The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-11-02

existence is commensurate with eternity.
Is it not a work Of the greatest impor-
tance rightly to watch and till these fields.
that they may be kept dressed in Giving
green" yet free from all hurtful weeds
and untoward influences; and that these
deathless plants may receive such sup
port and training as shall cause them to
.,blossori and bear fruit to the honor
and glory Of the Divine Teacher. II
prcpcrly n1ltiired and trained, what or.
naments and blessings will they become
to the hillsides and valleys Of our be
loved land If neglected or maltrained,
what curses will they prove to the gar
dens in which'they growA-sto the com
munities whose atmosphere they taint--
and to those who should have lei them
to the light, rather, left them tC gfOpe
in darkness. and imbibe the pestifeTcus
Influences of ignorance and wickedness;
as cultivators in these priceless nurseries
of Gods planting, teachers occupy a
foremost rank; and woe will be pronOun-
ced against those who, by undertaking
their work or misapplying their time and
talents, cause OIL allow deformities and
ilnperfections TO exist and perpetuate
themselves. The influence of 3 teacher,
for the veal or woe of those contded
TO his care, Is almost inconceivable.-
| From lis every act, word and even look,
they will receive impressions, good or
i'll, which will remain as long as the sus-
certibility of the mind to retain impress
ions shall endure How solemn the
thought, and yet how true, that the
teachers influence will extend through
! all coming time: With what force should
this thought impress the mind of all who
take upon themselves the duties and re-
sponsibilities of an instructor with what
care, industry, and zeal, should it incite
them to strive for the cultivation of those
qualities, and the acquisition OF that
knowledge, which will enable them to
labor wisely and we'll.
Now, 1t must not be supposed, for a
moment, that every person VINO can pass
the strictest examination, is fit to man.
age school 1t takes peculiar man
to be just the right sort of a teacher
He is an article compounded of various
ingredients, such as you cannot buy at
the druggists. As to his intellectual
qualification, his mind should be FoUN-
TAIN, and not q RESERVOIR. His knowl-
edge should gush up of ITSELF, and not
have to be DRAWN up as by Il windlass.
He should bea man ofINGENUITY and tact,
of various resources and expedients, and
not hel pless creature of custom, plod-
ding on, day after day, in the same old
path, like horse in bark mill. He
should be fresh in his feelings and sym
pathies, and not a petritied post of Me
dusa his HEART should be young in all
its pulsations, though his head may he
as bold-as EIisha's. Endued with cour-
age and resolution that knows no defeat,
he should, like Dickens Raven, ''never
say die"
He should be man Of the world, rs
we'll as a man of books; familiar with
human nature, not less than with Mitch
ellis Geography. He should he q schol-
lar of some BREADTH, as well as DEPTH
knowing something more than the
mere routine of daily study, and not a
man whose half.dozen thoughts rattle
in his vacant head like shunken kernels
in a bean-pod His mental storehouse
should be filed with the fruits of various
and extensive reading, so that he need
not be compelled to draw his illustrations
for the recitation room from the tales ol
his grandfather, or from the treasures ol
last years almanac.
In addition to his intellectual furnish
ing, he should be man of integrity, OF
moral rectitude, and purity of character
imbucd with the spirit of truth aud wis
dom. And if, besides all this. the light
of q christian faith should irradiate his
scientific and literary requirements, ii
would serve to give them a bright lustre
even as lamp set in an alabaster vase
brings out in boder relief, and clearer
expression, the beautiful figures which
may be sculptured upon it. Let the
common school teacher possess quaiiti
cations like these, aud he can do much
perhaps more than any single individ
ual-for the renovation Of human soci
ETY.. Now, teacher Of small children
should be 4 sort Of locomotive patent
office, full of all manner of inventions
} The young love novelty as much as they
: hate routine. To- secure their interest
therefore. one must excite their astonish
ment and admiration every hour of every
day in the week with some new thing un
der the sun
The feeling has been quite too com
mon that any one could keep schools
so that many schools have been KEPT
while but few have been well taught
they have been kept FROM true knowl
edge, and not in garnering up for future
usefulness Hence, mere stripplings, o.
men of maturer age, with no fixed view:
or plans, engage in excepting school,
though they never teach, because them
selves untaught. They can neither dis
cipline nor instruct, because they have
never themselves been properly disci
plined and instructed. When Dintel
was school counsellor in Prussia, mil
itary man of great influence urged hin
to recommend disabled soldier,in whom
he was interested, as q school teacher
Il will do So" said Dinter, ''if he car
sustain the requisite examination" 50,
said the colonel, she does not know
aught about school-teaching; but he is
good, moral, steady man; and l hope
you will recommend him, to oblige me-
20 yes" said Dinter, "to oblige you, il
you, in your turn, will do me favor.
''And what favor can do you?' asked
the colonel "Why get me appointed
drum major in your regiment, said
Dinter. at is true that | can neither
heat drum nor play a fife; but ! am
good, moral, steady man as ever lived
1t is not enough that a man is ''Goou
AND STEADY in order to become leach,
+ er. 1t is essential that his whole life and
character be SO pure and correct, that
he shall constitute 4 pattern worthy O
the closest imitation How desirable
} rhat his daily walk and conversation
, form, as it were, q living epistle, no. on.
ly "known and read'' of all children, but