Research On The Theory Of Samuel Smiles’s Character Education

’The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications,nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of education, enlightenment, and character; here are to be found its true interest, its chief strength, its real power."Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) was a famous moralist in the nineteenth century in Britain. He published a series of books on character education such like Character, Duty, Self-Help, Money and Life and etc., which were regarded as a meaningful and valuable icon lighting on people’s heart who lost her or his spirit and character in the industrial and market economy society. These books have been an inspiration of billions of people who worked for fame and wealth, and they appeal to an increasing number of people who need a meaningful and happy life.As a role in both scholar and tutor, as well as family member and friend, Samuel Smiles sincerely telled us that the key point to be a man has his own mind and thought, was to have good character and the sincere pursuit of character. Noble personality and character are the primary qualities and the basic characteristics for any societies and at any times, and are also the source of motivation to challenge the social life, to achieve a successful career and self-fulfillment and to reform the society. From Smiles’s point of view, people like Luther and Cromwell, Washington and Wellington, their integrities and kindnesses were reflected on everywhere in their daily life, and support them to keep the beliefs in their ambitious goals. The noble character keeps these people’s self-disciplines and perfect manners for every occasion. Virtue, which not only the great man but also public need it. And as time goes by, it is believed more and more that virtue has been one important part of the life, and it can be regarded non-meaningful and unvaluable for a life without character or virtue. People who losing the character like the living things losing their basic properties. Admittedly, the phenomenons of hypocrisy, guile and immorality still exist around us. Sometimes, even if the virtue, honesty, justice, kindness received unfair treatments, a man of moral integrity would never change his mind, a man of kind heart would has no regrets. Since their beliefs in the power of honesty, kindness and virtue, they believe that the noble character is always the common pursuit for human, and character is still the source of the power, pleasure and happiness for humans.Smiles’works had been published in various languages and versions, and sold well over the world in the past hundred years. He expounded the confuses for the hard-working people in the struggle, it changes billions of people’s mind of the life, which has been significantly effect on the morality of western society. In1988, London Financial Times published the editorial of remembrance of Smiles, they thought that "as compared with others theoreticians, he leaded human into21th century more healthfully." Britain Observer commented on him:"Mr. Smiles contributed very good spiritual food for human’s society, he revealed to us the great true meanings of life, which including the goal, purpose, obedience, passion and power of the life, freedom of conscience and belief etc. God gives us the fragile natural life and then results the life with noble character and strong spirit U.S Times evaluated the value of smile’s Character:"Today, as the physical objects are the only pursuit in this age, we must not neglect the values of thinking. It should never forget that it should be to educate them to have the noble thought, honest, and also their noble character, when teaching the young people with the scientific informations." From studying Smiles’s character and other works, we deeply feel the importance of virtue ethics, and understand the initiative from the Noble prize winners’meeting, which was "If human wants to survive in21st century, we must go back to2540years ago to absorb the wisdom of Confucius." In human history, people emphasized the importance of virtue and character, such as the Chinese Confucian Confucius and Mencius, the ancient Greek Aristotle’s and the Stoics’s cautions, and also including the Smiles books which about the morality, they are all the springhead of the innovation, they are our abundant resources of the construction of spiritual home and meaning life. Thus, it is important for us to inherit these valuable assets critically, which has an extraordinary meaning and value to construct our advanced ethical culture, and to achieve the Chinese nation’s revival.