Eastern times., 1855-11-15
For the Eastern Time,
School Papers. No. s..

Mr. EDITOR After so long a vacation,
please to allow me, through the columns of
your valuable paper, to resume the subject of
these papers. But before proceeding to the
subject matter of them, let me allude to the
American Institute Of Instruction, which held
its twenty-sixth annual session. in this city, on
the 21st of August last. The meeting was
one of uncommon interest, and one of the very
best ever held by the Institute. The lectures
were of high order, the discussions animated.
and spirit of unity and good feeling prevailed
throughout the session. Much credit is due
TO our citizens for their hospitality in enter
tainIng members of the Institute, and the COM
mittee of arrangements would return their
most sincere thanks to all those who so gener-
ously aided them in this part, and by no means
small part OF our arduous labors.
We regard it as of no small desire to have
such an institution hold its session in our
midst; and we are particularly grati6ed that
the meeting passed off with SO much credit,
both to the Institute and our people, We hail
|. such institutions as this, and such meetings as
this, as harbingers of the good time coming,
for every good school is temple of liberty,
and education The most important pillar in the
fabric of a free state.
The Institution has for its object, the eleva-
tion of the common school, by the better prep
aration of the teacher for his office, and by
awakening in the community a deeper and
more intelligent interest in the subject of pop
ular education. As is the teacher, so is the
school, and our schools can be elevated only
as the teacher is prepared to, lift the school up
TO high standard of teaching and discipline.
1t is only when the teacher is deeply interest
ed and thoroughly fitted for his work, that he
fully realizes thathis calling is no less than to
educate the faculties and capabilities of mind
whose sphere is TO be Eternity.
While an apprenticeship or special training
is deemed necessary in every other pursuit,
the inexperienced, unskilful and even igno-
rant, are permitted to make experiments, in
order to perfect themselves in the art of teach
ing, although the subject of their experiments
are immortal beings. Wha heart does not
sickeH at the idea of the ignorant and incompe-
tent engaging in pursuit which would seem
to require nothing short of perfection, mental,
moral and physical, to act efectually and
faithfully.
Every teacher should be so conversant with
the branches he processes to teach, as to be
able to conduct the recitations without the
use of text books as in proportion to his abl-
ity to do this, will he succeed in imparting to
his pupils kno,oiedge of the subject, instead
its mere defnition-the certain result of mere
routine teaching from text books. To remove
the tendency of the exercises in elementary
schools TO mere drill of study and recitations,
we must look to the high literary attainments
and general intelligence of the teacher.
But we do not propose to discuss this point
here, and we have alluded to it merely to show
the worth Of institutions like that we are no
ticing. We cannot have good teachers with
out the means for their preparation, and to at
tempt to calculate the value of such an institu-
tion, would be like weighing diamonds upon
hay scales. But whatever of excellence may
be attained by any such institution serves only
as vantage ground from which to see still
further Improvements to be made. We must
not expect to attain the highest good, but only
to keep moving towards it. N. A. w.
BATH, Nov. IL, 1855.