The Decalogue

Southland Times, Issue 12124, 2 May 1908, Page 3

The Decalogue

AS IT CONCERNS CHILDREN. A letter under the first of the above titles read at yesterdays meetm o ot the Education Board caused a euum amount of discussion. It came i . ' Wellington gentleman who desired that his name should be kept private and who offered to donate £1 towards a proposed fund to be collected for the yuipose of purchasing wall charts mscubed with the Ten Commandments to be.iun., on the classroom walls of the scaooh In the district. The writer mentioned that the Wellington Board had instructed Us teachers to exhibit these charts on the school walls. The Commandments should be repeated once a week. It was stated that in "Victoria, lieland, and Ontario they were hung on the walls of the State schools and in the latte i State they were repeated weekly. Alter Mr HacGibbon had spoken in approval of the suggestion Mr Macalister rose m protest. He spoke with thoughtful conviction and it will probably be readily conceded that, on matters concerning the best interests of school work genet ally , there are few better qualified to express an opinion which is likely to prove sound when put into practice. ills marks could not give offence to the most partial and superficial well-wisher ot our education system. He stated at Hit outset that he hud as much respect tor the Ten Commandments as had any member of the Board, but he thought that the proposal to place them on school class-room walls was ou. of place. Briefly expressed his point was that the moral system which the Commandments connoted was part of everyone’s ethical belief in these days. lie reminded the members that schools were composed of little boys and Sir's, and to have records an the walls forbidding crimes the abhorrence of which was part an d parcel of our moral nature seemed to him a crude and clumsy way ot inculcating morality in small childion. Admitted that the Commandments were the foundation of morality (this in answer to an Interruption by Mr Mac Gibbon) It was not necessary to dig deep down below the foundation. bnrely we could teach little children that it was •wrong to steal without associating the thing with murder and adultery. Ho moved that the letter be simply received. Mr Mac Gibbon argued that music and science were taught by means of charts and it was well to place betore the children what was the basis of our morality. He went on to urge that there was no sectarianism contained in the Ten Commandments. Mr Thompson agreed with Mr .watallster that the Commandments wore part and parcel of our moral nature and ha would object to having tue wall cauls in the infant department. But he thought that there could bo no objection to having them in the higher standards. To explain their significance to the -t'ounger classes was only suggesting prurient thoughts to infant min is. Mr Thompson thought the matter shotted be left for the individual committees to decide and that the Board should put no obstacle in the way. He moved an amendment to that effect, which was supported by Messrs Mac Gibbon anu fatirlh Mr Gilchrist and Mr Crosby Smith sooke in support of the motion. Mi Smith expressed the opinion that some at least of the Commandments would be excellent in the place suggested He urged their literary merit, particuhuly because of the preponderance m them of monosyllables; and a case In point he quoted: “Bring up a chud in the way he should go.” In that sentence he said, there were not more than two’words which wore not monosylMacalister replied briefly. He maintained that there was a place for everything. Music and science had bcenapoken of as being taught.by means of charts but the work wai broken down ■to suit the assimilative ability of the child And In the sane way moral instruction should be fitted to the mental and moral capacity of the cluddren. "Hanging charts on a wall would not hHr.| about a moral revolution. Every ■one of our teachers was thoroughly alive to the necessity for inculcating morality in our schools. This was being done and being done well. The amendment when put to the meetInK was lost and the motion, tnat the letter be merely received, was carried.