The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1903-12-11
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OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

| OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. .s
Some of the papers have been dis
GUESSING Of late the question Of the
Influence exerred by our public
schoo! in moulding the character OF
those attending them. 1t has been
charged that our public schools are
goddess, and tend to irreligion and
lawlessness. The Rev. W. NJ. Geer
of Trinity Church, New York City,
in speaking Of our public school sys-
tenn recently said: 1--WE are bringing
up all over this land a lusty set Of
young pagars who, Sooner or later,
they or their children, will make
havoc Of our institutions " This ut
terance called forth much comment,
for the most part of a dissenting
character. j.; ~,@.: ...s!
The ''Outlook. zone Of the leading
journals OF New York City, address
ed letter IF inquiry to a number
of tho presidents of the colleges of
the United States, East and West,
North and South, requesting state
ment on the question, "Whether
in the experience OF the colleges,
any difference is noticeable in the
moral character of young. mon who
come from the public schools and
that Of those who come from the de-
nominatiouaI, church, or other priv
ate schools. Nineteen college pres
idents responded to the request, SIX
teen OF whom we're unanimous in
the report that college experience
justifies the statement that the char
acter of those coming to college
from the public schools is fully
equal to that of those coming from
the derominational, church, or prl-
vate schools. The other three pres
idents did not dissent from this
view, but had hardly had sufficient
experience to be able to give de-
finite opinion on the matter.
1t is true that there is lawless-
ness among us, much more than
there ought to be, but I cannot think
that this is chargeable to our public
school system. What is there about
our public schools to foster lawIess-
ness or immorality2 The books
used in our schools contain nothing
over which enlightened piety need
grieve. There is nothing in the text
books used that would unfit them to
grace the centre table Of the most
refined home in the land. If all the
reading matter furnished our people
were as irreprOachable as that found
in our school books, I am inclined to
think we should have less cause to
complain than we now Lave. And
if there is no just cause of complaint
on the score of the books used in
our public schools, neither can the
lawlessness and immortality COM
planned of be charged to the man
agement of those schools. On this
point James B. Angel, President of
the University of Michigan, has this
to say: 1.-THE character Of pupils is
affected far more by the influence
of che teachers than by formal in
struction in ethics and religion. And
it may be confidently asserted that
in general the character of teachers
in our public schools is not inferior
to the character of the teachers in
other schools. "
G, P: Dabney, President of the
University of Tennessee, expresses
the same view with regard to the
character and management of our
public schools. He puts it thus
strongly: I'm no church or family
are Christian principles more fully
recognized than in good public
schools taught by a. conscientious,
Christian man or woman. No where
are our children more shielded or
better protected from their own
lower natures than in such e school
with such a teacher. In my opinion !
no people can be found in any pro-
fession with higher Christian char
acter, more accurate knowledge of
children or more devoted spirit on
self sacrifice than the teachers if
our Southern schools
Hardy any one, think, can fail
~ coo tho ;,,okv,oco ~ $hoco GRO ia |!