An Education That Builds Character

Rector of the Church of the Incarnation New York City

I have lived in intimate contact with military schools for a number of years and have no hesitancy in saving that in my judgment they make for manliness and nobility of character. There are those who seem to think that military schools feed the students with raw meat and encourage them to be blood-thirsty and anxious for a fight . . . nothing is further from the truth.

The military school prepares its students for life . . . not for a fools’ paradise . . . but for life as we know life with all its ups and downs. With emphasis upon mental alertness, physical development, and spiritual ideals, the military school endeav ors to educate the whole life. Education which does less than deal with the whole of life is not consistent.

Character, in the true sense of the word, means struggle. Without struggle there is no character. It is not easy to learn mathematics, or music, or art, or anything that is good. It is not easy to learn to pray . . . but it is glorious to learn all these things.

Military schools place the emphasis where it belongs—on character. Their discipline makes for physical health and strength; their academic work brings students in contact with the highest and best intelligence; and their spiritual ideals lead to the worship and service of the God of our Fathers.

I have watched with great interest the molding and developing of character of those educated in our military schools, and I do not hesitate to state that boys under such guidance and instruction develop into manly and worth-while citizens who are a credit to the nation.