The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-13
VII.
xpucArE THE CHILDREN.

VII.
xDucArE THE CHILDREN.
Every child should be taught to be self sup
porting and every one should be taught TO
avoid being burden ON others as 10 would
shun death.
Every child should be taught that the useful
are the honorable and that they who live on
Che labor Of others are the enemies OF society.
Every child should be taught that useful work
IL worship and that intelligent labor - the
highest form Of prayer
Children should be taught to think, TO inves-
tigate, TO rely upon the light Of reason. OF OBJ
servation and experience: should be taught to
use all their senaes, and they should be taught
only that which in some sense is really useful.
They should be taught the use Of tools, TO use
tneir hands, 10 embody their thoughts In the
construction Of things. Their lives should not
bo wasted in the acquisition OF the useless OF
or the almost useless. Years should not be de-
voted 10 the acquisition Of dead languages or
TO the study Of history, which. for the most
part, Is a detailed account OF things that nevsr
occurred. II is useless to Ill the mind with
dates OF great battles, with this births and
deaths OF kings. They should be taught the
philosophy Of history, the growth of nations,
of PHILOSOPHERS. theories and. above all, Of the
sciences.
So they should be taught the Importance not
only of financial but OF mental honesty; to be
absolutely sincere; to utter their real thoughts,
and TO give their actual opinions. and, II par
ents want honest children. they should be
honest themselves. 1t may be that hypocrites
transmit that failing to their offspring. Men
and women who pretend to agree with the
majority, who think one way and talk another.
can hardly expect their children to be abso-
lutely sincere.
Nothing should be taught in any school that
the teacher does not know. Beliefs supersti-
tions. theories, should not bo trented like
s..l zlf ..l.n "A L.
taught to investigate, not TO believe. Too
much doubt is better than too much credulity.
So children should be tai,.,ht that it is their
duty to think for themseS.ss, to understand
and, IL possible. TO know.
We cannot rely upon legislative enactments
TO make people wise and good; neither can we
expect to make human beings manly and wo-
manly by keeping them out Of temptation.
Temptations are as thick as the leaves Of the
forest and no one can be out Of the reach Of
temptation unless he Is dead. The great thing
is to make people intelligent enough and
strong enough not to keep away from temp
tation. but to resist it. All the forces Of civil
lzation are in favor of morality and temper
ance. Little can be accomplished by law, be-
cause law. for the most part, about such
things is destruction Of personal liberty
Liberty cannot be sacrificed for the sake OF
temperance. for the sake of morality. or for
the sake Of anything. 1t is Of more value than
everything else. Yet some people would de-
stroy the sun to prevent the growth Of
weeda. Liberty sustains the same relation to
all the virtues that the sun does TO life. The
world had better go back to barbarism. to the
dens, the caves and lairs OF savagery; better
lose all art all inventions than to lose liberty.
Liberty Is the breath Of progress; IL Is the seed
and soil, the heat and rain Of love and Joy.
So all should be taught that the highest am
bition Is to be happy and to add to the well
- o<h xl.,t nd v,of
necessary to success: that the desire to acquire
great wealth is kind of insanity. They should
be taught that ii is q waste Of energy, a waste
Of thought, a waste of life,. to acquire what
you do not need and what you do not really
use for the benefit of yourself or others.
Neither mendicants nor millionaires are the
happiest Of mankind. The man at the bottom
of the ladder hopes to rise: the man at the top
fears to fall. Tho one asks the other refuses,
and by frequent refusal the heart becomes
hard enough and the hand greedy enough to
clutch and hold.
Few men have intelligence enough, real
greatness enough, to own q great fortune. As
q rule. the fortune owns them. Their fortune
is their master, for whom they work and toll
like slaves. The man who has good business
and who can make n reasonable living and lay
aside something for the future. who can edu-
cate his children and can leave enough to keep
the wolf OF want from the door of those he
loves. ought TO lie the happiest Of men.
Now society bows and kneels at the feet OF
wealth. Wealth gives power, wealth commands
fattery and aduiation, and so millions Of men
give all their energies, as well rs their very
souls, for the acquisition Of gold, and this
will continue as long as society Is ignorant
enough and hypocritical enough TO hold In high
esteem the man of wealth without the slight
est regard TO the character of the man.
In Judging OF the rich two things should be
considered: How did they get it, and what are
they doing with ST. Was IL honestly acquired
Is it being used for the benefit of mankindi
When people become really intelligent. wfyr
the brain is really developed, no human beine
will gietShis life 20 too acquisition OF what he
use.
The time will como when the truly intelli
gent man cannot be happy, cannot be satisfied
when millions of bis fellow men nre hungry
and naked; the time will come when In every
heart will be the perfume OF PHYS sacred
flower; tho time will come when the world
will bo anxious to ascortgin the truth. to find
out tho conditions OF happiness and to live II
accordance with such conditions, and the time
will come when, in the brain of every human
being will be the climate Of intellectual hospi
tality.
Man will be civilized when the passions ar,
dominated by the intellectual, when reason
occupies the throne and when the hot blood o.
passion no longer rises In successful revolt.
To civilizo the world. to hasten tho comini
OF the golden dawn Of the perfect day, We
must educate the children: we must commence
ut the cradle, at tho lap of the loving mother
VIII.
wa MUST WORK AND WAIT
The reforms that have mentioned cannot