Cañon City record., 1909-05-06
READ AT LATE MEETING OF
THE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
BY PROF. +. D. SLUTz
Under the Caption THE Public Schools and the Times
Many Matters of Concern to the Laty, Well
as to the Profession, are Interesting
ly Discussed
ly Discussed

courses certain results will follow.
can be taught through history and
literature 1 believe that no more
concrete and lasting teaching can be
found than that which biography can
furnish.
The principle of self respect can
not be too strongly urged and prac-
ticed by the teacher. The all seeing
eye of God is a fact in the universe,
but it seems wonderfully far away
from many of US. When we are
made to see that we are. each of us,
seeming eyes, looking at ourselves,
our meanness is uncloseted. l do not
know, but 1 am tempted to assert,
that the inability to get away from
| the inmost in ourselves, Is one OF
Gods branches in the great system
of his omniscience. l shall never for
get that one sentence in my text book
in ethics, while in college / was
studying that branch,-that sentence
printed in italics, "a man is what he
is when he Is in the dark" There
are no deceptions, no lies, no foul
nesses that 1 can practice and not
know and remember against myself.
The most enviable man, is the man
who can look at the untarnished
white of the walls of his own inner
chamber, and find it spotless. l be-
lieve, my fellow teachers that when
our pupils can be made to look with
in; when they can be taught that they
are eternal companions of themselves,
that they have been given a great in
centive to clean living and to high
attainments in character as individ-
uals.
No one wishes to advocate the in
lection into our school system, of sec
tartan tenets and teaching. The Sun
day school has definite work and
/ the day school has a definite work.
AS they stand, both of these state
ments must remain unchallenged; !;
but they dare not be over-emphasized.
Yet / fear they have been pushed far
! ther than their meaning allows. To
avoid sectarinism, and to keep definite
religious training out of our schools,
have been construede to mean the
keeping of God out of the thought of
the young mind and the placing of
the training of the public school
above that of the Sabbath school. DR..
Coyle has well cried out, Beware lest
in shutting all religion out of the
schools, you open wide the door to all
influences that work against religion.
Beware lest not enforcing religious
training, you do enforce the idea that
religion is not needed" With all re-
spect for the dignity of our constitu-
tion, and with full belief, in the
right of every man to decide for him
self in matters of church, l am not
hesitating to say that to attempt to
teach morals without God is a trav-
esty on the truest pedagogy and psy-
chology and a huge farce withal, and
Furthermore, to teach the existence of
characterless Force as an example
to our youth, in whom we hope for
the fruitage of character, is pitiful
and ludicrous. Our stream of char
acter and mortality cannot rise above
its source. VIII you have its source
in man, or in the great fountain head,
God Upon the answer to this ques-
ton depends the kind of fiber that
shall be found in American manhood
and womanhood and morals in an
other hundred years.
Let me sum up this part of my ar
sument before / leave it. Owing to a
failure on the part of our homes to
properly take care Of young char
acter. the school has an added bur-
den to bear. To meet this augmented
responsibility, the school must teach,
through example, that broken law
brings a penalty and that a law kept
is sure impetus toward fuller life;
that nothing In height or depth can
the universe there is God OF intel
ligence and character whom to recog-
nize. obey and initiate is life; whom to
neglect is folly and death.
buL tne matttr OF Lne CHARACTER oI
the individual. as an individual. is
not the burden OF this paper. There Is
a kind OF training wherein the school
alone is the training place. Assuming
that character stands first, social
character takes next rank, and It Is
this training in social character. in
citizenship, that the school is intend
ed to impart, and which 1t can SO we'll
give.
During the years from 1915 until
1900. men were concerned about their
rights. They requested a charter from