The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-12-22

been done Our flag days and salutss and
military drills enthuse our children .iSa
the glarnor o. warfare. when they Should
be culuyatiug a patriotism OF peace y ~
is this, in the best country on eartn ~
+ have millions immigEated from az quar-
ters OF the globe 10 become citizens CT the
United Sta.ese The only answer 10 these
questions, IN harmony with rs best 5aes-
ment. Is the opportunity 70 get home
Z The conditions are suCh thai home -
more easily established here th2n else
where. Home j. first country Is second
/ Government IS incidental TO home iafe.
1 Our school rooms should drop conYen-
] tionaHtiss: should assume the spirit OF
the home. and develop morals and patriot
ism through the domestic impulses ana
I affections. God pity ths child without a
home. God help every teacher 70 orlns
about sstca conditions wherein every non
est man can have home. Then VIII the
flag remind US OF country, not Tor which
4 W. mist die. but for which and under
which We may I've happy ana peacetuG
1 life.
/ "A few weeks ago a memorable cam
4 palgn ended. Ii was holly contested: on
/ oEe side were 'goldbug tyramts, bTibers
/ and ROBBERS. on the ottler We're free coin
/ age traitors, repudiators and anarchists
Each party, IN the eye OF the other. was
| about 70 destroy the country.
Why are we so intensely partsan2 Have
we the whole truth within eur partyE IS
/ all the political folly and sin within the
other party2 Whatever party You aa-
nere 10, my teachers, has its collective
! folly. as well as It's collective wisdom
/ isiation, They think that conditions VIII
| obtain because laws are passed 10 create
| the conditions. law is rather result
I than cause of social conditions. Socle-
/ " is a creature OF evolution, not manu-
| featured product Of craftsmanship. When
partisan prejudice IS dispeiled. our civil
laws Will follow natural law and justice
viii prevail in our social conditions.
Prejudice invades the schoolroom also.
We who teach feel that our work Is the
greatest moral force in society. We often
fail 10 make a correct analysis OF morality,
and assume that mere intellectual culture
imparts morality. and that low percent
age Of iiiiteracy is evidence OF high ethical
improvement Just how the ability 10
write ones name is related 70 moral quail
~ is not clearly discovered. This Is an
age of scholarship. The type or leader
ship represented by Col. David Crockett
finds no constituency today. Our repre-
sentative men are scholarly. they are In
vestigators With this Increase or intel
| ligence we do not ind correspondents
| increase of morality. Absconders and de-
faulters seem to Increase; murders ana
suicide multiply. Political corruption pre-
walls saloons outvote churches Men
Guido the beasts Of the forest in compet-
ing for shelter and food.
Are the schools making a mistaken
While dwelling upon the intellectual value
of this or that study. we have failed 10
consider its true moral value.
"A passenger falls overheard. One sees
him. knows what 10 do 10 save him. but
does nothing. Another knows what 10 do,
and cries for help. A third leaps into the
water, and saves the drowning UldH Inc
| Intellectual quality In the three men Is
the same. The difference is in the action
| The active qualities are the saving power
OF human life. Men OF thought devise.
men Of action execute. We teach gram
mar. and apply IL in sChoolroom practice
We teach mathematics and spend more
| tine upon practice than upon theory. We
study law and practice in moot courts.
| We study medicine, and practice surgery
/ In the hospital and dissecting room. Why
| not teach morality. and provide means for
s4rtew fsaN. 49, ~
| Ing a fixedness OF moral habit be ause
we do not see 20 it that our moral pre-
| cepts are carried into execution. A few
years since. when engaged in the Seattle
| schools, an order came from the superin-
| tendent TO give the children an oppor-
tunity TO contribute Thanksgiving pres
| ents TO the various charitable institutions
| OF the city. At the appointed time the
/ little ones came with their gifts. and the
| sparkling eyes and throbAng hearts show
| Cd that with the gifts went their love and
hope and prayers. A thousand precepts
| could not stir the moral impulses as did
| this one act
| work in practical morals. let US turn 70
the defense of our profession against the
| attacks OF preludiced critics. Have you
| heard that we DO not teach accurately the
subjects in the curriculum? The other
| day ny pupils were writing about the Pa
| clhc slope. and created some merriment
| hy emitting the sc" from the word slope.
| Another pupil copied the line All are
| architects Of fate and omitted the e
from the word fate
"A young lady had read OF prehistoric
| animals. among which was mentioned the
| mastodon She afterward wrote about
| region in Kentucky cmarkabie for the
| large bones and teeth found there, and IL
| IS supposed that this section was former
/ ly inhabited by Methodists'
such incidents as these serve 10 inCite
/ rho criticism Of those who wish to antag-
| onize the public school These hyper
| critical critics do not observe that our
| illteracy Is decreasing, that our families
| are reading the papers and magazines by
| American editors thar our publishers are
| issuing books OF fiction, philosophy and
| science by American authors Of world
| wide reputation. This universal awaken
/ ing s. more or less. the result OF popular
/ education The fact that some pupil here
! and there remains dumb IN spite OF Il is
| no more against the schools than are the
| spots on the sun an argument Tor blot
1 ling out the source Of light and heat.
| From another source we hear that our
| schools are not practical one demands
| bookkeeping another asks for typewrit-
| ing and a third wants 70 give more time
| % arithmetic and everybody seeks soma
| preparation for bread-winring in hard
/ times Education. primarily is - de-
/ velop higher thought and feeling Il IS
/ not food gctting proposition. We %
/ ret educate for better food, but we have
| better food because we are educated. The
| best 90 life Is not maternal food. but
| Thought food He lives most who thinks
| most ana feels nobiest htr VINO attacks
/ oar schools because they are mol praetj-
( pose OF Nfe-we live 70 think. TO fool. 10
! hope and FOR this would De substituted
I tho barhar0us instinct 81 living IN e9t."
Miss Emma F. Page, ~ Olympia n
| bliud woman. addressed the session for a
! moment and thco organized the members
! into q school and taught them her special
/ sy-stcn az education.
Before adjournment the future pro-
| eramne was announced. as follows:
! Mornings the institute viii be divided into
/ three sections primary, grammar and
/ uaRra6ed Afternoons tho entire iustf-
tlte VIII convene in the Hlsh School hall.
| and she work viii consist OF talks and
/ 0Isr Issfcus
The evenings session % the Institute.
| over which County Superintendent lay
| hue presided. was head iu the spacious
| hail 81 The Wilson business college. and
| every available seat vas occupied The
! programme was of a musical character.
| and irtr0au-~vs the scholastic talent az 4ha
! children q some of Seatt}e's famous