The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-12
The Core of a Great Problem.

1t is significant and a hopeful fact
that the keynote of President Skinner's
address in opening the Milwaukee con-
vention of public school teachers-the
need of better character training in the
common schools-has pervaded most of
the deliberations of that assemblage
and has gained a larger audience among
the people than perhaps ever before.
If the average American whose time is
almost wholly engrossed in business
cares would pause long enough to think
what better character development
means; what 1t means in cleaner and
purer society, what it means in a more
honest and effective government, what
it means for the uplifting Of all our
standards Of thinking and of living,
and how. without it, the experiment
which, We call the United States must
gradually sink into corruption, injus-
tice and decay, it is possible that he
would then ask himself if it be not
worth while to try to make of our
state-supp 9rted schools better and
safer nurseries of good citizenship
This lesson was strongly impressed
In a speech made before the National
Educational association last Thursday
by Rev. Lyman Abbott. 1t was a plea
for greater attention to the humanities
in the work and influences of the pub
lie schools. "If," said he, "the state
has the right to educate at all, it has
the right to educate in all that is good.
This education must have all the ele-
ment of life to make good citizens. A
good citizen must be able to understand
his fellow citizen. He must know the
English language. He must know how
to express himself to his fellow citizens.
He must be able to write. He must
know something of history, geography,
the great thoughts of the great think
ers. and he must know enough of the
arts and sciences to be able to earn a
living. These, however, are not all the
essentials. We must act and do. All life
is made up in conduct. Man must learn
to govern himself. His motive powers
must be educated as we'll as his think
ing powers or he will not become a
good citizen. What is good govern
ment? Government is a profoundly re-
ligious function. The people must
know what justice and mercy are. They
must know what the duties of this gov
ernment are toward other nations, to-
ward those who are being buried under
the sod by bayonets in Cuba. They
must know how to act when Armenian
massacres occur They must know the
great immutable laws of right and
wrong"
Unlike some students of this theme,
DR.. Abbott does not tremble at the
thought of religion getting into the pub
lie schools; but he wants the religion
which gets in to be pure. when l
read" says he, "of 200 lynchings in this
country last year, when see tramps
Increasing on one hand and multi-mil-
lionaires growing in numbers on the
other hand. when l find criminals are
multiplying, I feel we ought to have
more religion in the character of our
citizens. Do not misunderstood me. I
do not plead for public worship in the
public schools. 1 vote against it. 1t
is not the function of the state to carry
on religious worship in the schools. /
w iOb PiSou lpi a
of the bible. We are fighting too much
perfunctory reading in the schools al
ready. I am not pleading for theologi-
cal tenets. These are not essential to
good citizenship in this life. No Roman
Catholic will aver that a Protestant
will not make a good citizen. No in
telligent Protestant will say this of a
Roman Catholic, and both believe the
Jews make good citizens. / am not
pleading for the bible. am pleading
for training in righteous ways. / main
tain that If the state has the right to
provide self-education 1t has the right
to provide all the elements for self
government. Children ought to get a
practical training in justice, mercy,
truth, faith, hope. love and goodness.
Sou teachers cannot teach thoroughly