Part 9 (1/2)
Those who come early in life to the conclusion that the her sentiments and ideas which control a few favored mortals, cease to labor for the advancement of the race They consequently lose their hold upon society, and society neglects them
For such men there can be no success
Others, like Jefferson and Channing, never lose confidence in their species, and their species never lose confidence in them When the teacher comes to believe that the world is worse than it was, and never can be better, he need wait for no other evidence that his days of usefulness are over
The school-room will teach the child, even as the prison will instruct e, that few persons are vicious in the extre traits of character and life The teacher's faith is the measure of the teacher's usefulness It is to him what conception is to the artist; and, if the sculptor can see the irace and beauty in the fresh-quarriedchild or aard youth
The teacher ought not to grow old To be sure, time will lay its hand on him, as it does on others; but he should always cultivate in his, sentih ree and position to stie them by his precepts, he should yet be so near theles whichTherecommon to teacher and pupils Indeed, for us all it is true that age loses nothing of its dignity or respect when it accepts the sentiments and sports of youth and childhood But above all should the teacher remember the common remark of La Place, in his Celestial Mechanics, and the observation of Dr Bowditch upon it ”Whenever I meet in La Place with the words, 'Thus it plainly appears,' I am sure that hours, and perhaps days, of hard study, will alone enable ood teacher will seek first to estimate each scholar's capacity, and then adapt his instructions accordingly Though he may be far removed from his pupils in attainments, he should be able to mark the steps by which ordinary minds pass from common principles to their noblest application
This observationteachers who, having mastered the noblest sciences, are unable to appreciate and lead ordinary minds
The teacher must be in earnest This is the price of success in every profession The law, it is said, is a jealous mistress, and permits no rivals; the indifferent, careless minister is but a blind leader of the blind, and the ”undevout astronomer is mad”
Sincerity of soul and earnestness of purpose will achieve success
According to an ereat reatness, and those who have greatness thrust upon thereatness of soul and intellect, and not in the reatness thrust upon them; for the world, after all, rarely er and a nobler class, whose greatness, whatever it is, must be achieved; and to this class I address myself
Success is practicable There need be no failures A man of reflection will soon find whether he can succeed in his pursuit; if not, he has lected the proper means of success In either case, a re, and cannot bring himself to pursue it with ardor, it is a duty to himself, to his profession, to his pupils, to abandon it at once It is idle to suppose that we are doing good in a work to which we are not attracted by our sympathies, and in which we are not sustained by our faith and hopes The men who succeed are the men who believe that they can succeed The men who fail are those to whom success would have been a surprise There is no doubt some appropriate pursuit in life for every man of ordinary talents; but no one can tell whether he has found it for hiorous and persistent application of his powers If the teacher fail to do this, he need not seek for success in another profession, when he has already declined to pay its price
The choice of a profession is one of the great acts of life It should not be done hastily, nor without a careful examination and just appreciation of the elements of character A competent teacher may aid his pupils in this respect A mistake in occupation is a calamity to the individual, and an injury to the public Our school-rooms contain artists, farmers, mathematicians, mechanics, poets, lawyers, statesmen, orators, and warriors; but some one must do for them what Shakspeare says the ned theistrates, correct at home; Others, like merchants, venture trade abroad; Others, like soldiers, ars, Make boot upon the su home To the tent-royal of their eup the honey; The poorin Their heavy burdens at his narrow gate; The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hu drone”
Teachers are so situated that they ive wholesome advice; while parents--and I say it with respect--are quite likely, under the influence of an instinctive belief that their children are fitted for any place within the range of human labor or human ambition, to make fatal mistakes While all pursuits and professions, if honest, are equally honorable, the individual selection must be determined by taste, circumstances, individual habits, and often by physical facts It is not for one person to do everything, but it is for each person to do at least one thing well As a general rule, the painter, who has spent his youth andthe canvas, had better not study the stars; and the artist, who has power to bring the forht to solve probleh planets, or calculate eclipses The proper choice of the business of life may do much to perfect our social system, and it will certainly advance our material prosperity There is everywhere in our civilization mutual dependence, and there must be mutual support In no other way can we advance to our destiny as becohtened people
But all of life and education, either to pupil, teacher, or man, is not to be found in the school-room The common period of school-life is sufficient only for ele period is ten years Of this, one-half is spent in vacations and absences, so that each child has about five years of school-life Only one-fourth of each day is spent in the school-room; and the continuous attendance, therefore, is about fifteen ive to sleep, every four or five years of our existence
This view leads ain that it is the duty of the teacher in this brief period to lay a good foundation for subsequent scientific and classical culture More than this cannot be accomplished; and, where this is acco is formed, and the means to be employed are comprehended, a satisfactory school-life has been passed
Education--universal education--is a necessity; and, as there is no royal road to learning, so there is no aristocracy ofupon social or pecuniary distinctions The New England colonies, and Massachusetts first of all, established the system of education now called universal or public It was not then easy to comprehend the principle which lies at the foundation of a system of public instruction We are first to consider that a system of public instruction implies a system of universal taxation The only rule on which taxes can be levied justly is that the object sought is of public necessity, or manifest public convenience It quite often happens that eneration are insensible or indifferent to the true relation of the citizen to the cause of education Soine that their interest in schools, and of course their ation to support them, ceases with the education of their own children This is a great error The public has no right to levy a tax for the education of any particular child, or faht of taxation commences when the education or plan of education is universal, and ceases whenever the plan is limited, or the operations of the system are circumscribed
No man can be taxed properly because he has children of his own to educate; this may be a reason with some for cheerful payment, but it has in itself no element of a just principle When, however, the people decide that education is a matter of public concern, then taxation for its promotion rests upon the saovernenerations of men came and passed away before the doctrine was received that, as a public matter, a hbor's children as in the education of his own As parents, we have a special interest in our children; as citizens, it is this, that they may be honest, industrious, and effective in their labors This interest we have in all children
The safety of our persons and property deht to be exempt from pauper and criminal taxes requires habits of universal industry; and our part in the general wealth and prosperity is increased by the intelligent application of manual labor in all the walks of life
A man may, indeed, be proud of the attainments of his family, as men are often proud of their ancestry; yet they possess little real value as a family possession The pride of ancestry has no value; it