Bisbee daily review., 1908-07-07
The American Home
and the Public School

CLEVELAND. July 1.-THE follow
ing abstract of the address Of Ella
f. Young was delivered before the
National Council National Education
association.
Every type of invention and every
form of human endeavor bequeathed
by the 18th century to the goth are
but suggestions of possibilities not
vet attained. Back OF the most mar
yelOus inventions in the world OF in
dustry, and of more marvellous ones
than has yet been wrought, are the
fundamental conceptions of the forces
OF nature. These are elemental and
their suggestions are numberless.
Conceptions of the powers Of the hui
man being and the modes of growth of
these powers are influencing teachers
to new methods and new subjects.
BY the comprehension of the forces
in childhood and youth and the laws
controlling them. We may devise an
organization of the school which will
| help to the best solution of the prob
! lens of contemporary life. There Is
one conception of philosophy that will
vet influence the social world more
than the speculations that have af-
/ fected the industrial world-the con
| ception that character develops in
/ childhood through the exercise, the
activity of the ethical judgment.
| The American home and school
more than those of any other country
stand for independent action in child
| hood. But conduct may be independ-
ent of authority and yet not be ethical.
Ethical training is the cultivation OF
! the Judgment of values i ncolduct.
| This judgment of values in conduct is
always an expression OF the char-
acter of the Judge. All through TINS
country questions bearing on worth,
value in conduct, are discussed in the
! schools. Yet on every hand there IS
( adverse criticism on the training OF
the young American. 1t is my pur
pose to consider wherein the theory
of independent judgment fails, to con
slider what effort there may be within
the school to fit young people to meet
the demand which life will make upon
their ethical training.
/ II is a mistake to imagine dhat
there, is no religious or ethical train
ing in the schools. In every school.
there is memorizing of poems and
adore sses replete with ethical end
/ religious sentiments. In the upper
grades, such stress is laid on the
ethical element involved in the litera
ture studied that professors in col
Ileges and universities complain that
literature is analysed as a vehicle for
ethics
The order of progression in the
use of literature should be first the
experience and then the selection
that will afford a richer, more sug-
gestive setting for it. So in teaching
ethics Out of the original impulses
to selfshness, to greediness, to gen
crosby given expression and modiheS
by other impulses, motives, the chill
dren should be led to the ideal OF the
virtue which We would have them en-
/ body in their lives. The wise mother
/ begins to train the ethical judgment
/ of her four year old child not by word
| pictures about courage, but by TAX
/ ing his hand in hers and helping him
| TO feeling OF pleasure in overcoming
/ fear in courageously advancing tow
ard the fearful thing. Ideals OF con-
duct must be founded in experience.
Tle very conditions underlying the
school organization make such con