From a book called "Golden Deeds in Character Education" by Cassidy, 1921:
"Learning without character is a vain and noxious thing. The great, underlying cause of the world conflagaration which Germany started and the horrible deeds that her soldiers committed on sea and land were largely the fruits of her highly efficient system of education. But, though efficient, it was grossly material. None of those fine spiritual qualities that are so prized by civilized people were, for nearly fifty years preceding the War, permitted to influence the lives of German children. "No trace of any fine ethical training could be found in her schools. Juvenile books contained no subtle moral lesson that should influence youth to goodness and gentility. ... "This system of education was highly organized and coordinated; perfect in routine and detail; but wholly materialistic. It was a system without any attempt to develop fine character, which is the very soul of education... "The worth and strength of a nation depend far less on the form of its institutions than upon the character of its people. Civilization itself is only a matter of individual improvement. Not until character is the true and steady aim of the home and school will this nation become and remain righteous. And parents and teachers should ever keep in mind: "One former is worth a thousand reformers." Can we learn from history or must we experience it ourselves? Art credit: Young Germany in School by Carl Hertel (1874)
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The Well-Educated Mother's Heart
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