The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-09-21

| the wisdom and reasOnableness of whose
| discipline shall not only evoke respect in
| the school room but leave it's permanent
| impress for the future well being of So
ciety. 1--WE are building a nation. We
cannot build permanent institutions on
| mere intelligence, ,smartness. push, self-as-
sertion. There must be a profound re-
spect for law,
The Keystone of the worlds wide arch
The one sustaining and sustained by all,
Which, if it fall. brings all in ruin down. -
Unless this reverence and respect for
authority have it's beginnings in the
home and the first years of school, unless
children learn there the wholesome re-
stralnts, and form permanent habits of
self-discipline, we need not look for it in
the future men and women of America
And when we bear in mind the general
decadence of family discipline and author
ity and the fact that SO many parents
and heads OF families in our heterogene-
Gus population have not the training
and instruction themselves out of which
to impart to their children, where else
can we look but to the public schools to
teach the childhood and youth OF the
country at large that reverence for God,
reverence for man, reverence for woman,
reverence for law, which are the pillars
of the Republic?'
If we may presume to give a word of
personal counsel to the patrons of our
local schools, it is this: Always respect
the authority OF the school. Respect il
yourself and show to your children by
your conduct that you do; and then re-
quire them to do the same. Show them
that the officials and teachers were chos-
en- because they were worthy of honor
and respect; that you recognize their
authority and have confidence in their
wisdom and sincerity. Teachers are
human and liable to err Occasionally
pupil suffers hardship, and cases have
been known in which there were even
gross and inexcusable violations of right
and Justice But in ninety-five cases out
OF a hundred, when there is trouble be-
tween teacher and pupil, the teacher is
clearly n the right, as the pupil well
knows and also the parent if he investi-
gates. And as to the other five-well
even if there be some questions as to
which way justice lies, it will be best to
act as the teacher were right; best for the
parent, for the school, and above all for
the pupil. Unless, of course, there has
been fragrant and wilful injustice on
the part of the teacher. Then vindicate
the pupil and let the teacher be discip-
lined Children have naturally a sense
OF fair-play and a respect for right that
is keener and stronger in childhood than
any other age.
Don't warp or destroy these fine in
stincts by i'll timed sympathy or indul-
gence, or by injudicious interference in
school difficulties. Hands off. Give the
teachers a chance and you may count
pretty surely on their doing their best
for your children.
In all that has been said, the duty and
the opportunity of Christian people are
plainly to be seen. Surely the public
schools need the prayers of the church.
prayers for the various officials; superin-
tendents, principals, teachers; prayers
for the great army uf childhood and
youth that gather therein.
While as a town we congratulate our
selves upon the steady progress of our
schools and the constantly improving
facilities; while above all we rejoice in
the high character. the wisdom and the
efficiency of our public school officials
and teachers, let us bear in mind thatfor
the most successful management OF the
great trust we have laid upon them they
require the full cooperation and the un-
reserved moral support OF the people.