The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-08-26
EDUCATION.
Some Suggestive Thoughts on u Vital
Question.

SuD1eCt-"DO we main Idlu PioPSt
ard In our schools?"
refer TO the cause Of education especially
In our schools. Indeed TINS suoJect ~ que
that should command our highest admlra-
tion and respect, and thai shou,n receiFr hra or
most careful consideration. VINO Is theTe
to whom so noble cause would noL appeal
Surely he regards not his most imporLant 'L
terest who Is not attentive TO the delhano ol
education. ~
Then let ua, for q few moments, dispose our
minds for sober reflection, and see Whetner
we cannot obtain some Ideas anu lnoughts
that may he of advantage to US IN lurInsriinG t ,
the great cause of education that shoula De So
near TO the heart Of every tree born citlZell.
After the busy school season is over, anu al
ter the heat OF the day Is past, 1t Is well FOR us.
In the evening OF repoSe, 10 review WIN cam
and sober minds that which has been accom-
pllshed. and consider whether or not any
beneficial changes or additions could be made
for the ensuing year.
AS we press onward up and down the bills
OF time, It Is the voice of reason that bids us,
when we have attained some point of emil
nence to pause and take a retrospective view
In order that, If need be, we may mend our
pace or change our course.
AS we cast our eye back over the vast area
embraced by the subject before us. we see that
IL will he Impossible to include In careful
survey the whole field at one time. SO then,
for the present, let us confine ourselves TO 4
small portion.
on examining our schools and the attain.
ments made by the scholars, we feel inclined
tion. DO we maintain the proper STANDARD In
our schools?"
And in answering this question do we not
feel compelled to say that our schools are not
altogether what they should be, that the
progress OF our children Is not such as might
| be expected in an age whose very nature
Is characterized by rapid progress? And II
such be our verdict, wherein lies the difhcul.
| ty and by what means can IT. best and most
easily be removed? But let us discuss these
| questions one at the time.
In the first place having con ceded that there
| Is deficiency in the work that ls being car
ried on by our schools 10 what, may we ask,
| ia this i'm perfection, this partial failure due?
against whom, II any, IL The charge 10 ne
| bi ought? Can We not find an answer to this
question by an analytic method? What are
| the constituent elements OF any school: Are
they not the parents, the children. and last,
but not least, tue teacher? One word az to
i the two former and then we will pass for dis.
cussion 10 the latter.
II Is q we'll known fact, and we take 1t for
granted, disputed by no one, that school. TO
be success, must have the hearty co;opera-
! tlon and support Of the patrons and the pu-
pills. No teacher, however much be may be
Qualified to instruct, or whatever may be his
attachments, can make school what IL ought
| to be when he Is working alone. All his best
energies may be expended and he may exert
| himself to the utmost of his ability, yet II he
have not the endorsement and assistance OF
| those by whom he Is employed and OF those
over whom he Is placed, he Will inevitably
|
Instead OF unity and concord, 30 essentia to
the interest OF the school, do we not find dis
agreement and even opposition? Is It no so
| that In al most every school our teachers nave
| troubles and difficulties Of this Kind TO con-
| tend with? Go ask your Instructors. your
benefactors, for such they are. If this be not
| the case, and they will invariably respond In
the affirmative. Then do we not justly con-
clude that one cause OF deficiency at least lies
| here?
| Certain it is that the parent to great
extent determines the character OF the child 8
education, not only before 1t has reached the
proper age to attend school, but after II has
entered upon the active duties OF school life.
| Every days work at school should be pre-
ceeded by q corresponding amount of work at
| home, and this latter 1t Is the parents duty
TO see it is done. but experience tells US that
this Is not the case, that the ch lid does not re-
ceive due training at home, that on the con,
trary, ideas have been instiled into It's mind
detrimental 10 It's education. Before consld-
ering remedy for this trouble let us pass 10
the last named constituent OF school and
see whether the want OF advancement IL In
any measure due to II that Is to the teacher.
| While, as we have said no school can pros.
| per without the support OF patrons and scnoi'
ars On the other hand, the extent TO which
q school may be efficient in educating our
| children Is largely determined by the charac.
ter OF the employed. And just here perhaps
IL the great reason why the proper standard
OF education IL not maintained as II should
be, The school draws It's whole intellectual
existent ce, we may say from It's head, the teach:
err. Then IL becomes highly important and
necessary that we have the right klnd OF men
| at the head of our schools. Too often Is II The
case that the patrons and directors OF school
possessed of q false idea or economy, employ
| 10 instruct their children one who Is aitogeth'
er incompetent, simply because such a one
| can he had, as it Is termed, at q "cheap price. y
| How absurd Is the economy In volyed IN Such
| O mode OF acting.
To the simple and untaught men the lolly
here committed is apparent. He who pays
| least is by no means he who wins most. On
| the contrary he who secures the best is ne
who Is willing to give the most. Seek not al
ter cheapness with the imperfect services nee,
essary attending 1t, but see that you have the
highest degree OF excellence, whatever may
Every one knows that he who would In
struct others must himself be thoroughly
capable OF so doing, or else he will become as
blind leader OF the blind. No one can tell
others what he himself has not first learned
/ Again he who has not received comp lete
education will never In the school room real
| ize the Importance OF the pupils receiving a
higher education. and so the minds OF the
children are dwarfed and cramped TO cores
| pond to the ability OF their instructor. he
j who has never read Mlton's Paradise Lost
can never by any means W whatsoever lead 9th
| ers to contemplate the beauty and suollrnlty
OF that immortal work. He who has never
perused the "Ars Poetica" OF Horace or the
"Alcestis" OF Euripdes will never be able tc
impress upon his audience the elegance o.
Language and depth OF thought employed by
the authors of these two master pieces OF lit.
erary art {; so 1t Is with all things. A teacher
TO be true guide and Instructor to the young
must himself have scaled the peaks OF learn
ing before he attempts to lead his followers
l over the clrcuitous route, otherwise the eX
pedition Is more than likely 10 be failure
Then we conclude again that another anC
great cause why the standard Is not as high as
il should be Is because we have not employed
| in every case men competent to I'll the place
i Now having found wherein the difficulty
lies let US see what Ia 10 be the remedy. thai
is, we are brought to a consideration OF oul
second question, How Is the difficulty to be
removed"
Having discussed the first proposition We
can very easily arrive at satisfactory answer
for the second. Each trouble suggests its OWE
remedy. -, ,,c s,,r
i mort and endorse him In his work, ana assls
him in the education of our children, This
having been DONE where discoru ana opposl
ton have reigned. harmony and satlsiactlor
will hold supremest sway.
But let us first see that we have secured the
right man to II the place. Let us always see
that we have obtained none but nrslclass
Thoroughly competent instructors.
Il Let higher education always be at prem
Ium. Ssecure those 10 fill your positions Wn(
have heen educated up to firstclass stand
ard. Yes, but you sny that means expense
Certainly it does, and what Is accomplished
will be we'll worth, yea more than worth. al
the expense you may have Incurred, for wher
your child has received firstcass educatlol
he has a foundation upon which he can builc
for all succeeding time. one more duraol'
than brass, that not the flight Of time nor tn
innum berable series of years shall ever h'
able to destroy. A. w. McW uortel.
Abbeville, S. c., Aug. 10, 1896.
Il