Don Wildmon
AFA/AFR founder
April 2003 – I ran across a very interesting book recently. It was Course In Moral Instruction, prepared by the State Board of Education of the state of Mississippi. It was published in 1922 and was used in the public schools of the state. The contents of the book spoke of another time.
The book opened with the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. That was followed with the Preamble to the Constitution of the State of Mississippi which read: “We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”
W.F. Bond, State Superintendent of Education, wrote in the Preface: “The end of all education is the formation of character. The real function of the school is to produce the good citizen, and if it fails in this, it might as well close its doors. The good citizen is a well-trained, honest, patriotic, industrious, God-fearing person.”
Here is the content of the book in the rank and order in which it appeared. In each category the teacher is encouraged to have the children memorize and discuss the meaning. First, the Ten Commandments, with an admonition to the teacher to have the children memorize the Commandments, explain the meaning of each and how they apply to life. Next, the Additional Great Commandment (Romans 13:9). Then the Golden Rule.
After those came sections dealing with The Law of Health, The Law of Self-Control, The Law of Self-Reliance, The Law of Reliability, The Law of Clean Play, The Law of Duty, The Law of Good Workmanship, The Law of Team Work, The Law of Kindness, The Law of Loyalty. Of course each of these was explained.
Next came the chapter Manners and Conduct in School and Out, which included a section on Duty to Older People. The book even told how to make proper introductions of individuals, had a section on Table Manners, and included The Lord’s Prayer with a suggestion that all children should memorize the prayer and repeat it daily.
In adopting the Course In Moral Instruction, the legislature stated: “…no doctrinal nor sectarian teaching shall be permitted in any public school in this state,” and provided that “no pupil shall be required to attend the course provided for herein when the parent or parents or guardian of said pupil shall so request in writing filed with the superintendent or teacher.”
One wonders what kind of schools and society we would have today if courses like this were still taught in schools across the land. Thanks to those who think they know what is best, this kind of course cannot be taught in public schools anymore. Strange, isn’t it? It was OK for over 150 years before we labeled it illegal. 
