The Duty of American Women to Their Country

by Catharine Esther Beecher

In cases where the morals of a school are very bad, it will be wise for a teacher to let many things pass unnoticed that in a better community he would reprove.

Some one, two, or three rules of duty can be presented at a time, and diligent efforts be made to remedy habits which violate these rules. When some gain has been made on these points, then one or two more can be added, and thus a gradual advance will secure far more success than attempting everything at once.

There are many ways of rendering the Bible interesting to children, which should, if possible, be introduced into common schools. Some of these will be mentioned.

When reading the historical parts of the Old or New Testament, a large map of Palestine and the other countries spoken of in the Bible, should be suspended before the school, and all the places mentioned be pointed out. There are large maps of this kind to be obtained of the Sunday-school Union.

There is also a cheap chart of history prepared by a Mr. Lyman, which is most excellent for aiding in the study both of sacred and profane history. It is so made that it can be hung conveniently around the wall of a schoolroom, and is so large, that children can read the names and events while sitting in their seats.

Besides these articles, there are large drawings to be obtained of the tabernacle and all the articles spoken of in the Pentateuch, and others, also, that illustrate the manners and customs, dress, furniture, and dwellings of the Israelites, and the scenery of Palestine. These pictures, employed to illustrate the history of the Bible, would give wonderful interest to the exercise of reading it. It is hoped that, ere long, gentlemen of wealth will begin to endow common schools with such useful apparatus, instead of confining their benefactions exclusively to higher seminaries.

In reading the Bible in schools, the following method will be found to be both useful and interesting: Let the teacher, by the aid of Townsend’s Bible, arrange a regular course of Bible history chronologically, selecting only such chapters as will carry on a connected and complete history. This can be read aloud by the children in portions each morning; and by the aid of the maps, pictures, and charts, a vivid interest can be imparted to the exercise, while, at the same time, opportunities will be given to the teacher to notice incidents that convey moral instruction.

After this course is completed, then the teacher can prepare a course of biographical reading, arranged in chronological order, and use this opportunity also to point out the moral instruction to be found in these histories of individuals. Next, he might arrange a course embracing the didactic portions of the Bible, combining in one course of reading all the moral precepts; and while this is going on, he can collect anecdotes to relate to the school illustrating these precepts. Lastly, he might make a selection of the poetry and other rhetorical beauties of the Bible, and, while this is being read, point out the inimitable sublimity and beauty of the ideas and the style. The Introduction to the Study of the Bible by Horne, the larger edition, and Lowth on Hebrew poetry, are works which would greatly aid a teacher in such a course of Biblical instruction.[2]

In this course of moral training, it will be seen that there is nothing sectarian, and nothing which would be objected to by any but those opposed to the use of the Bible in schools, and to all religious and moral training. In such cases, it would be proper to adopt the following course:

It could be stated to the objector, that in this country it is the majority that must decide every question not already settled by the Constitutions of the state or nation. That, in regard to the question of moral and religious training in the schools, the people are free to use their own judgment. That where the majority wish to have such training a part of school exercises, they have a right to require it. But in cases where persons object to having their children so trained, the majority have no right to insist on it. In order to avoid this, in every case where a parent requests it, his children can be allowed to leave the schoolroom while these exercises are going on, to study, or to perform some other school duty. Or if this is inconvenient, they can be allowed to come half an hour later, and then remain half an hour longer, after the others are dismissed. No man could object to such an arrangement without violating the first principle of our democracy, by demanding that the minority, and not the majority, shall be accommodated in this matter.