life, but to life itself; to its duties and to its moral

THE TRAINING OF CITIZENS. 521

Miss L. H. Montagu then read the following paper on

THE TRAINING OF CITIZENS.

Miss Montagu said : Before commencing my paper Ishould like to offer you an apology for coming before youto-day, for I am not a member of this Union, and have nopractical experience in the education of children. I hope,however, that my undeniable incompetency will not preventyou, as experienced thinkers, from giving the subject of mypaper the consideration which its supreme difficulty and itssupreme importance invite. A Conference like this couldhardly terminate satisfactorily without acknowledging thatthe claims of citizenship are among the most cogent reasonsfor its existence.

The greatness of a State depends upon the soundness otthe philosophical ideas upon which national life is based. InEngland to-day I would say that our greatness must dependmainly on our belief in the sacredness of family ties, and inour conception of the obligations we owe to the State, and themutual dependence of these two ideas. To quote Mazzini,in his essay on the "Duties of Man'':—"We have learnedto sanctify the family by unity of love, and made of it thetemple wherein we unite to bear sacrifice to our country. Wefeel to-day that the State requires the home to engender,cherish and develop the ties of love and mutual helpfulness bywhich society hangs together, and that our children are intrusted to us in order that we may train them for the good of theState, and initiate them, not merely to the joys and desires oflife, but to life itself; to its duties and to its moral law ofgovernment." By neglecting, or even by undervaluing theimportance of this duty, we are not only injuring our childrenindividually, but, as far as in our power lies, we are retardingthe progress of the State.

Perhaps I may be allowed to illustrate my statement bydrawing your attention to the character of Hamlet as a typeof bad citizenship. Here was a man who was utterly unableto recognize the principle of life, so well expressed by Carlyle,in his essay on " Characteristics " " Doubt as we will,, manis not here to ask questions but to do work, and only in freeeffort can any blessedness be imagained for us. Behind us.

522 P.N.E.U. CONFERENCE.

behind each one of us, lie six thousand years of human effort^human conquest; before us the boundless time with its, asyet, uncreated and unconquered continents and Eldoradoswhich we, even we, have to conquer, to create; and from thebosom of eternity there shine forth for us, celestial guidingstars.'' Instead, Hamlet spent his time in purposelessstruggling with the mysteries of life and death, with feebleself-analysis, with impotent striving and rebellion andlamentation. His morbid fancy evoked the spirit of hisfather, and forced upon him, as a filial obligation, the task ofbringing retribution on the guilty by his own hand. To thisobject he devoted the remainder of his life, recognizing noduties which, as the representative of the royal house, heowed to the State, and ready to sacrifice its safety and peacein order to accomplish his revengeful purpose. We may,however, forgive the Prince of Denmark his shortcomings inconsideration of the wonderful soliloquies with which heenriched the world, giving expression, as they do, to thepassion of doubt and questioning which is inherited by everystriving, searching soul in every age and in every clime.

But the duty of training good citizens assumes a practicaland serious significance when we consider how inefficientlythe work has been done in past generations. This fact issufficiently proved by there being so many leisured peoplewho are living completely self-centred lives, never consideringthat the State is a living organism, embracing all thoseoutside as well as those inside their own circle. Many otherswho lay claim to culture theorize gaily about the conditionsof different sections of the population, without for a momentrealizing how inextricably interwoven are the lives of thesesections with their own. Others, again, revel in the myththat in free countries every man and woman can live andwork as best pleases them, and pride themselves on theirignorance concerning matters affecting the common weal ofthe nation. The thoughts of these people, who are not badpeople, but who are people who focus their lives towardsmediocrity, and live to be happy without wishing to influenceother people's happiness, are the thoughts which contribute tothe sum-total of the philosophy upon which the civilization ofa country rests. John Morley, in his essay on "Compromise,"says, " It is because we believe that opinion and nothing but


opinion can effect great permanent changes, that we ought tobe careful to keep this most potent force honest, wholesome,fearless and independent."

If, therefore, you are seriously desirous of promoting thewelfare of your country, it is all-important that you shouldindividually and as a body arrest, as far as you can, themultiplication of bad citizens, whose existence clogs thewheels of civilization.

I would appeal then, to parents to train their children aspotential citizens. As soon as you adopt this point of view,the laws of perspective by which you regard your children'slives are affected, and you can better distinguish between fadsand principles in educational theories. You have to askyourselves:—What does the State want of my child?"The answer comes to you in something of this sense :—" TheState requires that my child should have a serious and worthypurpose in life, and that I should equip him in such amanner that he should have the power to fulfil that purposeadequately." You cannot be sure what work your childrenmay find to do, but your primary duty is to give them themoral strength to do their work thoroughly and well, whatever that work may be. One of Shakespeare's characterssays :—" Give me that man that is not passion's slave, andI will wear him in my heart's core, aye, in my heart of hearts.''This, I take it, is the demand of the State, and I would askyou to consider with me the best means of imparting strengththrough the media of physical and intellectual education.

I shall not have time to dwell on other very importantbranches, such as manual education, but would ask you toremember that the unifying thread in all your efforts shouldbe the claim of the State for moral strength. Having onceaccepted this obligation you will try to make your children ascomplete people as possible, developing as far as you caneach and all of their natural powers, and the moral strengthwhich is acquired through many channels will reveal itself ina variety of forms. I will, however, finally discuss in greaterdetail the influence of the moral atmosphere which the childdraws spontaneously from the home environment, and whichis all-important in the development of good citizenship.

Physical education,—The health of the State depends on thegood physical development of its individual citizens. No


parent has a right to neglect the health of the child for thesake of convenience, or in the cause of worldly ambition, astrong physique being the most important factor in goodnessand in happiness. We have much reason for congratulationin the fact that in the last fifty years two important truthshave forced themselves on the English understanding. Wehave come to realize that physical weakness and womanlygrace are not interchangeable terms, inasmuch as a girl'sphysical development is of as supreme importance as that ofa boy. In the second place we now understand that physicalexercise in order to be useful and stimulating must beenjoyable, and the detested daily walk has been more or lessgiven up in favour of a variety of games and delightiulexercises. The quickening of the blood which accompaniesthe pleasurable excitement of these games has a simulatinginfluence on character. Moreover, it is a fact that in class-drilling, cricket, football and hockey, children learn betterthan through any other teaching the value of obedience,organization, self-reliance, and self-conquest, which areindispensable in the equipment of good citizens. It is thusthat they learn to carry out the precept of Marcus Aurelius:—

Bring your will to your fate, and suit your mind to yourcircumstances and love those people heartily that it is yourfortune to be engaged with. That which is not for the interestof the whole swarm is not for the interest of a single bee."A very wise and courageous woman of my acquaintance oncedetermined to undertake as a career the organization of womenin certain trades. She found the girls so averse to regardingtheir industrial condition from a broad point of view, that shedecided to secure her ends by more indirect methods, andshe devoted herself to teaching physical exercises to working-women. In these lessons she has been able to inculcate

habits of obedience and self-restraint, so that, when theopportunity occurred, her pupils have shown themselves ableto take part in movements organized for the general welfare.

Intellectual Education. In the intellectual sphere ofeducation, much advance has been made in modern timesthrough the comprehension of the word, " Education." Fora long time, an educated man was confounded with a learnedman, and he who was cram.med with knowledge won respectas a scholar. The old-fashioned pedagogue tried to make


his pupil a monument of learning; the modern educatorhandles reverently the fertile child-nature, and discoversthe many seeds it has received from God and from humanity,and seeks to develop each and all of these as far as theirinherent capabilities will admit. A mediaeval scholar couldwrite elegant Latin and Greek verse and was well acquaintedwith dialectics. A modern well-educated child is taughtsome science as well as some classics ; the ancient respectfor dialectics has almost passed away, and the man whoargues for the sake of argument is regarded as a bore.Much attention is being paid nowadays to the cultivation ofthe imagination. It is the most charming phase in a child'sintellect. It delights his teacher and he himself revels in usingit. Modern educators appeal to their pupils' imaginations inorder to make the children's lessons as attractive as possible,so that they may leave the schoolroom and enter the playground without experiencing any great access of pleasure.

History teaches us how, in the Elizabethan age, a certainunbalanced enthusiasm for correct speaking and writing ledto an acute epidemic of affectation, known as Euphuism,which temporarily arrested the growth of stimulatingthought. Therefore, although my fears may be groundless,I hope I may be excused for dwelling on some of thetendencies in the modern educational system which I havenoted above as beneficial, but which, if their usefulness isexaggerated, may produce results detrimental to the bestinterests of the State. In teaching many subjects there is adanger of making knowledge superficial. It is true that theall-round man who can talk agreeably on every conceivablesubject is most likely to become a social success. But,unless his knowledge is sound, unless it has been acquiredby genuine personal effort, it becomes a peril to the State,because it encourages a false standard of worth. MatthewArnold says in his essay on " Culture and Anarchy " :—" Onehas often wondered whether upon the whole earth there isanything so unintelligent, so unapt to perceive how theworld is really going on, as an ordinary young Englishmanof our upper class. Ideas he has none .... and whenthe whim takes him to sing the praises of wealth andmaterial comfort, he sings them with a cynicism from whichthe conscience of the veriest Philistine of our industrial

VOL, X.—NO. 8. a 2


classes would recoil in affright.'' And again, " Culture is,or ought to be the study and pursuit of perfection and that ofperfection as pursued by culture, beauty, and intelligence ; or,in other words, sweetness and light are the main characters.The State is the power most representing the right reason ofthe nation and therefore most worthy of ruling, of exercisingauthority over us all." If you accept the theory that strengthis needed above all qualities by the State, you will admitthat it is absolutely necessary for children at an early ageto realize the existence of difficulties and the necessity ofmaking efforts to overcome them. The main proportionof our duties may be considered irksome. It should be theeducator's aim to impart that fortitude and self-forgetfulness,which will enable his pupil to perform all his duties withcourage and cheerfulness. It is therefore unwise to discardsubjects of supreme disciplinary importance, because theirsocial or commercial value is not directly discernable. Ourancestors, who spent years of labour in trying to answerunanswerable questions, were less sordid and selfish in theirideals. The main object of early education is to give thechild a strong and pliant brain, which he may in later lifeapply to working the material he prefers. Before the ageof fifteen it is of less importance what a child learns thanthat the discipline should be thorough. Without for amoment wishing to emulate the old pedagogues whom Idescribed above, I would ask you to reproduce in your neweducational system some of the most salutary features ofthe old. After fifteen, when the stimulus for work comesfrom within, instead of from without, serious attention mustbe paid to affording the student every opportunity to acquirethose branches of learning which interest him most, and thewisest economy of time must be observed in helping himto obtain the best preparation for the career for which heis intended.

The modern enthusiasm for cultivating the imaginationmay produce flabby brains incapable of great exertion.It may teach the mind to play in preference to working.Perhaps I may be allowed to illustrate my meaning by afew practical examples. I have known instructors teachtheir pupils to make with their hands the natural phenomenonwhich they are describing. It seems to me that the memory


as well as the imagination are better trained if the child hasto make a mental picture of the islands, capes, bays, etc.,and to retain it until some subsequent lesson when he isasked to reveal it. Thus the child's mind works inde

pendently, instead of obeying the dictates of a more matureintellect. Then again, a child may thoroughly enjoy to hearhis teacher describe exactly the mental, moral, and physicalcharacteristics of an historical personality, until he becomesas familiar to him as his own playmate. But it is moreconducive to a child's intellectual development, if he has todraw his own inferences as to a man's character, manners,and customs, after studying his actions in connection withthe features of the age in which he lived.

Instead of joining the anti-classical movement of thepresent day, I would ask you to consider the merits of thoseteachers who make the study of Greek and Latin the meansof exercising the mind in a most stimulating manner. Unlikethe old Jesuits, who insisted on much learning by rote, theyinitiate the children as early as possible in the mystery oftense formation. Discarding grammars, they show the pupilwhich are the generating parts of the verb, and guide himuntil he has laboriously completed tense after tense. Theart of comparing and contrasting is used in the processand gives the child much intellectual enjoyment. Any premature feeling of exultation is checked when the pupil ispersuaded that even though he can make the verb, he must,by grinding effort, assimilate the principles of formation andmaster the elementary parts.

These few illustrations may show you that I do not thinkit wise to deviate much from the Socratian methods of

intellectual education. Socrates' primary aim was to makehis disciples seek truth by their own efforts; he guidedthem by intelligent questioning rather than by impartinginformation, and if the youths were foolish or lazy, he allowedthem to follow out their own line of argument until shamedby the absurdity of their conclusions. Indeed we woulddo well to imitate Socrates in trying to impress our childrenwith the vastness of wisdom and the degradation of prig-gishness. They should understand that while life lasts theireducation can never be complete, that the seeds of knowledgewhich their teachers have planted must be cultivated by their


own efforts, for finished boys and girls passed out of the worldwhen finishing governesses came into disrepute.

Although I may have seemed to disparage the cultivationof the imagination when it is undertaken consciously bythe teacher in order to render his lessons attractive, I quiterealize its force in promoting the best happiness to whichman is heir. An imaginative person cannot lead a completelysordid life and cannot be completely dragged down bycircumstances. Moreover, in his dealings with his fellow-men, he judges less and sympathizes more, if he is giftedwith imagination. A conception of the beautiful, and asympathy with originality, glorify every intellectual treasure.You can stimulate a child's imaginative faculty by manymethods, especially, perhaps, by the power of example, whichI will discuss later. You can introduce him to the joysof imaginative literature, and, moreover, you can offer himthe best scope for his inventive talents by forcing him todepend on his own resources in order to obtain the greatestamount of fun from the passing hour. Even the most stolidwill find amusement in "pretending games." Instead,therefore, of devoting every hour of your children's livesto the fulfilment of some definite purpose, instead of allowingthem to count on their elders to supply all their amusement,it must be better to leave them to initiate some of their

own games and to encourage them by sympathetic interestto develop their capacity for enjoyment.

Besides the joys of unsuperintended play, it is quite conceivable and highly desirable that lessons should be a sourceof delight to pupils, even though the teacher's first objectis not to render them attractive, and although he may insiston concentrated effort, and may rigidly forbid the scampingof difficulties. His success, however, depends chiefly on twoconditions. He must be sympathetic and encouraging, andmust love his work and think no effort too great in its cause.He must be as ready with praise as with blame ; he mustapprove of questions and delight in every triumph madeindependently by his pupils. In the second place the childmust be susceptible to the attractions of intellectual pleasures,to the enjoyment of feeling his faculties grow, and this mentalcondition depends chiefly on the impetus he derives from hishome atmosphere.


As this factor in the child's training is from every point ofview the most potent in the development of a good citizen, Iwill devote the remainder of my paper to its consideration.For since good citizenship depends on early training ratherthan on early teaching—and there is a vast differencebetween these two conceptions—parents cannot delegate theirresponsibilities to others. You must remember that childrenare unconscious imitators and learn more readily fromexample how to adopt a right attitude of mind towardsthe problems of life, than from precept. It is thereforeessential that you should place them in contact with peoplewho are capable of rejecting the sordid elements of life, anddistinguishing its essentials from its trivialities. Whetheryour teachers impart certain subjects well or not, see thatthey are thorough and earnest in the search after truth,and strong in resisting self-indulgence ; see that they aredistinguished by modesty and refinement, and then you maytrust your children to them and have no fear. And sinceyour children are so much in your company, it is important torealize the dangers of wrangling over trifles, of indulging inpersonalities in conversation, of appearing uninterested in theaffairs of the world outside your own homes, of feigningknowledge which you do not possess, and of allowing selfishconsiderations to influence your judgment. The habit ofthinking may be developed in children through living withpeople who prefer to find the real meaning of facts to acceptingtheir apparent signification, and who have intellectual initiative.If they are constantly in the society of those to whom thebest and most beautiful in life does not appeal, who are onlyinterested in superficial learning, their imagination soonbecomes stultified. It is certain, then, that you are responsiblefor providing the breezy, bracing home atmosphere, whichwill impart the strength required by the State of your children.In this connection it may not be out of place to quotePlutarch's stimulating description of the Elder Cato as anEducator:—"As soon as the dawn of understanding appeared,Cato took upon himself the office of schoolmaster to his son,though he had a slave named Chilo, who was a respectablegrammarian and taught several other children. But hedid not choose (he tells us) that his son should be reprimandedby a slave, or pulled by the ears if he happened to be slow at


learning; or that he should be indebted to so mean a personfor his education. He was, thereforey himself his preceptor ingrammary in laWy and in the necessary exercises. For he taughthim not only how to throw a dart, to fight hand to hand, andto ride; but to box, to endure heat and cold, and to swimin the roughest and most rapid parts of the river. He wrotehistories for him (he further acquaints us) with his own handin large characters; so that, without stirring out of hisfather's house, he might gain a Imowledge of the illustriousactions of the Ancient RomanSy and of the customs of his country.And he was as careful not to utter an indecent word before

his son, as he would have been in the presence of the VestalVirgins."

Besides co-operating with your teachers by creating aninspiring home life, you will be able to give your childrenin the daily round of home life opportunities for acquiringmoral strength through the fulfilment of small duties, and ofmaking them directly responsible for the success or failureof their undertaking. The preparation of the schoolroomfor lessons, the putting away of toys without the help of thenurse, the watering of the plants, the arrangement ofthe stationery, the paying of special attention to some elderlyor weak member of the household, are all elementary lessonsin citizenship... We often hear girls say that they are willingto work under experienced people, but that they can bear noresponsibilities. This weakness is an outcome of theexploded convention that in public life men may act underthe inspiration of women, but that if they commit mistakesthe women escape without blame. Your children must earlyrealize that responsibilities give them a right to live, andthat it is cowardly to shirk or try to escape them. It v/as inorder to inculcate the principle of responsibility that HerbertSpencer evolved his educational theories. And, even if youhave learned more of child-life since Herbert Spencer wrotehis Educationy and realize more clearly than he the inspiringforces of conduct, do not disparage his belief in the necessityof making children work out their own salvation. Try towatch your children make their successes and their failuresfrom afar, like a wise and beneficent Providence. As far aspossible do not interfere in the natural law of action andconsequence, and you will be preparing them for the day


when they will go into the world and act as their consciencedictates, and be strong to take the consequence of that actionupon themselves alone.

Besides endeavouring to impress upon your children thenecessity of bearing the consequence of their own deeds,establish by an unwritten law in your households a perfecttrust in their assertion of fact. If they know that theirword will be implicitly believed, they will not feign knowledgewhich they do not possess. From a wholesome hatred offalsehood a child comes to recognize the value of truth forits own sake, and to honour it with a life's devotion. Somuch of the world's misery is caused by indecision, andfostered by the public acquiescence in an acted or spoken lie.Take an ordinary example, the case of A. and B. who haveshares in a scurrilous newspaper, which is demoralizing thelives of a certain section of the population ; or of C. and D.who allow their agents to trade on the ignorance of theirdefenceless tenants, in order to let their property at fancyrents and maintain it in disgraceful repair. If these badcitizens had been as children impressed with a sense ofpersonal responsibility, and the degradation of successacquired through falsehood, they could not now shelterthemselves under the fiction that business enterprise excusesdishonesty. If you are desirous that your children shouldhave a wholesome hatred of sham honours, I think youshould regard with some misgiving the modern rage formaking collections. I am not sure whether the uncurbedindulgence in this pursuit may not tend to feed an unworthypassion for possession, until it becomes the mania which MaxNordau in his Degeneration is justified in condemning. If, asin your Natural History Club, the collection subjects thecollector to effort and sacrifice, and although affording himimmense pleasure, is never carried on at the expense ofothers, it can only become a factor for good in the educationalsystem. But, in the April number of the Parents' Revietv^Mrs. Boole notes the prevalence of a most demoralizingpractice among school children. I understand that theynot unfrequently engage in a stamp traffic, buying and sellingstamps among themselves, and by cultivating a talent forsharp bargaining, and causing an undesirable prominence tobe given to children with much pocket-money, they encouragetendencies disastrous to the State.

5P.2 P.N.E.U. CONFERENCE.

In order that your children should give honour wherehonour is due, in order that they should be people, andcare for worthy rather than unworthy objects, in order thatthey should not overrate their own value, be careful tointroduce simplicity into your home life, and purity into yourhome ideals. You must therefore be careful not to let familytalks degenerate into criticisms of your neighbours' andfriends' vanities and weaknesses. Devotion to unworthyideals ruins families and states. I cannot therefore helpdeprecating the grandeur of modern treats for children, therichness of the presents that are given to them, andthe eagerness of parents and guardians to gratify their everywant. If children are allowed to care about the showiness

and market value of presents, their capacity for enjoyment isdegraded ; if their treats are always elaborate and expensive,they are invariably being prepared for future ennuis whenthe age of delusions is past. Maeterlinck says : " There areonly too many who think that what they have cannot behappiness, and therefore it is the duty of such as are happyto prove to others that they only possess what each manpossesses deep down in the depths of his heart. To be happyis only to have freed yourself from the unrest of happiness."And again : " We should be as happy as possible, and ourhappiness should last as long as possible, for those who canfinally issue forth from self by the portal of happiness knowfrequently wider wisdom than those who pass through thegates of sadness. One might almost compare the man whohas never been happy with a traveller whose journey hadbeen taken by night. Moreover, there is in happiness ahumility deeper, nobler, purer and wider than sorrow can everprocure."

It is, of course, desirable that your children should joinyou in your cult of happiness, but you have to make that cultworthy of your .devotion by approaching your object as nearas possible to Goethe's ideal of blessedness. It must behappiness that results from self-restraint and from self-sacrifice, and which demands the contribution of all thematerial, intellectual and moral possessions with which youare endowed to the pursuit of some object beyond and abovethem all.

It is indispensable to the welfare of the State that children


should learn to bear difficulties and trials with cheerfulness

and good temper. If you try to save them from every smalldiscomfort, you are merely postponing lessons in enduranceto a time when lessons are invariably accompanied by pain.Whether the trials are the result of their own actions, orwhether they are the outcome of circumstances over whichthey have no control, they must learn to adjust themselves totheir existence, and bear them with a courageous spirit.Emerson says in his essay on Compensation'':—"The goodman has absolute good, which, like fire, turns everythingto its own nature, so that you cannot do him any harm. Asthe royal armies sent against Napoleon, when he approachedcast down their colours and from enemies became friends, sodisasters of all kinds, as sickness, offence, poverty, provebenefactors."

Winds blow and waters roll

Strength to the brave and power and dutyYet in themselves are nothing."

Dean Farrar, in speaking an In Memoriam sermon onGeneral Garfield, reminds us how he learned, in the forestlog-hut where he was born, the duty of making himself aman, and with this object well in his mind he made all thehardships of his early life the stepping-stones to higherthings. After attempting several rough apprenticeships,including blacksalting and barge-work, he determined tobecome a scholar, and secured instruction in return forpersonal service. When war broke out between North andSouth America, he threw himself into the cause of liberty,and became a General. Having secured the esteem of hiscountrymen by his bravery, he was elected at the age of 50President of the United States. The lesson of his life is

expressed in his own words, addressed to an audience ofyouths :—" Occasion cannot make you spurs, young men. Ifyou expect to wear spurs, you must win them ; if you wish touse them, you must buckle them to your own heels beforeyou go into the fight. Whatever you win in life you mustconquer by your own efforts." To Garfield, Dean Farrarapplies the words used by Sir Galahad of old :—

''My good blade carves the casques of men,My tough lance thrusteth sure,My strength is as the strength of ten.Because my heart is pure."


Perhaps the most healthy agent in producing a goodmental balance, of which cheerfulness is merely the expression, is kindly chaff among the members of a family. If boysand girls have from their earliest youth been laughed outof little tempers and vanities, if at home someone was alwaysready to see the humour in annoying situations, the memoryof home will be always associated with the necessity to bearthe vicissitudes of life pluckily. It is for parents to preventthis chaff from becoming unkind in intention, attacking realinfirmities, or provoking undeserved pain. If properlyadministered it becomes a useful weapon in combattingconceit and self-righteousness, and these two weaknessesindeed need to be overcome by the youth of this generation.They can be even more successfully counteracted by theearly inculcation of habits of absolute obedience and ofrespect. The self-analytical child is a human aberration, andhe is always conceited. Until years of discretion are reached,it is essential that a child should trust and obey implicitlythose in charge of his life. Similarly, if later you want himto believe in the existence of greatness in human life, and tobow his head and do reverence when he is in the presence ofthose who even if their methods are not immediately comprehensible, do unquestionably seek the good, the beautiful,and the true, you must from the beginning insist on histreating with respect those older than himself. It is forseveral reasons satisfactory that modern children are not shy,but it is immensely jarring to see them treat their elders asequals, or as people existing only for the sake of giving themamusement. Good manners are not superficial veneer; theyare the outward revelation of a spirit of reverence, and cantherefore be found in all classes of society. The oldWyckhamite motto, ''Manners makyth man,'' acquires newand more inspiring truth by being reversed. Perhaps themost important teaching that home life can provide is that ofmutual helpfulness and of mutual dependence. If you wishyour children to become good citizens, you must by exampleand by precept establish peace in your households. See thatevery member contributes to this peace, and that all are readyto unite for a worthy purpose. If you have taught yourchildren the power of Divine Love, and the imperative dutyof imitating it with reverence and obedience, they will realize


that the best form of praise is a happy and united home.Those who quarrel, whatever their pretext, must be forced tomake peace for themselves, and no day of rest should beallowed to dawn in a troubled atmosphere of home life. Ifyou encourage the elder children to look after the younger,and make them share each others pleasures and troubles, youwill be training them in habits useful to the State, and willbe nourishing those principles of love upon which theexistence of society depends. If one of your children is indisgrace, see that the others do not exult over his fall. Thereis, I think, nothing more revolting in child-life than thesanctimonious airs of a child, who, having had a good dayhimself, derives an additional glow from hearing of hisbrother's punishment.

Again it is necessary that children should treat with respectand consideration the servants of the household, and feel thatthey all are united to do God's will. Children can be furthertaught the obligations they owe to their neighbours, by beingbrought into occasional contact with people of a lower socialposition, and learning that it is incumbent on gentle breedingto treat everybody with consideration and gentleness. Aknowledge of other people's wants may in time be followedby a desire to satisfy them. Therefore it is well for childrengradually to learn that they have a share and a responsibilityin the shame and misery of the world, as well as in its gloriesand joys. I once saw a drunken woman come into the midstof a happy children's party gathered in the country. She hadcome up attracted by the noise of laughter and frolic. Thechildren were at first half-frightened; they looked at theirelders and saw them watching with amused interest thegrotesque movements of the unfortunate woman. At last oneman came forward, with true chivalry, and gently took thewoman's arm and led her away. Here was an opportunityfor the parents to show their children that the woman was achild of God, and loved by Him even as they were. Similaraccidents occur constantly, and without unnecessarilysaddening the young by allowing them to ponder undulyover them, you can gradually teach your children that whenthey are grown up they will have to ask themselves whetherdirectly or indirectly they help to perpetuate any form ofhuman misery, and unless they can answer by an honest


negative their sin will be in proportion to the opportunitiesthey have had for right living.

In a short paper it is impossible to analyse more thoroughlythe important part played by home life in the training ofcitizens. If as parents you realize the responsibility of yourmission and earnestly seek to fulfil it, you will assuredly notfail in your endeavours. Aristotle teaches that while the endof earlier forms of society is simply life, the end of a State isgood life. The law and education of the State will make thecitizens good and just men, enjoying a perfect and self-sufficinglife, and developing the unimpeded activity of their moraland intellectual existence. Professor Worde Fowler shows

us that the disease which caused the decay of the city-stateof the Greeks and Romans was that called by the Greeks" Stasis,'' of which the symptoms are shown in the selfishconflict of interest. Aristotle suggests two cures for thisdisease; the first, the creation of a strong moderate or middleclass in the state, and the second, Education," with a viewto the training of citizens. It is with the second specific thatwe have to deal to-day, for even in England we are threatenedwith a visitation of the fell disease. For on all sides we see

unions of different sections of society for the benefit ofeach against the interest of all. Through education alonecan we secure the cohesion of society and its progresstowards the ideal of perfect justice. If your children arestrong enough to share the difficulties of corporate life, youneed not, I think, trouble greatly as to what direction theirenergy will take. Be sure that every child of yours realizesthe necessity to work in order to justify existence, and theselfishness of living in a community without contributing toits happiness. Then wait and watch. I deprecate rather themodern rage of doing social work, whether one is fitted for itor not. Teach your children to do the work they can do welland to ''look up" throughout the process. Whether aftergoing through a careful training which has disciplined theirdesire to help, they enter the arena of active work and grapplewith the problems of modern life, or whether they devotethemselves more indirectly to the public welfare, be sure thatthe understanding love which you have implanted in theirhearts will and must, by a natural and immutable law, bearfruit in the service of the State. Do not let your children


grow into flabby saints " ; do not let their lamps be unlitand their loins ungirt; do not let them waste their lives inthe misery of indecision. Teach them Browning's verse :—"What is our failure here but a triumph's evidence,

For the fulness of the days." Have we withered or agonized ?Why else was the pause prolonged, but that singing might issue hence ;

Why rushed the discords in, but that harmony might be prized ! "

Show them that the love of God includes the love of man,and they cannot shut the world from them as they are partof it; that they violate the law of life unless they bearwitness to the unity of the human family by helping everyhuman creature suffering from any form of tyranny whatever, that they are stewards of every moral, mental, physical,or intellectual possession which they have inherited oracquired, and are responsible for their proper use. Thenthey will contribute by their right thinking to the progressof the philosophical ideas upon which, as I said at theoutset of my paper, the greatness of the State depends.

Lady Campbell : I really have not words in which toexpress my deep appreciation—in which I am sure you willall join—of Miss Montagu's noble conceptions of citizenshipin the deepest and widest sense of the word. I think thatMatthew Arnold's scathing criticism of the young aristocrat—whom, I think, he calls "the barbarian"—is not so true orjustifiable as it might have been in the time when hewrote. I think that the conscientious discharge of the dutiesof high position is more frequent now than it used to be.(Hear, hear.) Men and women appreciate more fully theduties and responsibilities of citizenship than they used todo. There are the District Councils and Boards and other

works in which so many take an active part nowadays.(Hear, hear.) Then there is another aspect of the subjectreferred to by Miss Montagu—that is, teaching children toappreciate the constitution of their country, and this, I think,is very valuable. (Hear, hear.) I think it is right thatchildren should be taught to appreciate the fact that theyare citizens, and that their patriotism should be aroused,without, however, any party rancour, or being made to thinkthat all virtues are to be found on one side only. And itis for mothers, before they attempt to teach in this direction,to learn something about such matters themselves. I think


it is terrible how ignorant women are in regard to politicsin these days. It may not always be practicable for womento read the long leaders which their husbands read, butthey should understand and take interest in the great eventsof their country. I think that women might read a littlemore in this direction, and I have a short list of books, andmight mention one which I have found very useful—I meanBagehot's English Constitution, This would be a good book,I think, for mothers to read and understand, so that theymight teach the unconscious mind, or rather, train theunconscious mind about which Mrs. Boole spoke. ThenMills' Liberty^ and Representative Government^ and Citizenshipspublished by Blackie ; and Rangland's Elementary Politics,For our young children there is a book which I think wouldteach them something about the constitution of their country—it is Buchan's National Institutions, Then, I think, it wouldbe veiy good to let the children see such places as Westminster Abbey and the Courts of Justice. All this, I think,would stimulate their interest in their own country and thoseabout them. These thoughts seem to rise out of MissMontagu's paper, which, let me repeat, I have found deeplystimulating, and which I think I shall never forget. (Applause.)

Mrs. Wager : I should like to ask Miss Montagu whethershe does not think that children should be taught to respecttheir parents on account of the amount of labour and attentiondevoted to them; and should they also not be taught something in early life of the value of money \

Miss Montagu : Yes, I certainly agree that children shouldbe taught the value of money. I think Canon Lyttelton insistsupon that.

Lady Campbell : I should like to add that I fully agreewith what Miss Montagu said about the entertainmentsprovided by parents for their children. I have been gladto see that it is not natural for children, except, perhaps,in rare instances, to value gifts according to their real,intrinsic value. (Hear, hear.) A penny toy out of the streetis often liked more than an expensive gift, which the childmay play with, but soon throws aside. I think the simplerthe children's entertainments are the better. (Applause.)

Miss E. J. Troop : Might I mention a point whichoccurred to me in connection with Miss Montagu's paper.

THE TRAINING OF CITIZENS. ' 5o9

I think Miss Montagu implied that the self-analytical childwas almost always conceited, but does not self-analysisrather lead to self-distrust r

Mrs. Gray : I have always found that the child that wasself-analytical of its own thoughts and emotions was not,as a rule, conceited.

Miss Montagu : Perhaps my remarks on this point werea little too general, but I think it is better that a childshould feel that he or she should do the right things, insteadof thinking too much about the things. (Hear, hear.)

Mrs. Boole : There is just one remark which I shouldlike to make, and which, perhaps, seems quite obvious^although I think it is not obvious to everybody. It was notHamlet that wrote Hamlet^ and if you let children growinto " Hamlety" moods, they will not necessarily becomepoets. (Laughter, and hear, hear.) I think it is importantto make people understand that the person who does thework is to have the credit. Then as to the behaviour of

the children. I think that they should be made, when theypay money over the counter, to say Thank-you." (Laughter,and hear, hear.) When a child meets a beggar and giveshim a penny, that is a question of pity, and the child shouldlook upon it in that light; but when a child gives moneyto an organ-grinder, he or she should be made to understandthat the money is not given as to a beggar, but for somethingwhich the child wanted, and that the money should not, in.that case, be given in contemptuous pity. (Hear, hear.)

Lady Campbell : Before we disperse, I think we oughtto express our great pleasure at the success of this our thirdConference. I am sure all this will give the greatest pleasureto Miss Mason, and especially the fact that so manyparents appreciate this Union.

A meeting was held the same day at 12 noon for LocalSecretaries, Branch Representatives and Members, whichwas well attended.

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life, but to life itself; to its duties and to its moral