Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-09-10
C.,MMUNICATED.
MORAL INFLUENCE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS.


The faverite argument in behalf of
public education is, "that the removal OF
illlteracy is the removal of crime"
Whether this is true, or not, it is not
our purpose to discuss at present, but 1t
is pertinent to inquire into "The rela-
ton of our public schools to morality"
Though parents themselves may not
give much attention to their own moral
influence over their children, yet when
they selec, school for them, they have
much to say about the evil associations
to which their children are exposed and
often, without giving reason for their
conclusion, condemn the public school
as an unfit place for their children. A
moments reflection will show them
that no schools in our State have more
safeguards against immortality thrown
around them than the public schools.
Every school officer is specially charged
with the moral training of the youth of
permission to teach until he presents
evidence of a good moral character, and
his certificate is cancelled as soon as 10
is known to depart from the require
ments of the law. Thus, the State
lends its authority to secure good NOR
ais in its public schools. The officers
authorized to appoint the teachers in
the several schools, and who have spec
ial care of these schools, are scverally
charged not to appoint immoral teach
ers or permit grossly immoral pupils TO
remain in school. The school board
enacts rules and regulations for the
government of the public schools and
punish any conduct or act that tends to
immoral habits. The communities in
which the schools are located give their
moral weight, whatever it may be, to-
wards maintaining a good reputation
for their schools. Books on morals are
prescribed for all the public schools,
and while the Bible is not one of them,
vet there is scarcely school in the
State in which the Bible is not read
daily as an opening exercise and in very
many of them this reading is followed
by the singing of hymns and prayer.
The character of the teacher is potent
factor in making the public school an
influential agent in the removal of
crime. Education and moral training
must go along side by side, if we would
make good citizens of our youth. The
State requires good moral character
in her teachers; the school officers in
immediate charge of the school, the peo-
pie of the community and the patrons
of the school, require good Christian
character in the teachers, that they may
carry into the schoolroom the power of
their Christian lives and the Happy in
fluence of their examples, teaching with
more lasting power than preccpt. To
estimate this power, call to mind the
numb Der of schools and teachers in our
State and multiply thi: by all the States,
and some idea may be had of the power
of the public school as moral agency.
We repeat, that no private schools are
as closely watched as to their moral
character and influence as the public
schools, and none has so many safe
guards thrown around it for the moral
training of youth. 1t becomes every
community, then, to sustain with jeal-
Gus care the schools provided by the
State, and make them centres of ever
widening circles Of influence for good.
10 bring this matter nearer home and
make practical application of our
teaching, let us seek to find the cause
of the high standing of the schools in
our community us compared with the
schools in some other communities. Is
it not because the whole community
have taken hold of these schools and
arc lending their influence to make
them what the State designed they
should be? Do they not demand that
none but good, faithful, moral teachers
should be appointed and paid such a
salary for their services as will enable
them to continue in the profession of
teaching and fit themselves better for
their work, by buying books, appara-
tus &C., to keep informed in the various
changes that are made in text books and
the discoveries in science? The eyes
Of the whole community are upon the
teachers Of our public schools and their
conduct is closely scrutinized to see If
some objection can not be urged against
them on which to base complaint, but
considering the responsible positions
that these teachers hold as examples of
moral character, they being often the
only moral instructors that the chill
dren have, is it not the duty of parents
to impress upon their children the obi
CATION that they are under to give due
respect and obedience to the teachers,
and teach them that the position and
services of the teachers require this of
pupils at all timess
EXPERIENCE.
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