The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-06-21

formation is to be achieved. Does it not offend
thee, brother, to the very soul, to see man
trying to cram" a dolt of boy with Latin
and Greek, and French. and Algebra, and half
a dozen other things, because certain other
man has so decreed it, and hath it in him to pay
extra chargesa and has it not often moved thee
to extreme sorrow, to see beautiful and ca.
pacious soul condemned to feed on figures, and
other husks that the swine do eat, solely because
an individual was what he called "opposed to
the classics" ana had no talent for paying ex-
ira charges? Extra charges are an abomina-
ton, and ought to be abolished, and the teacher
be wholly disinterested and untrammeled
Judge of his pupils pursuits at school. If there
must be extra charges, extra charge for what
the boy does not learn. Address the parent
thus: "Your preposterous command that the
boy shall not learn Latin or French, increases
my difficulties in directing his education in a
very great degree. therefore oharge So much
per quarter for each of the forbidden lessons"
Other powers needful for the teacher might be
specified, but must content myself with mere
ly repeating, in general way, the teacher must
have pousr enoNgh This, at present, he has
not. He fights with his hands tied, and gets
beaten in consequence.
Thirdly, think it an indispensable feature OF
good school, that its government be free, and
not despotic. The essential difference between
these two modes of government appears to be
this: a free government is one in which Lapl is
supreme-a despotic, one in which the will OF
an individual or of individuals is so. l mean,
particularly, that the subordinate teachers
should not be solely responsible to the chief
teacher; that both should have common mas
ter, and both be subject to laws ordained for
the government of the school; that both teach:
er and pupil should be protected from the has
tiness and caprice ofths principal; and that the
entire value and efficiency Of the school should
not depend upon the value and efficiency of one
man. This is matter of very great Impor-
tance do not think that subordinate teach
err can, in any circumstances, stand in the right
relation to pupils, whilst he is the mere hreling
of the principal Nor have known more than
one school of the "private" kind, in which the
teacher had the necessary degree of indepen-
denee, even in his own department He can
not, as general thing, choose even the books
: to be used, or say whether he will use any book
at all. The principal does not regard the re-
suits of the teachers labors, and Judge him SOLE
ly by the results; but often, in the most imper-
tinent and frustrating manner, presumes to say
how he shall labor criticising the petest details
of the recitation, and wholly destroying its VI
vacity and effectiveness by his Interference
For it is in the nature ofa principal Of private
school, to have the most egrcgious conceit. lie
is generally not able to lift up his mind to the
belief that man may work quite in different
manner from himself, and yet get lhe work done
as well. This is a sore evil. So acutely has
one individual suffered from this cause, that he
does not usually dare trust himself to speak OF
it, lest he should be betrayed uto i'll temper and
worse words True it is, and with shame
confess it, but with more sorrow than shame,
that we members of liable corps" are, nova
days, a class Of mortals not overwisc, not trou-
bled with an excessive flow of ideas, nor bur-
thened with too much sense. ID fact, there
would seem to be a plentiful lack Of wit and
force in our body, and this lack will continue as
long as we are treated as we usually are, or as
long as we endure it. This despotism must
end, before schools are muchi improved. Teach
ers must be free men before their utmost Of ia
Guilty and power is called into action and de.
velopment. Tie principal must be clothed
with authority, but not with absolute authority.
Men may worthily be loyal unto men, but obc:
dient only unto Law.
A fourth vitally important and wholly indis-
pensable condition of II good schools existence
appears to me to be, that its teachers subsis-
tence be not directly dependent upon the pa
rents of their pupils Some third party must
stand between the teacher and the parent, pro.
tecting the teacher from the parents caprice or
injustice, protecting the parent, too, from mpo-
sition, and his child from ill.treatment and neg
lect The teacher, like the soldier, should be
the servant Of the State. Iappeal to every
candid master ola private school in this city
for the truth of the assertion, that what is term.
ed the success of a school, its prosperity as a
business, depends mainly upon its ability to
please its pupils 10 this contemplate basis
are we narrowed at last The question is not
now asked with tremulous anxiety by the pa.
rent and friend, ooh teacher, what think you
Of our boyl but this other, with kind Of
mocking jocularity, "Well, boy. how do you
like your teacher" What fright,u aburdty
is this! What -an entire inversion Of rhe pro-
per relation of the two parties How, not in
furious merely, but fatal to The best interests of
the young, to the dignity and ell-being Of their
instructions, is q system Of such tendencies -