Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-02-21
Moral Training ID tho School

Az the w. 3. T. T. meeting which
WAS held in the Third Ward school
building yesterday afternoon many
papers of merit treating on various
Esulj Cts were read. The following re
latlng to the moral training in tne
school was prepared and read by Miss
Katherine SchWertley:
There is II story told ofa man hose
first serious thoughts on The sui iect of
education came to him When he he
gan to consider what lie ought. in the
future to do for his infant SON. 1t is
said that this man read every hook on
education obtainable: that lie consult
ed the wisest men i'll the land that he
considered and reconsidered all he had
read and heard, and that finally he
concluded that the purpose OF educa
ton might he Slammed up in these
three words: to become BETTER
The foundations of character, if laid
at all, must be laid in the home The
sympa'hy and the close personal at
ltlchment so effective i'm home training
are made an impossibility i'm the school
| by the large numbers placed in the
teachers care. Vet the teacher who
is conscientiously Going her duty will
find many ways OF helping her pupils
to become better which can be found
nowhere except in the school. Here
public opinion wisely controlled
/ teaches every child due respect for law
and develops in HIM a sense OF honor.
School discipline, properly adminis-
tered gives to the child habits of obed-
fence, orderliness and industry. Tie
nature of his surroundings cails forth
iii the pupil the exercise of self re-
lance and self control. 1t is in the
school that many a selfish child being
brought into contact with large num-
Der OF other children gets his FIRST clear
idea of his obligsliaM 10 respect the
rights uf others.
The aluls of moral Instruction should
be TO awaken right feelings, to quicken
the conscience and ths develop clear
moral ideas.
Every he9rt Will make something
dear TO Itself. The child who has
learned TO love nature, music. litera-
tnre or art has ,aken a long step away
| from the temptations of life. A love
for the beautiful in nature may we'll
4 lead to beautiful deeds and purity of
Thought. Music has power To soothe
the passions or STIMULATE the heart tp
[ courage aud noble action. Stories and
poems containing appropriate exam
/ the chi'd's mind such virtues Ms kind
ness, truliiulness, honesty, reverence.
Prospect uid patrlotism. The heart Of
| he boy is StirTe TO noble impulses bY
tales III heroes, biographies OF gre az
men and lhIliiing historical narra,ions
Who but can recall! many instances
|in his own life When he was moved to
strive for better things by something
in literal ure : The range of good utter
azure for children today is g wide one
The teacher can do much toward get
ting clilldIen 10 read good books, and
if they become really interested i'm
What is good they Will not care for
hat which is fase and degrading AS
the effectiveness of COOL example Is
1 sTeatiy enhanced by beautiful EXPIRES
l.sion, the pupil should frequently lie
called upon to memorjZe some choice
bit Of poetry or prose. In the study
OF literature the opportunity is given
to teach children the value of purity OF
Thought That "to the pure all things
are pure that "there is nothing good
or bad but thinking makes it SO" is a
lesson that should be emphasized in
school wherever the occasion for it
arises.
Every interest that takes child out
of himself and leads him toward TO
good the beautiful is to be encour.
aged. f chld's love for the beal,i-
fui is stimulated until he can appre-
ciate ant he is given a source of pleas
ure keen and pure, that lessons by Just
so much the indulgence of less harm
4 full pleasures. The school room should
be made just as attractive as possible.
net only for the Immediate pleasure of
the child, but because an atmoshere of
| beauty cannot but have an ineStimable
value in his moral training. Every
parent should hail with delight the
coming of the time when the beg;med
schuG.rooin walls oil decade ago shah
have been Transformed by beautiful
lnts and decorated by trnly artistic
pictures and casts To be sure tie in
flueEce from a work nf art is an I'm.
conscious one; nevertheless it is per
slstent, and if children are to be led to
a higher life through love for the
beautiful every good picture placed in
the school room is worth many times
the price paid for it.
believe that in every elementary
school some time should he taken for
the discussion OF ethical questions by
the children themselves. The expires
: sion OF opinions as to right and wrong
J by children i'll whom conscience has
been quickened, and the ability to
: form moral judgments has been de.