The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-28

very muCn lot the uaIlOn rs q WLlOle.
And the lives Of so many mel who
OF that devotion, to duty which lies at
the foundation Of u government. we
need not, however, look to the states
men. to the generals, to the men of
national affairs. alone for the exam
PIES. All walks of life afford them
in abundance.
Take the late Professor Leidy. His
inclination was to art, yet his sense
of duty devoted him to. medicine.
that splendid life. car. forget. the.
course Of his progress upward: until.
he attained the eminence. which has
ever since been his?
Consider David .Rittenhouse, who
had no books,i.yet longed with an I'M
.vtncible :Eeagerness for knowledge.
There Was Al .boyHwho, as. he plowed.
in the fields; made diagrams and
wrote formulate On. the fencesrails that
he passed-a boy who was II years
OF. age before his -brother-in-law
his hungry mind:the lore he craved.
""No boy can disregard careers such
as; these. They grip. him as do the
heroes Of stories he reads for his own
pleasure. Their influence is .some-
thing beyond his volition; they fill his
thoughts. binding unconsciously to
ideals OF aspiration and Of duty which
act as deterrents Of weight in the
course he may incline to.
How and when such a branch of
instruction should be utilized IL q mat
ter for those to determine who lay
III the work Of the schools. Suppose.
however. that some portion of q Fri
day afternoon were devoted to it-de-
voted. this week. to the life Of Whit
tier, with the teacher making his own
comments and pointing. out the salient
things in that admirable character.
receptive soil. with the story well
coined and the moral absorbed to ex-
cellent advantage?
with. such a systematic imbuing Of
the children of America with ideals
who have lived the virtues they should
cherish. I believe that. in time, we
would succeed in abating: the symp-
toms that are so broadly included un.
der the term :lawlessness.'
THAT moral instruction. can affect
great is. something no experienced
teacher will gainsay. It can never be
wholly wasted. Take. a great crowd
Of. say 5000 youths. and admit that
there may be some among them who,
in spite Of the teaching they receive.
Will Uc- ldWlC6SL u lIA0 ~ ~ 1kl0y US
inevitable; but it is inevitable. too.
that many more will be Influenced for
good who might otherwise have. been
sacrificed. to the policy. Of leaving their
morality to their w devices. have
an abiding faith in human nature. and
L believe that not merely some. but
all car be made better men and wom-
en- by moral instruction. given wisely,
in their youth. ..
."There n Y~noreoyar a Fantcr "a n.
considered in this subject which has
not been dwelt. upon at all hitherto.
We have discussed. only the effect
Of teaching the virtues as it applies to
the school children directly. An in
direct benefit to the nation accrues
which. may prove of importance equal
to tho nrst. Perhaps, history having
future will afflict us with undesirables
such as the world has. seen in the past.
tnspite of all we do to make every
individual a staunch supporter Of the
common. veal. Powerful, selfish char
acters do arise who a work grave
injury to. the prosperity. the happiness
and the rights Of their fellows.
But an active. healthy, vigorous
public conscience: such as cannot fail
to be the result. of an enhanced moral
ity and. virtue. throughout the in
dividuals composing the community,
constitute. the n effective safeguard
against t%yrannical encroachment. /"
"a %citizenry that enters upon its
adult life filled with the ideals Of duty,
of Justice to others, Of the welfare Of
the state. is no body Of men and wom-
en- to lie supihe while evildoers. what
ever their station, labor for its in
Jury.
by all means. let US. have the
teachings Of the virtues in VI schools.
We may hope largely from the under
taking: but we may be building even
better than we know" e.