The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-10
TRAIN THE WILL.
President Hyde's Paper Before tn q
Teachers Institute

BETHLEHEM. N. H., July 9.-The session
of the American Institute Of Instruction to-
day opened with the usual devotional ex
ercises and song by the Schubert Quar-
tette. Calvin M. Woodward, A. NJ, profess
or Of mathematics in Washington Universi-
and principal of the Manual Training school
at st. Louis, Mo-, read paper on the best
organization for manual training school in
an urban community.
At II a. M, Rev. William Dewitt HYDE.
DID,. president of Bowdoin College, read a
paper on THE education of the will"
There are, said he, two ways to teach boys
and girls to sdoD right. One Is to make
duties, a compendium of ethics. This fails to
get at them. They forget the rules, or mis-
apply them, or else they lug them in on eve
ry occasion, and so 1ecome prigs and prudes.
me better way is to train the will in habits.
Habits go deeper than memory and cannot
be forgotten. The new education insists on
activity instead OF passivity; giving out in
stead OF taking in; doing work instead of
merely learning lessons; exercising the men,
tal muscles instead Of simply overlooking
the mental stomach.
Ethical theory is returning to Aristotle;
and teachers of ethics should heed these
words of the master: I'VE acquire the yir-
tues by doing the acts. We become builders
by building and so by doing right acts we
The problem Of moral education in our
public schools will be solved, not by intro
ducing into an 0vercr0wded curriculum les
sons from textbook or eXh0rtaJiOns from
the teacher, but by. training the schol.
ars to treat each other considerably and
kinply, to cherish the welfare and honor of
the school. and to do their regular school
work faithfully, honestly and thoroughly.
Morality Is not thing apart from life and
work. 1t cannot be learned in the abstract,
n nd nd
1t must be learned in the experience Of life
and In application to work. The school must
teach the virtues of work in conn ection
with the work of the school.
=. Punctuality, the habit of making prepara-
tlon IN advance and being always on time
orderliness, the habit of doing things in
proper form; neatness. the habit Of making
work beautiful; concentration, the habit of
putting ones whole might into his work;
perseverance, the habit Of sticking to work
until 1t is mustered; thoroughness, the habit
OF making every piece of work one does the
very best that he can dO-these virtues of
work the school should incorporate into the
structure Of the scholars will. These hab-
It's are the foundations of all usefulness and
honor.
Every lesson should be accompanied by
an exercise in which the scholar can make
application of what he learns. Work done
In these exercises should be kept on file in
the school, The inspection of this work
tlon of teacher, school and scholar. The
knowledge that their work is to be inspected
will stimulate them to do it with care and
painstaking. twill foster the virtues Of
work. Whereas the examination which
seeks to ascertain how much memorized mat
ter scholar can disgorge into an examina-
tiOn book, in the furry Of excitement after
period OF unnatural strain, can foster
nothing but the hurry and worry and super
fciality and sham.
The habit of doing ones work we'll is not
the whole of morality; but it is the corner
stone of solid and substantial character, On
this as foundation the other virtues may
be securely reared. Train the pupils of our
schools to do good, honest work thoroughly
and eonscientiously and you will impaTt to
them the most fundamental qualification for
membership in the Industrial and social or
der, and citizenshhip in church and
state.
Mr.. Hyde's paper was discussed by Super
intendent Ballet Of Springfield
AT the business meeting Ray Greene Hull
Ing OF New Bedford was reelected presi-
dent, and the other officers in the main re-
elected.
For the place of next years meeting, Mar
ragant EFT Pier seems to be the preference of
many members.