Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-21

Is pest. Pubic opinion approves and
sustains the efforts for greater care In
the selection of teachers, and in many
places demands similar care for those
people who are to occupy places upon
our school cards.
THE superintendent should be elected
by the board Of education and obtain
their confidence by showing his capa-
! bility of accomplishing desired results
In the schools. The politician should In
no way attempt to dictate or interfere
with the professional side Of the work.
Occasionally persons may be elected to
| the school board who are as artisans,
| who spoil the costly machines and
| waste materials i'm their efforts to pro-
| duce fabrics, but these shopld not take
the place of practical mechanics. The
| nonpartisan school board has shown
It's efficiency in other cities, but more
especially in Los Angeles.
Money for Teachers
AS the schools are relieved from
| political inhuenc es the recognition OF
the value of the teacher as compared
with the value of buildings or equip
| ment becomes apparent. The less the
outside influences the more money is
! set aside for teachers. AS the teacher
| is the school, money must be given to
enable the best people to give their
recently said: 80 mold public opinion
that it shall lead the best men and
! women to chose teaching as voca-
| tion' Let the large sums of money
spent annually for campaign funds,
political bosses, patent medicines,
prisons. battleships or implements of
war be reduced and the teachers prop
erly remunerated.
IF these ideals become fixed in the
schools and ,,
public opinion will work its way into
our political conventions and into our
government and bless us with its en-
nobling influence, Then let us have a.
closer relationship between the home
and the school, better understanding
between parents and teachers and an
elevated public opinion which shall up-
lift the community and leave the
schools free to give to the children that
whlch shall make true and noble men
and women"
character Building" was the topic
OF the address given by Bishop Thomas
j. Conaty at the Normal school audi
torium yesterday afternoon. He said
In part:
ITO speak of character and its de-
| velopment Is to speak of education and
its principal aim and end. To discuss
the methods for development of char
acter would demand the consideration
of the many influences that tend to-
ward the better development of life,
for, after all, the true character is the,
power of right living. Emerson says:
character is nature in it's highest
form
Character Leads to Power
Character is practically what we
Integrity of life, it is truth living in
personality. We love men of charac-
ter, we look to them for greatness. The
London Times once said that 'aristoc-
Tacy of character was the strength of
the country, the true heraIdry of man.
1t merits success, for it is built upon
good foundations.
The foundation of education says
Herbert Spencer, is to prepare us for
complete life The object of intel
lectural education says Cardinal New
man, lis to remove the original dimness
of the minds eye, to strengthen and
perfect its vision to enable it to look |
out into the world right-forward, stead |
lily and truly; to give the mind clear
ness, accuracy and precision; to enable |
it to use words Alright; to understand
what it says; to conceive justly what |
it thinks
But intellectual education is not
the greatest developing force of char
acter, for character is largely will de-
velopnnent. No amount of physical or
intellectual culture will make for char
acter unless the will is trained.
Act well your part; therein all
honor lies True character cannot be
built without conscience and reli-
gion alone is competent to train con-
science. True character loves labor
and never despises even the mental |
things of life. Education today has |
tendency to give an unwholesome fear |
of broom and shovel as the badge of |
inferior races. 1t has a tendency to
draw youth from the country and farm |
life, giving. in many cases, false ideals |
which often lead to improvidence and |
idleness.
Honest labor is a blessing and. the |
farm is one of the great sources of
nations prosperity. Cincinnatus went
back to his fields and his plow and
the world has honored him for it.
Farmers sons have risen to eminence
in church and state, and in the day of
their prominence they have always
been ready to recognize that their sue
cess was largely due to the sturdy
character which was developed in the
simple farm house, the ungraded
school, and the village chapel.
citizenship is not the one aim of
education. Goodness of life, expressing
itself in good and noble character, with
knowledge and virtue, this is founda-
tion upon which citizenship may build
itself. Make men good~and they will
be good citizens. Goodness is the out
come of obedience to the moral law
and morality finds it's source in re-
ligion, which is the bond uniting us
with God as it also is the medium
through (which the values of life are
weighed and through which the values
of life are determined. 1t is the in
spiration as well as the means toward
the higher and better life. God must
be known in order to estimate the value
of the moral law, and all things in ma
ture become as stepping stones toward
larger and more perfect knowledge
of God and of ourselves.
Give Us Character
"Give us character as result of
school work Never forget that the
ordinary school is not to form special
lists, to make mechanics, but to turn
out men and women who in the
strength of character which has been
developed become good and skilled
workmen in any field of endeavor which
"a 10 IN ha