Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
A NEGLECTED STUDY.
The Public Schools With All Their
Excellencies Sadly Fail
In INCULCATING GOOD MANNERS.
Directors and Superintendents at Fault
Rather Than Teachers.
MODERN BARBARIANS TOO NUMEROUS
lwRIrTEN FOR THE pIspArcH. /.

mduHeES are VI mOTG
laws" says Burke. "The laws touch u;
here and there, and now and then, but man.
ners are what vex or soothe, corrupt OF
purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine,
and give form and color to our lives"
In criticising our public schools an in
telligent observer remarked that while the
teachers faithfully and untiringly crammed
their pupils with rules of arithmetic and
grammar, geographical names and details,
and any amount of stuff, for the most OF
which they would have no use in after life,
they yet most certainly failed to teach them
manners upon which SO much of the comfort
and happiness Of society depend. As a
study of the law of kindness, the teaching
of gentleness, benevoience and consideration
'for others are not subjects upon which their
pupils are to be examined the teachers per-
haps sadly neglect what is of vastly more
Importance in after life than the conteh&s of
text books. Some teachers do dothing for
which they are not paid. II the laws of
politeness were on the schedule, they would
reduce the maxlms of Franklin, and Ches-
terfeld, and Bacon, and Wha.ely to practical
use, and have their pupils as proficient in
what has been called "benevolence in
trifies" as they are in penmanship, in draw
ing, in problems in arithmetic, in rules of
grammar or in the latest hobby of the school
superintendent, who is everlastingly getting
up some "fad" to keep the teachers going.
GROUND FOR THE CRITICISM.
This critic OF the public school has some
ground, it may be said, to go upon. The
teachers have SO much to do to keep up with
the demands of their superiors, they are so
kept upon the rack of competition and COM
parison they are so rushed" to make high
percentages in all examination studies, that
they have little or no time to give to the
teaching of good manners and morals John
ME Jones may be as rough and uncouth as
Hottentot, but he can be managed so as to
make a fair examination paper, even if he
steals the most OF it from his next neighbor.
Annie Smith may be as hateful as she can
be, but if she makes high percentage when
the "Mogul' comes around to examine the
class the teacher will give her no end of
praise. even though she MAJ be surly, and
snarly, and snapDy, as if she had never
heard of a rule of good behavior.
Teachers are but human beings. With
an eve to their own interests they do that
which will most advance their own salaries
and secure stability in their places. If the
directors and superior officers should make
it incumbent upon them to teach the rules
Of good manners it would be done, but, un-
fortunately, many of the directors do not
know what good manners are themselves.
Some of them are so deficient in this respect
that it would be almost fattery to call them
Doors. They treat the teachers in their en-
ploy with such arrogance, rudeness and
harshness'as should rule them out of the
pale of respectable society, thus showing
that good manners have been left out of
their raising" and education.
CASE IN POINT.
In one public school not 100 miles away.
the only fault found with the teacher when
Ashe was dropped, so as to make room
for favored candidate-was that she had
instructed her boys to lift their hats to her
when they met her on the street, as is the
custom with gentlemen. The school di-
rectors thought this was inconsistent with
the principles of the republic. But while
this particular ward illustrates the ignor-
ance of its school directors, another neigh
boring school gives example of enlighten-
ment. The principal of this ward breaches
the gospel of cleanliness, the doctrine of
what is good and true, and with education
enforces such morals and manners as will
make the pupils fit tor any position in So
ciety they may be CALLED upon to fill.
However poor they may be they are urged
and encouraged to be clean and neat. High
marks are given for blackened shoes and
general tidiness. Every incentive is pre-
sented for them to put their best foot fore
most as to proper conduct and polite man.
ners. Hardly Lord Chesterfield himself
could be more sollcitous on the subject of
social usages. He says: 1.-THE immoral
man who invades another's property is
justly hanged for it, and the man who by
mis- ill manners invades and disturbs the
quiet and comfort of life shonld by common
consent be banished from good society"
THE MODERN HOGS.
If children were properly trained in this
respect "the hogs" of daily life would soon
be lessened in number. With few lessons
upon good manners we might have the rail-
road hog trained down to some degree of de-
cency. II he could be shown how utterly
obnoxious he is when he chews tobacco, and
fills the corner in a seat with pool of to-
bacco juice to ruin lady's dress with its
filth, he would likely be careful to do his
he could know what a disgusting object
he is when he blows his nose
with his fingers rather than with
an Allen G. Thurman bandana, it is quite
likely he would use the latter. If he could
realize what a spectacle of selfishness he
presents when he buries his head in paper
and pretends to be wholly absorbed in it,
when a tired mother comes in with a baby,
he-even for appearance sake-would be
polite enough to yield his seat if need be.
If those whose manners upon the road make
them disagreeable to their fellow creatures,
could be classed as hogs and put in a hog
car by themselves, there would be mission
ary work done for them without doubt.
but rs it is they label themselves as hogs by
their behavior and excite the wrath of those
whose pleasure they destroy.
Mark the hogs on Fifth avenue as smok
ing their villainous cigars they puff the
sickening fumes into every woman's face.
Mark the hogs as they stand loafing ON the
corners, splitting all around until the side
walk is a mass of filth for women's dresses
to trail through. Mark the hogs who throw
banana peelings on the pavements with no
thought OF those who may suffer by their
carelessness. Mark the hogs who gape and
stare and swear and swagger upon our pub
lie streets to the annoyance of passers-by
with such obliviousness of decency and
courtesy that no one can fail to, set them
down as constituting the scum of the earth.
as livers in the slums who think it manly to
"do as they darn please"
FROM A MORAL STANDPOINT.
DR.. johnson has said man has no more
right to say an uncivil thing than to act
one; no more right to- say rude thing to
another than to knock him down. But
how many there are who are harsh, dicta-
torial, brutal in speech where they possess a
tyrant's power. A boss over pipe line
gang of Italians jaws and swears and rips
and tears, but he gets no better work out of
them, or as much for that matter as if he
were pleasanter in his manners and regard