The Need of Reform in Our Schools
By F. G.
THERE needs to be a constant study of educational methods by all our teachers. We are in great danger of drifting into worldly plans, methods, and customs, thus losing sight of the important work which is committed to us. To lead all our teachers to thus depart from the pure work of the gospel, is the studied effort of the enemy of Christian education. There needs to be on the teacher's part a willingness to break away from any educational practises which do not have a bearing on the eternal interests of the children and youth. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Here is a motto which should be a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. The experiences of the Jews, and their conformity to the educational customs and practises of other nations, should be a warning lesson to us. There is danger of our being self-satisfied. There is danger of our losing sight of the instruction which the Lord has given us concerning the subjects to be taught and the manner of teaching them in our schools. The work which is to be done in our schools is to be of the highest and most thorough character, but it is not to be patterned after worldly ideas, nor measured according to its standard. The Lord pronounces the wisdom of this world as foolishness, and the education which is to be given in our schools is not to be of this order. Many of our people hold with great tenacity to educational ideas which are almost hoary with age. There is a feeling that in breaking away from these, we are adopting a weak and insufficient system of education which will not properly qualify their children to meet the world in an intelligent manner. But our schools should do such thorough work and be so well managed that this idea may be entirely eradicated, and that confidence and courage concerning our schools may take possession of the hearts of all our people. The leading physician in a county where one of our church-schools is established recently said that this school was by all means the very best school of its grade to be found in the whole county, and there should be no reason why a similar statement could not be made concerning all our church-schools. Reformation does not mean annihilation. The purpose of reform is to make better. If the Lord is in the reform, it always tends to perfection. Let us see to it that the character building, the methods of teaching, and all the features of our schools are in harmony with the instruction which he has given us.
F. G.