The record-union., 1898-04-17
PROF. GRIGGS LECTURE.
THE GENERAL PROBLEM OF
MORAL EDUCATION.
An Interesting Address at the
Sixth Street Methodist Church
Last Night.

Professor Edward H. Griggs lectured
last night at the Sixth-street Methodist
Church. under the auspices of the
Griggs G. r. Club, on the subject OF
sThe Problem of Moral Education.
A large audience of educated and in
telligent people nearly filed the body
of the church and listened attentively
20 a most interesting address.
The lecture was preceded by an eX-
cellent musical programme, commence
ing with fine vocal solo, Ave Maria
Oouis Berge), by Mrs. j. A. Moynlhan'
sung with much taste. A violoncello
solo by Frank Griffin followed, with an
organ accompaniment by MISS Lizzie
Griffin. which was heartily applauded'
after which Mrs. Moeller sang He was
Despised," from Handles Messiah,
rendering it with much feeling and ex-
preston
Mrs. Clara Parsons, the President Oh
the club introduced Professor GrlggS.
He said hatto-night he should discuss
The general problem of moral education
The idea of moral education has under
gone considerable change in later times.
The negative of ideal Of moral life
comes to us from the Middle Ages. In
those times it was thought to be i'm
POSSIBLE W i've NIAC bC9b AAA~ -
world. No one to-day believes that the
negative life is the best one that can
be lived. Dante was conscious that the
cowardly virtuous, who did not do evil
simply because they were afraid to do
so. had no place, either in heaven or
hell. and this idea was prevalent in
the Middle Ages. No one can be fright
ened into positive character. To develop
positive character one must have some
ideal which he can worship.
When an Individual who has not bro
ken with the traditions of the world
because he has been afraid to do So
when his environments are changed,
soon shows his weakness and relapSes
into such action as his environments
allow. He found in a visit to san
Quentin that the stage and train rob-
bers would not allow the simple larceny
thieves to speak to them; such was ell
uuette in the States Prison. And there
is a reason for it. There was at one
time a man there who had held up
three stages, with only a broomstlck
for a weapon The man who could so
control the minds of men might I'M
der different circumstances, have De-
come a Grant or q Sheridan, and 1t
was in keeping that he should hold
himself above petty thieves. Such
man would be worth saving to the
world and redeeming from his ways.
The fragment of a nation living In
the forests of CeylOn are the most
ideal. perhaps on the face of the globe,
because the most primitive. They are
so because they are contented with the
simplest of lives, and live mostly by
themselves Many prominent men,
like Rousseau and Edward Carpenter,
have imagined that it would be happl-
ness to go back to the primitive lie
of the savage. where none OF the dls-
eases and customs of civilized life are
prevalent; but if they could have
gone and lived with the savages they
would soon have seen that it was not so
pleasant.
He compared the characters of Toll
stoi and Gladstone, the former with his
narrow experience and views of life,
the latter with his broad education and
enlightened mind How often do we
stumble over the faults and the mega
tive excellences in the characters Of
great men. and fail to see the largeness
of their positive characteristics When
we are in the woods the trees obscure
our view of the broad eXpanse of land
scape outside of them so the critics
failed to appreciate the eXcellences of
Shelley and Byron, because their views
were dwarfed by their acquaintance
with lesser poets who were their prede-
cessors.
To-day we recognize the fact that
there is no thought, however bright
that may not be capped by a larger
one The world is made up of individ-
ual units, and the only conceptions of
life that are realized are those that
come through the action of these indi-
vidual activities. All true education
must be moral education. 1t may be
disputed whether the school is the
place whence this moral education may
be dispensed. but it is the fact that the
school leaves its impress upon our
daily lives We must obey the simplest
conditions of the natural world. Every
action has its natural value. Every in
fluence that acts upon character, then,
has its moral effect. Many of our most
cherished ideals of education we find
in Plato and other ancient writers, and
we find this to be the case so often that
We sometimes wonder if there is any
thing new in education.
A narrow half truth, pushed out be-
yond its proper perspective, leads us
astray very often, and the world has
often been led astray by such single
truths. The conditions of life and the
problems of life are much the same for
us ALL There is nothing new under the
SUM- and our experiences are much the
same as those who have lived before u.s.
We are born into life with simply new
combinations of old factors. If We
were to wait until we understood all
the laws of life before we began to
live we would never begin. There is no
part of the educational world that may
not be made to serve the purpose of
moral education.
Perhaps the most powerful influences
for the development of character are