The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-11-29

The school should be an intellectual
center which holds good purpose true tc
its aim. The people should ever be In
tent upon making it such by developing
IN their children a sense of duty toward
| themselves and the school of which they
are part. The school is not the building
or the Institutional force, as many sup,
pose. These are but part. The school is
mainly, the aggregation of young people
who assemble to be Instructed. the pur-
pose with which they come, fixes in large
measure the character of the school. II
they come IN q spirit of contrariety, of di-
vlded allegiance toward pleasure and
duty, preponderance in favor of the
former, or irresponsible to the stimulus OF
example, the teacher has a fight on his
hands pretty certain to end IN his dis
comfiture but one which he should not
shrink from for this reason.
The child faces duty in the school room.
Has he been In the habit of flying from 1t
at home? Has he been taught at home
to do, seasonably and properly, what he
should do? Has his associations been
guarded by you, parent, with as strict a
re- ard for the welfare of your chila as you
demand from the teacher who cannot
have that natural yearning toward him
that you have? Have these habits of der
ELECTION of which you complain, had their
origin In the school room or in the home?
Which furnishes the atmosphere the
more congenial to their development?
In which has the pressure of authority
suffered the greater relaxation, to the in
jury OF the child's future?
The sentiment o, the Intelligent part
Of community invariably influences the
actions of the individuals until there is
practical unanlmlty on questions of pub
lie import. This fact Is quite noticeable
III schools. Tbs harmony of united effort
ana intelligent interest, and the willing
ness of each to accept his share Of the
joint responsibility have made some of
our schools genuine institutions OF learn.
lng,-a blessing to the community and an
Inspiration to those who have been train
ed in them.
1t is possible to make our north side
school the best IN the state, but it cannot
be done by that inert interest on the
part of patrons, which assumes that
"whatever is, is right" or would be
so if were not for the other fellow.
II Ccbnn1 Oh
In finding fault with little things
or IN interfering with The details of the
school, 1t should be too broad and COM
prehensive for this. 1t should be such as
TO impress students with the feeling that
they are preparing the mould IN which
their future will be cast, and teachers
with the full measure of their response
bility with reference to this work.
The school cannot we'll do this work
unaided, but it can do much to encour-
age the growth of this healthy sentiment,
to organize and make effective what there
is OF it. 1t must be constant struggle
against, and not suplne acceptance of
conditions which are not favorable to real
education. The teacher is the apostle of
intelligence and his influence should be
felt throughout the community he serves.
The school room work is often best serv-
ed by that silent influence Of the teacher,
like the voice ofconscence, which is with
the boy when the teacher Is not present.
1t ID no Intrusion on parental rights; it is
doing in the interest of education what
the parent has left undone. The school
as a whole, should have this benehcent
purpose and hold to 1t, building up the
school, not alone by the excellence of
school room work, but by the potent ad-
vocacy of strength contending for the
right of children to attain to moral and
intellectual stature by yielding ready
obedience to duty.