{"collection":"philosophy-ethics","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_28330/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_28330","id":"gutenberg_28330","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28330","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: History - Early Modern (c. 1450-1750)","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Teaching & Education","Moral education"],"text":"Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Tamise Totterdell and the\nOnline Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n(This file was produced from images generously made\navailable by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n    REFLECTIONS\n    ON\n    THE OPERATION\n    OF THE\n    PRESENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION.\n\n    BY\n\n    CHRISTOPHER C. ANDREWS,\n    COUNSELLOR AT LAW.\n\n\n    \"TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND, WHEN HE IS OLD,\n    HE WILL NOT DEPART FROM IT.\"\n\n\n    BOSTON:\n    CROSBY, NICHOLS, AND COMPANY,\n    111, WASHINGTON STREET.\n    1853.\n\n\n\n\n    BOSTON:\n    PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON,\n    22, SCHOOL STREET.\n\n\n\n\nPREFATORY NOTE.\n\n\nThe increasing importance of the subject treated of has led the author\nto revise an article, published nearly two years ago in a monthly\njournal, and to present it in the following pages. His object is to call\nattention to what he regards a _defect in the operation_ of our present\nsystem of education, and to propose some suggestions for its remedy.\nThat defect consists in the want of moral instruction in our schools.\nIts existence, he believes, may be attributed to the state of public\nopinion, rather than to any imperfection in the system itself. For this\nreason, he is of opinion that remarks on the subject are more necessary,\nand therefore worthier of the consideration and indulgence of the\npublic.\n\n    35, COURT STREET, BOSTON,\n          May, 1853.\n\n\n\n\n    THE\n    INCOMPLETE OPERATION\n    OF OUR\n    PRESENT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION.\n\n\nThe duty of bringing up the young in the way of usefulness has ever been\nacknowledged as of utmost importance to the well-being and safety of a\nState. So imperative was this obligation considered by Solon, the\nAthenian lawgiver, that he excused children from maintaining their\nparents, when old and feeble, if they had neglected to qualify them for\nsome useful art or profession. Although this principle has universally\nprevailed in every civilized age, yet the success of its practical\noperation depends entirely upon what is understood by necessary\nknowledge and useful employment. If, as among the Lacedemonians and many\nother nations of antiquity, a useful art consisted chiefly in the\nexploits of war,--in being able to undergo privations and hardships, and\nin wielding successfully the heavy instruments of bloodshed,--such an\neducation as would conduce to the acquirement of that art must be\nestimated on different grounds from that system whose object is to\ndevelop the moral and intellectual faculties.\n\nFrom the distant past, traditions have come down, evincing in many\ninstances exemplary care in the culture of youth; but the conspicuous\nrecord made of them by the historian and poet refutes the idea that they\nwere common. With the lapse of centuries, revolutions in the arts and\nsciences have been effected, important in themselves, but more so for\nthe changes they have produced both in social and political affairs.\nLike hunters who discover in their forest-wanderings a valuable mine\nwhich shapes anew their course of life, the people of the old world, in\nthe fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, were allured from their\nincessant conflicts by the more profitable arts of peace. Till then the\ninterests of learning had been crushed by the superstition and bigotry\nof the times. In the fourteenth century even, the most celebrated\nuniversity in Europe, that of Bologna, bestowed its chief honors upon\nthe professorship of astrology. But these grand developments in art and\nscience gave a new impulse to social life. Thenceforward the interests\nof education began to thrive. The patronage given to popular\ninstruction by many of the rulers of European States has imparted a\nlustre to their annals, which will almost atone for their heartless\nperversion of human rights. For whether we consider the coercive system\nof Prussia, which not yet exhibits very happy practical results; or the\nAustrian system, which indirectly operates coercively by denying\nemployment to those unprovided with school-diplomas; or the Bavarian,\nwhich makes a certificate of six years' schooling necessary to the\ncontracting of a valid marriage or apprenticeship; or, indeed, the\nsystems of many other Continental countries,--we find much to excite\ncheering anticipations.\n\nThis country--this Commonwealth especially--has ever been distinguished\nfor being foremost in the maintenance of a benevolent and comprehensive\nsystem of education. That system is, we believe, in the judgment of\nforeigners, one of the most original things which America has produced.\nFortunately for the prosperity of the people who derive their support on\nthis rugged soil, their fathers were a class of men deeply imbued with\nmoral sentiment,--lovers of freedom and of knowledge; men who sought\nthat security of their principles in the spread of moral intelligence,\nwhich the sword alone would in vain attempt to procure. \"The hands that\nwielded the axe or guided the canoe in the morning opened the page of\nhistory and philosophy in the evening;\" and it cannot be a matter of\nsurprise, that, counting their greatest wealth in their own industry and\nresolution, they should at an early period turn their attention to the\nimportant subject of education; and that they even denied themselves\nmany of the comforts of life, in order to secure the blessings which\nmight evolve therefrom.\n\nThe peculiarity of our system of government is, that it invests the\nsovereignty in the people; and, as it has always been the policy of\nevery nation claiming to be civilized to educate those who were designed\nto govern, it might naturally enough be inferred, that, in this country,\nmeans would be provided whereby the whole people might receive an\neducation. And thus it is. The true object, therefore, of such a system\nof instruction as the government supports, it must be conceded by all,\nconsists in qualifying the young to become good citizens,--in teaching\nthem not only what their duties are, but making them ready and willing\nto perform them. We should discriminate between the object of common\nschools and the object of colleges; between an institution intended to\ninform every one of what every one should know, and one designed to fit\npersons for particular spheres of life, by a course of instruction\nwhich it is impracticable for all to pursue. A very large majority of\nthose who enter our colleges are desirous of acquiring that knowledge,\nas well as discipline, which will prepare them most thoroughly for some\none of the learned professions: it is a course preparatory to one still\nhigher,--a gateway by which the industrious and sagacious may with\ngreater ease traverse the long and winding avenues of science. Of a more\ngeneral nature is the object of that instruction provided by the State\nfor all, because it is designed to fit them for a greater variety of\nduties, and the chief of these duties is that of _living justly_. If we\nregarded physical resources as the chief elements of prosperity, or\nintellectual superiority the principal source of national greatness; if\nwe followed the theory of the Persian legislator, Zoroaster, who thought\nthat to plant a tree, to cultivate a field, and to have a family, were\nthe great duties of man, we might be content with that instruction which\nwould sharpen the intellect, and furnish us with acute and skilful men\nof business. But an enlightened public sentiment rejects such a theory\nas narrow and unsafe. It is surely of great importance that children\nshould be made familiar with the common branches of knowledge; that\ntheir minds should receive as thorough discipline as is practicable;\nbut of what transcendent importance is it that they should have\nimpressed upon their minds the principles of truth and justice, and the\ntrue value of resolute, earnest industry; that they should grow up in\nthe love of virtue and honor, and be taught to know and govern\nthemselves! Education of the heart, as well as education of the mind,\nshould be promoted. The State should make men before it makes artisans;\ncitizens before it makes statesmen. And this in theory it proposes to\ndo. The highest praise that can be bestowed upon our system of\neducation, here in Massachusetts, is that the leading object it\ncontemplates is the moral instruction of the young. This is its grand\nand peculiar feature. Those who have been and are now at the head of our\neducational interests, have sought, by timely word and deed, to carry\nthis purpose into active operation. In so doing, they have attempted to\ngive effect to the law which expressly ordains that \"all instructors of\nyouth shall exert their best endeavors to impress on the minds of\nchildren and youth committed to their care and instruction, the\nprinciples of piety, justice, and a sacred regard to truth, love to\ntheir country, humanity and universal benevolence, sobriety, industry\nand frugality, chastity, moderation and temperance, and those other\nvirtues which are the ornament of human society, and the basis upon\nwhich a republican constitution is founded; and it shall be the duty of\nsuch instructors to endeavor to lead their pupils, as their ages and\ncapacities will admit, into a clear understanding of the tendency of the\nabove-mentioned virtues.\" (Rev. Stat. chap. 23, Sec. 7.)\n\nNobody, probably, at this day believes, that, in cherishing principles\nof this nature, the law which creates this system is visionary or\nimpracticable. All are ready to admit, that the human heart needs\nthe influence of moral discipline. Yet such is the nature of our\nsocial existence that there is a great tendency to postpone its\napplication,--to let it depend upon contingencies. When nearly all of\nthe good or evil that we can possibly do has been done,--after\ntemptations have been resisted or yielded to,--after our years begin to\nwane, we then think seriously of moral improvement. Preachers the most\neloquent--for their eloquence commands the highest reward--we employ to\nexhort us to practise virtues, which, if we had been rightly educated,\nwe should have practised from our earliest youth with as much facility\nas we read or write. If a child is to learn grammar, let him commence,\nevery one will say, when young, while his memory is most retentive. If\nwe are to teach him those principles which are to shape his destiny\nin life, and have their home in the heart, should we wait till it is\nleast susceptible of impression? It cannot be denied that too much\nindifference prevails on this subject. We are apt to shut our eyes to\nthe evils which arise from imperfect education, so long as they do not\naffect our personal interest. Victims of depraved appetites and passions\nwe take charge of, not out of regard for them, or the circumstances\nwhich have induced their guilt, but for our own protection. When a man\nsunk in crime is held up to public gaze, nearly the same feeling is\nexcited which actuates boys who follow with noisy jests a drunken woman.\nRarely do we stop to inquire, why, if wrong influences had been brought\nto bear upon our characters, we should not have been as bad. Unless such\ninstruction be promoted, many who are now unconcerned for the\nmisfortunes of others will themselves ask for compassion. \"Surely there\nwill come a time,\" says Dr. Johnson with truthful energy, \"when he who\nlaughs at wickedness in his companion _shall start from it in his\nchild_.\"\n\nNow, the only sure and legitimate way of reforming those evils which\nburden society is to prevent their acquiring any existence. It is a\nfavorite notion with many, that, by checking vice here and there, our\nbenevolent institutions are working a thorough cure. But this is not\nso. While we furnish subsistence to those whom intemperance and idleness\nhave brought to destitution,--while we erect asylums where reason may be\nrestored to the shattered mind,--while we enlarge prisons in which to\npunish the violators of the law,--we should remember that some endeavors\nshould be made to prevent others from requiring the same charities, and\nincurring the same penalties. Instead of standing merely by the fatal\nshoal to rescue the sinking crew, we should raise a warning signal to\navert future shipwrecks.\n\nAll experience shows that, to operate successfully, this branch of\neducation must be early attended to. True it is, that, just as 'the twig\nis bent, the tree's inclined;' and true it is, that on the discipline of\nchildhood depends the moral character of manhood. The tree in the\nforest, after it has grown to a considerable height, may yet be bent\nfrom its natural course, and, by long-continued force, be made to grow\nin a different direction; but that change will not be permanent. When\nthe power which turned its course is withdrawn, every breeze and every\ntempest that shake its branches will aid it in gradually assuming its\noriginal position, till hardly a trace of that power which attempted to\nguide its growth can be perceived. There may be some who would neglect\nthat moral influence on the young which is necessary, trusting in the\ndelusive expectation, that the law will keep them in the right path;\nthat the example of punishment, the terror of the gallows, the prison,\nor the penitentiary, will prevent the commission of crime. But let us\nnot wait for the saving influence of these things; for they are but\nchecks which often render the next outbreak more alarming. The force of\npunishment will be found to resemble the application of power in\nchanging the growth of the tree: weeks, years of confinement, will not\neffect a complete reformation in the offender. His life may seem to be\nchanged, his habits reformed; but, as he goes out to mingle again with\nthe world, as one occasion after another presents itself to him, his\nformer passions begin to revive, those early impressions take possession\nof him, and he becomes the same that he was originally, only that his\ndegraded position renders him far less able to resist the temptation to\ndo wrong. Impressions and habits acquired in youth are proverbially\nlasting. With characteristic eloquence and fervor has Lord Brougham\nillustrated the peculiar importance of early training. In a Speech\ndelivered in the House of Lords in 1835 upon one of those measures which\nhave conferred so much glory on his name as well as benefit upon his\ncountrymen, he said, \"If at a very early age a system of instruction is\npursued by which a certain degree of independent feeling is created in\nthe child's mind, while all mutinous and perverse disposition is\navoided,--if this system be followed up by a constant instruction in the\nprinciples of virtue, and a corresponding advancement in intellectual\npursuits,--if, during the most critical years of his life, his\nunderstanding and his feelings are accustomed only to sound principles\nand pure and innocent impressions, it will become almost impossible that\nhe should afterward take to vicious courses, because these will be\nutterly alien to the whole nature of his being. It will be as difficult\nfor him to become criminal, because as foreign to his confirmed habits,\nas it would be for one of your lordships to go out and rob on the\nhighway. Thus, to commence the education of youth at the tender age on\nwhich I have laid so much stress, will, I feel confident, be the same\nmeans of guarding society against crimes. I trust every thing to\nhabit,--habit, upon which, in all ages, the lawgiver, as well as the\nschoolmaster, has mainly placed his reliance,--habit, which makes every\nthing easy, and casts all difficulties upon the deviation from the\nwonted course. Make sobriety a habit, and intemperance will be hateful\nand hard; make prudence a habit, and reckless profligacy will be as\ncontrary to the nature of the child, grown an adult, as the most\natrocious crimes are to any of your lordships. Give a child the habit of\nsacredly regarding truth, of carefully respecting the property of\nothers, of scrupulously abstaining from all acts of improvidence which\ncan involve him in distress, and he will just as little think of lying\nor cheating or stealing, or running in debt, as of rushing into an\nelement in which he cannot breathe.\"\n\nThe thought may strike some, however, that children can receive moral\ndiscipline at home; that parents are best enabled to understand the\ndisposition of their children, and can consequently apply the requisite\ntraining with more success than any one else; and, most of all, because\nit is their especial duty so to do. So we might say, with almost as much\nreason, that parents could teach their children the elementary branches\nof knowledge; in the first place, because it is in their province to\nknow the peculiar turn of mind possessed by their children, and also for\nthe equally plausible reason, that they are under a great obligation to\neducate them. Now, there is much truth in the observation of Seneca's,\nthat people carry their neighbors' faults in a bag before them, which\nare easily to be seen, and their own behind them unseen; and, without\ndoing parents too much injustice, we may say that they are inclined to\ncarry the failings of their children tied up with their own. The fact\nis, generally speaking, parents are so confident that their children do\nnot lack in honesty and integrity, at a time when these principles\nshould be forcibly impressed upon them, that they let the occasion for\nmoral training pass until bad habits are deeply rooted in their\ncharacter. There are, we know, many cheering exceptions; yet, if moral\ninstruction is neglected in the school, to a majority of the scholars\nthat neglect will nowhere be provided for, until some bad results have\nensued.\n\nTo carry out, then, the primal purpose of our system of education,\ninstructors should seek to mould the character of their pupils.\nSupervisors and committee-men should require a faithful discharge of\nthis trust. When they come to examine the school, if the standard of\nintellectual attainments is not so high as might be desirable, they\nshould yet bear testimony to its advancement, if they find that those\n\"virtues which adorn life\" have been held up in all their attractiveness\nto the imitation of the pupil.\n\nThus have we seen that the system itself contemplates the culture of the\nheart as well as the mind; and that it is wise, practical, and just in\ndoing so. We now propose to show that this object is generally\ndisregarded, if not entirely lost sight of, in our common schools; and\nto illustrate, if possible, the means whereby it can be more completely\ncarried into operation. In the first place, the present state of society\ntestifies to a neglect somewhere of inculcating habits of rectitude.\nThere is a want of CONSCIENCE in the community. The prevalence of crime,\nas seen by the returns of public prosecutors and magistrates, is but a\nsmall part of the evidence of this fact. We might as well judge of a\nman's wealth by his dress, as to form an opinion on public morals by the\nnumber of punishable offences committed. And, indeed, the records of\ncourts furnish but incomplete evidence of the number of punishable\noffences actually committed; for where one criminal is brought to the\nbar of justice, ten escape detection. We have the authority of a very\neminent Judge for this remark. But there are wrongs which are not\npunishable by the law, being too small and undefinable for its\ncognizance. It is the bad faith which enters into contracts, and\ndeceives the honest purchaser, or dupes the confiding vendor; the\nbaseness which conspires to wink down credit; the avarice which greedily\ntakes advantage of poverty, or the craft which converts it into a weapon\nof fraud; the scandal which sets neighbor against neighbor; the fretful\nharshness which clouds the domestic fireside; the ingratitude which\nspurns parental influence; the selfishness which would trade in\nprinciples, and bargain away public measures for private gain,--these,\nand such as these, are the conclusive proofs of public vice. Even the\ndeplorable appearances which penury exhibits are counterfeited, and we\nhesitate to give alms lest we should encourage an impostor. The\nbenevolent man distrusts the beggar who asks for a night's lodging, and\nturns him away, fearful that he might prove an assassin or a robber; or\nhe reluctantly calls him back, lest he should revenge himself by burning\nhis barn. There are common symptoms which show a patient's sickness,\nthough they do not indicate the particular nature of his disease. So\nthis mutual distrust, which characterizes the dealings of men, indicates\nthe debility of public morals, and points with unerring certainty to the\nneglect of early discipline.\n\nBut an inspection of the schools will afford us the most reliable\nevidence on this subject. From the system of instruction now pursued in\nour best common schools, a scholar of ordinary capacity is enabled to\nbecome a good reader, writer, and speller; to acquire a very good\nknowledge of geography and arithmetic, and a little insight into natural\nphilosophy, physiology, grammar, and history, as well as to gain some\nhabits of order and correct deportment. It is true also that in some\nschools considerable efforts are bestowed on moral culture: this,\nhowever, depends upon the peculiar character of the teacher. Yet it\ncannot be denied, that intellectual improvement is treated as of\nparamount importance; and that, if any attempts are made at moral\ntraining, they are purely incidental; being considered collateral to the\nother lessons. Surely no one will think of reproaching teachers for this\ncondition of things; for they are governed by the public opinion of the\ndistrict or town they teach in, as much as the statesman is governed by\nthe public opinion of the country. The voice of the district is silent\non the subject. The committee who examined or engaged them did not\nallude to that part of their duty, or inquire into their qualifications\nfor discharging it. If the teacher goes through the term in harmony, and\nsucceeds in advancing his pupils in an ordinary degree in the common\nbranches, he is acknowledged to have accomplished his entire duty.\n\nIn attempting to show the manner in which the right development of\ncharacter may be blended with the development of the mental faculties,\nit might be proper to advert to the method a teacher could pursue with\nthe greatest success. A very imperfect idea only of any policy can be\ngiven, inasmuch as the duty must be left to his own discretion. No set\nplan can be adhered to; neither could text-books be used to advantage.\nHe should not have an appointed time for such an exercise, nor resort to\nformal lectures, nor rely upon the studied maxims which moralists have\nframed in the closet, nor depend upon the stereotyped precepts of\nphilosophers. As the sentiments he inculcates are addressed to the\nheart, so also from the heart should they spring. Every one knows that\nthe events which transpire in and about the school-room furnish too\nfrequent opportunities for this species of instruction. These acts of\nturpitude he should heed, and make the subject of his lessons. Report\ncomes to him that some of his pupils have been guilty of insulting and\nridiculing an aged and infirm person. He might give them time to reflect\nupon the nature of their act, and to decide themselves whether it was\nright or wrong. Then let him show the claims which age, combined with\nfeebleness, has upon our respect and sympathy, and expose the cruelty\nand shame of that conduct which would increase its misfortunes. He\nlearns, perhaps, that a pupil has used profane language during an\nintermission. As he requires the school to pause, let him speak in\nsimple language of the omnipotence and omnipresence of the Creator; of\nthe commandment which he has ordained, that none should take his name in\nvain. By referring to some of the faculties, mental and physical, with\nwhich he has been endowed, let the teacher call forth the gratitude,\nnot only of that pupil but the whole school, for the wonderful goodness\nof their Maker. By reminding them of his compassion and tenderness, his\ninfinite wisdom and power, let him inspire them with love and reverence\nfor his name. Envy and jealousy he will see prominent in the character\nof his fairest pupils: let him show that the heart was not made for such\nfeelings; that, if they are nurtured there, no room will be found for\nnoble and generous sentiments. Quarrels will occur in which blows will\nbe dealt lustily: a few simple illustrations will prove that force is a\ndangerous and imperfect arbiter of justice. If unhappily falsehood\nprevails, let him make haste to supplant a habit, so fearful and\npernicious, though every thing else be laid aside. Let him show the\ngreat inconvenience a man must experience in whose word no confidence\ncan be reposed. The fable of the shepherd-boy who gave false alarms to\nthe distant workmen of the approach of wolves, so that when the wolves\nreally came his cries were in vain, will show that lying is unprofitable\nin the end. But his chief object should be to exhibit the moral\nturpitude of the habit,--the facility with which it leads to deeper\nguilt,--the manifold evils which it engenders in the community; and thus\nto impress upon the minds of his pupils a sacred regard for truth.\nSuch, it might seem, would be the course which a high-minded and zealous\nteacher would pursue in imparting moral instruction. But, whatever be\nhis method, it is quite certain that a successful performance of his\nduty in this respect implies great capacity. Extensive learning will not\nbe a sufficient qualification. An accurate and comprehensive knowledge\nof the sciences may have given vigor to his mind; he may be familiar\nwith the classic pages of Thucydides and Homer, Horace and Livy; he may\nbe versed in the philosophy of history, and yet lack in the essential\nelements of his art. He must possess native talent, a clear insight of\nhuman character, agreeable address, extemporaneous powers of speech. He\nmust be a clear-thinking, conscientious, practical man; and it will be\nimpossible for him to fail in his undertaking. Such a teacher will win\nthe respect and esteem of his pupils: they will imitate his example, and\ncherish his counsel.\n\nNow, the inquiry will naturally be made if the teachers of common\nschools have these qualifications. There are some who are thus\nqualified. They are those who in other professions would rise to\neminence by the zeal and ability with which they now advance our youth\nin intellectual culture. But they are an exception to the common\nstandard. The majority of teachers, however, are quite young. They are\npreparing themselves for other duties, which they consider more\nimportant to their own interests, if not the interests of the public.\nNot experienced sufficiently in their art to excel in its ordinary\nlabors, they do not stand far enough above their pupils to succeed in\nthis higher and more difficult branch of instruction.\n\nBefore, then, moral education can be successfully promoted, the right\nkind of teachers must be employed. There is but one way of obtaining\nthem, and that is by paying them liberal salaries. All are not\nphilanthropists. Here and there, it is true, may be found persons\ndisinterested enough to devote their energies to the public good, for\ntheir daily bread alone. But it is the height of absurdity to expect\nthat men of talent and learning will continue in so arduous an\noccupation as that of teaching for small compensation, when in less\nlaborious pursuits they can acquire opulence. The average pay received\nby male teachers throughout the Commonwealth, as appears from the last\nannual report of the learned Secretary of the Board of Education, is\n$37.26 per month. The average length of schools being seven months and a\nhalf, the yearly salary of the teacher would therefore be $279.45; out\nof which he must pay for his board and all other expenses. Hardly\nadequate to support one man respectably, it entirely excludes the\ncircumstance of his having a family, implying a self-denial of the\ncommon uses of social life. The natural presumption is, that a teacher\nis not exempt from the calamities that sometimes befall men; that he\nbuys a few books and a little stationary; that he is as unwilling as any\none to wear ragged clothes; and, uncertain of continued employment in\none place, that he incurs some expense in changing his locality. But the\nstandard price which he receives ignores any such presumption. In regard\nto the payment of female teachers, we might suppose that a different\nrule would prevail; that in a community where woman holds a high moral,\nsocial, and intellectual position,--where marked deference is paid to\nher character,--where the great superiority of her influence as a parent\nand a teacher is acknowledged,--one might indeed suppose that she would\nbe liberally rewarded for her services, especially when those services\nare rendered in her peculiar sphere of duty,--that of teaching. Strange\nas it may appear, such is not the case; while her labor, apparently not\nso responsible, is often more wearing than the labor of the\nschoolmaster. It seems that the average pay of female teachers is $15.36\nper month. When it is remembered that all the expenses of living are to\nbe deducted from the amount paid at this rate, her real income shrinks\ninto the merest trifle. There is not an occupation in which intelligent\nyoung women can be employed that does not present greater pecuniary\ninducements. Under such circumstances it must be a matter of surprise\nthat we have as good teachers, both male and female, as now have charge\nof our schools. Will any one, then, for a moment suppose that persons of\ngreater ability than they will be induced to engage or continue in such\nan employment, when wealth and influence and happiness point in another\ndirection? Laying aside suppositions, let us see what the facts are.\nWith the majority of those now engaged in the business, teaching is a\ntemporary employment. Some are teaching during their college vacations,\nintending, as soon as they graduate, to commence their professional\nstudies;--they are perhaps our future judges, or clergymen, or sagacious\nmerchants; others are already abandoning the business to enter upon\nmercantile pursuits. As soon as they have acquired experience, so that\ntheir services are truly valuable to the public, they find that their\nfuture prospects are to be sacrificed if they continue longer in the\nprofession. Thus, instead of retaining persons in this most important of\nall professions, we drive them out of it to adorn and exalt other\noccupations. Many of the ablest men in each of our learned professions\nwere once school-teachers: if a proper reward had encouraged them to\nremain in that capacity, how visible at this day would be the influence\nwhich they would have exerted upon their pupils! It is clear, then, that\nthe only means by which we can retain teachers who have the requisite\ntalent and ability, is by paying them adequate salaries. Then our\nschools can furnish moral as well as intellectual instruction; and the\nobject which our system of education contemplates can in a great degree\nbe accomplished.\n\nFully aware that the people are peculiarly sensitive on the subject of\ntaxation, especially when no tangible results are to follow its\nincrease, we do not hesitate to say that the interests of education\ndemand a far greater expenditure of money. The spirit which has\ncharacterized the people of the Commonwealth, in their past efforts to\nadvance the cause, promises favorable action on the subject. In an age\nwhen astonishing improvements in every art and every science are being\ndeveloped,--when nature, in her most regal and opposing state, bends to\nthe energy of man,--when countless sums are lavished to gratify and\nsatiate every sense, how mortifying and discreditable that a great moral\ncause should languish! Even if the contribution which would be required\nfor this purpose could in any way be felt by the poorest citizen, it\ncould not be felt as a burden; for he might regard it as an investment\nthe most profitable and secure,--the income of which would return to his\nown door full of blessings upon his declining days. When solicited to\ndouble the tax which he had formerly paid for school-purposes, regarding\nhis own interest merely, and not that of the public, he might sincerely\nsay, \"Yes, out of my limited means I am content to pay freely for such\nan object. By paying the teacher more, am I not increasing his\nusefulness? Am I not doing something to bring up my children in\nknowledge and integrity? Will they not be a greater comfort to me, and\nmore happy and prosperous themselves? Besides, in a few years, much\nmischief in the community may be diminished, and there will be a smaller\ntax on me and mine to support criminals and prisons. If all are taught\nto do their duty as citizens, I shall not suffer for their neglect of\ndoing so.\" Though the correctness of his reasoning will be admitted, the\nargument in this behalf should be placed on higher grounds than\nindividual prosperity. The benefits to be derived by the public as\nexhibited in the abatement of many social evils,--in the diffusion of\nrational happiness,--in the gains of honest industry, such should be the\ninducements to this worthy undertaking.\n\nIn conclusion, we submit that for reasons too apparent to be alluded\nto, and too urgent to be disregarded, more attention should be devoted\nto the true aim and purpose of education,--to a more complete operation\nof the system. More than the past has needed, will the future require\nthe benefits which it unfolds. Let the teacher's vocation be elevated,\nand advantages will accrue to the State, compared with which, exuberant\nharvests, a thriving commerce, and an overflowing treasury, will be but\nsmall resources. We should form a wise and generous precedent in this\nmatter, below which indifference will not suffer us to fall. We should\nengage in the enterprise with a determination to carry it forward to the\nhighest degree of success. It may be \"absurd to expect, but it is not\nabsurd to pursue, perfection.\"","title":"Reflections on the Operation of the Present System of Education, 1853","tradition":"philosophy-ethics","translated_text":null,"word_count":5688}