Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-22

inspection and he expects to take up his
quarters at Notre Dame in a few days.
The president Of the university met the
Notre Dame club OF Chicago at a dinner
given at the Chicago Athletic club. In his
address he dealt largely with the future
Of Notre Dame and the plans for its extern
sion and growth. One hundred and fifty
of the alumni were present.
WOMAN TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS.
-
A wOman's Reply to the Criticisms Of
Some Men,
A woman teacher In the public schools
OF New York City, who says she is 30. I'M
married, and still possesses normal human
impulses" discusses in the New York
Tribune some phases Of the question spruns
on the Omaha Board Of Education q week
ago namely. that boys In the public schools
are being feminised, made unmanly, by the
natural influence of too many women teach
ers. At the outset she comedies the sin
certify of those who object to the present
-prcponderance Of women teachers, but con-
tends that the critics do not consider all
sides Of the qgsstion. They ignore parental
responsibility in the character making OF
the boy. and charge against women teachers
defects for which parents should be held
accountable.
Concerning parental responsibility and
present conditions of school life, the teacher
says:
rs It true that boys are becoming less
manly. less manfuI? l think 1t Is. But isit
due to the influence of the women teach
ers? No, not in the slightest degree. any
more than II is due to the women mothers.
To what, then? To the different conditions
OF life. the different environment, to the
different ideas Of parents regarding the
training Of children. The first gives chill
dren so many and such varied outlets for
their energies that they are no longer de-
pendent on those things alone which tend
to develop a vigorous, resourcefuI man
hood. The children of the merely well-to-
DO as well as those OF the rich, are pro-
vided with innumerabie toys, books and
tools with which to occupy their time and
attention. They no longer make the thing
and the thing that makes Il. These many
piaythinss, requiring neither effort nor
sacrifice in the getting or in the using,
tend to weaken the character of the child
rather than to strengthen Il. II will be
argued that the child, in using these won
aertul toys, is learning many things that
VIII De OF use In after life. Granted, but
X is intellectual development that is going
on. not character building. In such PLAY
nerner energy nor resourcefulness in any
oesree' 10 necessary, and the child gets
oniy amusement and, In most cases, a
superficial knowledge of an intricate ma
chlne. No creative powers are called forth.
no efficiency IL exercised.
"The child OF today is foolishly ana lux
uriously clothed so that he Cannot engage
IN the strenuous play. many times half
work. which served to develop the strength.
ingenuity and manhood Of the child Of n
generation eso Neither does he have anv
regular tssk for which he Is held resnonai-
Die and which serves to devotion a sturdy
reliability that will stand undaunted h.
fore temptation.
As for the second point. modern parents
90 not bring up their children. They
simply provide them a home. with few or
many Injuries as the case may be, and In
dulse them Unfortunately. They must not be
reproved either at home or at school. n
corrected at all 1t is in an indefinite,
nerveleas way. even for repeated offenses;
hence the correction is worse than inef-
fectual, II is armfu They receive no in
ctoentai or deliberate home training which
nus them for life and Its opportunities.
"N'N NoNNioIS a IOTliIuQa tnat makes
them masters over destiny and eventually
men IN the highest. best sense of the word
1T is often stated that teachers have
the children under their control and in
nuenee the greater nart of the time during
school age. A little arithmetic will show
that this lie not true. II the year ana not
the day is considered. And II Il were true.
quality Of Influence VIII overbaIance ouan-
uty; therefore. only II the teachers in
ffnence Is stronger and better than that
OF the home win II tell in the character
OF the child. regardless OF the time element
and the parents who are too weak or too
careless to take thought for the future Of
their Offering should be forever grateful
that the teacher has added something 10
the natural qualities OF the child. II. how
ever, the influences at home are stronger
and better than these win mould the ohiId'z
nature. which is mneh more plastic IN the
home environment. The strong. sensible.
firm yet gentle mother viii guide the child
30 wisely and so well that the home in
fluences will be ever dominant, ana no
teacher in contact with him for a few
hours five times a week can prevail over
that influence. Then, too. the authority OF
the parent is always final in the mind OF
the child. and. let the teacher urge ever
90 eloQuently. she cannot change the idea
impressed upon the mind from infancy. that
father and mother are supreme. This IL
right and the parent who really ihinks of
the welfare Of the child and trains him
for the future Is not the one who makes
the poor woman teacher the scapegoat for
ali his sins Of omission.
The fact remains that women teachers
are and must Of necessity be in the ma
jority for many years TO come. Then let
parents remember that these teachers are
mere mortsls. but that they have no more
than their share Of humsn fraiIties. and
that they can be held responsible for only
a small portion OF the lives OF students and
for no part OF their inherited tendencies"
MISSOURI UNIVERSITY.