the peo-
pie that there are any spots on the Ameri-
can sun. We are inclined to be impatient
of any critic who ventures 10 suggest that
the end of ali education is the development
of character, that a school examination is
not a little judgment-day. The public must
be convinced that revolution is necessary"
Miss Stickney also quotes from an article
on Christianity and Popular Education ~
in the Century for April, by our dlstin-
guished Columbus neighbor, Rev. Washing
ton GLADDEN., his assertion that, while he
discIaims the right TO arraign the schools Of
the country as the authors, by commission
existing" that the failure to develop the
moral nature in our schools is notorious and
disastrous, that the moral training has be-
come altogether secondary and the attempt
to secure it is but feebly and uncertainty
made. That the public does not require
moral teaching of its teachers he demon
strates through the investigation of con-
solidated list of examination questions
which show that the state in its inquiry
into the qualifications of its teachers makes
the ratio of morals 10 other branches as two
to six hundred and ninety" and he remarks
that lit is surprising that teachers should
manifest so much interest in the subject as
they do, when those who employ them
seem to care so little about it." The sub
ject treated by Miss Stickney is one Of
great importance to the children of the
schools, to their parents, to the communityat
large, and to the state itself, and she has
done well in calling the attention of the in
structors of Ohio to their duties and priv
iIeges in this direction.
Salvation Oil is the greatest pain-destroy-
er of any age or cline. For the cure of