The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1916-03-31

III our SCHOOL Is D6i0W Tie Stdllu-
ard, 1t is because our homes are be-
low the standard. If our school is
a negative influence instead Of a
positive influence in making the
character Of our children. it is be-
cause our homes are a negative in
fluence instead Of a positive inhu-
ence. And that puts the blame
precisely where it belongs, upon my
shoulders, and upon the shoulders
of every other parent of this town.
A school never was intended to
take the place Of a home. tits only
a supplement to the home, because.
| it is more convenient to teach GER
tain things to groups, than to single
children. No parent has any right
to suppose that, because he has a
school to send them to, he is re-
lieved Of one jot Of his responsible
ty for his children. If he has con-
fidence in the childs teacher, he
may leave a great many things to
the teacher; but it is the duty of ev-
cry parent to know exactly what
his child is learning, both in his
books and out of them; to know
why he is learning it; to know what
effect it will have on his character
at present; and to know what effect
it will have on his character in the
future.
] Those things are a good deal OF
trouble | admit. It's very much
easier to blame the teacher, and let
it 90 at that.
We have right to expect great
deal from our teachers. They must
not only be strong enough in their
own characters for our children to
instinctively follow them, but they
must be fit to follow. Children are
very easily influenced by their sur
roundings. They unconsciously inn
itate whatever is before them. Ev-
cry event, every person with whom
they come in contact leaves some
impression on their sensitive brains,
and helps in some measure to form
their characters. These are not
merely my statements, but the unit
ed opinion of the men and women
who have given a life time of study
to the subject of child training. In
view of them, we must be careful
|
to select a teacher whom we are
willing for our children to grow to
be like. For they will grow to be
more or less like them in spite Of
all we can do. If we set up before
them brute, bully, an ignoramuS,
a money erabber, an unrefned
smart Alec" a namby pamby hyp-
ocrit, or any other Of that class
which, alas, so often disgraces the
teaching profession, we must expect
to have to make stronger the home
influences to overcome the effect Of
those qualities in our children. We
have a right to demand that our
teachers should be none of those
things. But we have no right to
expect any teacher to carry the
weight Of his classes, and at the
the same time drag along after him
the burden Of careless and indiffer-
ent and neglectfnl parents, who
send their children to school with
out having taught them the first
principles Of obedience and self-con-
troll at three years old, than for his
teacher to be forced to do it at thir.
teen; very much easier than for life
to teach him at thirty. Those things
are Of far more Importance in pro.
viding for a child, than food OF. shell.
er, or any other material thing
which his parents can give him, be-
cause they are things Of the spirit
We claim to be Christians, and yet
we neglect the magnificent oppor.
tunity which every child offers fol
making part Of his daily life, the
first principal Of Christianity, which
is consideration for others.
Raising the standards Of our
homes is no easy task. No one re.
allies that, any better than |. No
.oo, ,,orn thar a.