The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-06-16

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Sunday tide; the delight of the children in
the secular day and that other emotion
accompanying the white garments worn in
the olden time by the newly baptized cate.
chumens who usnsually received the sacrs'
ment on the vigil of Pentecost, are both
embraced in this delightful service. Whit
sun,ide falls just fifty days after Easter
Sunday, and therefore may come in May or
June.
The idea of transforming time. honored
celebrations into modern, or new frames, ia
AS old as cnris,endom. The primitive Christ
ians transformed old pagan feasts and fssts
into Christian celebrations or fast days, and
as Christianity entered new fields the old
pagan festivals were adopted and made to
do duty as Christian days with holy and
Christian meaning So, too, this Children
bay service which "illustrates the parallel
and points out the relation between the
children and the flowers has Gus the Inter-
Ocean says become fixture in the
churches. The spring is the season Tor
such a celebration. 1t is the time Of buds
and blossoms. The churches reach the
beautiful by means Of these annual floral
festivals. Places Of worship have been made
TO rejoice and blossom as the rose under the
touch Of gentle fingers and the smiling faces
OF children. IL ceases to be q punishment
for children to attend divine service which
they can not understand. The Sunday
school is now always attractive as the chill
dren's garden The dreary Sunday Of the
olden time has vanished. Ttya Jum. The
boy who sad the shortest day in the year
was in the month of December and the long
est day was Sunday, did not live in this
generation. The children's influence on the
religious services has never been more
cheerfully felt than in the changed notions
regarding the Sunday school. 1t was just a
severe school. The boys and girls of early
days always committed to memory the fine
old Twenty. third Psalm, with particular
emphasis on Thy rod and thy staff
comfort me-" But these belong to gone.by
times. Beauty has taken the place Of ashes
and the oil of Joy for mourning"
At the last meeting Of the National Asso-
oistion Of Builders a report of the Legisla-
tive committee on Apprenticeship was pre-.
scented which had much that is worthy Of
attention. This committee finds that the
old system under which boy was bound
out to An employer for term Of years, has
fallen into disuse until scarcely vestige Of
it remains; that the employer Of today
seldom or never works at his trade or takes
tools into his hands neither does he remain
long enough on actual work to instruct in
that practical way which WAS possible form
erly; and that the apprentice is therefore
left largely in charge Of wOrkmen (fCreman
and other employees giving such general
instruction as may result from good nature,
getting no regular or systematic teaching,
but being left to pick up his trade instead of
having it taught him. The report goes on
to recommend that " Mechanical Trade
of systematic instruction, but that these
schools should not be part of the public
school system. Why such instruction should
not be given in the public schools is not made
quite clear. The only reason apparent to
us is that some educational genius" would
soon attempt the teaching Of manual trades
by text book. If it be argued that such in
struction would not come within the province
of our public school system, we most res.
pectfully ask, why no.? Assuming that the
purpose of the public school is to give our
youth such knowledge and such only AZ is
necessary to the well.being OF men and wo.
men in ordinary life, 1t would seem more
desirable that boy be well instructed in
some good trade than, for instance, that he
should acquire a smattering of the Greek
language under teacher not able to give
the proper pronunciation, or be crammei
with the misstatement of facts in chemistry
and physiology contained in the so-oalled
temperance text books. 1t Is even conceiv.
able that the introduction Of industrial in
struction would bring about an improvement
in the methods Of teaching the branches
which already have a place In the schools.
The presence Of clear headed master Of his
trade imparting its principles from his own
knowledge Of them, directing and demon
strating with his own hands its various me
chanical processes would, we conceive, fur
nish sharp contrast to that other teacher
listlessly listening to dull droning Of the
contents Of text book painfully committed
to memory, and unintelligsntly recited
and, acting as leaven in a textbook
ridden system eventually lead the way to
better methods Of instruction.
lie Genie Cirl calls attention to o
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