The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-16
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
GREATEST NEEDS
Must Have More, Better Pre-
pared and Higher Paid
Teachers.
A REAL SCHOOL SPIRIT
Course in Bible Training One OF
Essentials in Educating
Young People.
A REAL "scHooL SPIRIT"
BY PRESTON LEWIS GRAY.
superintendent the Binghnm school

1 MS aruclc Is intended to be simp C.
plain, brief. and. trust. helpful
'hali make no attempt to tickle the
fancy Of my readers by rhetorical,
Nights or any particular literary style
Although superintendent of Bingham
school. which is private institution.
am heartily in favor of the public
schools of our country. and nothing in
this article is TO be construed as an
unfriendly criticism. My FIRST steps
along the highway of education were in
the public school. and l well remember
trudsing along by my brothers side.
when a little boy of eight or nine. on
my first trip TO school! ] was blessed
with earnest and devoted teachers. and
now. after nearly thirty five years /
sun retain the vital teachings of those
Gays OF childhood. In the beautiful
shenandoah Valley Of Virginia.
However. as Invaluable as the pub
lie schools are TO our people. yet there
are great needs" and one superlatively
great need to-day
OF the needs" / should say. first
that we must earnestly press forward
Tor more teachers. better prepared
teachers. and higher paid teachers One
faithful woman told me recently that
she had about sixty pupils TO teach In
her room. To do this is almost an
impossibility. AS for the preparation,
We must do the best we can. but We
should strive more and more 10 ele-
vate the profession Of teaching To a
higher plane than It has ever held.
and we should, in time. insist upon a
nigh degree OF accurate. tenchn!cal and
scientific preparation. such as is re-
quired by the laws OF the different
n ba
1essions BEFORE an applicant can per-
form th,NTesponsthlo duties of a lawyer
or doctor. II is important 10 be prop-
erly prepared 10 make the sick well. or
to perform the responsible duties of
an attorney in handling the lives and
property of the people: but the thinss
that the young are taught so vitality
mould and shape the character as to
largely make" the man and citizen
We should, therefore. use our influence
for the passage Of laws requiring the
completion of definite course Of
study and preparation much more ex-
tended than a present before teach
ers are entrusted with the training OF
the youth.
In the second place. we also need
better buildings. as far possible de-
signed by competent architects. so that
the lighting. heating and ventilating
may be practical and beneficial. as the
beauty Of architecture is an educa tiou
In itself Great progress has been
made in the material betterment of our
public schools by the consolidation OF
districts. the establishment of rural
libraries. the recent custom of inter
scholastic debates and the Issuing of
commencement invitations-al OF
which tend towards a school spirit"
which is helpful an encouraging 10 A
pupil.
However, there is a pressing need for
our people to realize that a nation does
not obtain It's strength. solidarity and
permanency from material dvance-
ment alone. and we might provide a
host of cultured teachers a multitude
OF ma gnificent buildings and all of the
other paraphernalia that wealth can
purchase or the imagina ton devise. and
still make failure in the training OF
our girls TO real women and Of our
boys TO be pillars" in the State.
In reviewing. therefore the needs of
our public school system today. I
should say that the greatest need is
earnest and important attention 10 the
moral and religious training OF the
pupils. realize that there are those
who might object that such training
is impra ctical. that the attendance Of
Jews. Catholics and various Protes-
tant denominations would be an insup.
cradle objection to religious instruction.
and a successful Bible course, and that
therefore. the "teeming millions" of the
poorer children of our land must go 10
schools where the highest ideal of the
schol room in biography is some great
historical character like Washington.
with this position | cannot agree
The safety of our country and the
strength and permanency of its in
stitutions Will surely depend upon the
principles held by the masses II the
masses in the community believe in
lynching. that community Will defy law
and lynch innocent as well. If a com
munity really believes that the sale of
intoxicating liquor is moral and vaiu-
able, that community is very apt legal
ly or illegally. to have its liquor. And
II the millions of children who are
now In our public schools in the United
States are not raised and educated with
q personal reverence for and know
ledge for the Bible. they will lack thai
moral standard and those safe and
helpful teachings and principles which
In the past century, made our country
so great and formed the foundation
pillars of the greatest republic on
earth.
The masses of our American chill
dren are bright and aggressive. They
are certainly. going to learn, grasp
rapidly and believe something in the
realm or religious thought, mora!
philosophy and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
teachings which are the rot. core and
we'll spring OF character. debating the
actions. good or bad. OF the man What
are they going to learn. There is no
Bible course offered In the public
schools. What is their moral standard
to be? We do not come by our ideas
of law order, unselfshness. love, re-
gard for property rights. adherence OF
homicide, lying, stealing. anger. hatred