The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-07-14
Better Prepared and Higher
Paid Teachers Among
Leading Requisites.
MORE ADEQUATE BUILDINGS
Moral and Religious Training OF
Pupils Should Be In
sisted Upon.
BY PRESTON LEWIS GRAY.
President The bingham school Me-


This article is intended TO be simple
plain brief and / trust, helpful /
shall make no attempt 10 tickle the
fancy of my readers by rhetorical
nIgD.s Or any particular literary style.
Although president OF Bingham School.
which is a private institution. am
heartily in favor OF the public schools
OF our country. and nothing in this
article is to be construed as an IN
friendly criticism My "hrst steps
along the highway OF education We're in
tho public school. and we'll remember
trudg!ng along by my brothers SIDE.
when a little boy OF eight or n'ne. on
my nrst trip to school was blessed
with earnest and devoted teachers.
and now. after nearly thirty-Ave years.
still retain tho vital teachings OF
those days Of childhood in the heauti-
ful Shenandoah Valley OF virginia
However. as invaluable as the public
schools are to our people. yet there
arc great needs" and one superla,ive-
j. grca, need to-day.
OF the needs" / should say. nrst
that ne must earnestly press forward
for moro teachers. better prepared
teachers and higher paid teachers one
IA thful woman told me recently that
She had about sixty pupil. - teach
In her room. To do this IS almost
en- impossibili,y A. for ;he prepar-
alton. We mus, do The best wo can,
but we should strive more and more
to elevate the profession Of teaching
TO a higher plane than II has ever held
as VIC should in time. insist upon a
degree Of accurate. technical ard sc!en-
tinc preparation, such as IS required
by the laws OF the different States in
the medical and legal professions be
Tore an applicant can perform the re-
sponsioe duties Of a doctor or lawyer
u is important to he properly prepare
10 make tho sick well. or 10 perform
the difcult and responsible autiee Of
an attorney in handling tho lives snd
property Of the people but the Things
that the young are taught so vitally
mould and shape tho character rs to
largely make" the man and citizen.
We should therefore. use our influence
for the passage OF laws requiring the
completion % definite course OF
study and preparation much more OK
tended than at present before teachers
are entrusted with the training Of the
youth.
Need of buildings.
In the second place. we also need
better buildings. as far as possible de-
signed By competent architects. so that
the ligAting, heating and vent.lating
may be practical and beneficial. a the
beauty OF architecture is an education
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 !nvitations-an OF
which tend towards arousing d school
spirit" which Is helpful and cncour-
Sging to a pupil
However, there is a pressing need
Cor our people TO realize that a nation
does not obtain its strength, solidarity
Ind permanency from material ad =
vancemcnt alone, and we might provide
@ host OF cultured teachers. a multi
tude OF magnificent buildings and all
OF the other paraphernal.a that wealth
can purchase or the imagination de-
wise. and still make a failure in the
training of our girls TO be real women
and of our boys TO be pillars" in the
State.
In reviewing. therefore, the needs of
our public school system to-day. l
should say that the greatest need" is
earnest and important attention to the
moral and religious training OF the pu-
pills realize that there are those who
might object that such training is i'm
practical, that the attendance of Jews.
Cahol'cs and various Protestant de-
nominations would be an insuperable
objection to religious instruction and
successful Bible course. and that.
therefore the ''teeming millions" of the
poorer children OF our land must 20 to
schools where the highest ideal OF the
school room in biography is some great
historical character like Washington.
with this position L cannot agree
The safety of our country and the
strength ana permanency of its in
htitutions will surely depend upon the
principles held by the masses. If the
masses in the community believe in
lynching. that community viii defy
law and lynch the guilty in unre-
strained fury. and sometimes. per-
haps. the innocent as well. If a COM
munity really believes that the sale
OF Intoxicating liquor is moral and
valuable. that community is very apt,
legally or illegally, to have its liquor.
And II the millions of Children who
ntc now IN our pubHc schools In the
united States are not raised and edu-
Gated with pesornal reverence for
and a knowledge of t. Bible. they
will lack that 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.
Bright and Aggressive.
The masses OF our Amcicran chill
nren are bright and aggressive. They
are certainly going to learn, grasp
rapidly and believe something in the
realm of religious thought, moral
philosophy and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
teachings which are the root. core
and wellspring OF character. debating