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OCR PUBLIC SCHOOLSAnd Tlieir Relation to Good Cltiz°u-sLI|--MeetIuK of Teachers and Citizens of Smithport.An interesting conference of school teachers and citizens convened in Smithport, last Friday, to discuss the question ot “Our Public Schools and Their Relation to the Cause of Good Citizenship.” The meetmgi was held in the Methodist church, and was arranged under the auspices of the National Reform Association, which is working,atnong other objects, to secure grea'er attention to the teaching of the principles of Christian morality in our public schools as ly ing at the basis 01 all true citizenship. This distinguished the schools ot' 40 years ago. Greater attention was paid to the reading of the bible then than now. Some of the speakers referred to those early days, when Cobh’s speller and the bible were the principal text books, boys learned to read from the bible, and more selections of a Christian character were fouud iu the readers that were then used. To these influences was due largely the high moral character which distinguished mfiu of a generation ago. We have advanced backwards in this regard. The number of youthful criminals is proportionately increasing; also, tbo youlhfulness of the average age of ciiminals. These results must be ascribed iu part to the partial aban don meat of the chief end of educatioD, which should be the development of character, as well as the increase of knowledge.The meeuug was presided orer by Mr. F. Weiizel, a pcomiueut merchant ot Smithport, and Mr. John C- Fry was elected secretary, The bible was read by Rev. Dr. Kobiuson, of the Glen Campbell Presbyte rian church, and Mr. S ixtou, of Smithport, led in prayer. After some opening remarks along the line indicated above the chairman introduced Mr. A. W. StevensoD, who had been preaching for two Sabbaths in the Bear Run Covenanter church. During his brief stay in this neighborhood, he bad visited every school in the township, as well as the schools in the borough of Glen Campbell, and had addressed the pupils of t'-e various grades cn such questions as, '‘Why Do We Have the Public Schools?” “What Is the Object in the School—to Learn How to Be Smart, or to Lay the Foundation of Character?” “Truthfulness, Honesty and Reverence for God as the Basis for Good Citizenship,” and “True Worth Is iu What You Are; Not in v- -.at You Seem to Be.” These talks were illustrated by anecdote to make the truth easily understood by even the youngest child ' And bo iu the address given on this evening by Mr. Stevenson, the theme turned on “What Is True Education?” It inu?.r. include the training of all the powers that God has given to man. The conscience is tbe regulative faculty and must be trained as well as all the other powers and faculties of tbe mind. Otherwise, education becomesdefective—one-sided. This is what makesthe differeuce between two men. They maybe equal in iheir accomplishments and powers in other ways but cue man is a good man aDd, therefore, a good citizen. The other man is dishonest and untruthful. He cannot be trusted, and hence is not a good citizen. One man is very skillful in the use of his fingeis and in his powers of imitation— a skillful engraver—but he turns bis attention to tbe copviDg of bank notes. He is a counterfeiter and finds bis way behind prison bars. Another is skillful at adding up figures, good in arithmetic, and ie a trusted bank clerk. But, as in the other case, he is lacking in integrity. After a time, people discover that the bank was wrecked, and he finds himself in the penitentiary. What was lacking was the true basis of character. Education in these cases only made these men more dangerous enemies to the state. Oar fathers recognized tbis truth and gave it noble expression in the ordinance of 1781 for the government of the Territory of the Northwest, which provided article 3—‘Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government, schools and the means Of education shall be forever encouraged. ” This provision was afterward incorporated into tbe constitutions of some of the states which were carved out of that territory. This language also declares fairly the settled purpose of the nation through all herIiSouth America, compared with the wonderful system in our owd country. He said,“It is this gTand old Word ot God. that has made the difference. The Puritans, who came over in tbe Mayflower, and tbe Scotch* Irish settlers and their descendants were not ashamed of the bible. They were not ashamed to teach it in the first schools they established. That is what makes t he difference between our country and Chili today.The bible must continue to be honored in our schools if we are to continue a stable nation, to continue as a Christian nation.7’ The speaker then addressed bis appeal to four classeB in the audience. He appealed to those who were still in the schools as scholars, to the parents and those who have charge of the children’s instruction in tbe home, to see to it that the bible is honored. Then to tbe teachers and school directors be appealed to make more of the bible reading than a mere perfunctory exercise in the morning, to secure reverent attention and to call attention to the beauty of the passages read, and, perhaps, to call for the reading of certain passages over again as a means to secure this end. It is not the teacheris business to preach on a text, nor, necessarily, to make much comment but simply to see that the Word is read with intelligence and reverence, and with dae appreciation of the promises of God and of the rewaid promised to those who honor Him. Also, the TenCommandmentB should be committed to memory. Just within this week the speaker said he had heard one citizen of that very community who had never learned the Com-1mandments, aud, when one of the things which is forbidden was mentioned, say that he had never known before that that was forbidden in the Commandments. The state shotfld see to it that such ignorance does not exist among its citizens. In conclusion, the speaker put the question whether any one who was not a Christian in bis or her life and conduct could rightly be appointed as a teacher in the public schools, when such momentous interests are involved. It was not only a question as to whether they bad a diploma or a teacher’s certificate but whether their influence would be helpful iu the upbuilding of character. More than that he put the question whether any man who was known to be irreligious, who was a profane man, a scoffer at religion and pure things, should ever be elected to have the direction of anch important work aB is to be done by the teachers in our schools.The chairman, Mr. Weitzel, iu conclusion, enforced, with great emphasis, all that had been said by the preceding speaker, after which the following resolutions weie submitted by Mr. John C. Fry, as expressing the sentiment of the meeting, aud they were unanimously adopted by a rising vote.“Having gathered as a conference of citizens and teachers of Indiana county to dis cuss the relation ofonr public schools to the cause of good citizenship, we adopt tbe following resolutions:“1. That, in view of the vastness of our system of public education, laying bold as it does of every child in the commonwealth and in the nation at the formative period ot life, we recognize the great importance cl this branch of our public instructions as a training school iu morals for our future citizens.VilKTOrV.Recognizing that tie true baBia of good citiz-nabip mu?t be Christian morality, a. d Unit only a gool man can be a good Citizen, we record it as our jadgment that the only true aim in any education is the forming of character. It is to so educate the pupils that they will reverence the name of God and keep His commanlments as well as to educate tbe biain.“3. We therefore urge all school directors, not only oi this township, but throughout the county to give increased attention to the place to be given to moral training.“4. That this moral training should be based upon the bible, and we express it aF our judgment that the bible should be used as a reading book in the school course, as if done in some of our townships.“5. We recommend that the teachersform a local institute iu this township foi the discussion of this and similar question! concerning our public education, and tha our school directors co-operate in this mat ter. John C. Fby,•Secretary.”L ,1
Newspaper Details
Indiana Progress
Indiana, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Oct 10, 1900
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
St C.
MO, USA 01 May 2018
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