The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1862-02-08

many Of your cohnoners you would have
to feed to eg ial that one. The trutIt of the
matter is that the advantage is always in
favor .of the best article i'll every department.
But we leave the weather which continues
stormy and Agricola who is Foey-like, and
turn to - Vcritas," WHO is at ease amid the
rugged hills of the Octoraro, watching, it
may be the rolling of the crystal waters of
his native creek as they pass quickly to be
swallowed up by the turbulent Susquchanna.
He makes kind Of Sam Patch jump into
us as if to wake us up or tell us that he
means something. After few Introductory
words, hear him. " Has Tranquil visited
the schools of all such teachers in The
county and been informed Of their mode of
tcaching?' We answer in the negative.
and for the benefit of - Neritas and others,
explain our illusions and calange, We
meant no disrcspect to the institution ut
Miilersyillc nor any one of its graduates
We then meant to be understood to believe
fully in II Normal school training and now
emphaiically assert that nothing short ola
Normal training will qualify any one to begin
to teach. Mark-fo b'gin. TO illustrate
more fully our meaning, we say that the
mechanic of fifty years experience is better
qualified to instruct an apprentice in the art
of his profession than the young man who is
just out Of his apprenticeship would he,
admitting both to have had equal precertors
and both equal in disposition to learn. Now
it our theory be true i'll regard to the
mechanic. is it not true i'll regard to the
teacher, also? We contend ii is, and there
fore urge our suggestions as profitable to all
in the profession, and again assert that he
or she who refuses to meet and interchange
opinions and past experience with his or
tpllnw * Mace
he or she holds. That our Normal Schools
have done much to elevate the stadard of all
common schools is not nor cannot be denied,
but that training in one of those institu-
tutons pcrtccts an individual in the art is
and will be successfully contradctcd.-
Again, we assert that it there be single
Master or Marin who depends solely upon
the instructions received in any Normal
School for complete success in the art they
are the least qualified for the many artluous
duties Of the profession. Will "Neritas
understand our meaning. or must we III
another article be more plain and somewhat
personal? Now as to our chalange, We
intended to do just what we have done:
draw some one out on the subject. For that
challenge we have no apology to Offer
While talking about schools and school
Masters and Marms, We beg leave to add
that we have had little experience in the
art. that We taught as best we could two
winters in l.ycoming Co., Pa. six years in
Schuylkill Co., Pa. and seven years in
Chester Co., Pa. In Schuylkill county we
were in one house the whole time and our
school averaged for six months in ten one
hundred and twenty pupils daily. In Chrs
ter county our daily average varied from
sixty to ninety. At the former place we
had no assistant, at the latter we had, but
not with our consent. For the Amusement
and we hope benefit ofthe common school
teacher OF to-day we say, not braggingly nor
boasttully, that if we could have our choice
now between Il school of one hundred pupils
and one of %. both at the same wages.
we would take the hundred in preference.
and we will guarantee to give a majority of
the pupils sixteen lessons per day set all
copies and attend to all Arithmetic lessons.
Nc, &c. La me! says one, what an asscr
ton. Does Tranquil think we are fools to
the belief of such an n,rossibility as that
Very we'll. keep thinking We cant do what
we say, till you get worked up to such IL
pitch as to convene the material and send
for us to prove its truth by actual dcmonsta-
ton. We like your county and would like
to meet you on any occasion pertaining to
the welfare of education. We were indeed
sorry to leave you but the Judge ordered
anu we were FORCED TO OBEY. 1t may not
always be thus. lise and fortune may 50
purify our blood and the blood of our pos
terily that it will not be obnoxious to the
higher ranks and their offspring who are
born, but not yet buried. Havin. underway
a parting address for our many warm friends
in Cecil county, we dismiss our friendship
for the present, and return to the subject of
school teaching. We remark that we are
not more fond of labor than any one else
who does as little as we do; yet, when we
do undertake, we 90 it might and main till
done, and when we enter Il school room for
the purpose of teaching we want work
enough to keep us on our feet all the time !;
not to scold and whip, but to teach We
don't want to sit down to teach, nor do we
| admire the teacher that does. The lily-lin-
gered lady or tho coXcomb gentleman is
about as fit for the lahors of school room
as a smelling furnace would be for Il powder
house. Gentle Editor, and still more gen.
tie reader, excuse us, we get excited when
discussing school labor and cannot help
spreading it a little thick. Let he profes-
sion come forward and discuss the matter
with us and perhaps we will not tread so
heavy III future. Yours respectfully,
TRANQUIL.