The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-01-23
Vermont Education.


H1f lu hrhonl rooms Tor though they may iill
from notice like the Spring blossoms, they
fll that the fruit may be- born" Ycs, honor
those who labor Ia school rooms, If there
hr a class Of mouals who need and merit the
support and sympathy Of ils patrons, Of that
class s the industrious, faithful, earnest teach
] co. Net iu few isolated instances does thc
teacher receive tbat support ind sympathy
Aud Why IL IL because hc docs not loscr,r
itf Are we not quite 600 opt 90 attribute 60
ulhcrs the faults which liriu oursohcs' We
may not thus easily shuttle gd our respous
bities The world, cold and bcartlcsb though
'it bo, is not slow 10 detect, appreciate and re-
ward merit Il wins Il, way like smiling
face,
Herein exists un error whose remedy lies
10 ourselves. lu common with thousands,
no doubt, have lclt thc want Of position iu
our calling do not mean relatively with
co-mhorer- in thc same ,iucyard-thal Of
coursc-hut relatively with members of the
other learned professions Does some cap
/ louA, sorl disseoling quibblcr,mudrsll, sug-
gcst that teaching has not yet been elevated
10 the dignity Of Profession, dare not
galnsoy H. As on embryo thought il has
struggled for delivery of repeated times, and
as often boon ru'hlcs,ly beaten back by Pride.
r But Il vii not down If trnching bee 70
professional hn, not that inuutc influence aud
. dignity which is Incident 10 the Other learned
/ professions, The Clergyman, the Lawyer,
and the Ply sicau,os they pass the threshold
t.ft
/ firm, prepared basis, and receive the impetus
OF an unseen power, 10 brace them like
strong arm, as they weather the rough storms
which assail al at their outset, iu Whatever
/ department of the worlds life. Their very
profession gives them support Each il
deemed worthy Of coniidgnrc till hc has
proved himself uNerthy,
Is there no plausible reason why the yoca.
ton Of the teacher is not rankcd,cqual in Dig.
hiy, with other intellectual callings We
uccd not search tu FOR the cause. Men do
not M themselves for Il. There have been
no toil,omc year, oC hard study, close appli.
cation and rigid discipline in preparations.
The result is, We have no heart for lbc work,
no love for the calling. II il law Of our
being that We find enjoyment in doing that
work which we can do well, The experience
of Thousand, win show, that the longer We
remain teachers the les, irksomc do our du-
( Ties bccomc We almost come to enjoy them
Sometime, believe il comes to hr ycrita-
bile pleasure. And this result is bur the nat
uJaI sequence of rilcct to cause, and may be-
attributed to.oI6cT ,oafcgs thJU mrrriy-tr
the force Of hahit-sccond nature. one OF
il, legitimate and happy fruits is, that il T..
only our best teachers who are sufiicicuty
cnamorcd to make i,a calling fof lie III,
to these that thcNocation owes rhat.or dig
nifty IL may possess.
Ia the ordinary routine or lie, no man can
f1rz-.s=-iff
least of all ina profession. And there is
scarcely another vocation whore men strive
to act without rehearsal or find demand for
their iucxpercncc. We seize il only as %
means to an end. 1t was remark Of Dan
icl Webster that every man owes something
to his profession. Shall we claim that since
ours does little for US, We owe it liulc' Par
adoNical though't seem, the less il aids us,
the -'.taEa-is-ape il lrnul- -us--Itail US -whal
it can. po5S6 legal per cen,agc on all We
invest Would we receive more, we must I'M
vest more.
Does there exist in the duties Of our call
ing, any inherent characteristics which dis
quolihcs it from ranking among the nobcst
of works to which the active and intelligent
mind of the nineteenth century is de, otcd 2
We value results by the toll thcy have cost,
Does the profession lack dignity because its
responsibilities are slight2 Whoever acts
well his part in life deserves commcndation.
p The miner who with callous and incrusted
palm, tolls faithfully, as well as The artisan
who hammers and moulds the glowing metal
into the most delicate and useful shape OF
3 which it is susceptible. lie who swings his
ax effectively in the forest, as well as he who
fashions the material thus ruthlcssly topplcd
in It's pride to the ground, into the most mag
3 niicent and palotial edfcc within the capaci,
" of ancient and modern architecture. lie
who wrcsts from its adamantinc bed the
snow white marble, not less than he for
whom it is prepared with wearisome blows
and whose siillful hand imparts life pulse
to the throbbng statue. Each but does his
work we'll Yet who shall say that the one is
notR more djgnifed calling than the other
: The dignity Of Il profession depends upon the
value oc the material worked upon and the
value of the material and labor combined
upon the result of the labor. If we apply
this Illustration to our calling, how forciby
does it illustrate the dignity and RESPONSIBLE.
ty Of the teachers duties. The material we
work upon is not transient or perishable
How infinitely superior to inanimate matter
Matter in whatever form is subject to decay
S The human mind is superior to dccay--it j,
n immortal What result of physical labor up.