The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-12-17
HARDING PLEADS FOR -. $685..
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
FOR CHILD TRAINING

liberal public thought in and out of
congress with reference to crystaliz-
ing it into legislative accomplishment
and have found them eager to help
in the constructive task.
"Its accomplishment will tardily
place our government on something
like an equal footing in recognition
of this set of problems with govern
ments which have long maintained
ministers of education represented in
their cabinets. While my own ideal
envisages a broader scope for the
welfare, it is interesting to know
that it's creation will for the first
time place this great work on a
phase of dignity comparable to that
given in many countries.
Opportunity of Mothers.
whether we may esteem it wise
or unwise, the modern mother must
realize that soci iety disposes more and
more to take from her control the
training, the intellectual direction
and the spiritual guidance of her
children. We may we'll plead with
the mothers to make the most, for
good of the lessened opportunity they
possess for molding the lives and
minds of their children. Through
such cooperative effort as this. it
seems to me there is opportunity for
a great service. Herein IS presented
the opportunity to lift up the poorer
and the less fortunate to a higher
"The mother who indefatigably
seeks to train her own children right
ly will be performing this. service
not only for her own children, but
for those from other homes not so
richly blessed with the finer things
of life. | confess to no great salts
faction in the good fortune of those
families which when they become suf-
ficiently we'll to do so like to take
their children away from the public
schools and give them the doubtful
advantage of more exclusive educa-
tional processes. I like the democ-
racy of the community school and in
deed I would like to see greater
measure of it enforced in the public
schools by the elimination of those
evidences of extravaganza in dress
and social indulgence which make for
the development of something like
caste within our democracy.
"On the other side of the teacher,
and the responsible authorities back
of her, there must be the same ready
disposition to cooperate with the
home and the mother. Our public
school system leaves to the home and
its influence the great duty of in
stilling into the child those funda-
mental concepts of religion which are'
so essential in shaping the character
of individual citizens and, therefore,
Of. the nation. That duty remains to
be performed at the hearthside and
will always be the peculiarly pre-
rogative of the mother. I could wish
indeed that our nation might have a
revival of religious spirit along these
lines. There never was a time when
the world stood in more need than it
does now of the consultations and re-
assurances which only a firm reli-
gious faith can have. 1t is a "time of
uncertainty, of weakened faith in the
efficiency of institutions of industrial
systems, of economic hypothesis, Of
dictum and dogma.
"Whatever our real thoughts let
not our engrossment with those
thoughts which are concerned merely
with matter and mind distract US
from proper attention to those which
are of the spirit and the soul. 1t
has been demonstrated to astonish-
ing and alarming certainty that a
large proportion of school children
and even of adults suffer from under
nourishment. Perhaps in the case Of
most adults, the fault is of the indi-
vidual rather than society. With
children, however, it is otherwise. If
society has permitted the develop
ment of a system under which the
c;t;1ane of tonnor-row s1ffffer real pri-