The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1893-10-06
Popular instruction and
Morality.

The Literary Digest publishes Tie fol-
lowing condensed version Of an a"ti-
Gle by Lulger Kis9irlcnt in Revue
Bleue, Paris, August.
Open schools, it has been sad, and
you will close prisons; fill heads, and
you will no longer have to cut them
off. These pretended axioms are des-
tined to become cruelty ironical para
doxes. The most carefully compiled
statistics demonstrate that instruc-
tion is not guarantee Of morality,
since crminality has been iccreasi &
for some years in dlsQuicting proper
tions, among the young people who
have had the benefit Of our latest
school methods. There are fever un-
lcttcred persons, there are m0resper'
yertcd souls; abuse Of confidence
swindling, rape, and even murder ant
assassination haven't retreated before
the diffusion Of light. 1t may be said
on the contrary, that these crime
! have in instruc ction a precious auxili-
ary, an arm with which to attack til,
social state, with the greatest mum
Der Of chances of success and til,
smallest sum Of risks to run. This
then, is the condition of things. So
= ciety has made considerable effort
and consented to enormous sacrifices
in order TO spread primary instruction
and has not obtained the expected ei
fects. The theories are condemne
by their results. The orators an
makers of systems have been we
$ cuife, by the facts. Young French
men from Is TO 20, know more tina
5 their grandfathers, but are of les
. worth Am l, then, in favor Of clos
|, ing the schools, and going back to til
state Of nature? Far from it.
, Crime Is the manifestation Of eye
d tism at It's maximum of intensity;
is the abnormal, monstrous passio
of the | under all its forms; it is til
a individual at war with society; it
o a return to the savage state.
S Now, whatever opinion you ente
tain about moral liberty, whe'h,
you think that the will is really fr(
: or that our actions are really the r.
: suit of forces that are in us but al
a rot ourselves, such as herediiy, ii
state of our health, Temperament
= agents exterior to us, and so on, v
:, are still forced to recognize that in
N tellcctual and moral education exc
cises no mean Influence over the dire
ID tion our liycs take. If, then, crime
't egotism, the education of childhot
u should be carried on with a view to
. large and fertile development of II
II. disintcrested sentiments which are
e, germ in every human soul, and Il
as program of study should be elabora
u, ed with this aim. This can be don
| believe, without interfering in u
NJ least with studies of which the obje
We is purely utility, by cultivating {
els aesthetic and moral faculties Of /
aa ~, child.
ed am convinced that an intellige
master, without fear of not being Il
ne, derstood, can speak TO his young !
ig- pills of the harmDnies of the univers
IN 'h' can lift their thoughts by gradual
tn cent, to the directing thorghy Of [
ise world can make them feel .ha5 Il
ID have in themselves two things; m
d" ter and spirit; tlao the spirit Is fr
responsible for itc dcstl"y, the al
no san Of its own happiness can sh
ma them that the principal condition
to human life and Of its progress, is
wv perform, each at his own post,
eos eos task which falls to him, with cou.a
with a patient will, with dignlt
.ow can lead them TO understand that
,eii sides duties imposed on them hj
one 0n laws, there is Il sphere Ia whi...
adj tiyity moves frcely-the sphere
'eir love, OF devotion, of sacrifice.
'ne | would soften the dryness of
mis M philosophical and moral instruct
of by aesthetic instruction. Art wo
y in be represented in my program.
was would hang on the walls of the sch
,"s, @ room good cngravings Of the mas
,t,,ao .f ,rrant rrtists Instruct