Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1906-01-10

the chile with fbe toois of cduca; lou and intelligence. vis.5 the three fR's. and in addition, give him such element al instruction in some trade profession pr craft. as shall enable him Co go forth aud be hepccfor,n both self supporting snd an active producer among tho world "a makeu oi wealth.
 The reasoos for tnis are briefly these
 Many thoughtful persoDs warn and earnest friends 0t the public school system. nave become convinced ,ha, nf ter several generations oi trial the public schools which wer. inaugurated with the iofticsi expectations, have somehow failed ;o fulfil the expecta tions oi their criginatoy- and spon sors failed, that is, to incuicatc Tn the general body ct American citizens, the desired mcntai ana moral quail ties of intelligence and ;,rtu.
 This IS my answer Our forefathers were wrong. the teaching of morality and civic righteousness should not be the primary aim of the public schools. ! will go further and confess that. nl- though l may have seemed no, to sym pathize with those who would reform our schools iD the interests of com mcrcc and industry, I still believe that they have as much intrinsic lustic. on their side as had our fathers. while they have vast deal more of practical common sense as applied to education. Our fathers, while I admit the lofti- ness of their ideals. set the schools an impossible task and the schools, failing Co meet this lofty ideal, left their pupils without other sufficient compensation. The ideas of the reform mers, If put into execution by wise educational administrators. can be made to yield at least as good returns on the ethical side. while they will fur ther give the child point of real con. tact with life Furthermore. l hold that that doctrine which holds that the school. and not the home should be responsible for the ethical and moral training of the children of this country. strikes, unintentionally of course, a fla. tai blow at the best interests of the land l am sure that we are now reaping in this country the results of such condition, the home is coming to feel less and less responsibility for the ethical upbringing of the children With the Kindergarten to take them on week days, as soon as they are out of the cradle, and the Sunday school assuming to care for the religious in. struction on Sundays, 1 fear that the American home is coming to feel pret. ty we'll relieved of all responsibility for the children, except to provide for their material wants, and further, in SO far as it can. their material success in life.
 could give dozens of illust ions. And when that condition becomes general, the schools will struggle in vain against the ethical decay of our nation.
 Would then, you ask me, 'have the schools give up the attempt to teach morality and civic ideals'' By no means | would have them try harder than ever 10 do this, but what | should object to is that they should assume the responsibility for this teaching There is but one place under heaven where that responsibility can normally rest and that place. ] repeat, is the home. One of the most serious problems that faces the guardians of public morals in this country today is how to teach the parents the realization of this fact
 No matter what should be. the fact remains that the work of our schools has always been, and is today, almost exclusively an intellectual learning of facts What we need as parents and teachers, is to get clear grasp Of this proposition, that intellectual acquisi ton does not of itself make men noble or patriotic, honorable or even honest