El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-01-08

Tt is the business of the public schools
to deliver to the pupils this common
fund of moral truth. 1t should be de-
livered in a systematic way, the moral
lessons being graded to suit the vary
ing ages and capacities of the pupils,
and the Illustrative material being
sorted and arranged in like manner.
In the primary course much enter
tainment can be given. and much good
accomplished by the use of fairy tales.
OF course. they should be carefully
selected. The chief pedagogic value
they possess is that they exercise the
imagination in the right way. The
ina gination is a most powerful auxil
iary in the development of the mind,
of Marie Antoinette. who is said to
have asked why the people did not eat
cake, when she was told that they had
10 bread, indicates a deficiency of
imagination. Brought up amid the
splendor of courts, and surrounded by
luxury, she could not put herself in
the place of those who lacked the very
necessities. Much of the selfishness
of this world is due not to actual, hard
heartedness, but to a similar lack Of
imaginative power.
Il is difficult for the happy to realize
the needs Of the miserable. Did they
truly realize these needs, they would
be melted to pity. and aroused to help.
The faculty OF putting ones self in
the place of others is therefore of great
though indirect service TO the cause
of morality, and this faculty may be
cultivated by fairy tales in the hands
of the proper teacher. Fairy tales also
stimulate the idealizing tendency.
Ideals Valuable
What were life without ideals? How
could hope or even religion terminate
in the human heart were we. not able
to- confront the disappointing present
with visions which represent the full
filment of our desires. Faith" says
Paul, lis the confidence of things hoped
for, the certainty of things not SEEN"
Thus faith cannot abide unless support
ed by a vivid ideaIism.
Fables can also be used 70 good ad-
vantage with the young. The peculiar
value of fables is, that they are instan-
taneous photographs, which produce as
it were, in a single flash, some aspect
of human nature, and which, exclud-
ing everything else. permits the entire
attention to be fixed on that one Many
contain deep truths and are calculated
to impress lessons Of great moral
beauty.
In the third part of the primary
cal literature of the Hebrews could
be used. and later on from that of
Greece. These stories. possess a per-
ennial vitality, an indestructible charm.
ennial vitality, an indeStru
/ am. / trust no blind worShiper of an
tiquity. The mere fact that a thing has
existed for 1000 or 1000 years is nor
always proof that IT is worth preserv-
ing. But the fact that after having
been repeated 1000 years, a story still
possesses a perfectly fresh attraction
for the child of today. does indeed
prove that there is something in it of
imperishable worth.
The Charm of Age.
Row is this unique charm of classical
literature to be explained? What quail
it, exists in the bible and in Homer
enabling the.1I 6,>sFite the changes Of
taste ard fashion to hold their own?
The novels of the last century are al
ready Anticipated, few care TO read
them. The poetry of the middle ages
is enjoyed only by those who have
cultivated a special taste for it. His
torical and scientific works hardly have
time to leave an Impression before new
books appear to crowd them out
The stories Of the bible are fairly sat
urated with the moral spirit. Duty,