Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-09-27
Towanda, September 1, 1860.
Reading


Is not an acquaiEtauce with literature an
essential qualification @, good teacher II
there is auy particular science which one can
teach as well without having studied litcra-
ture, it is mathematics. Take arithmetic.
then, and cannot yOa see what an advantage
one viii have, whose MUD has been disciplined
and enriched by q study Of the great English
and American authors WITH how much
more ease, and pleasure to the learner. be can
explain aud illustrate the dry principles Even
II the object OF q teacher were merely TO make
the mind an arltlmatical mill, be would be the
most successful mill wright who had phil0s0-
phsed with Bacon, aud Locke. and Shaks-
peare, and Stewart, abou. the nature Of the
human mind: Bat the teacher Of q common
school has more 10 do than 10 teach malHe.
MATES. He has the f,st lessons to give in
every branch, not 0u,J Of learning. hut of cd
ucat0n, which term 5 infinitely tie broader ia
Specification. His work is not mechanical bat
spiritual. His duty is not merely to fIl the
memory-the hopper Of the mi.l-wjIh rules
and formula, Uat to guide the motive power Of
the mind, teach how to thiuk-tO WATCH
the teudrils Of the intellect aDI heart o. they
shoot forth, and see that they clasp upon OBJ
iects that !tt them iato the air, and towards
the say. Aud Ne Cannot ta.ak taat Oae IS
qualified to perform this WORK, to whom MI
ton aud Burke and Addison and Irving ana
HawthoTu are stranEeTs-to whom EggIfsh
literature IS Greek \ thorough course Of
reading, then, should Le regarded Ly every
one who intends 10 teach, as l uecessGrv part
Of his preparation. II lie have at frs. no
taste for this, which may possibly be sometimes
the case, let it be commenced Is a task. and :
viii be continued Tor the love Of it, In this
way only can a kBowiedge OF the English iau-
guage be obtained, and the ability 10 use II
with ease and elegance s knowledge of the
Latin and Greek alone viii not give this Oae
NAV be able 20 trace words back to their roots.
ana tell what they 5 gniEeI two thousand Years
ago, aud yet lot be able TO te.. their modern
SiSulhca:lon. For IN lang uage, as il az other
things, there is constant revolution For
every new idea, there must be 2 new express
sion. Has there been 50 little addition made
10 tie stock Of the worlds ideas since the age
OF Cicero, taa: his language W.. a.0E tbs
age and people fl. expression 4 lteTa-
ture such as ours, which las been growing up
for three huHdred years, is sufficient We thIuk,
10 support langQage,-aEd il does Eirtu-
ally the English language has declared Itself
" free and iud=P pendent : aad now its use mast
be acquired from is own writers The ad-
vantage Of teacher who is familiar with 1t
eTature, is so great in every respect, that we
think the time viii come when an acQuainta aBce
wIth the standard authors viii be requiTed-
TO be able 70 express his thoughts wiki ela-
gance, and to be ready with apt and refined
illustrations at all times, is but part Of the
benefit.
The teaching CT one thus qualified Will be
vital, and not mechanical And those who 90
out from under the Instructions Of such, viii
never speak Of them as Herr Feupelsdrockh
speaks of his. Ny teachers says he, "Sere
hide-bound Pedants, without kDoTledze OF
Mans nature. or of boys or OF augbt save
their lezicons and quarterly aecount-books.-
lnnumerable dead YocGbles mo dead laugaAgs
tor they themselves knew 10 language t1sy
eF2nned in:O IS, snd cs..s3 i fostering n: