1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. In our recent episode 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,080 Speaker 1: on Gertrude Chandler Warner, we mentioned a book she wrote 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 1: called Good Americans, First Lessons for the Little Ones, which 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: was based on an existing set of guidelines about morality 7 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: that Warner felt was too advanced for little kids. And 8 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: then that set me down a rabbit hole regarding just 9 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 1: what that existing set of guidelines was. It was a 10 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: truly intriguing, quite creepy, and disturbing story that ties to 11 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 1: evolving views on childhood, child labor laws, unrealistic patriotism, and 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,879 Speaker 1: a contest to see who could come up with the 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:57,319 Speaker 1: best morality code for kids. Yes, whole thing creeps me out, 14 00:00:57,360 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: really doozy, and I knew nothing about it prior to 15 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: that mention of in her biography, and then I was like, what, well, 16 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: and this first sentence that I'm going to have to read, 17 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: I immediately stopped what I was doing because I was like, 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: what is this. On February twenty second, nineteen sixteen, the 19 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:24,760 Speaker 1: National Institution for Moral Instruction in Washington, d C. Announced 20 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:30,160 Speaker 1: a contest. Thanks to the donation of an anonymous businessman, 21 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: the institution was offering five thousand dollars for quote the 22 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: best code of morals suitable for use by teachers and 23 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: parents in the training of children. So the rules of 24 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:47,279 Speaker 1: this competition were as follows. Each state in the Union 25 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: was to submit at least one entry. Some could submit too, 26 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: with a maximum total of seventy entries. Each state superintendent 27 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: of Education was to select the person for I'm their 28 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: state who would write the submission. In the case of 29 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: New York, there were five contributors. Upon submission, the entries 30 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: would all be bound together in textbook format so that 31 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: the public would have access to them and their entirety, 32 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: but only one of them would be declared the winner, 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: as determined by a panel of judges. A write up 34 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: about this contest in the Washington, d C. Times Herald 35 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: quoted an announcement by the institution regarding the compilation of 36 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: these code proposals. Quote Consultations by code writers have been 37 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,959 Speaker 1: had with all sorts of people, but especially with parents 38 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: who have succeeded in bringing their children up well. So 39 00:02:44,240 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 1: it's unclear what the criteria were for parents to be 40 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: deemed successful in that regard, but the rules of the 41 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 1: contest noted that the code should be written with wisdom, justice, courage, 42 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: and temperance in mind, and that no theological dogmas should 43 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: be in This issue of children and morality was a 44 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: hot topic in nineteen sixteen. On May twenty first, the 45 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: Richmond Times Dispatch of Richmond, Virginia ran a full page 46 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: article titled what a child should Do in a moral Emergency. 47 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: It opens by posing a series of questions to parents. Quote, 48 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: if a ruffian tries to pick a row with your 49 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: little boy Johnny, shouting you bumped into me, I am 50 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: going to smash you in the nose? What is the 51 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,559 Speaker 1: correct thing for little Johnny to do under such circumstances? 52 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: If a neighborhood bully grabs your little Tommy's bag of marbles, 53 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: what should little Tommy say about it? If some strange boy, 54 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: girl or grown up person attempts cajoleries with your daughter Mary, 55 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,600 Speaker 1: what is Mary to do and say under the many 56 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: different circumstances which may arise, just saying I am one 57 00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: hundred percent adding cajoleries to my personal lives. On and 58 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: once the parent is introduced by the paper to this conundrum. 59 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 1: The article continues, quote, have you carefully instructed Johnny and 60 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: Tommy and Mary on what to do under these various 61 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: unexpected situations and emergencies which are confronting boys and girls? 62 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: How can children be expected to face intelligently and act 63 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: advisedly in these little daily tragedies of life unless instructed. 64 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: Here is a field of practical instruction which has been overlooked. 65 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: So this article continues by mentioning the Japanese schools in 66 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: Hawaii use a picture series that show similar scenarios, that 67 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: those pictures are hung all over the schools and they 68 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 1: change out periodically so students can study them as they 69 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,160 Speaker 1: go about their daily school life, and schools in the US, 70 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: the write up points out, have no program in place 71 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: for character education. The paper puts the responsibility for the 72 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: rise in various delinquent acts in the country squarely on 73 00:04:59,440 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: that gap. The article also introduced the work of Milton Fairchild, 74 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: who took photographs of kids around the Washington, DC area 75 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: where he lived. He claimed never to pose children or 76 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:18,159 Speaker 1: to use actors. He just surreptitiously took kids' photos when 77 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: they were engaged in activities like fighting, stealing, bullying, etc. 78 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,719 Speaker 1: He used a specially designed camera that was in his 79 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:33,600 Speaker 1: briefcase to avoid detection by the children. He also photographed 80 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: the resolution of these kinds of incidents with the intent 81 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: to use the ones that showed the kids doing the 82 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: right thing as examples of correct behavior. Obviously, today this 83 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: would run a foul of some privacy rights, even though 84 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: taking pictures of strangers to put them on the internet 85 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: has become a thing that people do. Don't do that though, 86 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: don't and super don't do it with children. No. The 87 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: virtue of this form of moral education, according to the paper, 88 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 1: is that, unlike lecturing, which kids tend to be dismissive of, 89 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: photographs are endlessly engaging to children. Noting that quote, pictures 90 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: that touch on real life, the life of the child, 91 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: make the problems vital and concrete, and the lessons they 92 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: convey impressed children's minds with proportionate strength. Several of Fairchild's 93 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: photos are in the write up, and at the end 94 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 1: of the article it is revealed that Fairchild is the 95 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: head of the National Institution for Moral Instruction. We're going 96 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 1: to come back to him, but there is also a 97 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: need to look at what was going on in the 98 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,599 Speaker 1: US in the nineteen teens that forms the backdrop for 99 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: this push to teach kids everywhere how to be good 100 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 1: and moral citizens. There were, of course, several contributing factors. 101 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,599 Speaker 1: One was all of the stuff that was happening in 102 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: the lead up and eventual passage of the keeting Oen 103 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: Act of nineteen sixteen. That act banned goods that came 104 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: from any factory, shop, or cannery that employed children under 105 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 1: the age of fourteen. Minds in the Act were named 106 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: and had the same blockage of sales if they employed 107 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: children that were younger than sixteen. Any other businesses were 108 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: barred from employing children under the age of sixteen working 109 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: at night or for shifts longer than eight hours. This 110 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: labor law, the first attempt at regulating child labor, was 111 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: a long time coming, and as this issue was being 112 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: discussed and debated in legislation in the early twentieth century, 113 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: it also was part of a bigger move of leading 114 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: people to reconsider the place of children in US society. 115 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: The idea of childhood as a time that special and 116 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: precious had started to gain more of a foothold. So 117 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: there was this idealization of children that no doubt fueled 118 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:56,239 Speaker 1: some of these pushes to create ideal children. The early 119 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: years of the twentieth century also saw a huge surge 120 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:04,200 Speaker 1: of immigration into the United States, and there were concerns 121 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: about how the children of those immigrants were going to 122 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: assimilate into the culture of the United States. Many of 123 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,960 Speaker 1: these people settled in cities, which led to jumps in population. 124 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: To keep up new infrastructure and more schools were created, 125 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: and in those schools, reformers saw an opportunity to teach 126 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: immigrant children how to be proper US citizens. We will 127 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 1: return to the Morality Code competition in just a moment, 128 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: but first we are going to pause for a sponsor break. 129 00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: So even though all of the states participated in this 130 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:53,320 Speaker 1: Morality Code competition, not everyone was on board with fair 131 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:58,439 Speaker 1: Child's idea of a structured morality education. As the competition 132 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:02,040 Speaker 1: got underway, there were a meetia detractors. A lot of 133 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: them just held up the Ten Commandments as a perfectly 134 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: good moral code, with complaints that there was no need 135 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,359 Speaker 1: for any additional effort to create something new. Milton Fairchild 136 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:15,719 Speaker 1: addressed this issue in interviews, noting that the Ten Commandments 137 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: are written for adults and He also notes that the 138 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,080 Speaker 1: first five are about religious duties and not moral problems, 139 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: but that the moral problems the commandments present in the 140 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,600 Speaker 1: second half aren't really suitable for kids. He noted, quote, 141 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,640 Speaker 1: honor thy father and mother is appropriate for children. Likewise, 142 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,160 Speaker 1: thou shalt not kill if there is a question of 143 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 1: using a knife in a fight, a thing happily rare 144 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: among boys. Thou shalt not steal is a much needed 145 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:47,079 Speaker 1: commandment to the child world. But to children, what significance 146 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: has Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house. Most children 147 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: never think of doing such a thing. Thou shalt not 148 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,440 Speaker 1: covet thy neighbor's wife. Why should a child covet a wife? 149 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: A neighbor's wife would be some other child's mother. This 150 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: brings us to the issue of morality more philosophically, as 151 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 1: it was playing out in the education space when Fairchild 152 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: launched this morality code contest in the early twentieth century, 153 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: noted educator John Dewey wrote, quote, the moral has been 154 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: conceived in too goody goody a way. Ultimate moral motives 155 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,839 Speaker 1: and forces are nothing more or less than social intelligence. 156 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: He thought it was better for kids to work through 157 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:32,600 Speaker 1: their own solutions to moral problems, and to be rewarded 158 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: if they came to a course of action that resulted 159 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:39,640 Speaker 1: in a positive outcome. Dewey argued that this would result 160 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: in adults with a strong ability to navigate scenarios where 161 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: there were moral issues in play. The logic was that 162 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: if you just told children how to behave in certain situations, 163 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: they would never develop the skills to manage the many 164 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: unpredictable events they were likely to encounter in their lives. 165 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: But for a more conservative branch of the progressive education movement, 166 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,880 Speaker 1: it made more sense to develop morality codes so that 167 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,959 Speaker 1: kids would have a map showing a list of rules 168 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: essentially that people were expected to abide by. Seemed like 169 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 1: a much more efficient way to teach children how to 170 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:20,040 Speaker 1: behave in this group's opinion. A lot of people probably 171 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: already knew who Milton Fairchild was before that newspaper mention 172 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,839 Speaker 1: that we talked about a moment ago. He had been 173 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: working in education and specifically focused on programs for raising 174 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:35,840 Speaker 1: moral children for quite some time. Milton Fairchild, whose first 175 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: name was Edwin, sort of formed a bridge between the 176 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: two ideologies we just discussed. For a little background on him. 177 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: He was born in Michigan in eighteen sixty five. He 178 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: attended Oberlin College, and in eighteen ninety three he graduated 179 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: from Andover Theological Seminary. He became a Unitarian minister after 180 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,480 Speaker 1: he graduated, and one of the causes that he really 181 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: worked on was trying to get churches to establish moral 182 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:05,240 Speaker 1: lessons for kids that were outside of the usual approach 183 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: of parables and biblical stories and offered real world information. 184 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 1: He actually left the church by the end of the 185 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:15,320 Speaker 1: nineteenth century because he couldn't really get that going, and 186 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:18,680 Speaker 1: instead he worked on achieving that same goal through the 187 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: school system. And it is at that point that he 188 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: dropped the Edwin from his name and started just going 189 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: by Milton. Some people that noted his work kind of 190 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: described this as him rebranding himself from a minister to 191 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,240 Speaker 1: an educational expert. The year that he left the church 192 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,000 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety eight, he founded the Educational Church Board, the 193 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: first of several organizations that were intended to support his 194 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,959 Speaker 1: goals of moral education. He formed the Moral Education Board 195 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen oh six, and then in nineteen eleven the 196 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:56,400 Speaker 1: National Institution for Moral Instruction. That organization would also rebrand 197 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: as the Character Education Institution in nineteen eighteen after this 198 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:04,400 Speaker 1: push for a morality code for kids, and reflective of 199 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: the next stage of the larger effort, which we will 200 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,559 Speaker 1: talk about in a bit. The facet of fair Child's 201 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 1: approach that made him really the sole holder of the 202 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:19,559 Speaker 1: middle ground between educational theorists who wanted institutionalized morality education 203 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: and those who wanted to let kids work through ideas 204 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: without imposing a structure of morality on them is that 205 00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:31,320 Speaker 1: while Fairchild was a minister by training and did favor 206 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 1: institutional lessons, he sought a secular approach to it rather 207 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: than one that was rooted in Christianity. He recognized that 208 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: not all families were Christian, but that didn't mean they 209 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:47,319 Speaker 1: weren't moral, or that they weren't valuable members of society. 210 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: As noted by Alison L. Jackson in her twenty eighteen 211 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:56,000 Speaker 1: dissertation on Fairchild's work, He's frequently grouped with the conservative 212 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: progressives in the movement, but that loses some of the 213 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: nuance of his efforts, which changed and evolved. Some of 214 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: that evolution was horrific, as we will see in a bit. 215 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: Throughout the Morality Code competition, various newspapers reported on the 216 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: work that their state's chosen writer was doing. For example, 217 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: the Daily Utah Chronicle wrote in April of nineteen seventeen 218 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,800 Speaker 1: that the winners would be announced in October and that 219 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: Utah's entrant was in the running to win it, stating 220 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: Dean Milton Bannion, who represented Utah in the competition, is 221 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: enthusiastic about such work being done in schools. He is 222 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: also desirous of arousing general public interest in universal character education. 223 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: Earlier in the competition, Banion had given a quote to 224 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,040 Speaker 1: the same paper stating that he would quote be grateful 225 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: for advice and suggestions as to what moral principles should 226 00:14:49,680 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: be taught to children from nine to fourteen years of 227 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: age and to youths from fourteen to eighteen years also 228 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: for suggestions as to the form of the codes. On 229 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 1: February twenty second, nineteen seventeen, the competition closed with fifty 230 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: two entries, and at that point the entries were sent 231 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: to the panel of judges. Those judges were George Trumbull, 232 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: Lad of Yale University, who was the chair of the 233 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:20,200 Speaker 1: judges panel, Supreme Court Justice Mellem Pitney, and Eva Perry Moore, 234 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: president of the National Council of Women. It was announced 235 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: that once the winning entry was chosen, all of the 236 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: other entrants would be given a chance to revise their 237 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: own prior to the publication of the collected works in 238 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: a textbook. That book was published in two volumes with 239 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: different purposes. The first was for childhood and the second 240 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: was for elementary and high schools. The winning entry came 241 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: from William J. Hutchins of Ohio, who was president of 242 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 1: Maria College in Kentucky at the time, and his code 243 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,800 Speaker 1: opens with the paragraph quote, Boys and girls who are 244 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,480 Speaker 1: good Americans tried to become strong and useful that our 245 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 1: country may become ever greater and better. Therefore they obey 246 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: the laws of right living, which the best Americans have 247 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 1: always obeyed. So right out of the gate, this flags 248 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 1: is a little misguided in the claim that best Americans 249 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: have always obeyed the law. We've had plenty of examples otherwise. 250 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: On this show we threw that tea into the harbor. 251 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: Hudgens Code laid out ten laws of right living, which 252 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: are one the law of health. The good American tries 253 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: to gain and keep perfect health. To the law of 254 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: self control. The good American controls himself. Three the law 255 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: of self reliance. The good American is self reliant. For 256 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 1: the law of reliability, the good American is reliable. Five 257 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:55,360 Speaker 1: the law of clean play. The good American plays fair. 258 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: Sex The law of duty. The good American does his duty. 259 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: Seven the law of good workmanship. The good American tries 260 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,640 Speaker 1: to do the right thing and the right way. Eight 261 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: the law of teamwork. The good American works and friendly 262 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: cooperation with his spellow workers. Nine the law of kindness. 263 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: The good American is kind. Ten the law of loyalty. 264 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: The good American is loyal. The beginning of this list 265 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: is ablest. Oh yeah, there's tons of ablest stuff. We'll 266 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:32,680 Speaker 1: talk about a little bit more. Under each of these 267 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: headers is a brief explainer and then a set of 268 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: pledges for students. We're only going to read the first one, 269 00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 1: the Law of self control, to give you a sense 270 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 1: of the style of the document. Quote, those who best 271 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: control themselves can best serve their country. I will control 272 00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: my tongue and will not allow it to speak mean, 273 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 1: vulgar or profane words. I will control my temper and 274 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: will not get angry when people or things displease me, 275 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: I will control my thoughts and will not allow a 276 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:06,000 Speaker 1: foolish wish to spoil a wise purpose. The Hutchins Code 277 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: was not the end of the effort. Once the National 278 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: Institution for Moral Instruction had basic morals covered, the organization 279 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: planned another contest right after it, As reported in the 280 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: Atlanta Constitution on September thirtieth, nineteen seventeen, quote, the National 281 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: Institution for Moral Instruction at Washington, d C. Has offered 282 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: for nineteen eighteen to nineteen nineteen an award of twenty 283 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,199 Speaker 1: thousand dollars for the best method of character education in 284 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:39,120 Speaker 1: public schools in the US. The circular sent out from 285 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: this institution states that it is a matter of vital 286 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,960 Speaker 1: concern to those who think in terms of the national 287 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 1: interest and of the welfare of the several states, that 288 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: ways and means be developed by which the children and 289 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,640 Speaker 1: youth of the nation can be given a thorough character education. 290 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 1: The character of the masses of the people in all 291 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: its express us controls the happiness, prosperity, and development of 292 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: the nation. After the war, there will be a period 293 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: of recuperation and readjustment, after which will be a more 294 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: serious test of democracy than the war. The children of 295 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,440 Speaker 1: these war times will be the mass of our citizens 296 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: and our leaders of national life in this period of readjustment. 297 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: So it's a little unclear, but the point of this 298 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 1: second contest was for someone to come up with a 299 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: way to systematize the adoption and teaching of this code. 300 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,639 Speaker 1: According to the Washington Posts write up of the second 301 00:19:37,680 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: phase quote, the proposal of the institution is that the 302 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: public school system places character education on a par with intellectual, vocational, 303 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: and physical education, because character is the foundation of a 304 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:54,919 Speaker 1: successful life, and character among the masses of the people, 305 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,520 Speaker 1: both rich and poor, is essential to the happiness and 306 00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: development of the repub blick. This all gets so creepy 307 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: to me. Uh. This contest, this second one, worked a 308 00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: little bit differently than the first. In this instance, nine 309 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: educators from each state for a total of four hundred 310 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 1: and thirty two because Alaska and Hawaii were not states yet. 311 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: So if you're like that, math doesn't math, it does, uh, 312 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 1: And those nine educators would study for a year and 313 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 1: work out the best way to implement this new morality code. 314 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: The twenty thousand dollars prize money would be distributed among 315 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,879 Speaker 1: the nine people from the winning state. With the chairman 316 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: of the group receiving four thousand dollars and all others 317 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: receiving two thousand dollars. It took until nineteen twenty two 318 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: to announce a winner. The statements fair Child gave during 319 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:48,080 Speaker 1: this second phase jump out as being a lot less everyone, 320 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,919 Speaker 1: love your neighbor and be good, and a lot heavier 321 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:56,679 Speaker 1: on consequences and with a little eugenics thrown in. In 322 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: October of nineteen nineteen, he gave several statements to a 323 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 1: state educational conference held in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that were reported 324 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: in multiple newspapers. He gave a talk at the conference 325 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: titled how to Introduce Moral Instruction into the curriculum of Schools, 326 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: and he made some troubling remarks in the process. He 327 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: started by noting that he had charted ninety three virtues 328 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: that make up the perfect human being. These included things 329 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: like being artistic and neat quote cooperative and not individualistic, adaptable, attentive, 330 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:42,760 Speaker 1: not careless, decisive, quick, thrifty, cautious, et cetera. These seem 331 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: relatively benign, but then some of them get downright awful 332 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: quote developed body, not poorly nourished, strength, without disabilities, muscular 333 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:57,880 Speaker 1: control not bungling, grace of figure and carriage not frumpy, 334 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: vital not sluggish, appetites normal, not inactive, endurance not quickly tired, 335 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:10,040 Speaker 1: and resistance to disease not susceptible. Just tripling down on 336 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 1: the ablest part of it at that time, for real. 337 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:17,919 Speaker 1: And then he said, quote, a great training will be 338 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: developed for the production of experts in character education who 339 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:26,119 Speaker 1: will function through the public schools. Each child will be 340 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 1: registered at birth, and its character and age looked after 341 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: to the age of citizenship. Already real dicey, but it's 342 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: about to get so much worse. First, he seems to 343 00:22:36,880 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: have loosened his feelings about church involvement, noting that they 344 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 1: needed to participate. Quote the churches will be asked to 345 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:48,400 Speaker 1: assist in this character education and to furnish the religious 346 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: sanctions for conduct. But the state will supply, under the 347 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: plan being formulated, the state sanctions and will furnish through 348 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: the schools, the ways and means and the wisdom for 349 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:05,239 Speaker 1: the success full character education of each child within the possibilities. Uh. 350 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,720 Speaker 1: It's his plans for the kids that don't quite make 351 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,920 Speaker 1: the grade that are really problematic. Quote children who cannot 352 00:23:12,920 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 1: be educated into sound character, will be taken charge of 353 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: at maturity by the state and kept under control, prevented 354 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:24,240 Speaker 1: from breeding and crime during their natural life. The parents 355 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,879 Speaker 1: will be chief factor in this successful character education, and 356 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:30,359 Speaker 1: they will be under the guidance of trained experts in 357 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: home character education working from the schools. So it seems 358 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: like if this scenario were to play out as fair 359 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,479 Speaker 1: Child envisioned in this talk, there would need to be 360 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,399 Speaker 1: state run containment facilities for the kids who were deemed 361 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: unfit to be good citizens, and they would be incarcerated 362 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: for the rest of their lives, kept from breeding. An 363 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: important part of the eugenics movement. Yeah, it is so horrifying. 364 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 1: This is some of those things where in his earlier stuff, 365 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: I'm like, this is creepy, but I get where he 366 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,600 Speaker 1: got here, Like he's missing some vital things, But I 367 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:11,880 Speaker 1: see why he thinks this is a good path, even 368 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: if it's a mess. But once I read this article, 369 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: I was like, jum, excuse, there's no way, There's no 370 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: way he could possibly think this was okay. But he did. 371 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,879 Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty two, the winner of the twenty thousand 372 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,560 Speaker 1: dollars prize was announced, and we will talk about which 373 00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 1: state won it, how the nineteen sixteen Morality Code was revised, 374 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:38,359 Speaker 1: and thankfully ongoing resistance to all of these initiatives after 375 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: we hear from the sponsors that keep stuff you missed 376 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: in history class going. In nineteen twenty two, Iowa's planned 377 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: for implementing Hutchin's Morality Code into schools won the prize. 378 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,439 Speaker 1: The Iowa approach addressed one of the big criticisms that 379 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,120 Speaker 1: had been leveled since that first contest was announced, which 380 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: was that tacking on a section of education about morals 381 00:25:10,040 --> 00:25:13,000 Speaker 1: was not really going to be effective. So the Iowa 382 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: plan was built on integrating the Morality Code into all 383 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: of the other parts of the educational curriculum. Their proposed 384 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: plan opened with quote, the right organization of the school 385 00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:28,600 Speaker 1: can alone go far towards solving the character training problems. 386 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,640 Speaker 1: To feel the collective judgment of one's peers is the 387 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: heart of moral impulse. With the announcement of Iowa's win, 388 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: also came the news that the National Institute for Moral 389 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 1: Instruction had reincorporated as the Character Education Institution to more 390 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 1: accurately reflect its goals. In nineteen twenty four, the code 391 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: got a revision pass This revision was covered in the 392 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,080 Speaker 1: Journal of Education that year and described the five point 393 00:25:56,200 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: process that the Character Education Institution used in updating the code. First, 394 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,320 Speaker 1: it studied all the submissions from the original contest and 395 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:11,240 Speaker 1: tabulated the ideas in them to see which were often repeated. Second, 396 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,639 Speaker 1: experts in the human sciences were consulted and asked for 397 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: input on the Hutchins Code. Third, and we'll quote this 398 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: directly because it's a little odd quote. A list of 399 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: the morality acts of well brought up children has been made, 400 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: numbering about six hundred and fifty. The Hutchins Code has 401 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: been checked up on this list of morality acts to 402 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: make sure that it emits no important phases of childhood morality. Fourth, 403 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:42,240 Speaker 1: recent literature regarding childhood morality was reviewed. And then fifth, 404 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: a list that was started by the Institution in nineteen 405 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: fifteen to catalog all the virtues of human beings was 406 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:54,159 Speaker 1: looked at to ensure quote direction of the expression of 407 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,639 Speaker 1: each one of these virtues in childhood conduct must be 408 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: contained within the Children's Morality Code. That list, once again 409 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:06,840 Speaker 1: was made up by Milon Fairchild. The revision led to 410 00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 1: a new order for the ten laws in the original 411 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: Morality Code, and some of them were changed, so the 412 00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: new version was one the law of self control. The 413 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:18,639 Speaker 1: good American controls himself. Two the law of good health. 414 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 1: The good American tries to gain and keep perfect health. 415 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:25,960 Speaker 1: Three the law of kindness. The good American is kind. 416 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: Four the law of sportsmanship. The good American plays fair. 417 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:34,919 Speaker 1: That updates the clean play law. Five the law of 418 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: self reliance. The good American is self reliance. Six the 419 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: law of duty. The good American does his duty. Seventh 420 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,240 Speaker 1: the law of reliability. The good American is true. Eight 421 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:47,800 Speaker 1: the law of truth. The good American tells the truth. 422 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 1: Nine the law of good workmanship. The good American tries 423 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:52,800 Speaker 1: to do the right things in the right way. And 424 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: ten the law of teamwork. The good American works in 425 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,160 Speaker 1: friendly cooperation with his fellow workers. So not a lot 426 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:05,320 Speaker 1: of change. She reflects some differences in vocabulary. We mentioned 427 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,600 Speaker 1: in our Gertrude Chandler Warner episode that she wrote her 428 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,359 Speaker 1: book Good Americans' First Lessons for the Littlest Ones in 429 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,359 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty six as an adaptation of the Morality Code 430 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,479 Speaker 1: for younger children. But even as she worked on it, 431 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: there was a study underway to assess its real efficacy, 432 00:28:23,119 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 1: and that study did not go well for Milton Fairchild 433 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:30,399 Speaker 1: and his supporters. There had long been a debate about 434 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: whether character was something that could be taught, or if 435 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: it was more of a habitual response to various stimuli 436 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,520 Speaker 1: like scenarios. Yeah, it's more like, can you actually tell 437 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: a kid what to do? Or will he learn what 438 00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 1: to do when he actually encounters these things in real life? 439 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: And which is really going to be valuable. Two academics, 440 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,480 Speaker 1: Hugh Hartshorn, professor of Religious education at the University of 441 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 1: Southern California, and doctor Mark A. Mayfessor of psychology at 442 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 1: Syracuse University, working through the John D. Rockefeller funded Institute 443 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: of Social and Religious Research, were able to start a 444 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:13,640 Speaker 1: series of investigations in nineteen twenty four into just how 445 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: well a moral code for children actually worked. Their work 446 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: was supervised by psychologist Edward Thorndike. The actual bulk of 447 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,640 Speaker 1: this research took place from nineteen twenty five to nineteen thirty, 448 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: and it became known as the Character Education Inquiry. Its 449 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: goal to quote develop an understanding of character as a 450 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:38,680 Speaker 1: personal and social phenomenon. If you're wondering why this topic 451 00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:41,560 Speaker 1: was enough to get huge amounts of funding. It's because 452 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:44,040 Speaker 1: a lot of money was being spent to establish and 453 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: maintain that morality program in schools, and a lot of 454 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:50,840 Speaker 1: people thought the whole thing was both incorrect in ideology 455 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: and incredibly wasteful. Starting in nineteen twenty eight, the Character 456 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: Education Inquiry findings were published in three volumes by the 457 00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: mcmill in Company under the general title Studies in the 458 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: Nature of Character. The first of these was Volume one, 459 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: Studies in Deceit. The following year, Volume two, Studies in 460 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: Service and Self Control, was released, and finally in nineteen 461 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: thirty Volume three, Studies in the Organization of Character, came out. 462 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 1: They detailed their methods of testing and research, which involved 463 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: a lot of work with students and teachers often asking 464 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:30,080 Speaker 1: students questions to gauge what the kids thought qualified as 465 00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:35,360 Speaker 1: cheating on tests. There were many, many different tests conducted 466 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 1: to get a large data set and offer a range 467 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 1: of variables in moral situations. When it came to deception, 468 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:47,040 Speaker 1: part of their findings were summarized this way quote, no 469 00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:51,680 Speaker 1: one is honest or dishonest by nature. Where conflict arises 470 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: between a child and his environment, deception is in natural 471 00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: mode of adjustment, having in itself no moral significance. If 472 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,560 Speaker 1: indirect ways of gaining his ends are successful, they will 473 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: be continued unless definite training is undertaken through which direct 474 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: and honest methods may also become successful. Apart from the 475 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:15,880 Speaker 1: actual practice of direct or honest methods of gaining ends 476 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: where a conflict of wills is actually involved, the mere 477 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,040 Speaker 1: urging of honest behavior by teachers, or the discussion of 478 00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 1: standards and ideals of honesty, no matter how much such 479 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:31,280 Speaker 1: general ideas may be emotionalized, has no necessary relation to 480 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:34,959 Speaker 1: the control of conduct. The extent to which individuals may 481 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 1: be affected, either for better or for worse, is not known, 482 00:31:38,680 --> 00:31:41,160 Speaker 1: but there seems to be evidence that such effects as 483 00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:45,440 Speaker 1: may result are not generally good and are sometimes unwholesome. 484 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,640 Speaker 1: This does not imply that the teaching of general ideas, 485 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 1: standards and ideals is not desirable and necessary, but only 486 00:31:53,880 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: that the prevailing ways of inculcating ideas probably do little 487 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:02,760 Speaker 1: good and may do some harm. The Character Education Inquiry 488 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: had a massive impact on both public and academic perception 489 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 1: of the Morality Code and its teaching, and most schools 490 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: abandoned it by the nineteen thirties. Fair Child kept trying 491 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: to find ways to implement morality and character education in schools, 492 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: but he was also declining in health, and after an 493 00:32:21,320 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: extensive illness that began in nineteen thirty two, he died 494 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: in December of nineteen thirty nine. I will say that 495 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,440 Speaker 1: there are ongoing discussions about how to teach morality to children. 496 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: It's not like that suddenly ended at this point, but 497 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: sure this particular effort did, which we will talk about 498 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 1: on Friday, and how very creepy we both find them. 499 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: In the meantime, I have a really fun email from 500 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 1: our listener Jen about one of my very favorite topics lately, 501 00:32:54,680 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: that being hydroponics. Jen Rights, Holly and Tracy. Your podcast 502 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:01,400 Speaker 1: gets me through the workday most days as I work 503 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 1: on my PhD. I must say this week's hydroponic episode 504 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 1: had me giggling as I sit at my desk, which 505 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: is in a USDA Farm Service Agency building. She talks 506 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: about where she works. I'm not going to say that 507 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:18,360 Speaker 1: just for safety, but mentions that they are currently developing 508 00:33:18,400 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 1: an urban agricultural demonstration garden and I have been trying 509 00:33:21,760 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: to find a way to add a hydroponic system to 510 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:26,720 Speaker 1: the garden. Thank you for the great history of hydroponics. 511 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,040 Speaker 1: I would like to believe that the gardens of Babylon 512 00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: really were the first. She shares a picture that she took. 513 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,000 Speaker 1: I'm not going to say where, just to preserve her privacy, 514 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 1: but she writes, my ten year old son and I 515 00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: travel to that area and on our way home, notice 516 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:43,640 Speaker 1: that the snow squall happening between us and the greenhouse 517 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:47,120 Speaker 1: made the pink sky touch the ground. It's truly amazing 518 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: to see how pink purple the grow lights make the 519 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: skies around here. They are noticeable from the city, which 520 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: is a good forty miles away. My family does complain 521 00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: that they don't get a dark sky all the time, 522 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: even living in the country. But I think it's pretty, 523 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: and she says, here is a picture of my mom. 524 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: The reason we were traveling to the area it was 525 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: to celebrate her ringing the bell after completing six months 526 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: of chemo for pancreatic cancer. She is a rare breed 527 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: of survivors and as a love of Snoop Dogg, the 528 00:34:16,719 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 1: nurses made her this shirt and a pop brownie that 529 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: was not grown idronically. I lost so much Keep up 530 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:26,359 Speaker 1: the great work, and thank you for being a little 531 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 1: bright spot in my day as I assist landowners with conservation. Jen. 532 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: Her mother's shirt is a Snoop Dogg shirt. Congratulations to 533 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 1: your mother. She sounds amazing. I hope she has only 534 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 1: great health going forward. She also includes a picture for 535 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:47,239 Speaker 1: pet Tax of her mom's lab who has been her 536 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: constant companion through all of her treatment. Amazing, Jen, thank 537 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,640 Speaker 1: you for sharing all of this. It made my day very, 538 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,200 Speaker 1: very delightful and it's a lovely way to end a 539 00:34:57,239 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 1: discussion of creepy things. You would like to write to us, 540 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 1: you can do so at History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 541 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,319 Speaker 1: You can also subscribe to the show on the iHeartRadio 542 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: app or anywhere else that you listen to podcasts. Stuff 543 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 544 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:24,600 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 545 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:26,760 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.