Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-01-09
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1913.
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Much is being said pro and con these
days about the public schools in general
wav from ocean to ocean.
In some of the magazines and news
papers are found articles claiming the
public schools failure, while in other
magazines and newspapers are found
praise and appreciation.
Our public schools should be given
some thought-and some of our most
serious thought at that. Education be-
gins at home and it is unfair to saddle the
whole blame on the school teacher. Take
a well trained child at home and this
child when it enters the school will add
much to the decorum and progress of that
school. We believe our public schools
can be made better; we think they should
be made better, and when the real cause
for their slow progress is found out, they
will be made better.
1t is not altogether what our public
school teachers teach, but it is to great
the trouble and so much of the comment
and criticism now being made. The
teacher is doing what he was hired to do,
and in manv cases more.
Some OF the things that should enter
into school life more forceably are the
stadies is character building, health and
humane ,ookriof.opo aoonnpaxy ,,orIcio
munual training, discipline, as we'll as
graded work in the common school
branches not that kind of graded work
that holds child back when they're
able to go ahead, but the kind that 'gives
the lines"
How many pupils at the age of twelve
can give the ten laws of health? You
say 80 per cent. Very well, but how
many observe these ten laws of health :?
You can't answer-there's one of the
troubles-the practice is neglected.
Again, how many fully know that they
are subject of one of the greater gov
ernments in the world, and that their
honor as an American citizen is at stake
if they do not help perpetuate that gov
eminent in its pure and original form
The youth of today becomes the citizen
of tomorrow-his record will be found,
not in battles, but on the ballots
Each year the check lines of economy
must of necessity be drawn tighter. The
school boy and school girl must be SO
trained-so informed that to economic
will be easier than to neglect-to waste
to ruin.
1t is nice and pleasing position for
any one to get in tune-we are relaxed;
our stubborn will power is lost in music,
and we submit to the nobler and essen
tial things OF life. Teach music. for with
out it life has lost one of its charms.
Manual training brings our whole body
III action in unison with the mind.
Think for moment if this old earth
would stop on its axis-one side would
be always dark and the other side would
be always light, finally the whole big
earth would become dead and be only a
reflector like the moon, instead of being
life giving medium like ii is today.
Teach the boy to drive nail; to saw
board square across without a mark; to
be handy with tools of all kinds, in con-
nection with his spelling, reading, figures,
ETC., and you will have an all-round
boy-there'll not be much guessing what
kind of man he'll be either. The girl
can learn to sew, learn to sweep, and last
but not least, she can learn some of the
kitchen duties
We need practical men today; the way
to get them is to start with practical boys.
We need doers-not d1eamers.