The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-04-11
BILL ARP.
An Interesting Chapter on Education.
df1nntn Constitution.

Oh, no, my Texas friend, you are great.
ly mistaken. I am not opposed to col!egi,
ate education. I have never written a
line from which you could draw such
an inference. I have a very fair edu.
cation myself and would not exchange it
for all the wealth in the world, nor would
I write anything or do anything that
would deprive others of the same blessing.
could not if 1 would, for education is
now within the easy reach of all who
desire it. But what I do maintain is
that constant, earnest, moral training
should go along with it in every family,
school and college. I maintain that it is
more important to teach the youth of our
country morality than algebra or astrono.
my. If the children are the wards of the
nation, the nation demand good citizen.
ship more than good scholarship. Now,
in what schools or colleges is morality
made paramount or OF equal Importance
to science? Inshow many is ii taught at
all? How many professors deem it q
duty to impress upon their pupils obedi'
ence to parents, obedience to law, honesty,
truth, temperance, chastity, industry,
and to do unto others as they would have
others do unto them9 If you say that
these things should be taught at home,
the answer is that they are not taught at
home. Some fathers try to, and more
mothers, but when q boy in his teens is
sent off to college the home restraint is
gone. The bride is taken off before he has
formed his habits, and he joins in with
the vicious, and after three or four years
comes home with smattering of science
and some bad habits that will stick
through lie. Ifthe college Is al home
where the parents live the peril is in a
great measure avoided. But with the
average boy it is better for him to finish
his education in his own town than to be
sent away to college. Of course, there
are many exceptions to this, for there are
many noble boys who can be trusted any.
where. Home influence IS wonderful
safeguard for young and old. have
known men of mature age-men of fami-
lies-who were exemplary at home, to go
to. New York on business and frequent
the saloons by day, and go to see the bal
let girls kick around in the theater by
night.
The objection that I have to the whole
public school system is its lack of heart,
its coldness, its machinery. The first
thing is to Danish the Bible and morning
prayer. The Roman Catholics have
forced the Bible out of the schools in
Wisconsin. The Jews aud others oppose
it everywhere. They will not be taxed to
support system that disagrees with their
faith.
Is this Christian country? Have we
Christian civilization? Does not DR..
Milburn, the blind man, eloquently open
the United States Senate with prayer
Does not DR.. John Jones, another blind
man, eloquently, open our State Senate
every morning with Christian prayer
Raphael J. Moses, noble patriot and
soldier, was once the speaker ofour house
of representatives, and it was his daily
pleasure to call the members to their feet
that Christian prayer might be offered.
Have not all our Presidents been SWORN
into Office upon the Bible? Did not
Rabbi Broun say, in public lecture,
that Christian civilization had done
more for humanity and human progress
than everything elsef Did not that
noble.hearted Israelite, Judah Touro, oi
New Orleans, give as much of his great
wealth to Christian Churches and Chris.
tian charities as he did to Jewish syna.
gogues? Was not Sir Moses Monte6ore
equally philanthropic with his millions
Is there anything. in the Bible code that
initiates against good government?
My friend Webb asks me if education
contributes to the increase of crime. ]
answer, yes; emphatically yes. The
statistics prove it beyond all question
The more education the more crime, in
proportion to population. 1t is natural
| that there should be. The boys of four
teen commit more crimes than the boys
of four. They know more ways of doing
devilment. Their desires are increased
and their passions developed as their
wits ara sharpeued. The more knowledge
the more capacity, and as capacity is in.
creased restraint must be increased
Moral restraint, legal restraint, all kinds
of restraint. Line upon line and precepl
upon precept. 1t should come from the
6reside and the school and the pulpit and
especially from the school for the boy is
there five days out of seven at the mos
critical period. He is there to mingle with
other boys and form character. My ides
of a noble, big. hearted teacher is mar
who feels as deep an interest in his pupils
moral manhood as he does in his scholar
ship-a man who seeks many occasions
10 point moral-who tells them from
| time to time the history OF great mer
who came from obscurity. Of Isaac New
ton and Bunyan and Milton and Martin
Luther and John Knox-who tells how
Burns and Bryan and Edgar Poe became
wrecked from sinful passions and Lort
Bacon from the love of money and Bene
dict Arnold from revenge and Napoleon
from ambition. a man who shudders a
such awful crimes as Woolfolk's ant
Hawes's--and who impresses upon hi
pupils an adherence of stealing ane
cheating and lying and runaway matches
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