William Holmes McGuffey:  Schoolmaster of the nation

William Holmes McGuffey (1800-1873) was born in Pennsylvania and moved with his family to Ohio in 1802, and grew up there.

His family emigrated to America from Scotland in 1774. He received an excellent education, graduating from Washington College in 1826, and was soon appointed as Professor of Languages at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio that same year. He became a Presbyterian minister who believed strongly in educating our youth in biblical ethics.

He believed in teaching children to be prompt, good, kind, honest and truthful … basing this teaching on biblical standards for right conduct. As a highly respected Christian educator, a Cincinnati publishing firm asked him if he would consider preparing a series of readers (textbooks) for the teaching of English and Literature to America’s schoolchildren incorporating biblical teachings in the lessons.

William accepted the challenge, and in 1836 published the first of seven McGuffey’s Readers, this first one having 55 lessons. The McGuffey Readers were filled with stories of strength, character, goodness and truth and generations of students in public and private schools read them in their classes.

Over 125 million copies have been sold and these books continue to be sold today.

Here are two excerpts from McGuffey’s first and third readers:

Evening Prayer: At the close of day, before you go to sleep, you should not fail to pray to God to keep you from sin and from harm. You ask your friends for food, and drink, and books, and clothes; and when they give you these things, you thank them, and love them for the good they do you. So you should ask your God for those things which He can give you, and which no one else can give you. You should ask Him for life, and health, and strength; and you should pray to Him to keep your feet from the ways of sin and shame. You should thank Him for all His good gifts; and learn while young to put your trust in Him; and the kind care of God will be with you, both in your youth and in your old age. (Lesson 37 in the First Reader)

The Character of Jesus Christ: The morality taught by Jesus Christ was purer, sounder, sublime and more perfect than had ever before entered into the imagination, or proceeded from the lips of man. (Lesson 21 in the Third Reader)

William McGuffey taught at Miami University of Ohio, then served as President of Ohio University, and closed out his educational carer as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Virginia. In closing this brief sketch of respected education William McGuffey, there are many American schoolteachers who believe that biblical morality should be taught in our schools to the students of today, for they will be our leaders tomorrow.

Finally, “three cheers” for the American schoolteachers whose lives reflect biblical teachings.

May God always bless them and their students.

Peace!