.B 1045 S7 opy 1 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOL LIFE ,l-i JUNIATA STAFFORD voW w /C. CHICAGO. Charles H. Kerr & Company 1 891 Copyright 189; By Charles H. Kerk ". PREFACE. ^ Teachers :— It would be almost impossible to write ^ a series of lessons in The School Life that exactly . suited all teachers or fitted all kinds of schools. Many V teachers would prefer less of detail, perhaps, than "^. these lessons contain ; but I thought it well for me to C! keep constantly in mind while writing the child, the public schools of our cities and towns, and the country schools whose teachers cannot have the benefit of Teachers' Meetings or frequent Institutes. Therefore, will each one please choose from each lesson that which meets your own needs, and adapt it to them? Do not try to give it all, for all of each lesson does not belong to any one class, teacher or school. I would suggest that you prepare yourselves at home beforehand, by carefully choosing and adapting to your class, writing your outline on a slip of paper with whatever of your practical illustration you care or need to add; and then, leave the lesson book at home. This will give _ro//r work definite form and value with- out the temptation to add something less relevant. The book should never be in the hands of any but teachers or the most advanced pupils. Also, please make a great effort to have your pupils commit to memory the "texts " at the head of the lessons, and the helpful quotations occasionally inserted. They will be of value all through life, if thoroughly learned in these impressionable years. Hoping these lessons will prove to be of practical help to you all, believe me, Cordially yours, Juniata Stafford. THE ETHICS OF SCHOOI, I,IFE. I. SCHOOL. ■ I went to school to-day ! " — Where did you go? How did you go ? And what did you see by the way? ' I came from school to-day ! " — How did you coiue ? The same did you come, As you were when you went away? Choose and adapt. (i) A Place. — When you go to school, must you go to a ^QhQoX-house ? What is a school-house like r A country school-house ? A city school-house ? Can you go to school in a room in any kind of a building ? Out of doors ? What is a school-ship ? A plain, bare school-house without many things to work with, and a fine one with every supply — what difference should it make in your work ? Take advantage, or make advantages? Does successful work lie in the sur- rou7idings or in you f Great men and log school- houses. Great men sAx^fine colleges. (2) -The Pupils. — Can a "school" be quiet, or good, or troublesome? Can a "school" do well ? Can a ' ' school ' ' be dismissed, or go out to walk, or go on a picnic ? The school-house cannot do this — what else then, besides a />/«r^ is a school ? How many does it take to make a school ? (3) Schooling. — The dictionary says "Schooling: THE ETHICS OF vSCHOOIv L,IFE. ^ Instruction, education." Are there any other lessons to be learned than those in doo/is / What is to be educated beside 5^our mind? Your heart? Your hand ? Your tongue ? Who shall do it ? Schooling means training — who shall be the ' ' trainer f ' ' (4) The World a School. — Can you get education anywhere else besides in school ? Ivc'ssons in Nature — where ? Lessons in business — where ? Lessons in work and trades of all kinds — where? Lessons in goodness, generosity, justice — where ? " The World . . . Best itA Is it easy ? Can you stand coaxing, threat- ening, ridicule, and stand firm ? The one question to ask about anything is, is it right? Have you the courage to acton the right side ? There is a nght and wronS side in very small things. George Bhot says -"The reward of doing one good deed is the added power to do the next.'' (3) Your Part Towards Others.— («) Borrowing and lending : is it well to borrow books, paper, pencil, erasers or any school "tool" from your mates? If you are ^^r^>/, could you always have your tools in order? If by any accident, you are obliged to borrow, should you be careless about returning it be- cause, *'0h, it's such a little thing, he would be mean to be particular about my giving that back ! " Should you lend? There is a rule of kindness in such matters— a rule of justice, too— can you use both? If you always lend whenever anybody asks you, is it always kind or good for the one yon lend to or just towards those who supply your things? If you never lend, because everybody should have his things in order, as you do, will it not often be mean and show a feeling of self-righteousness ? [b) Helping ivith Z^55^w^—To what extent may yon and your school-mates " help " each other in lessons ? May one do the work and then show the other how ? Is it kind to let a mate copy your examples, transla- 20 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOI, I^IFE. tion, parsing or definitions ? You had better ask your teacher just what you may do about giving or getting helj) and then do as she says and your very best^ no matter what " marks " jj/u will The ability of mature years is often found to be greater than that of youth, when fully tested. 24 THK ETHICS OF SCHOOIv LIFE. VIII. READING AND OUTSIDE HELPS. " Reading maketh a full man." — Bacon. "Keeping thy divine part pure as if thou sliouldst be bound to give it back immediately." — Marcus Aurelius. Choose and adapt. (i) What do You Read For? First, most of you read for ^'ficti^^ — is it good *'fun?" Then, all right. Is all your reading for fun ? Then, onl}^ half right. Second, to leant about something not in your school books. Is it something worth learning ? Is it true ? If you wish to learn about Africa, for instance, will it make any difference which book about Africa you read? Third, to help with your lessons. School books give only a little of each subject : if you wish to get more what must you do ? (2) Choice of Books. — Can you choose a book alone? If a hundred books are before you, how will you know which one to choose ? Does your mother, father or teacher know any better than you ? All the boys and.girls are reading a book and so you read it ? How did they know how to choose ? Do you care to ask your mother or teacher if that book is good for you to read ? Do you get books from a library ? Did you ever ask the librarian for any help in choosing ? She is one of the best of choosers, for that is part of her business. What is "chaff"? Grain? Is there much "chaff" in books? Do you w^ant it? Vou THE ETHICS OF SCHOOI. WEE. 25 cannot tell the "grain " by looking at the book cover — will you not wisely ask help in finding it ? (3) Food and Poison. — If your mind is to grow it needs food — all of one kind ? The body thrives best on bread, meat, vegetables, fruit and good milk — are there kinds of reading that correspond to these ? You may eat too little to keep up your strength and growth — can you read tco little for the viind's growth ? Can you eat too much of even the best kinds of food ? What does over-eating do ? Can you over-do read- ing ? If you read too much and too hastily, if you "cram" the results will be (i) that you will not remember things correctly (2) that you will forget /w<9^/ of what you read. (3) that you will " skim over " a book and never get at its real worth, at all (4) that you will spend in reading time that should be spent in exercise of work or play. A go'od rule : learn your lessons thorotighly, then read what is worth while, and as much as you can reasonably. Reasonably — what does that mean ? Can yon poison the m.ind ? Can you roll a snowball ih the mud and keep it white ? If once it becomes muddy can you make it white again ? There are poisonous and muddy books and papers ; most of them are cheap ; some of them are only a little poisonous or muddy. Your only safety lies in not choosing for yourself You never can wholly undo what you do for yourself in reading a book bad in the least degree- "Skim milk" reading — what is it? What does it do ? If you weaken the mind with books that are " not bad "but as certainly not "good," can the mind do proper work ? A weakened mind easily yields to 26 THIf ETHICS OF SCHOOIy I^IFE. harmful things, and is made strong again with difficulty. *'Skim milk" reading is one of the worst kinds. (4) Great Books. — ^There are some great books that are a help, an incentive to good and that leave us unsatisfied to take anything but the best. The mind grows a great deal in reading even one such book slowly and well. Some of the greatest minds have had only a few books in childhood, but they read them well — can' you take a lesson from that ? (5) For Older Classes. — If you should read every hour of all your life, you could read only a small part of the books of the world — does how much you read make you a " full man ? " Since you can read so little what will the little be ? Reading in the line of your work must be done for success ; you will grow one- sided if that is all — can you be too careful about choice and division in reading? Teachers : — Prepare yourselves as thoroughly as you can to tell a child just what book to read if he comes and asks you. Question him closely first and then choose, deliberately, according to his needs. Read : Emerson's Essay 07i Books. Plutarch's Essay on Readijig. Horace Man7i's Life, by Mary Mann. Consult: One Hu7idred Choice Books. Lubbock. (American Edition.) Putnam's Handy Vol. Series—" Good Reading.'' Literary Landmarks — Mary E. Burt. Ten Great Novels— C H. Kerr (Publisher.) THE ETHICS OK SCHOOTv lylFE. 27 IX. SCHOOL HONOR. " No longer talk about the kind of man a good man ought to be, but be such . " "If it is not right, do not do it ; if it is not true do not say it." Marcus Anrelins. "Honor and shame from no condition ri e ; Act well your part — there all the honor lies." — Pope. CJioose and adapt. (i) "On Honor." — Do yon know o ' any grander motto for school-life than that ? What doe ~> h nor mean? Triistwortliincss. Can it be part o^ every thing you do ? If you leave it out of any wor 1 or act, what is your word or act worth ? (2) School Honor. — Is it different from any other kind of honcr ? Home, school, the world — each brings its different set of actions, should the same honor run through each? Is school-life made up of big or little things ? Shall you wait for a big one in which to show how "'honorable" you can be^ — what a hero? If you have not learned how to be honorable in little things, will you have any honor to be a hero with ? (3) Commonplaces of Honor. — These school gives you. Let us look into them : [a] Can you be trusted v^ith. the propeiiy of others? Are the desk, the black board, books of reference and other school "properties yours? Have you the right to abuse them? Have you the rightful privilege to cut or write your name or anything else on fences, steps or 28 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOL LIFE- out-buildings of the school ? Can you help keep these clean (in two senses )? Are persons who misuse pub- lic property anywhere honorable ? Can you be trusted to carry or '"come across" a note, a letter, a parcel or lunch basket without peeping into it ? Do you ever help 3'ourself, without asking, to your schoolmate's little things — his pencil eraser, a piece of paper, etc.? Do you ever borrow little things of him and forget or neglect to. return them ? ih) Can you be trusted to keep order without being watched ? The rules of the school — you know them all, big and little — do 3-0U keep them, "on honor,'' and when you have a chance to break them without being caught ? Do yo2C stand for the law and order of the school ? A rule-breaker is a law-breaker — is he any less mean when a boy in school than out in the city or country ? Laws are made to restrain the bad people : good, honorable people need no l-xzvs. If you *' break a law," with whom do you place yourself? If you oblige your teacher to luatch yon, do you not take a certain amount from her teaching force and compel her to put it into " police force ? " She has just so much force to give to you — may it all be of the best kind ? [c] ^' Honor in telling.''' Is it ever honorable to "tell " on another schoolmate who has done wrong? Constant tattling is mean ; but if some one does or is doing that wdiich harms another, or the school ; or if the teacher appeals to the school for aid in finding out who has done some very bad thing, is it honorable to tell, or to keep silent ? Which requires the most bravery ? Is there a difference between tattling and " evidence ? " What are courts of law for ! To fer- THE ETHICS OF SCHOOL LIFE. 29 ret out and punish crime. Is one who gives evidence against a wrong doer, in a court, respected or despised ? If he remains silent what does the court do ? If 3'ou are silent about a school wrong, do you protect the wrong doer and thus help him ? Do you owe honor to the lazu-breaker or to the law ? Is it honor or is it cowardice that keeps you silent ? Which is mean, helping or righting wrong ? {d) Honor in lessons. — Is there more than one opinion about anything else than the strictest hon- esty in learning, writing, or reciting lessons ? We have talked of common-places, little things ; but is honor in little things ever itself a little thing ? (4) For Older Classes. — Can you have a hig-h motive for sometimes cheating in lessons ? such as to please your parents or teachers, to win a "scholar- ship "or " free tuition " which Father cannot afford to give you but which "will help him so much?" Shakespeare, in Hamlet, says, " Mine honor is my life \ both grow in one;" and George Kliot says : "It seems to me, a loss which falls upon another because -2ue have done right is not to lie upon our conscience." ( Middlemarch . ) ."Feelings come and go like light troops following the present ; hut principles, like troops of the line, are undisturbed and stand fast." Richter. We hear much of the wickedness of sin : it were well if we heard more of its meanness. 30 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOL I^IFE. X. Prizes and Rewards. " Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling." " The aim of life — To seek the supreme wisdom by the reason and to practice the sovereign good by the will." — Giordam By lino. Choose and adapt. (i) A Prize : — that which is offered, or won as the reward of some exertion or contest." Does your teacher give prizes ? Did you ever win one ? If fifty are contending for a prize, how many can win it ? Do all of the rest get notliing? (i) ''A Reward : — that which is given in return for good or evil done or received ; a recompense, a eqtiital, a return." You have done well or ill in your school-work — let us see about your rev/ard. Reward comes from two words . re, which means back ; and warder, which means guard or keep ; so whatever you do, something conies back to keep. "A recompense : " there you have it again — re, back, and conipense, from a word that means to weigh one thing against another. The worth of your lesson-work was weighed in the mind- balance and you get its worth back again. " A requital:" — the re, for back, and quit — you and your work "are quits," one gives and gets no more than the other. " Return : " there is your re, back, and turn which means turn — your school-work will turn back upon you as you sent it out from you. You THE KTHICS OF SCHOOL LIFE. 3^ may not win the " prize," but will you get a reward ? (3) Best Rewards.— What are the great rewards of study ? More knowledge ? More power to acquire knowledge? Which is the better of these? Will yo>i always have these if you study 7uell ? Can you fail to have them for good work ? Honor, promotion, praise— will you have them, too ? If you do, will you be glad ? If you do not, have you still something worth the work you did ? Can you acquire a habit of working well ? Auerbach, in On the Heights, says. " Our second mother, habit . is also a good mother." We can make her a good mother, can we not ? In school, she should "mother" punctuality, prompt- ness, obedience, politeness and faithfulness in all all ways. (4) Motives.— Does the motive make any differ- ence in your work ? If your motive is high— for self- improvement, to please your parents, to get the good out of .school— can you fail to enjoy your work and make it good ? If your motive is lower — for a prize, to get to be " head " of the class, to get high marks- will the work be worth as much to you really ? If you fail to get these, do yor not feel as if you had lost all you were striving for ? Then make your all larger, so that if you do not " get the prize," are not " Number One," do not stand " 100," you will still feel that you have most of it left. (5) For Older Classes.— Prizes are offered for many things in these days— should the mere offer of a prize lead you to try for it ? For instance, a paper offers a prize for the best Christmas story or essay on Patrio- tism— 2iX^ there any questions to consider before you try for it ? Can you spare the time from your school 32 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOE I.IFE. work ? your home work ? 30ur recreation hours ? If you can, and send out your stor}^ or essay, w^ll the anxiety of waiting for the result interfere with your school work ? Prizes for subscribers for magazines, for base ball games, should you try for them with, out weighing the matter well ? What does ' ' pressing forward to the mark of a high calling, ' ' mean ? XI. SELF-EDUCATION. " He is best educated who sees most differences. "' "A sound mind cannot exist where the morals are unsound. Sinister designs render the view cf things oblique." — Gouver- tieur Morris. Row with the oars that you have." — Dutch Proverb Choose and adapt. (i) Differences. — When 3^ou were a little child did the stars all look alike ? the blades of grass ? the leaves of a tree ? Do they now ? What has made the difference ? A savage or an uneducated person likes the music of a hand organ or a street band better than that of a fine orchestra — does one who is educated in music ? A poor picture and a good picture — how can we learn to know the latter ? Good manners and bad The ethics of school, life. 33 manners — can we know the difiference without educa- tion in manners ? In order to see very slight differ- ences in things we have to observe closely, to have a trained eye and ear, and to study and learn about these things. (2) Keep Yourself Ready to Learn. — The mind grows best when everj^thing, — body^ brain and heart — are healthful. How will you keep the body healthy ? By work, play, good food, plenty of sleep, loose clothing, bathing and using the different parts of it aright. Over-work, under-work, poor work — do they harm the body ? Must you think to find out the best way of taking care of it ? {a) Train the hand. — How do teachers begin to teach an idiot ? As his hand becomes trained, his mind grows — is this true of your mind ? If you train the hand to use tools, the pencil, pen, and needle, is any thing beside the hand trained ? The more things you can do readily, well, quickly, delicatel^^ the bet- ter trained are your faculties — your " getting along " faculties. {IS) Train the eye — to see. "Having eyes you see not" — what does that mean? Do you notice the common things about you ? Can you tell of the growing things ? of birds ? of clouds ? of houses and people ? Take one good look into a store window as you pass quickl}- — how many of the objects in it can you name or describe ? Do this once a da}^ and see if you improve in a week's time. Can you measure lengths, heights, distances, by the eye ? Can you see very small things ? (j) School only a beginning. — Teacher and books can only start you in 3'our education. They help you 34 THE ETHICS OF SCHOOI, I.IFE. to help yourself. How much of time out of a school day can the teacher give you ? What of the rest of the time ? Can a school book tell you all you wish to know of a subject, or only point the way to larger knowledge ? Perhaps you have an opportunity to travel^ — geography awdi history have helped make you ready for it. You visit the country, or some mount- ainous region, or great river basin, — botany, geology, and chemistry have helped make you able to enjoy it. A good school education is a good fonndation — can you build higher yourself ? {4) Use of Books. — Books should be used to set us thinking, to answer our "whys, " to lead us to ask other "whys" about new things, and to teach us about better things than we have known. Should we always believe a thing "because the book says so ? " If a statement appears unreasonable to us, should we believe it Ynt\\o\\t test iiig and 'investigating it further? Let one book be a stepping-stone to others. (5) A Conscience in Self-education. — We have in us the beginnings of knowledge and goodness, and we all have some means of growth — if we do not use them, are we wicked ? If we " lose our opportunities " can we ever regain those same opportunities ? or, ever do as zuell with like ones ? Is self-education a duty to ourselves, only ? Can we " grow in heart " as well as in mind ? Good actions bring heart-growth. If we can not all have opportunities to grow wise, can we all grow good — make ourselves good ? "Perseverance is the best school for every manly virtue." THK ETHICS OF SCHOOIv WFE. 35 XII. VACATION. " Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in every thing." "She had a passion for turning a think into a thing." George MacDoiiald. Choose a?ul adapt. (i) Preparation. — First, have you earjied a "good" vacation by good work ? Then think over carefully what you wish to do ; then, again, think over what of all this you Diay do ; then, remember, honestl}-, what you ought to do. Out of the three lists you ought to make up a pretty "good " vacation. Nine weeks — it is a long time — will it take care of itself? Will each day take care of itself? Yes , in one sense ; but can yoic take good care of each day, getting out of it the " good " that is in it ? Plan, then, as carefulh' as you can, changing and re-shaping cheerfully as circum- stances compel you, but do not be aimless, and do not let what should have been your ' ' fore-thought, ' ' become your "hind-thought." (2) Going Away — Have you an opportunity to go from home for 3'our vacation ? Good ; for travel and change of scene educate us. {a) Do yoio go into the country ? Go with eyes and ars open. Study the trees, flowers, insects, stones and country products, by observation, by asking intelligent questions, and by books with which you provided yourself before leaving home. Learn to 36 THE KTHICS OF SCHOOTv lylFE). knozu the common things. It is a far better way of reeling than lolling in a hammock or under a tree all of the time. Share the country pleasures — do things. Because you came from the city do you know more than the country boys and girls ? Of city things, yes. Of country things, a knowledge of which is just as valuable, they are far wiser than you. Learn of them, and in your turn teach, modestly, what they wish to know. {J}) Do yon go into the city ? Then take every opportunity to visit its places of historical interest, its art galleries, its manufactories, its public buildings. Ride to the end of every street car line that you may. What are shop windows for ? Is it " countrified ' ' to look into them ? Indeed it is not. A careful study of shop windows teaches much. How should you behave in a city ? No one knows you, shall you then ' ' do as you please, ' ' disregard rules or be disorderly ? Is that your idea of " having a good time?" (3) Staying at Home. — If your home is in the city can you treat it as a strange city ? Have you visited all its public buildings, manufactories, art galleries, parks and whar\'es ? Now is a good time to do so. If your home is in the country have you ever made a collection of the leaves in your neighborhood ? of stones or flowers, and learned all you can of them ? Have you ever tried preparing grasses, flowers, grains, cones and such abundant things for gifts to city friends? They are very welcome. Have you ever collected insects, beetles, larvae of all kinds, put them into boxes with air-holes, and the kind of food you have found them eating, and watched their development ? It is very fascinating. THE ETHICS OF vSCHOOI, LIFE. 37 (4) Vacation Rights of Others.— You are having a vacation, bnt every one else is not. Can you give help or pleasure to others? Can you keep from making them more work? Can you rest them by bringing in cheerful accounts of what you have seen or done ? If you are anywhere in an unselfish, kind way, you will be there in the Tight way and need almost no other rule of guidance. " Politeness is to do and say The kindest thing in the kindest way." (5) Vacation Duties. — To give and ^