The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-12-14
THE GOLDEN HOUR

the State Federation Of Woman S
Music Clubs, at an educational
meeting held at noon Friday at the
Girls High School. The paper was
Of such merit that q motion was
made and carried at this meeting
that the paper receive publication
in at least two Of the newspapers
Of the county:
There has recently been inaugu-
rated in music9i, !, educational ana
religious circles campaign for the
Golden Hour. The greatest service
l can Go you today is to explain
the purpose o. the plan, and TO rec
ommend that you adopt it in Your
schools and homes.
I shall condense the best editor
ials on the subject Of the Golden
Hour, a.iI tell you what our great
est musicians, educators and clergy
men think Of it.
America is now confronting a
menace which thinking men and
women witness with the greatest
gravity. Whether it is known as
graft. profiteering, embezZlement,
homicide, taking a chance and get
ting away with it, or by the real
names, stealing, lying. murder and
treason, it makes but little differ
ence. America is undergoing an
era of criminal deeds altogether
unparalleled. in the city OF Chi
cago last year. for instance, there
were more homicides than in all
England and Wales = including
London, which has three times the
population of Chicago. Our cataract
of crime, from petty bribing to the
most horrible and brutal ohenses,
has aStouaded the country.
1t is easy to attribute this to the
war-to the tines to prohibition
to undesirable aliens, etc. We
Americans have a very comfortable
way Of excusing our own short
comings. However much other
factors may have contributed, the
truth remains, that our menace is
largely Of home manufacture. We
are responsible, and we must real
ize that responsibility, if we are to
provide a remedy for future genera
tons.
There are 5S,OOO,O0 persons in
the boundaries Of the United States
who are not in any church, Protes-
tant, Jewish or Catholic. The pro-
cess Of evangeliZing such a multi
tude would take lifetime. Mean
while, what is happening in the
way Of building up proper con-
ception of right and wrong, justice
or injustice, service or injury among
the children of-such a group? With
the nickerirg Of the spiritual can
dies. the world is but a step from
moral chaos; in Russia it exists this
moment"
mo fault can be found with the
thorougtness with which reading.
'ritin' and 'rithmetic have been
taught in the public schools, yet the
system is unquestiona5iy weak in
the most significant Of all factors
in Observation-Disclosures building y
THE great fact that truth and
honor must rise supreme in the
conscience of man With his contact
with all his fellow men. is the
outstanding essential IL the system
Of human education. Unless a child
is Taught this fact, so that il, re-
mains as a lifetime guide, not only
is his othe. schooling worthless,
but other knowledge may actually
be dangerous to the state that cd
ucates him. There are thousands
Of criminals who read remarkably
we'll in several languages
'.But book learning will never
take the place Of ethical training.
and aesthetic, inspirational devel-
opnent-especially in these days
when countless families have sev-
cred their relations with the
church. Therefore. ethical training
is the solemn duty OF all religions.
Every child born in this land
should have careful drilling in
cultivating his sense Of duty TO his
intellect, his health, his parents, his
friends = to every person with
whom he is likely to have any in
tercourse. PARALLELS and precepts
from the Scriptures, the strong
fortress of our splendid past, have,
because of difference Of opinion
upon the use of the Bible in public
schools. become the subject of
abuse in many American localities.
Where Bible reading has been dis
continued. little attemp> has been
made to supply the great inspir-
ational need"
"Of course, the first obligations OF
rearing the children should rest
upon the parents. and there should
be no effort upon the part Of any
other agency to usurp their right
in this respect. Nor should they
be relieved Of any of their rcspon-
sibility. But the nation has an in
terest in the boys and girls who
tomorrow are TO constitute its cit
iZenSilip, and it is a national duty
to work in conjunction with tilI
parents to see that the morals o.
the children rest upon a solit
foundation. Here. then. is the OPP
pcrtunity for helpful service
through the schools. and the OBJ
glorious opportunities.
"Whiic music in Itself does no
build character, its stimulating
ennobling influence, its power tc
s.1.,.,.1. .,,,:f,.inncr for1.n II