EDUCATION AT THE PRINCIPIA Selections from Letters, Messages, and Statements by Mary Kimball Morgan SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI Copyright © 1965, 2004, 2013 The Principia Corporation First edition published 1965. Eleventh edition 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher. For information, contact The Principia. The Principia 13201 Clayton Road St. Louis, Missouri 63131 314.434.2100 iii Introduction HIS BOOK CONTAINS selections from prepared messages and 1 letters as well as transcriptions of extemporaneous talks given Tat various meetings by Mrs. Mary Kimball Morgan, founder 3 and first president of The Principia. The ideas here expressed were shared impersonally with her fellow parents and with her school associates in order to encourage their understanding and more con- 6 sistent use of the fundamental ideas upon which Principia’s concept of education was established. It is believed that these ideas do indeed express guidance by 9 Principle rather than by person. They were keystones at the time of the school’s establishment and have continued to guide the work during the last sixty-six years. 12 The greater portion of the material chosen for publication in this book was assembled by Frederic E. Morgan, to which were added certain items supplied by William E. Morgan, Eula T. Gertsch, 15 G. Eldredge Hamlin, and David K. Andrews. The Board of Trustees of The Principia appointed a committee to prepare and publish this material. The Board chose as members of this committee those who 18 had served on Principia’s staff during the period of Mrs. Morgan’s active leadership. Then with the assistance of Edwin S. Leonard, author of As the Sowing, a careful selection was made from the mass 21 of material available in order that significant examples from the full range of ideas evolved by Principia’s founder might be made available to the staff, the alumni, the parents, the trustees, and others actively 24 participating in Principia’s work. It is the expectation of the Board of Trustees that these examples of prayerful guidance by Principle, as expressed by Principia’s first 27 president, will be accepted and utilized at The Principia with ever increasing wisdom, sincerity, and selflessness as the years unfold. Demonstrated application of these basic ideals is essential if The 30 Principia is to make consistent progress in its primary purpose of serving the Cause of Christian Science. iv EDUCATION AT THE PRINCIPIA 1 It is with gratitude for sixty-six years of growth and progress by this institution that the committee authorized to publish this volume 3 reports the completion of its assignment. G. Eldredge Hamlin, Chairman E. Olive Davis David K. Andrews Frederic E. Morgan v Foreword:” “Lest We Forget” HE AccOMPLISHMENT of a holy purpose demands absolute 1 consecration of thought and endeavor. Mary Baker Eddy tells Tus in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 426), 3 “The discoverer of Christian Science finds the path less difficult when she has the high goal always before her thoughts, than when she counts her footsteps in endeavoring to reach it.” 6 The Principia was founded for the express purpose of serving the Cause of Christian Science. To serve the Cause through the edu- cation of its young people is the school’s only reason for existence. In 9 every step that is taken in its development, this holy purpose must be kept clearly in view. Nothing less than this purpose must be deemed important. In serving the Cause through its young people, 12 we must offer them, as our first concern, an environment in which Principle is the basis of thought and action. This means that those who execute the plans as conceived must be able to carry out those 15 affairs in accordance with divine Principle. Principle, not person, must be the underlying motive in all that is undertaken and in all the relationships that are established. Thus through all our contacts with 18 these young people, they should be enabled to discern the impor- tance of establishing thought and action on the basis of Principle. It is essential, then, that we bring to this work only those workers who 21 are sufficiently mature in their understanding of Christian Science to use it to guide these students in strong, correct thinking. The Principia is an independent and private philanthropy main- 24 tained and supported by its friends and alumni and directed by a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The upbuilding of The Principia can be accomplished only by con- 27 stantly enriching the quality of the work. On the part of the workers there must be a continual deepening of the meaning of Principia and of the reason for its being, and a clearer realization of the opportunity 30 it offers for service to the Cause of Christian Science. This service will vi EDUCATION AT THE PRINCIPIA 1 be in exact proportion to the true consecration of each worker. This consecration, in turn, will depend upon the degree to which each 3 worker understands the educational philosophy underlying the establishment and maintenance of The Principia. It is to set forth these fundamentals that this compilation of the 6 statements of Mary Kimball Morgan on education at The Principia has been made. These statements were made at different times and under many different circumstances, as the occasion arose. Few 9 have been published previously; most of them exist as penciled memoranda in Mrs. Morgan’s handwriting, as her notes of talks which she gave, as minutes of meetings at which she spoke, taken 12 down by the individual appointed as secretary for the occasion, or as letters written or dictated by her. For the Principia student, faculty or staff member, trustee, alumnus, 15 patron, parent, or well-wisher, the bringing together of the educational writings of the founder of The Principia should serve as a reminder of ideas long since assimilated, as a clarification of points in the educa- 18 tional philosophy not before clearly understood, or — most of all — as a renewed incentive to serve the Cause of Christian Science through the activities of The Principia in a more dedicated fashion. TRUSTEES OF THE PRINCIPIA October 1964 Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................iii Foreword: “Lest We Forget” .......................................v SECTION I — Of Special Interest to Parents Educational Reforms ............................................5 The Need for Principia ..........................................10 Scientific Discipline ............................................16 Foundational Trusts ............................................20 Good Discipline: Essential to Progress ............................25 “The Entire Education of Children . .” ............................31 Proper Demands: An Important Tool in Education .................35 Self-Sacrifice: Its Place in the Educative Picture. .38 Parents as Educators ............................................41 Children: Parent-Child Relationship ..............................46 Vacation Periods ...............................................52 Right Relationship: Founded on Principle ........................55 SECTION II — Primarily Intended for Teachers and Other Members of the Staff Excerpts from the Prospectus of 1900 .............................62 Excerpts from the Minutes of an Early Teachers’ Meeting ...........63 As a New School Year Begins .....................................67 Our Real Vocation ..............................................70 A Letter of Inspiration and Encouragement .......................72 The Principia: What Is It to You? ..................................74 The Purpose of Principia ........................................77 Forty Years of Progress ..........................................80 Developing Christian Character ..................................92 Admonition ....................................................94 EDUCATION AT THE PRINCIPIA SECTION III — To Members of the Executives’ Committee Changing Customs and Ideas ....................................97 Get Rid of Person ...............................................98 The Conviction That Principle Governs ......................... 100 Meeting World Conditions with Wisdom ........................ 103 The Unfoldment of Character .................................. 107 Before the Move to the Elsah Campus .......................... 108 Current Needs ............................................... 111 Maintaining Basic Values ...................................... 117 Comments on Pressure ....................................... 120 Are We Putting “First Things First”? ............................. 122 Avoid Personal Thinking ...................................... 125 SECTION IV — To Members of the Board of Trustees Our Trust as Trustees ......................................... 128 Guidance by Principle, Not Person ............................. 130 Spiritual Intuition ............................................ 131 Responsibilities of a Board of Trustees .......................... 136 A Heart-to-Heart Talk ......................................... 147 Counsel and Advice ........................................... 150 Specific Forms of Supply Essential to Principia’s Progress ......... 156 SECTION V — To Students and Alumni Commencement Address – 1923 ............................... 160 A Letter to the Student Body ..................................