The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-07-05

commencement exercises of the First
Ward high School It is brief but il
contains some excellent thoughts on the
objects the school should attain, and the
relations Of the home 20 the school.
! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Little am disposed 10 sermonlze on
any text. moreover from the text. many
are called, but few are chosen. Yet the
! fewness Of our graduates to night would
seem to demand word Of explanation
and possibly iustlfes me in dropping q
/ few broad hints in the way of advice. |
wish that [ could address you at some
| length. but the occasion forbids this and
| [ must rest with the statement OF few
| truths that all, on a little reflection. must
admit.
Only a small per cent. of those who en-
ter college or university ever graduate
and still it would be but madness to as
sert that only those who take a degree
are greatly benefited by their college
training. So it is 10 high school, many
besides those completing the course get
a far measure of help. Yet we must not
tiatter ourselves too much with the I'M
pOrtance OF this training, When I ac-
curately weigh the strength of these
whose average age is only Is years. / can
not, without some feeling of sadness, con
template the status of their less fortunate
classmates. Three years ago the class
numbered ID. Three left early in the
first year; four remained considerably
over year; one was prevented by i'll
health from dong large part of the
work; youth and immaturity keeps an
other back; inexcusable irregularity
leaves one competent mind far in arrears,
while one Of our very best pupils was
forced by sickness to part from her class
mates at the middle of the present school
year and has stree not been able to re-
sumo her work. Had we been fortunate |
the class could have given us eight good |
graduates at the close. Such in brief is |
its history. It is gwen that [ may with |
better force demand more active CO. |
operation of the parent with the school. |
Our succeeding class Is large and con- |
ed to their work because of the character
OF the families they represent. But there |
is no use in mincIng matters: there are
many parents who do not do their part |
School days are the formative
period Of life. When the age of real work
begins in school it should begin iu the
home too. Children, like man, can not
live by bread alone. To feed and clothe
a child and then assign him no tasks, let
HIM feel no responsibility, is not a safe |
way of developing character: but it is a
most excellent method of cOunteracting |
the best efforts of the best school. Pa.
rents give all your children at least the
privileges that these have been given:
see that in the home they live still with |
interest IN the work Of the school, see
that their associates are their class mates |
and not the stragglers Of the streets. and |
more than all see that darkness and the |
night invariably find them gathered |
around your cheerful tireside. Do this |
and the education of your children Will |
be the better for it. These words are not |
a part Of mere ceremonial. In pronounce |
ing them / am only expressing a deep |
personal interest, and | well know that |
every teacher not time server has had |
anxieties and bitter experiences coming !
parental indifference or neglect, |
that can not be expressed on a few pre- |
llminary remarks.
What should the school do? AS I view |
il its first work is to touch life at many |
points, to prepare the young people TO |
live in a world Ct active, conflicting |
thought on the mnitifarious problems OF /
the day. Year after year the schools |
should teach their pupils to grow in the |
line of independent investigation and |
thought. The more ] study the powers |
of girls and boys of fifteen the more l am
that educators should have so |
LUX CON I!uuSu III" iIouptCuOus STlIu !
and narrow field Of the textbook. The |
second and last intellectual function of |
the school is to teach the art Of clear and |
forclble expression Of thought, to teach |
the young to be savers that is doors, men |
and women OF action. 10 borrow phrase |
from Emerson, words well chosen are also !
actions, and actions are kind Of wor2s. !
How well our school is fulfilling these
two functions We leave others to judge, |
but feel that could you fully know the
power and earne8tness of those we send !
forth as finished that loftler ambition
and greater steadiness Of purpose would |
animate every parent who hears these
words and the exercises OF the evening.