For there is no theme among them of such perennial interest
and depth of meaning as _moral culture_ in schools. It is useless to
talk of confining our teachers to the intellectual exercises outlined
in text books. They are conscious of dealing with children of moral
susceptibility. In our meetings, discussions on the means of moral
influence are more frequent and earnest than on any other topic; and in
their daily work hundreds of our teachers are aiming at moral character
in children more than at anything else. As they free themselves from
mechanical requirements and begin to recognize their true function,
they discover the transcendent importance of moral education, that it
underlies and gives meaning to all the other work of the teacher.
But teachers heretofore have taken a narrow view of the moral
influences at their disposal. Their ever-recurring emphatic refrain
has been "_the example of the teacher_," and, to tell the truth, there
is no better means of instilling moral ideas than the presence and
inspiration of a high-toned teacher. We know, however, that teachers
need moral stimulus and encouragement as much as anybody. It will not
do to suppose that they have reached the pinnacle of moral excellence
and can stand as all-sufficient exemplars to children.
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