CHAPTER XII
MORAL AND RELIGIOUS TRAINING
Dangers of muscular degeneration and overstimulus of brain—Difficulties in
teaching morals—Methods in Europe—Obedience to commands—Good habits
should be mechanized—Value of scolding—How to flog aright—Its dangers—
Moral precepts and proverbs—Habituation—Training will through intellect—
Examinations—Concentration—Originality—Froebel and the naive—First ideas
of God—Conscience—Importance of Old and New Testaments—Sex dangers—
Love and religion—Conversion.
From its nature as well as from its central importance it might be easily shown
that the will is no less dependent on the culture it receives than is the mind. It is
fast becoming as absurd to suppose that men can survive in the great practical
strain to which American life subjects all who would succeed, if the will is left to
take its doubtful chances of training and discipline, as to suppose that the mind
develops in neglect. Our changed conditions make this chance of will-culture
more doubtful than formerly. A generation or two ago[1] most school-boys had
either farm work, chores, errands, jobs self-imposed, or required by less tender
parents; they made things, either toys or tools, out of school. Most school-girls
did house-work, more or less of which is, like farm-work, perhaps the most
varied and most salutary as well as most venerable of all schools for the youthful
body and mind. They undertook extensive works of embroidery, bed-quilting,
knitting, sewing, mending, if not cleaning, and even spinning and weaving their
own or others' clothing, and cared for the younger children. The wealthier
devised or imposed tasks for will-culture, as the German Kaiser has his children
taught a trade as part of their education. Ten days at the hoe-handle, axe, or
pitchfork, said an eminent educator lately in substance, with no new impression