The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-11-13
A TEMPERANCE PHASE.

Not long since one OF Boston prOm-
nent clergymen, in sermon on temper
ance, told his congregation that while in
temperance in drink was a vice that
called for vigorous action, they must not
forget there was intemperance in other
ways.
State laws require that temperance
shall be taught IN our public schools,
meaning alcoholic temperance; teachers,
should remember there if other temper
ance. There exists in all higher grades
of schools, in city and country, an in
temperance of reading, potent, vigorous,
growing. 1t exists in the feverish read
ing of insipid novels, family story pa
pers," boys papers," dime and half
dime libraries. Alcoholic intemperance
should not overshadow this fact. One
is physical dram-drinking; the other
mental. One is a future possibility; the
other present reality. The processes
of the one are open: of the other secret.
The results of the one are generally
recognized as injurious; the results of
the other are discussed with many
doubtful shake of the head, and many an
81 don't know" Parents rigidly OPP
posed to alcoholic intemperance still
feed their children on mental rum. Two
generations ago intoXicants were freely
dispensed; reading was guarded. To-
day we witness the reverse.
Intelligent public opinion is arrayed
| ageinst alcohol; there is no decided pub
lie opinion against trash literature. We
have State laws restricting the sale of
! liquors; we have no limit to the sale of
| poor publications, except those of actual
! obscenity. Our school children are
guarded in fashion by the law relating
to the sale of liquors to minors; there is
no safeguard preventing the sale of the
illustrated police papers and French
novels. We have 'local option on
baEroOms; we have none on news-stands.
1t is not respectable to gaze into barrOom
windows; it is not discreditable to gaze
on pictures of semi-nudity, brutality, and
criminality in the news-stands windows.
Temptation is in the one; direct mental
and moral DETACHMENT in the other.
We teach the physical injuries of alco-
hol, the bunting of morality and the in
cident evils; we lose sight of the fact
that morals blunted by indecent and sug-
gestive pictures and stories, may
lead to the alcohol. We do not teach all
the Temperance we ought. We should
teach pure and temperate reading Our
school duty does not end when we have
taught how to read; we should also
teach what to read, what to avoid. We
should send our pupils out only with the
knowledge how to read, bnt with the
divining-rod of good taste to point to
the pure water of truth and morality I'M
der the thickening crust of sentiment
and frivolity.
Teachers generally are not alive to the
fact that their pupils need guidance in
the right selection of books. Many
when approached upon the subject, give
a dull ear to the suggestion, and pride
themselves that they are doing their
duty, by using the best supplementary
reading, or by teaching their literature
classes after the mostapproved methods.
These are good, but are not enough. A
brief questioning about the home read
ing will dispel the illusion. Pupils de-
part from the brief influence of the read
ing hour to the more potent influence of
parental example; from the perhaps en-
forced attention TO some ''gem" to a de-
lightful revel in some silly romance or
blood-curdling narrative. A drunkard
never can be reformed by compelling him
to drink water while at work in a MILL
and giving him all the beer he can drink
when he goes home to dinner. That is
the condition of large portion of our
pupils; the work of the reading and
literature classes is not supplemented at
home. There needs to be some method
devised so that the teacher influence on
this subject can extend further. The
pupils need daily encouragement, per-
sonal guidance, congenial and intimate
associations, a goal to work for, and the
way shOwn.-JV. II. Small in ~ Z. Jour
nal Of Education.