The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-05-25
EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT.
!. MATERIAL FOR JUVENILE ETHICS.

MATERIAL FOR ]
Editor Of The Times:
sir,-At a meeting Of the Prince Ed
ward Teachers Association last Noven-
Der. a Committee on Child Study was
appointed. with DR.. L. w. Kline, of
Farmville, as chairman. The subject
selected for special study was Ethics,
for the reason that. although moral
there is no agreement among educators
as to what shall constitute its subject
matter, nor the methods OF teaching it.
The purpose Of this special study was
to find if children were rather aitruistic
or egoistic In their aims and ambitions,
to investigate their ideals and the inf1u-
ences shaping them, to learn something
of their sense of justice. Of the rights
upon which they insist and the age at
which they insist most strongly on their
rights if boys surrender their rights
more readily than girls. Then, too. what
Of their sympathy, their idea of social
bounds, the strength of their caste spirit.
Textbooks on ethics give no assistance
along these lines. Only here and there.
in an occasional magazine article, read
perchance by a very few, is this import
ant subject touched upon. And yet. II
the teacher is to attempt this training,
if the child is to be developed along other
than practical and Intellectual lines,
surely it is well to know something more
of the moral principles which may be
taught in childhood. and of the chl1ds
attitude toward these principles.
With this in mind the committee sent
1Q1 nf II nj
country schools circular. This circular
asked the child, after stating age. sex,
and occupation of parents, to do the
three following things:
1. To write what they wish to be and
to do when they are grown up.
g. To tell who had the best right to the
pony in the following story-the father,
Henry or the neighbours son, and give
season: Henry's father gave him a
pony for a birthday gift, but Henry often
forgot to give it food and water and
neglected to rub and curry it. By and
by it grew quite poor and shabpy-look-
ing. His father took the pony and gave
it to neighbours son.
3. To finish the following story and
have it end as they think it should:
at was Pearl Nelson's first day at
school. She had looked forward to 1t with
delight, but now she was frightened as
she went into the school room filled with
strange faces. The rows Of desks looked
so straight and uncomfortable and she
began to think it would not be very nice
after all to sit in one all day long. The
little boys and girls all seemed to know
one another, while she didn't know any
Of them but Stella May. Surely Stella
would speak to her. But no. Stella was
very smart in pretty new frock ana
hat and did not notice the poor child
in her faded dress. A zig lump rose in
PEARLS throat She noticed that all the
other children had prettier clothes than
she had. She hung up her plain hat on
a peg In the hall. The teacher gave her
q seat and then didn't notice her any
more Lie lump in her throat grew lar
ger. She felt like she would choke.
When the bell rang for recess she ran
quickly out of the room, snatched hat
she had taken Stella Mays smart new
hat instead Of her own. But Stella saw
it in =, minute She took Pearls hat and
with several girls ran after her.
The papers met with a hearty and
pro,npt response from all teachers to
whom they were sent. The committee
desires to thank through these columns
the many teachers from various parts OF
| the State who have so efectually ana
| cordially thus aided in the matter. 1t
| was impossible in the time to make a
| thorough examna ton and report OF all
| the papers, in number several thousand.
| But the committee has carefully pre-
| served them and hopes at some date.
| not far distant, 20 embody the results OF
| the Investigation in a published paper
| We recognize that our study mus Tar
| has been too meagre to warrant many
| conclusions. and that some OF those
| stated below may have to be modlled,
and perhaps changed altogether, after
a more thorough study Of all the papers
| has been completed.
Thinking, however, it might prove OF
| interest to the teachers who have helped
| us. and to others anxious to find out
| truth for the sake Of its bearing On tnelr
work, we will give short account OF the
methods pursued In the study of the
papers and some few of the results al
ready obtained
The papers were first numbered and
separated according to sex. The boys
from the town and city were put in one
group and those from the country IN
another, the same division being followed
|