The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-30
THE INFLUENCE OF SURROUND
INGS.

One Of the syllabi prepared for the
school unions of st. Paul outlined the
Influence Of Surroundings on Char
ecter'' The discussion of the subject
has run naturally upon lines relating
to schools, and touched the several
phases Of the influence of home and
school surroundings on the development
of the germ character of children.
One speaker broadened out the thought
to touch upon the influence upon char
acter that a municipality might exert,
present cramped and dingy quarters, as
compared with the effect it would have
on the young who seek information in
it were it suitably housed in building
whose architecture would impress upon
the young that knowledge is held in
high public estimation. There is force
in his idea that the youth of this city
can get from the treatment of our IL
brary only the impression that the city,
as a corporate body, regards knowledge
as matter of so slight import that it's
stores can be slowed away in quarters
fit for no other use.
where the influence of surroundings is
potent not only in shaping the develop
ment Of Individual character but in the
formation of national character, that
type Of men and women whose ideals,
whose conduct, whose standard of
morals, not only in private affairs
but in the duties of citizenship,
by their commences, become rep
representative of the whole people. If
there is a heavy responsibility upon
the parent and teacher to see that
the surroundings of children are
such as favor the development Of the
best and the repression of the worst in
them, why is there not the same re-
sponsibility on men and women to see
that, in all that goes to shape the char
acter of the citizen, the same influences
arc applied to the same end? And, II
this is the case with the mass, how much
greater is the responsibility put upon
those charged with the direction Of af-
fairs, with the administration of gov
ernment in all it's divisions?
Every American youth finds open be-
fore him on entering manhood the ave-
nues leading to public service, and, fol-
lowing their predictions, many either
enter them or endeavor to. It goes
without saying that the interest of all
is in the highest possible character Of
cur public service. However much we
may be interested in the success of this
or that particular person in his efforts
to win a place in it. we are more
shall be honestly and efficiently
conducted The consideration Of the in
f1uence of environment on the develop
ment of character thus widens out to
embrace those surroundings of the
young men of the land, some Of whom
will be the servants of their generation.
serve to impress high ideals of duty
upon these young men? What Is there
to develop consciousness in them?
What is there to teach the value Of high
character, of honesty, of uprightness as
qualities that will be required Of him
who would serve the public? And who,
candidly surveying the environment of
our youth, will not be forced to the ad-
mission that these surroundings are
more favorable for the development of
the bad than the good qualities of our
youth?
Nowhere does this responsibility rest
so directly and inescapably as upon
those charged with the duty of appoint
ments. Who, for few of many pos
sible Illustrations, can measure the eff
feet upon the character of our young
men, still in the formative period of life.
who see president OF the United States
appointing to responsible position a con-
victed felon like Bittinger, a boodIer
like Saylcr brute like Demas, or one
on whom the moralities of life sit so
easily as they do on GoodnoW? What
does it signify to them when good
character does not count. and what
must be inevitably its influence in the