The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-01

the outv ard accidents o his existence,
down to the profound springs OF life
where man feels himself With other
men in all that IS most intimately his
own.
To aid a child 10 become himself and
4 brother, il is necessary 10 protect
linn against the violent and destructive
action of the forces OF disorder. These
forces are exterior and interior. Every
child Is menaced from without not only
Dy material dangers. but by the med
dlesonle ness of alien wills; and from
within. by an exaggerated idea Of his
own personality and AL the fancies 1t
breeds. There is Il great outward dan
ser which may come from the abuse
of power in educa tors. The right of
might finds itself 4 place in education
with extreme facility To educate an
ether, one must have renounced this
right; that IS to say, made abueSation
Of the inferior sentiment of personal
Importance, which transforms us into
enemies of others, even OF our children.
Cur authority is beneficent only when
it is inspired by one higher than our
own. In this case it is not only salu-
tary, but also Indispensable, and be
comes in its turn the pest guarantee
against the greater peril which threat
ems the child from WiJhin-that Of eXaS-
gCratinS his own Importance. At the
beginning of life the ViVidneSS of per
S"nal Impressions is so great, that to
establish an equilibrium. they must be
submitted to the gentle Influence OF
calm and superior win. The true quail
ity of the office OF educator is TO repre-
sent this viii to the child. in a manner
as continuous and as dl5interested DIS
Possible. Educators, then, stand for
al that is to be respected in the world.
They give to the child impressions of
that which precedes it. outruns it, en-
VelOps it: but they do not crush it; on
the contrary, their will and all the in
nUence they transmit, become elements
TutTitiVe of its native energy such use
of authority as this cultivates that
e uitful obedience out of which free
souls are born. The purely personal
authority of parents, masters and in
StitutiOns is to the child like the brush
wood beneath which the young plant
ity. the authority Of man who has
first submitted himself to the time-hOn-
OF ed realities before which he wishes
the individual fancy of the child to
bend, resembles pure and luminous air
True. il has an activity, and Influences
US in its manner. but t nourishes our
individuality and gives it firmness and
stability. without this authority there
l. no education. To watch, to guide
10 keep Il firm hand-such is the fuTc-
ton Of the educator He should appear
to the child not like d barrier of whimS.
II.
vided the leap he proportioned to the
height of the obstacle; but like d trans
Parent wall through which may be. seen
unchanging realities, laws. limits and
truths against which no action is posi-
bic. Thus arises respect, which is the
faculty of cOnceiVing something great
er than ourselves - respect. which
brOadens us and frees US by making US
more modest This is the law of edu-
cation for simplicity. 1t may be
summed UP in these words: TO make
free and reverenUiaI men, who shall be
individual and fraternal.
n EFT us draw from this principle
~ some practical applications.
From the very fact that the child is
the future. he must be linked TO the
past by piety. We owe il to him to
cIothe tradition in the forms most prac-
teal and most ft to create deep i'm
preston: whence the exceptional place
that should be gwen IN education to
the ancients. to the cult of ren1em-
brance of the past, and by extension,
TO the history of the domestic rOoftree-
Above all do we fulfill a duty toward
our children when we give the place of
honor to the grandparents. Nothing
SEeaks to a child with so much force.
CT so well develops his modesty. as TO
see his father and mother. on ali Occa-
SONS. preserve toward an old grand
father, often infrm. an attitude of re-
sTect It is perpetual object lesson
tLat is irresistible. That it may have
It's full force. il is necessary for a tacit
Understanding tn obtain among all the
SrOwn-Cp mem berS of the family To
the child's eyes they must all be in
league. held TO mutual respect and un-
Outstanding. upd Ter penalty of cOTnprO-
missing their educational authority.
And in their number must be counted
the servants. Servants are Rig people.
and the same sentiment of respect is
injured in the child's disregard of them
as in his disregard Of his father or
grandfather Tie moment he addresses
an impalite or arrogant word To a per-
son older than himself, he strays from
The path that child ought never to
quit: and if only occasionally the par
eEts neglect to point this out, they will
soon perceive by his conduct toward
themselves, that the enemy has found
entrance to his heart.
We mistake II we think that a child
ir naturally alien to respect. basing
this opinion on the very numerous
Us. Respect is FOR the child a funda-
mental need. His moral being feeds on
IT, The child aSpires confusediy to re-
we're and admire something. But when
advantage is not taken Of this inspira-
ton. il gets corrupted or lost. BY our
"a, the gTOWn-ups. diScredit daily in
the childS eyes our owp cause and that
Of everything worthy of respect. We
,nOculate i'm him a bad spirit whose eff
fCCtS then turn against rs.
This pitiful truth nowhere appears
Y, It'll more force tnau III the relations
LetweeH masters an0 servants. as we
have made them. Our social errors
cur want Of simplicity and Kindness. all
fall back upon the heads of our chill
GTen. There are certainly few people
o. the middle cl1SSes who understand
that it IS better TO part with thousands
rs dollars than TO lead their children
[, lose respect for servants, who repre-
stnt in our households the humble. Yet
nothing is truer. Maintain as strictly
20 you viii conventions and distances
that demarkation of social front iers
which permits each one to remain in
Lis place and to observe the law Of diff
fcreUces. That is a good thing. 1 am
PERSUADED. but on condition of never
forgetting that those who serve US are
men and women like ourselves. You re-
quirp Of your dCmeSCcS certain formu-
las of speech and certain attitudes, out
ward evidence OF the respect they owe
YOU Do you also teach your children
and use yourselves manners toward
your servants which show them that
you respect their dignity as indiVidu-
ais. as you desire them to respect
yours? Here we have continually in