The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-04-05
COMMUNICATION.

winch ~ the fouhuallOn o! tne pros
perlty and happiness Of nation, l
wish to express my sentiments OH the
subject. Not on the line of eontro-
versy, but on the way of exchanging
ideas with others, ~
The object of our public schools, as /
understand it, isto 4ducate. BY edu-
cation, we mean the gaining Of useful
knowledge, the development Of the
mind along the natural paths that
lead to human happiness. The object
OF our public school system is to give
child all opportunity to learn demon-
strated facts of science, the true history
Of world the great principals Of human
conduct, the things necessary to the
preservation of tie Individual, Of the
state and such arts and industiies as
essential to the preservation of all. 1t
should lie the duty Of the principals of
our puLlic schools to teach their pupils
the, difference between right and
wrong, TO develop the minds in the di-
| rection of the beautiful, of the highest
art; 50 that the palace in which the
mind -dwells, way he enriched and
and rendered beautiful.
There are no two individuals Just
like. So we must all differ IN our
lives and methods. Each producing
something different from the others.
Aud as there are no two individuals
just alike, the same rule in the school
might not apply to the best advantage
to all its pupils. Therefore, these diff
culties have tote settled by reason, by
/ candor, by intelligence and kindness.
And next to being rightly born and a
good home education, we must look to,
our public schools as the means ofte-
veloping the manlincss ofits pupib by
making the sentiment Of honor n rule
Of life.
In my opinion, Moat's 'Courts of
, Honor" with their code of laws
should be part of our punlic school
system; and questions Of honor,
alphabetically Or in fact should be dis
cussed, not only for the bringing out
and cuIivating this nice sense in those
pupils who have not had the advant-
aye Of good family training, hut for
distinguishing ;he false sentiment.
Self-respect is twin virtue with
4 honor, 1t is the cure, and the only
cure, for those personal vices which
degrade and ruin So many thousands
Of our race. Pride, in it, definition as
a noble self esteem, springs from a
conciousness Of worth, belongs as a
motive power to good morals, to the
same family of uplifting virtues OF
which honor and selfrespeet are mem-
! hers In addition 10 the science Of
| physiology, which shows hat all per-
sonal vices are destrOyers OF health
and suicidal in their tendencies. We
would develop and cherish into be-
coming proportion the sentiment oi
| honor, a spark Of which as leverage,
lies latent somewhere in the bosom OF
every man, no matter how degraded
he may be by vice aud crime.
| There |s, and always has been, such
thing as person being too proud tc
be vain, too proud to do mean, self
ish, act and too proud to give up the
government Of himself and become q
servent to any will habit.
The public school has an entirely
different function from that of th,
family. Here the children of all th,
citizens composing our political family
in each state of the union meet to
gether to receive, az the public ex
peuse, such education as will fit then
for the practical business of life, ant
for the duties Cf citizenship. Here Il
the place where character is developed
and appreciated, where friendships
are formed which last for life and ar,
the source of future pride and pleasure
Here in the spirit Of the constitution
courteous respect is engendered ant
manifested to all persons. Here is tn,
place where the constitution Of tn
United States, as grand text book ii
political science, aud the muchiner
of the government uuder it should b
studied by ythe advanced classes; an,
on which the teacher could and shoul,
comment without the danger of givin
offense; so that every youth shall b
able, when he goes to the polls to excl
else bis sovereignty as voter, TO cal
his ballot intelllgently and for th
good of his country. This can be don
only by development Of the heart an
brain, R. NJ. G.
Closing Out.
We have concluded to go out (