The Portland daily press., 1895-07-09

centres and in the country. Above al
there should be higher level of teachin
talent all along the line, but especially il
primary and grammar schools. This re
qulres. higher salaries. A system of pen
| slons for faithful teachers when sl1perap
nuated would also help. wish it Nigh
come to be generally felt, for it is true
that there is no nobler calling possible fo
men or women, however high their men
tai powers and cultivation, than that O
teaching boys and girls in the people,
schools.
More important than aught intellectual
is higher, more earnest type of mora
Instruction and influence in our schools
We OF course, already insist that teacher
snail not be immoral; and that teacher
throughout this country are certainly fo
the most part, persons of EXCEPTIONAL,
high moral character. But we have no
yet seen the possibility or the necessity 0
making every school theatre of syste
matte and positive moral training. On
reason for this neglect is doubtless th
close alliance of morals with religion
| AS the schools cannot teach religion, it il
Thought that they should not endeavor il
any positive way to inculcate morality
But this need not follow.
Ihe two subjects on which the profess
ors OF every creed, theological and anti
| theological, seem least anxious to differ
are the general substance of the Mora
Law, and the character of the sentiment!
with which it should be regarded That
IL Is worthy of all reverence; that it de
mands our ungrudging submission; and
that we owe it not merely obedience but
loVe-these are commonplaces which the
preachers of all school. vie with each othel
IN proclalmlng. And they are certainly
right. This unanimity, familiar though
IL pc is surely very remarkable Nothing
but habit could blind MS to the strange
ness OF the fact that the man who believes
That morality is based on priori princi-
| pies, and the man who believes it to be
based on the commands of God, the tran
sceIndentalist, the theologian, the mystic,
| ana the eyOlutionist, should be pretty
well. at one, both as to what morality
| teaches, and as to the sentiments with
which its teachings should be regarded.
These considerations SO true and impor-
tant, do away entirely with the supposed
difficulty of
POSITIVE MORAL INSTRUCTION
in our public schools There are hardly
any items of concrete morality in which
the Catholic does not agree with the
Protestant, the different sects of Protes-
tants with each other, the Jew and Mo-
hammedan with them ALL
-NSNooS, IL eelty oetSAA pilO1O 1CdiAy ehlC
would concur in the same code We all
wish our children to be upright, hating
lies, sweet in temper, reverent, lovers of
country, respectful to their seniors, obe-
dlent to their parents and teachers be-
levers in Righteousness, firm in purpose,
devoted to the public good
10 this end of perfecting character in
the pupils of our schools, we should insist
not only upon merely moral teachers, but
upon special beauty, strength and balance
in the character of all teachers The
heads of schools and of classes should be
men and women of eminent and very
positive virtue such that the very asso-
clatlon with them on the part of their
pupils will be stimulus in everything
noble.
Then, further, a regular line of syste-
matte moral teaching, covering the vir-
tues enumerated just now, and great
forms of conduct, should be carried
through the school years. There is no
time to sketch this course in practical
morals with any fulness; nor is it neces-
sary to do so. The point to be insisted
upon is, that the school should be made
the most perfect piece of moral enginery
that can possibly be created with the re-
sources at our disposal, which resources
are great deal more copious than one
would at first suppose.
Aesthetic cultivation in pupils is hard
ly less important than moral. BY the
true theory, as | believe, it is only a
modified form of moral cultivation
Therefore, not only the morals of teachers
in the narrow sense Of the word should
be of the highest, but they should be
ladies and gentlemen in every sense of
the words, cultivated and not boorish,
fine and not coarse. Moreover, the sur
roundings and the system of the schooling
should be arranged with view to bring
ing cultivating aesthetic influences to
bear upo n their pupils in every feasible
way. We do much in this kind already,
by teaching music and drawing. Other
forms of art work might we'll be intro
duced in. certain courses, and music
ought to be carried much further in our
schools than it usually is. While in
Chicago, recently, 1 heard part of an
opera rendered by a string band composed
entirely of pupils from the North Divis-
ion High School, which were to me a de-
light and an inspiration. Vocal selec-
tions were rendered by chorus, made up
entirely of youth of both sexes from the
West Division High School. 1t had never
occurred to me before what musical re-
sources are latent among the young peo-
pie of our schools. Either of the per
formances referred to would have done
credit to professional musicians Such
H-ASiOioOo fOh llOAl UlulS w tll1l6 LII any
school would spread benedictions over all
pupils spirits
Turning now from mental and moral
influences that ought to be impressed
upon every child and young person at
school, to the physical Influences which
should surround them at the same time, I
would urge that every school house
should be a veritable palace. Let us have
the best ventilation and light and suffi-
cient and equable warmth; and let us
make every school room in all other par
ticulars as comfortable as it can possibly
be, SO tnat every moment of presence in
school shall be for every pupil one of per-
feet physical delight.
Not only the merely physical circum-
stances are to be made complete, but the
aesthetic as we'll. In the study room.
teaching rooms, halls and stairways,
every feature should be made to reflect
beauty. Let every niche anywhere avail
able contain bust or statue, perfect in
its kind, and linking the thought of the
present with the noblest life of the past.
Let choice paintings cover every wall.
The building itself should have complete
style-a feature which need
not involve the costliest material, and
which can be carried out with no greater
of money than is needed to
put up the unsightly piles which now
serve as schoolhouses in too many Iocali-
ties.
Outside the school house all should be