Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1896-02-28
Tho Influence Of school Life ana
Work en- Character.
TBy 81. II. Howard. I

Tho Influence Of schoel Life and
work On Character.
[By h. h. Howard.J
Now, first Of all. let US ask what We
mean by Character Why we say
perhaps Of two children Of the Same fam.
ily--they are totally different charac.
tsrsf By character" l suppose
ws mean the cum of person's
mental and moral habitudes the in.
tellectual sptitudes, the special tastes
and sympathies. the mental pecullari-
ties and the moral qualities which
serve to distinguish him from his fellows
and to determine his course of action.
We cannot, in attempting to anslyze a
mans character. consider his moral quail.
ties only, and ignore his mental charac.
teristics; we must consider both. Yet,
when we think Of character. moral quail.
ties arc those upon which our mind first
fixes. For. since mans character deter
mines his conduct--since actions are the
outcome Of charaeter-the word "charac-
ter has come to represent more espe-
cially the active qualities--that is, the
will forcs-and. though we cannot dis
sociate . mans mental idiosyncracies
from our conception Of his character % q
whole, we are concerned with them only
so far as they act upon his volitional en-.
ergy. and 90 help to determine his con-
duct. There 10. Of course, q sense In
which each one Of US came into the
world with character ready made.
Parents and teachers are somewhat given
to talking about tho characters of chill
dren being In their power to make or
I mar. There is . very large amount OF
| truth in such statement, for child q
! nature is wonderfully impressionsble and
plastic. But the fact remains that child
is born not only with u certain physical
nature which is peculiarly his owp,
but with intellectual aud moral peculiar
| tiles and tendencies just 90 truly his own
| which serve as distinctly to differentiate
him from his fellows 90 does any physical
trait. Every one has. then, his own indi-
vidual character, which the subtle influ-
ence of life, of home and school and pro.
fession, Of family and social intercourse.
Of the world Of men and the world OF
books will, indeed. modify. but which
1
But there Is another meaning which
we attach to the word character" besides
| this of individual, intellectual and moral
! qualities. 1t refers not only to the vari.
! able pecullarities (orginal and acqulred)
of individuals, but to certain common
moral qualities which It 10 the business OF
social discipline and education to cult.
vate IN oil alike. 1t has come to mean
"a moral and virtuous condition Of mind,
such disposition of the will. and, In
connection with this, Of the feelings and
thoughts. as will subserve the ends ol
morality" Now, while, - l have al
ready SAID, individual character ls innate,
born with q child, tue outcome 6f the
cies. heredity, OF what not and while
those who have the charge of the chilt
can no nors create il than they can xiys
'fsfght or heaIiuE 10 i child though thsJ
can modify It, and though. most unhap
pily, they can warp or injure it--charac
ter, In this second sense Of ''moral char
acter." 10 largely acquired 1t 10 mainly
the outcome Of the circumstances II
which child 10 placed. Of the influence.
brought to bear on him, OF the training
received 1T the hands of those among
whom he IS thrown. believe, with Co
menus, PestalozEi and Froebel, that il
| Iu0 u0tliO Va SVCly yOuuk CulIu tucE0 6T>
implanted the germs Of those virtuel
which 20 to make up this moral charac
ter, and that what we have to do for tn
child is to give him the opportunity o
developing and bringing to full maturity
these germs of good. But one canno
shut ones eyes to the fact that side b!
side with the germ OF good, there exis
germs of evil, against the developmen
of which We have to be ever on ou
guard, and which we have to try to dc
stroy before they Can bring forth th
deadly fruit of evil habit We have
then, a two.fold task before us in seekinI
to build up moral character in pupils: {,
strengthen that which is good In them
and to destroy the power Of the evil, OF
rather, to prevent the evil inherent Il
them from ever becoming power. An,
, this work Can be done only by the forms
tion of good habits, and by preventin
: the growth Of evil ones. "Character,"
has been said, 'is bundle of habits.
BY the law of habit, an act performed tc
day IS easier to perform. tomorrow, easie
still the next day, and so on, until. b
ftequent repetition. it becomes so easy t
!! us that we do IL without effort, almoa
without being aware we are doing 1t q
all We know how true this is OF phys
zeal habits it 10 no less true Of thos
I complex intellectual and moral habit
: which 60 to make up character. 1t /,
: then. the formation Of right habits in th
young that is the problem OF problem
for those who have the task OF educatio
lntrusted to them.
Now, what has the parent or teacher
do In regard to the child's chsracte,
1. She has to place the child in as favo
J able circumstances as possible for the d.
Z velopment Of all that ls best and higher
d 10 that character; to foster, bv means {
I,proper nutriment, that which ID goOt
: and to aid the child IN his contest wit
I that In his nature which ls evil and PEI
! nicious. 2. She can do more, even, tha
. this. She can so fashion and shape h.
! management Of the child az actively
: cooperate with nature IN the strengthen
sition which. byscommon consent, o.
Q desmed to be admirable and useful, an
Z lsalso to apply active remedies where tel
= denotes show themselves which are like
t to hinder the development of the Chi
}, into being capable of living true an
o honorable and useful life. For example
. the child Of keen observation and live
o interest In external things, the do,
? dreaming child, the child of unstable pu
pose and weak will, the strong-wi1le
q determined child-each Of these will nee
: totally different management.
Now, there are certain private and Pc
!: sonal virtues. such as temperance, thrift
! prudence. with which 1t 10 plain that Il
d school. and especially the dsy school. b,
. but little to do. These the home trainir
9 must develop. The virtues which scho
u life and training serve best to call I'M
9 play are the public and social. or altrui
/ tic. virtues, such % justice. truth, kin
= ness to others. ebedlence. self -abneRatie