Rocky Ford enterprise., 1909-02-19
PHPERS BY
CLUB WOMEN
Delivered at the Woman's Club
Reception In the Public library
Club Rooms, Saturday, Jan. -

$>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>$
Public Opinion Regarding Education
(By Mrs. A. L. Kellorr of the Tues
dav Club.)
Madame President and Members OF
the Woman's Club:
l am honored today in bearing
greetings and congratulations from
the Tuesday Club. The magnificent
work which you have accomplished
in the building and equipment of this
library is greatly. appreciated by your
smaller sister club whose applause
will long continue with the cduca-
tional progress of this institution.
As women should be ''conscrvators
oil education according to 4 recent
writer. have chosen for my subject
Public Opinion regarding Educa-
ton, knowing that it Is one OF nv
tual interest to all Clubs
As to What education means. we
have variety OF opinions, and to
cnumeratc the causes which have led
to the formation OF such opinions
would be stupendous task. There
fore. | shall endcavor to point out
public oninion as it exists today on
the educational problem as briefly As
possible.
We may not all agree with the
honorcd President OF Princeton Uni
versitv who says:
With all our educating we have
instructed nobody, and with all our
instructing we have educated nobody.
We have been passing through per-
iod of dissolution OF the standards
OF education We have been trying
series OF reckless experiments up
on the lads and youths, girls and
maidens OF this country. instead OF
educating them. The children of the
last few decades have not been edu-
Gated"
But We must agree with the dis
satisfaction expressed ID public opin..
ion with our present educational
methods and results. In the decla-
ration OF the National Educational
Association of last July we find the
following:
awe earnestly recommend to
boards of education. principals and
teachers the continuous training OF
pupils in morals and in business and
professional ethics, to the end that
the coming generation of men of at
fairs may have a well developed abb
horrence Of unfair dealing and dis
elimination"
Also, The National Educational
Assn. wishes to record its approval
of the increasing appreciation among
educators OF the fact that the build
ng of character the rel m OF the
schools"
And we hope for such change
OF public sentiment as will permit and
encourage the reading and study OF
the English Bible as literary work
of the highest and purest type, side
by side with the poetry and prose
WHICH it has inspired and in large
part formed
When we consider that in Chicago.
il is alleged, the Bible has not been
read in the public schools for thir-
ty wears: that in some states special
religious teaching is banishcd from
the schools; in others, permitted. II
no one objects: while in still others
positively forbidden by statute. we
are no, surprised that public opinion
is demanding a return to the old
standards OF moral and religious
teaching. and upon the distinctions
between moral and religious teaching
wastes a great many words.
In an article in the Fortnightly
.,eview on The Follics of Secular
Solution of the Educational Ques-
tion" VIC have cited the experience of
two colonies in Australia. The one,
Victoria. where the education is al
together on secular lines, and the
original stock of whose population
represented the best elements of the
English race: the other, New South
Wales. originally a penal colony, with
its original stock a criminal one, but
where there is a well-coneeived sys-
TEN OF religious instruction. Mr..
Recs shows that whereas in 1890 the
Victoria police records showed only
onc-half the offcnscs against the per-
son. and two-thirds OF the offenses
against property exhibited by the re-
turns in New South Wales, in 1902
the numbers quoted were 2oS per
100000 of the population of Victo-
ria. as against 2oI per 100000 in New
South Wales. The gain in New
South Wales over Victoria in these
/. years is properly and justly at
tributed to the coming on the scene
of action of those who have received
religious instruction in the schools
christian lntcllieencer.
\ German sage once wrote. 'Er-
crything that sets free Our intclli-
Sence without giving us scli-control
Is fatal"
While Colorado judge voices the
same entimcnt-"lntclligen with
out moral character. intelligence with
out conscience. is infinitely more a
menace to the state than ignoranc.
without character or conscience
In the opinion of this Judge, edit
cation should be made part of life
itself. and so fascinating that COM
pulsory school laws and truancy Of
fcers will come to be regarded as an
anomaly belonging to that dark age
in our history when special legisla-