Moral Education (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...remains a great force throughout human life; but it is far more powerful with children than with adults, not only because of the wellknown imitative tendency of children, but because the child's world is distinctly a personal world. The activities of nature and the order of human society are alike conceived by him in terms of the personal will and desire he is conscious of within himself. Thus the parent and the teacher, who mediate between the child and the universe of law, have an opportunity to give the crowning influence for moral education. t Moreover, the control of children is much more personal than is government in adult society. It isruathe element of personality enters also into_gpvernment in the state. The safety and progress of any society must depend in part upon securing men and women of earnest and true character to exercise the various governmental functions. Yet in the state we have a constitution and a definite body of law; while in the home and the school, within loose limits, it is only the conscience of the one in authority that can guide his action. Moreover, in the state we carefully separate the three functions of government, at least in theory, and make one a check upon the others. We would not dare to trust even a Washington or a Lincoln with the permanent exercise of all three functions of government; yet in the home and the school these are united in a single person. It is true, the individual teacher is limited by the principal, superintendent, school board, and by the law of the community, while much more vaguely the parent is subject to the restraint of law and public opinion. Still, in all the ordinary affairs of school and home life, the parent and the teacher exercise all three functions of government: ...