The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1868-12-04

D..s..na.....A-A
der, no easy task betimes. In sum
mer the wages, generally, do not
exceed 20 dollars = month, the tea
cher having to pay his board, which
is not less than 8 or 10 dollars .
month; SO that a ..laborer has twice
as much for his services during the
summer ss teacher, who has to
take care of, and instruct the chill
dren of o whole district; teaching
then, in common schools through the
country, is not in q pecuniary point
of view so profitable for man, who
must have spent . great part Of his
time in preparing to discharge we'll
and faithfully the important duties
Of his profession, As working on a
farm. .. ..-
But is the smallness of the wages
paid teachers the only thing many of
them have reason to complain Of Z.
De parents always, by word and ex-
ample impress on the minds of their
children, that their teacher. when
faithful and zeaicus, . is mostly the
case, l must suppose, are their best
friends; that obedience and respect
are due to them from their pup,ls2
If they wonld do this; if following
the advice Of tho wiscst of men,
they would train them up in tho
way they should 60, earnestly di-
rccting them to be attentive to their
studies in school. gentle and polite
to their school-mates, how delight
full to teach, and profitable to pupils
and parents would be the business
of school. teaching.
have heard, as before remark
ed, many find fault with school
teachers, some saying that they do
not take care Of tho scholars; others
that they do not keep order, that,
in fact, they do little or nothing a.
they ought. I have always remark
ed that the children of those fault
finders are disorderly, inattentive
to their business, hard to be con-
trolled, in q word, almost unmsna-
gable in school; hut like the scape
goat, the unfortunate school-master
is made to bear the misconduct Of
those refractory worthless.
'Tis lamentable to witness how
disorderly rudeness is encouraged
in some places, and made to triumph
over the jealous exertions of great
many laudably y engaged in endeav.
curing to instruct the youth Of tho
country, young mischief-makcrs
who, though sent . long time to
school, giving great deal Of troub-
le and annoyance there, arc when
grown up men unable to read with
any tolcrable degree of accuracy or
even write their names.
What . shamel What q disgrace
to the Intelligence and respecta-
bility of q district to allow such
youths as thcse-and there are many
such-to domineer over teachers,
honestly discbarging their duty, and
through their influence and that Of
their friends to iIure them, as far
as their bad influence can do it. In
stating facts which I had the mem
tai torture of witnessing, I do not,
Of course, mean to offend any, but
to expose as much as Loan. the in
justice very often done many Of our
humble yet most useful class Of
persons to which, / feel it is an hon.
or to belong, the enlightened opin-
ion of several unable to know one
letter Of the alphabet from On other
to the contrary, Notwithstanding.
Eat length come to . close by in
serting a few words which I copy
from an old book I brought with me
from Old Ireland. They are these:
Seientia parens est hbertatis Ignersntia
paren, est serritudinis. The translation;
knowledge is the parent Of liberty;
Ignorance is the parent of seryi-
tude. l remain respectfully,
PETER LAwLEss.