The Portland daily press., 1895-07-12

rising generation. These are essential
steps to be taken, but they do not include
all that should be done by and for the
school on the part of the community, to
correspond with the popular demand as
to what they should be- Therefore it rests
upon every citizen, as an essential obliga-
tlon to society to do his full share in
creating and building up, and in sustain
ing in the community, sentiment that
| makes for the best in education in all its
forms The active and warm support of
| the citizens and their encouragement to
| the teachers and the pupils, will give a
character and tone to the schools which
needs must be widely felt The question
of economy is the one that most frequent
| ly conflicts with real progress in the
schools. In the cities the cry of economy
| has long barred the door to the introduc-
tlon of new studies, and does much still
to delay and prevent the adoption of bet
| ter methods In the country, where the
great misfortune of the schools is in un-
proper support what injustice has been
| permitted in the name of economy, and
what outrages are still perpetrated The
most important Improvement in recent
years under liberal and enlightened
policy, has been the introduction of
manual training schools, and no COM
munity is doing justice by it's schools
that does not provide for some form of
manual training in them. There is now
| no question that manual training, and
| include cookery and sewing in the term
may be introduced into schools, without
weakening or injuring the other branches
of study at ALL In point of fact they
serve to strengthen and improve the other
| studies. While the question may remain
undecided as to what kind of manual
training it is best to introduce into the
| schools it is necessary that drawing
which is the foundation Of all manual
training, should hold an important place
in the curriculum. While it is extremely
desirable to acquire the practical, the su-
preme value and Importance of the ideal
should not be ignored. By leading chill
dren to knowledge and appreciation of
the beautiful in nature, in art, and in
literature we open to them the avenues
that lead to life's highest pleasures and
prepare them for a more complete ex-
istence. The movement for object lessons
in art culture has taken deep root and it's
refining influence, as years go on, will
accumulate in force, and surely be a
source of uplifting to higher and nobler
aspiration. The influence of the public
library, working in harmony with the
spirit of the school, with the single object
of the highest welfare of the1 people, is a
most important agent in the promotion
OF the prosperity, morality and culture of
the community. Regarding pri vate
schools, which are said to be the greatest
menace to the public schools, the speaker
said the best remedy to be applied by the
community is to make the public schools
equally as attractive as the private schools
in programmes of study, in school build
ings and in school equipment 'HMake
the public school so good in every feature
that no school can be made better. - But
there should be no antagonism between
those schools, rather healthy rivalry
which will tend to the most good for the
public welfare.
The Temple quartette sang again most
acceptably.
President George G. Chase of Bates
College, spoke on "What the School Owes
the Community In substance he said !:
''What the School Owes to the Com
munity' was the subject of the second
morning paper by President Chase of
Bates College. The public school, said
he is the living embodiment of a great
purpose-the purpose of the American
commonwealth to attain it's full stature,
to work out it's complete destiny. All
other popular institutions, whether
national, state or municipal, are partial
and limited, both in scope and aim. The
school alone has purpose as cOmprehen-
sive as illimitable, as the wealth, the
aspiration and the possibilities of the
community that iu represents. What are
the requisites of good citizenship? Obvi-
word in its large sense, are the basis of all
prosperity. A nation of vagabonds and
idlers is a nation of paupers.
A people will be great and prosperous
in proportion to the number Of its in
dustrious citizens. 1t will be weak and
miserable in proportion to the number of
it's shirks Plainly, then, the school
Oxupc tho a. ar1 INN n
administration suited to the Development
and promotion of a prosperous industrial
life
While no public school should attempt
to take the place of the old apprenticeship
system and to turn out carpenters, ma
chinists, dentists or blacksmiths, it should
afford such general training, both intel
lectual and manual, as will help the boy
to find himself and his place in the in
dustrial and social life in which he is
soon to become factor.
The introduction of nature study into
our schools has wonderfully broadened
their resources and quickened the life of
our children. There is no surer way to
arrest the tide of immigration to the
town, to make our fields and forests beau
tiful and productive, and to restore
dignity and satisfaction to rural life, than
to render our schools the medium through
which our children shall be introduced to
the beauty and the beneficence of mature.
The discharge by the school of its first
debt to the community goes far toward
insuring the payment of the second--the
development Of intelligent patriotism.
Partisanship and political corruption
thrive upon idleness and want. Still the
school owes to the community the sys-
tematic preparation of every child for the
responsibilities of popular government.
No man, no woman, should be employed
in public school whose soul does not
glow with an absorbing patriotism.
Always everywhere uthe teacher should
hold up the ideal patriot the man Of un-
compromising integrity, of thorough self
devotion and disinterested purpose. We
have but lately seen even one righteous
man Of this type save our largest and
wickedest city.
When the school fully pays what it owes
to the community it will rear whole
armies of DR.. Parkhursts. 1t must pro-
duce a genuine patriotism and be as wise
as it is fervid for it must wrestle with
political wickedness in high places-not
infrequently indeed, entrenched in the
school board and even in the superintend-
ent's office The school that sends out its
pupils each Industrious and patriotic has
made good beginning toward paying