Part 22 (1/2)

Practice upon it, and you will be convinced of its value by the distinguished pre-eminence to which it will lead you” Especially will this be true in case the anxious teacher faithfully complies with the Divine direction, _If any iveth to all iven hienerally should be impressed with the truth of the maxim, ”As is the teacher, so will be the school” They should desire for their own children, and for all others, teachers whose intellectual, social, andtheir children should form They should, at least, be well apprised of this fact: If the teacher is not, in these respects, what they would have their children become, their children will be likely to become _what the teacher is_

There is a story of a German schoolmaster, which shows the low notions that may be entertained of education sobr, the predecessor of Oberlin, the pastor of Waldbach, on his arrival at the place, desired to be shown to the principal school-house He was conducted into a ether, without any occupation He inquired for the master ”There he is,” said one, as soon as silence could be obtained, pointing to a withered old man, who lay on a little bed in one corner ”Are you the master, my friend?” asked sobr ”Yes, sir” ”And what do you teach the children?” ”Nothing, sir” ”Nothing! how is that?” ”Because,” replied the oldmyself” ”Why, then, were you appointed the schools a nuot too old and infirm for that employment, they sent me here to take care of the children”

This anecdote ree of stupidity not to beas careful in the selection of teachers as we ought to be Unworthy teachers frequently find employment I refer not to teachers whose literary qualifications are insufficient, although, as we have already seen, there are quite too many such I refer now more particularly to those who are disqualified for the office because of moral obliquity

Teachers are sometimes employed who are habitual Sabbath breakers; who are accustoe; who frequent the ga table; who habitually use tobacco, in several of its forms, and that in the school-house! nay, more, who even teach the despicable habit to their children during school hours! Several emperors have prohibited the use of this filthy weed in their respective kingdoms, under the severest penalties The pope has made a bull to excommunicate all those who use tobacco in the churches One of the most numerous of the Protestant sects once prohibited the use of tobacco in their society; but so strong is this filthy habit, especially when foriven up this excellent rule

Since writing the above, I have noticed an article headed ”Tobacco-using Ministers,” which has appeared in several highly-reputable and widely-circulating periodicals, froe annual conference of divines of the sa other resolutions, have adopted one reco ”that the ministers refrain from the use of tobacco in all its forms, especially in the house of worshi+p”

In coious paper observes, that ”by 'tobacco in all its for But can it be possible that a minister, whose duty it is to recommend purity, and whose example should be cleanliness, can need conference resolutions to dissuade hi? And do they even carry this inconsistency into the 'house of worshi+p?' So it seems!” But such is the severity of the strictures in the article referred to, that, although just, I forbear inserting theested that, while Robinson Crusoe was alone on his island, he ht to smoke, snuff, or chew; but that, when his ard for the opinions of mankind”--as the Declaration of Independence has it--should have debarred hience

One who has enjoyed large opportunities of observing, and who is scrupulous to a proverb, has remarked, that ”thein this particular The Scriptures havethe _body_ pure Had tobacco been known to the Hebreho can doubt that it would have been a the articles prohibited by the Levitical law? St Paul beseeches the Romans, by thesacrifice, holy and acceptable' To the Corinthians he says, 'Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, _which telorify God in their _body_ as well as in their spirit; for 'know ye not,' says he, 'that your _body_ is the temple of the Holy Ghost? What sort of a 'temple of the Holy Ghost' is he, every atom and molecule of whose physical system is saturated and stenched with the vile fetor of tobacco; whose every vesicle is distended by its foul gases; whose brain and rimed and blackened with its sooty vapors and effluxions; all whose pores jet forth its nant stream like so many hydrants; whose prayers are breathed out, not with a _sweet_, but with a _foul_-s savor; who baptizes infants with a hand which itself needs literal baptism and purification as by fire; and who carries to the bed-side of the dying an odor which, if the 'immaterial essence' could be infected by any earthly virus, would subject the departed soul to quarantine before it could enter the gates of heaven?”[73]

[73] A female teacher in the Bay State, in 1847, addressed the following inquiry through the columns of the Massachusetts Co for the last year in a large school, and have endeavored, according to the best ofthe pupils, especially to break the upon the floor I have often told theentlemen_ never do it But at a recent visit of the committee, an individual, who has been elected by the town to superintend the educational interests of the rising generation, _spit_ the dirty juice of his _tobacco_ quid upon the floor of my school-room with apparent self-complacency

”Shall I say to the children that this person is _not_ a _gentleman_, and thus destroy his influence? or shall I pass it over in silence, and thus leave them to draw the natural inference that all I have said on the subject is only a woave a full reply through the Journal, froraph He closes by offering a prize of the ”eternal gratitude of all decent men” to the discoverer of a remedy or antidote for the evil

”Touch not, taste not, handle not,” is the only safe rule in relation to all vicious practices; and especially is it true of this habit, which we can not call _beastly_, for there is not a _natural_ beast in creation that indulges in it I therefore congratulate my country freed fro and filthy habit, for the Board of Education in some of our cities have already wisely adopted the rule of e no teachers who use tobacco in any foreneration will be comparatively free from the use of that repulsive weed, which only one of all created beings takes to naturally Wherever else the filthy practice ht never to be per the rising generation And just look at the immense expenditure in this country for the support of this pernicious habit It is said, on good authority, that for _s_ merely we pay annually a tax of ten reater sum than is paid to the teachers of all the public schools in the United States

But to return: teachers are sometimes employed who are addicted to inebriety; who are notorious libertines, and unblushi+ngly boast of the nuue

Comment is unnecessary My fellow-countryhed the preceding considerations, I doubt not, will concur with me in the opinion that there is no station in life--no, not excepting even the clerical office, that, in order to be well filled, so much demands purity of heart, si that will ennoble nity to the human character, as that of the primary school-teacher He influences his pupils in the formation of habits and character, by precept, it is true, but chiefly by example His example, then, should be such, that, if strictly followed by his pupils, it will lead the It should be his chief concern to allure to brighter worlds on high, and himself lead the way Then, and not till then, will he be prepared to nify and fill his office

But, it may be said, we have not a sufficiency of well-qualified teachers, according to this standard, to take the charge of all, or of any considerable part of our schools This is very readily admitted

Some such, however, there are These should be eeneration of teachers may be much improved by means of teachers' associations and teachers' institutes By the establishrade of teachers e of the next generation of scholars These institutions have been established in several of the European states, in New England and New York, and islatures, and to so ift to mankind, and lead to the indefinite ies, the sa seminaries would not only teach theand science they are now deficient in, but would teach them what they know far less--the didactic art--the e which they have orwith children in all that regards both te the their aberrations”

_Normal schools are essential_ to the complete success of any system of popular education The necessity for their establishment can not fail to be apparent to any one at all coe at which young persons of both sexes generally enter upon the business of school-teaching--or, perhaps I ” school; for the arded as co , if possible, upon the mind of the reader, the necessity of professional instruction, the author trusts he will be pardoned for introducing a few paragraphs froo as county superintendent of common schools in the State of New York and which was printed at that time in the assembly documents of that state The author, at the tieneral supervision over more than twenty thousand children, aided in the exae townshi+ps, and visited and inspected their schools Nine years'

additional experience--four of which have been devoted to the supervision of the schools of a large state, and a considerable portion of the re time to the visitation of schools in different states--has convinced him that the condition of common schools, and the qualifications of teachers in those states of the Union where increased attention has not been bestowed upon the subject within a few years past, are not in advance of what they were at that tiraphs introduced are included within brackets

[LITERARY QUALIFICATIONS--Soe of the branches usually taught in our common schools This is true even of a portion of those who have bestowed considerable attention upon soher branches of study There is in our coher schools, an undue anxiety to advance rapidly A score of personsof the nuress, and perhaps of skipping difficulties, while hardly _one_ will speak of progressing _understandingly_, and co _every principle_ as he proceeds

When students speak of their progress in study, their first qualifying word should be _thorough_, after which, if they please, theycircuentlemen who have presented the, illustrate the nature and extent of the evil I have more than once received, in answer to the question ”What is language?” the following reply: ”Language is an _unlimited sense_” I havetwo or three town certificates, who did not know one half of the enerally recite the answers in the spelling-book with soree of accuracy; but when the marks have been pointed out, and their names and use have been asked, teachers _in service_ have soation_ for a _parenthesis_, and ross errors In answer to the question ”What is arith reply: ”It is the _art of science_,” etc Sometimes this constitutes the entire reply In one instance _four fifths_ of the class united in this answer

The terms sum, remainder, product, and quotient are frequently applied indiscriround rules of arithmetic There are, hence, three chances for them to be used erroneously where there is one chance for the expressions are common: _Add_ up and set down the _remainder_; _subtract_ and set down the _quotient_; _multiply_ and write down the _sum_; _divide_ and write down the _product_, etc: never so s to addition; remainder, to subtraction; product, tothe examination of such teachers, any person of discerne is an unlimited sense;” that ”arithrammar, too, is ”the art of science;” for the saras, not for the purpose of ridiculing any portion of our teachers, but to exemplify the extent of the evil under consideration

The majority of teachers manifest a tolerable faht in our coenerally studied more than one author on the saives me pleasure to add, are not only superior scholars in the colish branches, but they have made respectable attainebra, Latin, etc All of these branches are successfully taught in a few of our schools

SCHOOL GOVERNMENT--There is, perhaps, as wide a difference in the adovernment in our common schools as in any other particular connected with theovernment requires the healthful exercise of a rare coood qualities But this can not reasonably be expected in inexperienced youth, who, instead of being guided by enlightened moral sentiovernment, but are totally unacquainted with the principles upon which it should be administered About one third of our schools are tolerably well governed A portion of theovern uniformly mild, and at the same time efficient But indecision, rashness, and inefficiency are far , leaving seats, asking questions, etc, a any of the scholars, and severely punish every detected offender Soon a portion of the patrons justly overn the school are unwisely given up Many teachers thus rashly fly fro to test the ”golden ht upon the subject

Again: the feelings of the teacher have been outraged by having frequently witnessed severity, and even cruelty, in govern theovernment it may be called The latter may be the more amiable extreme, but it is hardly the less fatal I have heard scholars say in the presence of such a teacher, ”We have a good teacher, who gives us all the good advice we need, and then lets us do as we please;” and then I have witnessed whispering, talking, chewing gu fro wads of wet paper about the house and to the ceiling, cutting i the practice of botanic physicians, exhibiting and passing fro upon their properties, chasingthe sundry other antics too nuiven, but it was disregarded with impunity

Government in school, as elsewhere, should be mild but efficient The teacher should speak kindly, but with authority Every request should meet with a ready compliance The scholars will not only fear to disobey such a teacher, but will, at the saood theory, but is susceptible of being reduced to practice It is, indeed, exemplified in many of our schools, as a visit to theovernmentseveral ti obeyed