THE ETHICAL PROBLEM OF THE TUBLIC SCHOOLS. 3 



is a moral force in and of itself. Its power for righteousness 

 depends upon what it is by virtue of its plan, purpose, and 

 scope; upon its spirit, <,'enius, and the manner in which it is 

 realizint^ the ideal that has brought it into existence. 



It is not possible at present to make a comprehensive and 

 accurate study of the nioral value of the public school system. 

 The method of examination must be inductive, and the con- 

 ditions vary so greatly in different communities that it is 

 exceedingly difficult to reach conclusions that are drawn from 

 a sufficiently large number of facts to make one's deductions 

 satisfactory. The literature upon the subject, and in fact 

 upon the general subject of the public schools, especially 

 from a sociological and economic point of view, is exceedingly 

 meagre. A good illustration of this point is the article in 

 the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica, where, in 

 over one hundred of its large and closely printed pages upon 

 the United States, less than quarter of a page is devoted to 

 this institution, and even what is written is of no special 

 value. Such papers as the articles of Dr. Rice which have 

 lately appeared in The Forum will furnish the basis of other 

 work, and encouragement should be given to such critical 

 examinations of the system; but much more work of this 

 nature must be done before a comprehensive and discrimi- 

 nating thesis can be written upon the real influence of the 

 public schools upon the morals of the country. 



Certain conclusions, however, in regard to their power 

 can be reached, and these ought to be stated in an article 

 attempting to give a judicial opinion of their ethical merits. 

 First there should be indicated the points both of direct and 

 of indirect ethical value, and then the lines of weakness or 

 of positive failure. 



Modern psychology, leading to the study of the objective 

 manifestations of mind, tells us that " habit covers a very 

 large part of life;" that instincts are simply habits to which 

 there is an innate tendency; and that these habits are due to 

 what is characterized as the "'plasticity '' of brain matter to 

 outward influences. Whether, for example, as one of our 

 distinguished writers upon psycho-physics has told us, the 



