ing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes: the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. They are more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter, also, than honey, and the honey-comb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them there is great reward."

"How pure, how perfect are Jehovah's laws,
From them the soul its best instruction draws;
Truth, virtue, love, and wisdom they impart,
Light to the eyes and rapture to the heart.
Bright is the gloomy cavern's jeweled ore,
Sweet is the roving bee's collected store;
But what can nature, what can art bestow,
Like the pure words that from Jehovah flow?"

There should be no enforced reading of the Bible in schools; nor should its use be prohibited by either state or local enactment. It should be left, as God has left it, entirely free. The perfunctory reading of the Bible in school by a teacher who does not love its precepts, and whose life is not conformed to its teachings, will have little influence for good, if its effect be not positively pernicious. It may even be wise, under some circumstances, for the Christian teacher to refrain from any direct and formal use of the Bible in school. Were I teaching in the country, or in a village, where parents were opposed, as some are, to having their children taught English grammar, I might not consider it best to enter into any contest over the matter, or to spend any time in endeavors to secure the purchase of text-books. The time might be better spent and the end more effectually reached, by teaching grammar without a textbook, and even, perhaps, without calling it by that name. More important than the Bible in school, is its spirit in the heart of the teacher. The child may drink in from the lips of the teacher the thought of the being and love of God, and the knowledge of the duties arising from our relations to him, and to each other; and he may receive, as an emanation from the teacher's inner life and character, an elevated religious spirit. Yet, in communities where no serious opposition exists, the daily use of the Bible is desirable; and my impression is, that the cases are rare in which the truly earnest and judicious teacher meets with any opposition.

But the general influence of the school, and, especially, the personal influence of the teacher, may become more powerful instruments of moral culture than direct moral instruction. The degree of faithfulness and efficiency with which school duties are performed, determines, in a great measure, the moral tone of the school. The standard which the teacher fixes for himself, and the standard he requires of his pupils in ⚫ the accomplishment of the work of the school, go very far toward fixing the pupil's moral standard for life. The pupil who has been punctual and regular in his attendance at school, and prompt and thorough in the preparation and recitation of all his lessons for the ten or twelve years of his school life, will rarely fail to become an efficient and reliable man

or woman.

The discipline of the school may be so exercised as to beget in the pupils the power of self-control, regard for the rights and feelings of others, and hatred of deception and every form of wrong-doing. In the exercise of discipline, the teacher should keep constantly before his mind the highest good of his pupils. With teachers of weak moral character, the first question generally is, How will this or that measure affect myself? what will people think? or, how will it affect my reputation? But with the true teacher, the first and great question is, How will it affect the future life, character, and happiness of my pupils?

The motives to which the teacher is accustomed to appeal, will have great influence in the formation of character. If the pupil's motives be low and selfish, the moral nature will be debased. The incentives set before the pupil should be such as tend to quicken the conscience, and to develop and strengthen the moral nature. There is, perhaps, no other topic so fundamental and vital in education as this, which is so imperfectly understood. It demands our most careful study.

Passing over the cultivation of the habit of faith, and some other topics which suggest themselves, I close with a few words in regard to the personal influence of the teacher. There is, probably, no other moral influence so effective and fruitful as that which comes from the teacher's inner life and character. It has been said, in regard to painting, that "the characteristic traits of the artist, despite his efforts to the contrary, find their expression on the canvas. The master-pieces of Rembrandt have been pronounced coarse and gross, while those of his contemporary, Vandyke, are invariably spoken of as the embodiment of purity and refinement. These individualities are noticeable in their portraits of the same persons." The teacher is an artist, who, all unconsciously, it may be, is constantly transferring to his pupils the lineaments of his own soul. Every teacher exerts on the moral nature of his pupils an influence either good or bad. A silent, unconscious influence goes out from the inner life and character of the teacher, which can not be measured. Some have been so deeply impressed with the thought of the great power of the teacher's influence, as to conclude that all the moral and religious influence of the school which is of any worth, must come as an emanation from the teacher's character and life; and that there is no need of direct and formal instruction. The fact must not be overlooked that the inculcation of right moral principles vitalizes and increases the teacher's moral influence. Precept and example are the complement of each other. The Great Teacher exerted a power of personal influence unequaled by any other teacher of our race; yet he taught, from day to day, and from house to house, the principles of pure morality, and the practical duties of every day life.

This subject is one of transcendent interest and importance. The gravest responsibility which now rests upon the teachers of this country, is the right moral training of the youth of our land. Upon this depends the prosperity and permanence of our free institutions. The only hope of America is in the intelligence and integrity of her people. The declaration that "religion, morality, and knowledge are essential to good

government", connected with the requirement that "schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged", constitutes the corner stone of our Republic. It becomes us, then, as good citizens, as well as educators, to cherish our free school system. We should protect it, on the one hand, from the blighting influence of godlessness, and, on the other hand, from the unhallowed touch of sect or party.

DISCUSSION OF PRESIDENT FINDLEY'S ADDRESS.

A. B. Johnson, of Avondale, being requested to open the discussion, said:

I heartily indorse every position taken in the excellent essay to which we have just listened. In trying to ascertain my line of duty as a teacher, I have been led to reflect very much upon this question of moral teaching in our public schools. I will not say, "moral and religious", as the caption of the essay runs, because I believe that of the moral instruction is what it ought to be in the schools, there are agencies without that will control and guide the other. The teacher occupies a more important position with respect to moral teaching, than we are apt to imagine. It seems to me that there is a radical defect in the moral teaching in our public schools, and also in the church. While the higher forms of religion are being taught and insisted upon, what may be called the lower forms are neglected. There is nothing that is needed in this country more than common honesty. Honesty is so scarce that it is at a premium. Run your eye over the history of this country, and you find but two of her chief rulers on whose honesty there is no discount; and they stand out in bold relief. What was it that gave them such a hold on the hearts of this people? It was common honestyhonesty not on the lip, but in the heart and life. A distinguished English writer said, not long since, that he had attended the English Church for thirty years, and had heard hundreds of sermons, but he had yet to hear the first sermon upon common honesty, or the commandments, “Thou shalt not lie" and "Thou shalt not steal." As far as my own course is concerned, I am little disturbed by the effort to take the Bible from the common schools. I can teach the ten commandments and that which Christ added thereto, without the Bible. They can be impressed by example and precept and earnest lessons upon the hearts of our children. In a recent examination of a class of pupils, instead of pronouncing a stringent rule against copying, I prepared their minds for the appeal whether it would not be better to hand in a slate with every answer wrong than with one mark of dishonesty upon it. Their eyes sparkled as they gave a hearty response, and they came up and handed in their slates with earnest steady looks. The teacher has many opportunities, if he will only seize them in passing, of impressing the importance of honesty, strict and thorough honesty, npon the hearts and consciences of children entrusted to his teaching. Look at the importance of it. Are we not doing a better thing for a boy when we impress upon his mind those principles that will guide him to the development of perfect

manhood than when we teach him the rules by which he may successfully conduct a business? We should embrace every opportunity to impress upon children the priceless value of character, that the greatest hero is the moral hero, the man who has complete mastery of himself and has every passion under control,-that he only is the perfect man. In moral teaching we have this advantage-God has impressed his own law upon every little heart.

EDWARD F. MOULTON, of Oberlin: I can not let this opportunity pass without saying that I am glad that the time has come when one of our prominent superintendents is willing and not afraid to come before this body of superintendents, and express the sentiments that have been expressed this morning. I believe that we, as teachers and as superintendents, are neglecting the higher part of the culture of our youth. Horace Mann has said that if we take a boy and develop him physically, leaving out entirely his intellectual and moral nature, we will make a perfect animal. If we take the same boy, with this physical training, and add intellectual culture, leaving out entirely moral culture, we will make an incarnate devil. But if we add to this physical and intellectual development, right moral culture, we will make an angel of light. I believe this; and I believe that we can not make even a good citizen without moral culture. We can not make a true citizen, or a true man, if we leave out the moral part of his education. I indorse the whole essay, and I do not except the "religious." I do not believe there is any moral culture without religion. I believe that we learn all that we know of morality from what we have learned of Christianity and from Christ. Where shall we go to learn of justice, but to the Bible? Where shall we go to learn what is the right, but to the Bible? Where shall we learn of charity and love, but from the Bible? We can not leave out the spirit and the teachings of the Holy Bible, the teaching of Christ. I wish to add that I believe that moral training is a practical thing, because I have tried it. At the beginning of the last school year, we determined to teach morals, just as much as arithmetic and grammar, and we made a place for direct moral instruction in the course of the teacher's daily work. I saw the result at the close of the year. Our scholars stand, all of them, upon a higher moral plane than they ever stood before. Our highest and best work is the formation of character, not the training of mind or of the body; and, if we leave out this moral culture, our work is not well done. I believe that upon the fidelity of the teachers of this country depend the safety of our republican institutions and the healing of the nation.

W. WATKINS, of Dayton: Whether I am in favor of teaching morals and of teaching religion in the public schools of the state of Ohio, depends very much upon what is understood by the terms morality and religion. There is a necessity of exact definition in this matter. I wish to say, in the first place, that, from my own standpoint, I am in favor of a full, direct, and continued course of moral instruction in the public schools. But by this I mean the culture of natural, and not theological virtues. By the natural virtues, I mean, in the first place, all those vir

tues which pertain to man in his relation to the whole collective body of men. I insist upon humanity as of primary importance in the consideration of morals. That is the very first element of morality, and the first element of goodness. From the first moment of the pupil's entering our schools, onward through the course, I am in favor of cultivating that feeling which is expressed in the words, "Whatever is man is me." In the second place, I am in favor of the cultivation of personal truthfulness in the schools-personal truthfulness which is indispensable to any personal dignity, or personal influence among men. I say cultivate it by all means-by example always, by precept at suitable times; but, above all things, let us be, let us act, let us say and do everything in a strictly truthful manner. Let truthfulness pervade the instruction in our common schools. In the third place, I am in favor of the cultivation in the common schools, as far as possible, of those moral virtues which are required for the social welfare of man, and for the continuance of the race. I think that, as far as possible, our boys should be so trained that when the time comes they shall be good husbands and good fathers; and that our girls should be so trained that they shall be, when the time comes, good wives and good mothers. In the fourth place, I am in favor of instruction in those virtues and in that morality which will favor the individual himself. I am in favor of instruction in honest and industrious work in all grades of the common schools—and if any man or woman can add anything by the force of example, or can add anything by the power of school arrangements or in the way of precept to this, I am in favor of it. I am in favor of the cultivation of those virtues which shall make all citizens public spirited citizens-those who take a part in all the forward movements and progress of the body politic. These I have given to you as specimens of what I call the natural virtues. They are so called, and so understood. This is the morality that I want to see taught in the common schools. I want to see that; and if this be not sufficient, if this does not cover the whole ground, then let private instruction make it full and complete. If, in addition to this, theological dogmas, peculiar views of the Deity, of the importance or inspiration of Scripture, or anything of this kind, are necessary, then I say let this be given, by all means, outside of the schoolroom. The Jew is found in all the schoolrooms in our cities and also in schoolrooms not in the city, and, as long as the state of Ohio has not decided officially that the Christian religion is true and the Jewish religion is false, then you, Mr. President, and I, in our official capacities as instructors, have no right whatever to interfere with the faith of the parent, and with his indefeasible right to bring up his offspring in the culture and in the faith of any religion which may seem to be true. We dare not-I warn you not to attempt the vain and fatal effort to enforce the religion of the majority upon the minority. I warn you.

W. WRIGHT, of Rushsylvania, Logan county: As a member of this Association of Superintendents, I wish to indorse the noble utterances that have been made by our President in reference to moral and religious instruction in our schools. I can not, in my ignorance, see the