The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-10-19


another column that all he intended to
condemn in his remarks at the Sunday
school convention was the associating to-
gether of children of different ages and the
intermingling of children who had developed
corrupt propensties with those who were
innocent Of them. The evil of the public
schools which he pointed out was the evil of
this indiscriminate association. Yet after
an examination of a stenographc report of
his remarks we are not surprised that In
summarizing them our reporter should have
credited him with placing the public school
on level with the saloon as demoralizing
influence. For instance in the stenographer's
notes of the address we find the following:
say it is a fact that evil Influences and evil
playmates on the street, and ! say this after a
great deal Of investigation that the influence Of
eyl playmates on the streets in a town or city
they are 10 years Of age, corrupt more lives and
cause the loss of more souls than all the saloons
very material that drifts into the saloons; child
goes out OF the protection of home when he ought
70 be there. am sort OF a crank on this subject.
cont think any child ought to be on the street
without some person In charge OF him. while he is
mere child. Satan will surely find him, an evil
public schools. have had charge for five years
OF public schools; have four children growing
up, and viii tell you, believe the public school
IS almost the foundation stone OF our republic,
but nevertheless would no more send my boy
who Is seven years OF age to public school than
when he is fifteen would send him to the saloon,
as far as his morals are concerned; there Is no
restraint over his nature, over his tendencies 1
live within sight Of two public schools. and
the window stills and in the protection Of the
doors to keep themselves from the brutality Of
what they cali boys, and their parents have told
TO abolish the school, but remedy the evil. We
have got to save the school.
u would no more send my boy, who is
seven years of age, to public school than
when he is fifteen would send him to a sa-
loon as far as his morals are concerned"
says Mr.. Cummings. The comparison here
of an Institution which per Sc is good and
ennobling, and the evils of which are merely
incidental with an institution which is bad
In itself and bad in all its surroundings,
without single redeening quality is unfor-
tunate and 1t is not to be wondered at that
1t conveyed a wrong impression of the
intent of the speaker. The child Of fifteen
who frequented saloon would be brought
In contact with influences every one of
which is demoralizing. His body, his mind
and his morals would be constantly exposed
to debauching influences. Now the child of
seven might encounter In the public
school some bad influences, but he
would be certain to encounter some good
ones. The instruction he would receive from
his teacher would surely be good, for the
teachers In our public schools are almost in
variably people of good morals whose aim is
to instll into the children under their charge
right ideas. and assist them to form correct
habits. To say then, as Mr.. Cummings
appears to say in effect. that the child of
seven Is as likely to .be demoIalized by at
tendance on public school as child of if
teen is by frequenting saloon, seems to be a
gross exaggeratioD. not an Intentional one In
this case, but one which unexplained and
uncorrected does great injustice to the public
school.
We are not going to deny that
the commingling of children Of different
ages, different propensities and different de-
grees of knowledge is productive of some
mischief; and as this commingllng takes
place In the public school incidentally the
public school exposes the child to some dan
ger. In schools where children of widely diff
ferent ages are grouped together their dan
ger Is considerable. The practice of grad
ing the schools which prevails In
large places lessons 1t good
deal, and perhaps there are
other practical devises that will lessen il
still more II there are such they ought to
be adopted. With the idea thar Mr.. Cum
mings intended to convey we have no excep-
lions to take. We incline to think, how yer
that some of his language is fairly open to a
construction that he did not intend should
be put upon 1t.