The Republican journal., 1902-11-27
A PLEA For The PUPILS.

At a recent meeting in Boston OF the
New England Association OF school
superintendent "Tbe Use OF the Bible
i'll the Public Schools" was the chief
subject of discussion at the morning
session. DR.. George Harris, president
Of Amherst College, read a paper on
The Use of the Bible in the Public
schools as Literature" He SAID:
| we all agree that there should be
1amlllarlty with the Bible, certainly as
| literature. Now, can anything be done,
properly, immediately and tffectlvely,
in the work of the school? l think
something can. In Massachusetts, it is
directed that a portion of the Bible be
read daily, but without note or COM
ment. If those who thus read the
| Bible read we'll, the exercise may be-
| come most effective and valuable for
those who listen. Let some story be
selected--such,f for example, rs the story
OF Joseph-and let it be read contlnu-
| ously every morning until finished.
Might there not be responsive Bible
readings in our schools? | think that,
for use IN our schools, lectlonary
might well be provided-a volume of
selections from the Bible for responsive
reading. This would be better than
putting the whole big book into the
hands of the pupils"
Agent John I. Prince of the State
board of education opened the discus
sion. 'People," said he, have too much
regarded the Bible as book of theolo-
gy only. Now, the Bible is not book
of theology only; it is a book of con-
duct, book of history and of litera-
ture. But l object to adaptations for
children. If we have the Bible in our
schools, let us have it in its strength
and purity. We are going to have the
Bible read more, because we are teach
ing literature more intelligently than
before"
Supt Charles w. Bickford of Man
chester, n. H., said: 1--WE should have
the Bible read in our schools; first, for
the ethical contents; secondly, for It's
beauty of form. We neglect the one
book which has most Influenced the
world, and upon which our present sys-
tenn of ethics is based. There is already
i'll existence pamphlet of selections
from it for school reading, but it is
almost out of print
W. B. Tinker of Waterbury said: Il
| don't think the Bible should be read in
| of the people that does not believe in
I the New Testament. Are we going to
cram the New Testament down the
| throats of the Jews? | don't see how
we can study the Bi3le u, literature
without studying it as religion Supt.
| Stafford of Beverly opposed teaching the
Bible in the schools, while Supt. Bout
| ton of Pittsfield favored it,
| Drof w r. Eyprptt of Hrnu-n mi
versity read a paper on MORAL Train
| ing in the school, Moral training, said
| he, should begin in the home. but it
! ought to be supplemented by the school.
After a recess Mr. Ossian H. Lang,
editor of the School Journal and Educa-
| tional Foundations. of New ork, spoke
on Educational Duties Revealed by
| Strikes, and described some of the state
ilents made recently by President
| Eliot as hopeless. No student of
present day problems, said he, will
! doubt the wisdom of maintaining labor
| unions. But in time to come the labor
unions will turn to lines of endeavOI
more in harmony with the ideals of
| Christian civilization. Even to-day
they are growing more cautious in
entering upon strikes. The speaker
proposed to have the duties of citizen
ship taught in the schools, and then to
| impose an examination for it, and have
| the granting of the privilege accom-
! panied by a solemn ceremony. He
/ would have the trades unions educate
their members for absolute fitness fol
the various occupations.
DR.. William Dewitt Hyde, president
of Bowdoin College, spoke on ''The
Reconciliation of Educational Ideals "
He dealt with five ideals-physical,
technical, liberal, theoretical and spirit
ual. Each ideal has its work, said he,
its place and right claim. Hitherto
each, i'll struggling to survive, has seiz-
ed some portion Of our educational ter
ritory, and has claimed it as its own, tC
the more or less complete exclusion OF
the others. 1t is time to stop this fight
ing, time to assign to each of them its
proper part. Now no institution Cal
prosper which lives in any one or two
of them alone. The physical idea
would make us great fat giants, thu
technical ideal mere machines in the in
dustrial mill, the liberal ideal, fastidi
Gus diIettantes, the theoretical perilous
iv near being cranks, the spiritual idea
monks and nuns. These various ideal!
need to be harmoniZed and reconciled
In tell years our colleges will have
courses prescribing certain amount OF
work, ard we are not going to leave il
to the superintendent, the committed
or the teacher, but to nature and the
endowments nature has given the pu
pill to determine how long he shall take
to do that work. (Applause.)
Why not at examinations let the
students use dictionaries if necessary
or obtain formulas which they may
happen to have forgotten-why not lei
them work with all the tools in theil
hands. as they will when out in the
world? Do that, instead of making the
examination Il test of everything they
can put into their memories, and yor
will get better work, you will take of
SO per cent. of the strain, and you will
diminish by 500 per cent. the amount Of
nervous strain that goes on. We art
sending boys and girls out into an in
tensity of nervous strain so times az
great as anything their grandfathers
ever knew. They are going into respon
sible positions where they will be called
upon to do more work every week thar
their grandparents and parents did il
three months: and if they are to bt
| toI fnr 70 ~,