Newark post., 1911-03-15
CONCERNING SCHOOLS

LhS IAotoN pi.i VI AN NPiNSNhNesA'>
Conwell providing for moral and hu
mnae education in the public schools
and to prohibit certain practices was
passed by the House on Tuesday afte,
noon without a dissenting vote.
The bill was passed with an amend
ment which exempts the city OF Will
mington from the provisions of the
act, which requires every teacher to
teach t!.c pupils honesty, kindness, JUS
| ticc and moral courage. 1t provides
| that at least one-half hour shall be
devoted to such teachings, including
humane treatment and protection to
| birds and animals.
| The bill also prohibits experiments
being made on any living creature lor
| the purpose of demonstration in any
| study. No animal shall be used for
| dissection i nthe schools except in the
class room and in the presence only
of pupils engaged in the study to be
illustrated.
IN urging the passage OF the bill Mr.,
| Conwell said:
The primary purpose of the public
school is to teach the children of the
State the three RS in order that
they may be able to transact the SIM
plest business of life and lay the foun-
dation OF additional knowledge ana
culture if the pupil sees fit to avail
himself OF the start given him by the
three RS. Besides this elementary
knowledge all such may be added to
courses OF study in the public schools
as conditions will JUSTIFY and warrah
Second. to this elementary knowl adge
properly come some instructions in
morals. For the moulding OF charac-
ter IS more important than advanced
knowledge Children need instruction
i'll morals in the schools because in
the first place the child is naturally
weak in these virtues. The boy has
been called young barbarian. Hon
estv, justice and kindness are not nat
ural but acquired virtues. The Spar
tan. we are tod, taught his boy dis
honesty and he acquired it. Animals
,, show little if any idea OF any moral
virtue.
They need it in the second place
because the attainment OF these vir-
tues is most important. Which is more
; important to teach the child honesty
or the 'grindstone problem in arith-
metlc? Which is more important-to
: teach the child Justice or to name the
:. rivers oflPatagonia or to learn the dit
ference between simle and metaphor
When specializing begins advanced
studies can be taken up
Il The child needs instruction IN thest
branches in the third place because
many do not get it elsewhere som;
say parents should teach these virtues
;, but how few parents do their duty
= Some say the Sunday school teache
: them, but probably the Sunday schoo
does not reach half the children. Som
i. sav that these virtues are alread
~ taught in the public schools. Possibl
. they are by few teachers, but not b
many. Some say that the reading les
Al sons are sometimes along these line:
Il But the reading lesson is often nc
9 understood and reading at best beget
> but a single impulse to virtue. Th
i. impression is ephemeral and soon var
.6 ishes. This bill among other prov
sions provides for the memorizing
: quotations along these lines. What
q committed to memory in youth wi
~ often remain through life and prove t
r., be bread cast upon the waters to /
At gathered after many days. The schoo
already require declamations and rec
H. tations. At present these selection
h are usually made up by the public ar
=. are quite as likely TO be trihing as
any real worth This bill provides fl
,v the selection of such declamations |
ke hte teacher, in part at least, along Il
Nv line of these moralists
r. This bill is neither visionary NJ
of mollycodd!e. Tie virtues named al
their oppostes are not visionary.
as unmollycodd.e a man as Ben Jam
re- Franklin framed schedule for Il
cultivation of the habit of virtue.
TX for vivisection, public sentiment is
rk vded; but probably fe wthink it shot
pe be practiced before children.
ir For the older pupils, let the pr
or visions of this bill be enforced main
along the line of their declamato
-er efforts. The younger pupils can
on reached by the other features OF t
bill | am in the main conservati
,t- in educational affairs. but consider II
ric d CONSERVATIVE Dill.
lat
ric Aiter depate tne SENATE pass
,ts the Senate amended Senate bill
ru- creasing the salaries of the Coun
,ill School Superintendents. The origir
bill increased the salaries from $I2
fixes the salary at $500. Senat
lub Drexler believed they should be paid
De- proportion to the work they do, &C
A tending that the superintendents
ct New Castle and Sussex had much me
at territory to cover than Kent and ST
sex.