VOLUME 1.
The Alabama.
Having permitted two days to pass
without interrupting the natural exulta
tion which followed the news of the de
struction of the Alabama, we now turn
critically to some features of the contest
demanding a more careful consideration
than has yet been given them.
It is stated in The Londou Daily .Ae«'s
that the Deerhound is regarded as having
been the tender or consort of the Alabama.
The view is correct. \\ hatever relation
Mr. John Lancaster, owner of this "neu
tral" yacht, may have previously sustained
to the pirate, it is at least certain that his
appearance upon the scene, and his acts
when the engagement was over, made
him the accomplice as well as the rescuer
of Semmcs. Wo do not know, and it is
immaterial, whether the report of his
agreement to be present in order to inter
fere if the fight went against tha Alabama,
be true or not; the fact being that he ac
ted just as, in case of such a bargain, he
would have been expected to act.
The law of the case is beyond question.
The Kearsarge had engaged and defeated
the Alabama, and the latter, with every
thing and every person on board, was the
lawful prize of thevieior, unless the Keat
earge had herself been so much injured
as to be unable to take possession. That
she was not unable, is evident from the
quick arrival of her boats. Mr. Lancas
ter alleges that he was requested by Capt.
Wins low to aid him in saving the drown
ing crew, as if this afforded a justification
for his proceedings. If Captain Winslow
made such a request, lie showed a human
ity not generally exhibited to pirates; but,
in any event, he made it with the expec
tation that the Deerliaund would put on
the decks of the Kearsarge whomever she
picked up. But Mr. John Lancaster took
another view of his duties as a humanita
rian neutral; and, having first rescued
Semmes, and then lied to the Kearsarge
boat concerning him, made off to (.'owes.
The interference, the violation of neu
trality, the insult to the American flag,
arc hardly less flagrant than if the Deer
hound had ranged up unseen to the Kear
sarge while the fight was going on, and
poured in her broadside, supposing her to
have had one. Our Government has a
clear right to ask an explanation of this
net of a British subject, and to demand
the surrender of Semmes from English
soil, to which lie was thus illegally trans
ferred, though his rendition now may be
quite impossible.
Nor arc we yet informed as to the mo
tives which influenced ('apt. Winslow in
permitting the escape of the Decrhound
with liis prisoners. When that vessel had
taken the pirate Sciumcson board, she was
still under the guns of the Kearsargc.
Mr. John I .ancaster says he expected to
be brought to hy a shot—proving his own
guilty consciousness 'hat he was doing an
illegal act. Capt. Winslow must have
known that the Decrhound had somebody
on board; nor is it easy to conceive how
an officer who had been in command ol
the Kearsargc and excluded irom all cour
tesies in British ports, eotild have trusted
to the honor, or good faith, or of
justice, of an Englishman. It *ould
have been quite easy for Caj>t. Winslow
to have detained and examined the Deer
hound. In the two dispatches published
yesterday, the subject is left untouched.
It appears further that those of the crew
who were picked up by the boats of the
Kearsargc have been paroled at Cherbourg
by ('apt. \\ inslow. The effect of such
au act is to recognize the Alabama as a
Confederate ship of war, and her captain
as an officer in the Confederrtc service.
Should our Government not be prepared
to make these admissions, this mavbe disj
•rowed and recalled by the Navy Depart
ment.
It has surprised nobody that the Eng
lish journals should have sought to belit
tle the exploit of the Kearsarge by extoll
ing her superiority to the Alabama. It
is natural that British pride should •be
touched by the del'eat of a British vessel.
'I he inferiority of the gunuers trained on
the British practice ship Excellent was
rather too plainly demonstrated. But the
facts exist, and although it is easy to mis
represent them, they cannot be altered.
There has been no naval fight on more
equal terms than that between the Kear
sarge and the Alabama. Captain Wins
low says :
" Ihe ship were about equal in match,
the tunnage being the same, the Alabama
carrying a 100-pound ritio, with one
heavy 03-pounder aud six broadside 32-
pounders; the Kearsarge carrying four
broadside 32-pouuders, two 11-iach and
one 28-pound rifle, one gun less than the
Alabama."
The weight of metal at a broadside of
either varied very little.
A distinguished naval officer said to us
on Satuarday, before the news of the fight
was received, that no vessels could be
AMERICAN CITIZEN.
more nearly matched than the Kearsarge
and Alabama, that no naval officer would
desire a fight on more even terms; but
that, if he were Secretary of the Navy,
he should scarcely deem it just to the
great commercial interests depending on
the destruction of the Alabama to leave
but a single vessel like the Kearsarge to
take care of her in case of a fight. This
opinion, being professional, and coming
from an officer unusually capable and well
informed, is entitled to be accepted as con
clusive.— N. Y. Tribune.
" State Eights" Rampant.
For weary months the Uebel sympathi
zers in the loyal States have been contriv
ing and conspiring to produce a collision
between Federal and loyal .State authori
ty. Hence the attempts to serve writs of
habeas corpus in Fort Lafayette, bucked
by the State Militia: hence the grave de
cisions of Judges Woodward. MeCunn,
kc.. that the Draft act was illegal; hence
the proceedings whereby Gen. Dix is ar
rainged before Abraham D. Russei. Gov.
Seymour is denouueed and detested by
the oracles of Fernando Wood's "Peace''
party as having shown the white feather
in failing to order the arrest of the T T . S.
Marshal and other Federal functionaries
concerned in "arbritrary arrests," and to
order out the entire Militia of the State
to enforce his mandate. Hut for Sey
mour's cowardice, the Jeff. Davisites among
us believe that they would have had New-
York out of the Union and in the Con
federacy before this time. Hitter have
been the dissapointments, fierce is the
smothered wrath, of the more advanced
Copperheads in view of Seymour's recre
ancy.
Hut The Daffy Xeics at last proclaims
the joyful 1 Eureka ltissound? There
is to be the long-desired collision— if not
here in New-York, then certainly in Lou
isville. Here the gleeful announcement!
"TROUBLEBREWING IN KENTUCKY.—
News of a startling character has reached
this city from Louisville, Kentucky.
From private and trustworthy sources we
learn that a collision between the people
of that city and a colored regiment which
had been stationed there was imminent
The officer in command of the negroes
was ordered by the young men of Louis
ville to withdraw his regiment within
twelve hours, and, iu the event of his non
compliance with their demand, they would
be driven out. Our informant states that
he had not heard the result. The young
men were arming with the intention of
carrying their threat into execution, in the
event of the colored regiment not being
withdrawn. We also learn from the same
authority that Gen. Boyle and Provost-
Marshal Mundy, both of whom had up to
within the last six or seven weeks been
stanch supporters of the Federal Govern
ment, have been arrested on a charge of
using treasonable language. They had,
it appears, resiipie.il their positions upon
being ordered to tin front."
We arc nit advised JUS to which of
"the Resolutionsof '9B" theyoungbloods
of Louisville propose to operate under;
but no matter. In war, law is silent ; and
as the young Copperheads of Louisville
' are arming,' it would not set them back
any if the Resolves in question afforded
them no more excuse for their Rebellion
than the Constitution does. These gents
will not fight for the Union themselves—
they scorn the idea—and they are equally
stern in their determination that the Blacks
shall follow their courageous and patriotic
example. We can only advise them,
while arming, to be thorough about it. If
they were to attempt the driving out of
Uncle Sam's black regiment and get the
worse end of the fray, they would not
only look crest-fallen, but ridiculous.
As to " Gen. Boyle," we consider his
resigning " upon being ordered to the
front," characteristic and appropriate.
Had he seen lit to resign two years ago,
he would have rendered the Union more
service by that act than by bis entire Mil
itary career. When the service in Ken
tucky shall have been thoroughly purged
of such men, Rebel raids will be less fre
quent there, and the young Copperheads
of Louisville will be impressively taught
to mind their eye and let all who fight and
die for the Union.—A r . 1". Tribune.
fcajf There is not a better hotel in all
the coal region* of Butler county than
that of Maj. Wm. Adams, in Fairvicw.
He uot only keeps an excellent house fur
nished and supplied with every thing nec
essary for the comfort and convenience of
travelers, but is himself an accommodating
and obliging gentleman, and dispenses
his hospitality iu such a manner as to make
every guest feel at home iu his house.
Persons going to the coal regions will make
their home at Maj. Adams'. — Mercer Whiy.
A man died of hydrophobia in
Middletown, Connecticut, last week, hav
ing assisted iu skinning a cow that bad
been bitten by a mad dog.
JWf The British government has grant
ed a pension of £6O a year to Miss Mul
och. the author of John Halifax.
"Let us have Faith that Right makes Might; and in that Faith let us, to the end,dare to do our duty as we understand it"- A LINCOLN
BUTLER, BUTLER COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 1804.
t'OMMI'XItATIOXB.
RESACCA, June 15, 1804.
M KSFSHS. KDITOBS: —I think I for
warded my other communication, from
Chattanooga, which I presume you have
received.
I will now begin about where I left off.
My stay at Chattanooga was somewhat
short, on account of the number of Dele
gates, sdmc a little sick in consequence of
which they were returning, and stopping
to work in the rooms or hospitals, as they
could stand it. I would prefer Chatta
nooga to any place I have been yet.
We don't expect to stop here; our wound
ed, are being sent North ; Camp Hospital
here is ready to break up as soon as cars
come for the sick and wounded ; then we
will move to the front. This is a very
strongly fortified place. No danger is ap
prehended. But anything farther might
be contraband.
A great battle is expected, or a surren
der, which will be better.
On last Sabbath before leaving Chat
tanooga. I received a letter from a man in
the Military Prison, directed to his moth
er with permission to read and make what
ever use 1 might see proper of the facts it
contained. I copied the letter and the
readers of this paper shall have the bene
fit of it when I return. This man is a
PennsyTvantan ; has a wife and children;
his regiment was taken to New York to
quell the riot of 1863. While there, ho
was made drunk, and induced to desert by
a copperhead from Connecticut, who strip
ped off his uniform, put him in the cars,
and paid his passage to a certain port. 1
have the coppers name, residence. &c. —
This man ought to be free, and Mr. Cop
perhead in his place.
The weather here is pretty hot. Wheat
is ripening, but the country generally wears
a desolate appearance. The house in
which we are stopping, is somewhat rid
dled with shot and shell. Not a family
lives in the town, except refugees who are
scattered round inside, and about the pick
et lines. I cannot help but notice the pe
culiar appearance of the people who come
into trade; both men and women, have
a different look from Pcnnsylvanians; tall,
stoop-shouldered, fiat-breasted, homely,
&c., describes briefly the majority of the
Georgian; that 1 have seen gathered in
squads along the Rail ltoad—they watch
with peculiar expression the boys of Un
cle Sam coming and going, while the
boys scarcely locse an opportunity to cheer
them as they pass. Hut I must close.
ENOS WOODRUFF.
Remember Fort Pillow.
Doctor Hunt, formerly of the Buf
falo press, now in the service, writes
from Memphis to the Buffalo Express.
He says:
A correspondence is going on here
under a flag of truce, between Gen.
Washburne (in command here) and
Gov. Forrest, of Fort Pillow inassa
• rememory. The negro regiments,
of the late unlufky Sturgis expedi
tion, took a solemn oath that they
would neither give nor take quarter,
if they met Forrest.
They kept the oath, took no pris
oners, lost none, came back in excel
lent order, without losing 'heir arms,
and fougt with such tenacity and un
heard-of fatality, that Forrest is now
anxious to come to some terms as to
future interviews that he may have
with "the inferior race." Gen. Wash
burne's reply is said to have inform
ed Forrest that he believed such an
oath to have been taken, without his
knowledge or order, and that he
had no doubt it had been kept, as
Gen Forrest alleged, that such con
sequences were inevitable upon the
Fort Pillow crime, and that had he
the power to control the colored
troops in that matter, he could not
honorably exert it—could not ask
those good soldiers.cf the Union to
practice all, while they receive none,
of the amenities of civilized warfare.
So stands the negotation, except
that Forrest has already begun to
back down. Prisoners from colored
regiments in his hands, he thinks,
should not be killed (as they were by
his orderfiand in fulfillment of his
threat six weeks ago) but should be
returned to the " normal condition"—
slavery. lie must come down from
that. The treatment given at Libby
and Belle Isle, to the best and bra
vest sons of our Northern hillsides,
was " bad enough for any nigger,"
and the negro has already made his
choice of alternatives —"Give me Lib
erty or give me Death."
Said a seeesh to me a day or two
since: " Its hard for a gentleman to
be 6hot down by his own slave." He
gritted his teeth and looked unutter
ably when I replied that "we did not
propose to allow our enemy to dictate
our weapons or to choose by whom
only they, in their dignity, are to be
shot down." That ended the discus
sion, bat true to the policy of all the
resident rebels here, he came around
ten minutes later to ask mo to lake a
drink. Did I?
BOTH SIDES.
A man in his carriage WM riding along,
A gsily-drtsMed wife h) his side;
In *atias and laces she looked like a queen,
And he like a king in his pride.
A wood-sawyer stood on the street as thej pause 1,
The carriage and couple he eyed,
And said, a* he worked with his «aw on a log,
" I wi-h I was rich aud could ride."
The man in his carriage remarked to his wife,
"One thing 1 would give If 1 rould—
-1 would give all my wealth for the strength and the health
01 the man who is cawing the wood.
WIT AND WIBDOM.
TATTLING is mean.
LAZINESS is shameful.
VULGAR, language is disgusting
PROFANE swearing is abominable.
INSCRIBE injuries on sand, and bene
fits on marble.
A ROMANTIC young man says that a
woman's heart is like the moon—it chang
es continually, but always has a man in it.
IF you want to kiss a pretty girl, why,
kiss her—if you can. If a pretty girl
wants to kiss you, why, let her—like a
man.
IF your lips would keep from slips, five
things observe with care—of whom you
speak, to whom you speak, and how, and
when, aud where.
AN unromautic doctor says that tight
lacing is a public benefit, iuasiuueh as it
kills off all the foolish girls, aud leaves
the wise ones to grow to be women.
IN a discussion with a temperance lec
turer, a toper asked: " If water rots your
boots, what effect must it have upon the
coat of your stomach?"
A SHREWD little fellow, who had just
begun to read Latin, astonished his mas
ter by the following translations: " 1 ~ir, a
man; gin, a trap—Virgin, a man-trap."
"ISN'T it strange," remarked a lady,'
" that the Miss Smiths arc so gross?"
" Not at all," was the reply, " their fath
er was a grocer."
A COUNTRY editor, praising a success
ful politician, called him "one of the
cleverest fellows that ever lifted a hat to
a lady, or a boot to a blackguard."
AN author of a love story, in descri
bing his heroine, says: " Innocence dwells
in the dar't clusters of her hair." An
unkind reviewer suggests that a fine-tooth
comb would bring it out.
THE love of country and devotion to
the national cause is a natural instinct of
all true manhood. To attempt to violate
that instinct is to violate human nature in
its teudcrest sensibilities.
" IT is remarkable that you are always
forgetting my name," said a quasi-ac
quaintance named Flint.
." Why," said Quilp, "it is a deuced
hard name to remember!"
PRENTICE says girls will differ. One
of them lately broke her neck in trying,
.to escape being kissed, and a great many
of them are ready to brake their necks to
got kissed.
AN Irishman remarked to bis compan
ion, on observing a lady pass, " Pat did
you ever see so thin a woman as that?"
" Thin," replied the other ( " bothera
shune, I have seeu a woman as thin as
two of her put together, I have."
THE following is taken from the report
of the proceedings of tlu Connecticut
Legislature- "Hill to tax geese and bach
elors. There is a tax already laid upon a
goose, and any man who lived twenty-five
years without being married could be tax
ed under that section. The bill was post
poned."
A IIOOSIER paper contains an editorial
notice that marriages and deaths will not
be published unless authorized by seme
known name, and prefers that they should
be delivered in person! It may be ex
pedient, therefore, for those who wish
their obituary notices inserted, to hand
them in the day before-liand !
AN old toper who had attended some
polytechnic lectures, where the learned
professor caused a number of explosions
to take place from gas produced from wa
ter, said :
" You don't catch me putting any wa
ter in mv licker after this. I hadn't any
idea, before, that water was so dangerous,
though I never liked to take much of it."
A YOUNG lady of extraordinary capa
city, addressed the following letter to her
cousiu :
" We is all well, and mother's got the
his Terrix ; brother Tom is got the Hu
pin Kaugh and sister Ann has got a ba
bee, and I hope these few lines will find
you the same. Rite sune. Your aphec
tionatc kuz/en.
A LADY with her husband, visited the
camp of the Michigan Sharpshooters at
Camp Douglass. " What does M. S. S.
on the caps mean ?" said she. Her spouse
said, knowing no better, that it meant
Manuscripts. The lady, suspecting a
shave on the part of her lord, indignant
ly replied,—
" Well, it's better to be a manuscript
thanjeonsoript, ain't it ?"
£ rtucationat Uqmrtmcnt.
Parental Co-Operation.
BY D. W. KLDER.
In discussing the subject of the co-op
eration of parents with the teacher, it is
usual for teachers to urge the parents to
visit the school. " Visit the school," say
they " and see how your children are pro
gressing." " Visit the school, and by so
doing, you will encourage both the teach
er and the pupil." I shall not urge this
point. I think that enough—perhaps too
much, has been already said upon it. I
doubt whether much good would result
from such visiting.
If parents understood the proper meth
od of conducting schools, and were wise
in their manner of making suggestions, no
doubt their visits would bo useful. Put
prrcnts in general are ignorant of the
business of teaching, for the same reason,
that one mechanic is ignorant of the trade
of another —because he never learned it.
But want of knowledge docs uot prevent
men from criticising. It is a weakness of
human nature to find fault with what we
can not understand. If it were customa
ry for all the parents to visit the school,
many of them would make criticisms and
suggestions, which would at once display
their own ignorance and embarrass the
teacher. Not a few of them would find
fault with the teacher's rules in the pres
ence of his pupils, by which their respect
for their teacher would bo diminished,and
his usefuluess impaired. If all the par
ents should visit the school frequently (as
some teachers recommend) the presence
of so many spectators, and their frequent
entrances and exits, would distract the at
tention of the pupils from their studies,
and destroy the order of the school. Such
visiting would probably prove a visitation
to the teacher, and an injury, rather than
a benefit, to the school. Besides it is not
really necessary. The law has provided
for the visiting of the schools by the
Board of Directors, and if the people do
their duty by electing the right kind of
men to that office, the schools will be suf
ficiently visited.
I shall endeavor, then, to show how par
ents can co-operato with the teachers, if
they see fit, without ever entering the
school room.
The word " co-operate," if defined ac
cording to its etymology, means, to work
with or, in aid of. The parent co-ope
rates with the teacher, when his labors aid
the efforts of the teacher, and render
them more effective. This implies, that
there is such a thing as working against
the teacher, as when the labors of the pa
rent counteract those of the teacher. I
shall first show how a parent can work
against the teacher, and then it will more
clearly appear how he can co-operate with
him.
First, then, if you wish to work against
the teacher, be sure to speak disrespect
fully of him in the presence of your chil
dren. Be careful to let them know, that
you consider h*m entirely unfit for his po
sition. Ridicule his mode of teaching,
find fault with his rules for the govern
ment of the school, and, in every possible
way, make your children dissatisfied with
him. Listen to the reports they bring
from school, and comment on them as
unfavorably as possible. If the teacher
should exercise any authority over your
children, resent it as an outrage. Give
your child instructions like these : —" If
the teacher orders you to do so again, tell
him,l said you shouldn't." In this way you
will excite a spirit of rebellion in them.
But do not confine your efforts to your
children. Speak against him to your
neighbors and endeavor to excite them
against him. If he should sometimes
give way to angry feelings in the school
room, and speak or aot imprudently (and
who does not sometimes act imprudent
ly?) be careful to turn the circumstauces
to account. l)o not goto him and tell
him his fault privately. Retail the story
to your neighbors; exaggerate it a little;
and then put the significant question—ls
such a man fit to teach our children ?
If the teacher is a female, make the
assertion in the presence of your chil
dren, that no iconut i is fit to teach school,
Make your boys think it is degrading for
them to obey the orders of a " woman."
Teach them to be rude aud impudent to
her; and if she should punish them, go
and make a mighty fuss about it
Be careless whether your children are
provided with the necessary books or not
Send theui to school irregularly. Let
them go one day, and then keep them
homo two. Detain them half an hour af
ter school opens in the morning, and send
them with orders to come home at recess.
i Of course, they will learn but little in this
way, and then you con triumphantly point
to thoir want of progress as a proof of the
incompetency of the teacher.
If you faithfully follow these directions,
you will, in a great measure, counteract the
labors sf the teacher. If you are rich
and influential, you will probably succeed
in ousting him altogether. At all events
you can give him a great deal of trouble
If you wish to co-operate with the
teacher, you must pursue a course direct
ly the reverse of this. He careful not to
find fault with the teacher in the presence
of your children. If they bring home
evil reports and exaggerated complaints,
(as children often do,) correct their er
rors and prejudices, and discountenance
their complaints. If you have good rea
son to believe that the teacher is in tlffi
wrong, goto him like a christian and tell
him his fault betwixt him and thee alone.
If you do it in the right spirit, and the
teacher is a man, the wrong will be right
ed. But if he will not hear you, tell it
to the Directors, and have him tried in the
regular way. Hut do notbfc guilty of the
meanness of secretly undermining his rep
utation by circulating charges against
him, which he has no opportunity to an
swer.
But it is not only in the government of
the school that parents may co-operate
with the teacher. They can do so in giv
ing instruction. It is, indeed, not to be
expected that parents will form their chil
dren into classes, and convert their fami
lies into schools, but they may do much
by way of suggestion and by exciting in
quiry. For instance: You are reading
the evening paper, and you learn that,"
" the situation at Chattanooga remains un
changed." Ask John (who is studying
Geography) where Chattanooga is. If
he does not know, send him to his atlas to
find it. You may ask a dozen questions
about it, as, in which State it is ! On
what river? What is its-population,&c.
You need not tell John that you know all
about it yourself, and only asked him to
see whether he knew. Lot him believe
that you asked for information, (and ten
chances to one but you will need to ask
for information) and John will make the |
examination with alacrity, and will be •
proud to bo the instructor of his father. J
These questions may be multiplied indefi
nitely. A single number of a daily pa
per will suffice to keep John in exercise a
whole evening.
Again: You are reading a political ar
ticle, in which there occurs a word "of
learned length and thundering sound," j
the meaning of which is not very obvious.
Ask John what it means. If lie docs
not know, scud him to the dictionary.—
You and he will probably both be the wi- j
ser for the examination. You hcaran ex- j
pression which you think is not grnmmat- ;
ical. liefer it to John, and if he cannot
give a prompt answer, let him study on
it, and report when he is posted on the sub
ject.
Again: Youhavemadeabusiuesstrans
action. You have bought or sold a cer
tain number of articlesataspecifiedprice,
State the case to John, and let him com
pute what the articles come to.
By such a course you will not only
stimulate your children to greater efforts,
but you will also give their studies that
practical direction, which, it is complain
ed, the schools do not give. And, here,
let mo remark, that a thorougly practical
education cannot bcohtaincd in the school S
room. First: Because the teacher has
not time enough to devote to practical il
lustrations. Very often he has scarcely
time to teach the theory. Secondly : Be
cause he has not the material. If the
pupil is to become skilful in measuring
aud estimating wood, boards, masonry,
&c., he must practice on the material it
self. No mere theorizing will ever make ,
him expert in it. But the teacher has
no wood yard, board yard, nor brick or
stone walls to exercise his pupils on. He
has no grocery ordry goods store, iu which
to traiu his pupils iu business. Scarcely
any man in the community has less means
to give practical instruction, than the
teacher. Farmers, mechanics and trad
ers, have the means, and, if they would
use them, they would render their chil
dren practical scholars, and make them ,
useful to themselves.
The teacher is expected to give some
attention to the manners of his pupils.—
In this department, his efforts will avail
but little, if they are not seconded by pa
rental training. Good manners must be
learned in the home circle. The influ
cnco of parent#, in this respect, is incal
culable. If you are rude and vulgar in
your family, you must expect your chil
dren to follow your example. If you are
disorderly and uncleanly in your habits,
you have no right to expect order and
cleanliness in your children, Ifyou walk
into your house without cleaning your
feet, and stick your muddy boots against
the mantel, and squirt your tobacco juice
on the furniture, how can you hope that
your hoys will not do the same'(
Perhaps, in no respect, is the neglect of
parental training more strikingly shown,
than in the almost total want of politeness
NUMBER 31.
in the youug. Our land is cursed with a
whole generation of rude, impudent and
ill-behaved children. And is it any won
der? wheu their rude behavior aud un
civil answers, are praised and admired by
their ignorant parents and shown off to
visitors as smartness! Is it any wonder
they pay no respect to age or station,when
they are allowed to contradiot and insult
their own father aud mother? Father,
and mother? Young America uses no
such terms. He calls his parents, " the
old man," and " the old woman." It is a
burning shame, that the ehildreu of re
spectable aud religious people, give no
higher title to the authors of their exist
ence. If the teacher make a.iy effort to
cultivate good manners in his pupils, you
as a parent can co-operate with him, by
using your instruction, your authority and
your example in training your children to
decency and good behavior.
The teacher is expected to exercise a
watchful care over the morals of his pu
pils. Here, again, parental co-operation
is indispensable. The influence of the
parent, in this respect, is far greater than
that of the teacher. Children do not
come under the influence of the teacher,
until they have already acquired somo
degree of character. They are under his
care, only for a limited time and for a lim
ited purpose. Teachers are often chang
ed ; hence their influence is transient aud
temporary. But that of the parent com
mences at the first moment of tho child's
existence, and continues till the charac
! ter is formed. It is constant and perma-
I nent. It extends to every department of
| life, and moulds the character in all of
them. If the moral influence of tho
teacher is great, that of tho parent ui IH
eitimable.
Our legislators have taken great pains
to prevent immoral persons from becom
ing teachers in the public schools. A
good moral character is an essential rc
| quisite to a certificate, without which no
i person can be employed as a public school
I teacher. If the holder of a certificate
should prove to be immoral, the Superin*
; tendent can prevent him from touching by
annulling his certificate. And lest im
moral conduct in the teacher should es
cape the notice of the Superintendent,the
local Boards of Directors have power to
remove a teacher, at any time, for iuiwo
| rality.
Wo .do not complain of these restric
tions. They are wise aud just. But is
; it not strange, that, while our Legislators
have thrown so many safeguards around
| tho responsible office of teacher, tlieyhavo
neglected to place any at all around the
still more responsible office of parent ?
To enter that office, no qualifications, eith
er moral or intellectual, are required.
The most ignorant, worthless and vicious
persons may contract marriage, aud thus
legally assume the parental office, and
neither any law of the Stato, nor any rulo
of the cliurch will hinder them. The
State recognizes the coutract—the minis
ters of religion solemnize it, and with up
lifted hands invoko the blessing of God
on tho union—a union resulting in a fam
ily of profligates and pests to society.
Great efforts have been made to raise
the standard of the teacher's qualifica
tions. Associations have been formed for
mutual improvement; lectures have been
delivered, and volumes have been written
on the subject. But no efforts are made
to raise the standard of parental qualifi
cations. . There arc no parents' institutes}
(why shouldn't there be ?) 110 books are
written, nor lectures delivered on paren
tal dudeg. Even the pulpit is silent on
this subject. You do not hear a sermon
on the training of children once in seven .
years. In some churches, on baptismal
occasions, a kind of formal lecture is read
to the parents, tho burden of which is t
" Be careful to make your children com
mit to memory the shorter catechism,"
even if they do not understand a word of
it. But, instruction in that training,
which parents should give their children,
j to fit thera for the ordinary duties of life,
|is practically ignored. In this respect,
tho ministers of our land are guilty of
gross and criminal negligence, for which
they must answer at tho bar of God.
Since, then, parents are neglected alike
by Church and State, how important is it
that every oue should make an effort for
himself, to give good moral instruction
and present a good example to his chil
dren. What a stinging reproach to a pa
rent, that the hired teacher of his chil
dren exerts a better moral influence on
them, than does he their heaven-appoint
ed guardian and instructor.
We conclude, then, that tho man best
co-operates with the teacher who sustains
him in the preper exercise of his author
ity; who seconds his efforts by encourag
ing his children in their duties; and who
trains them to good manners aud morals.
Such a man though he may never hold
the office of School Director, nor ever vis
it the school, is the teacher's true friend'
and fellow laborer.