Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-28


port. 'sTo teach, says DIR. Charming,
whether by word or action, is the great
est function on earth" And can it be |
that they need no special training for
this work?
We require of our physician, our law
yer and our clergyman, that he should
be professionally educated. 1t is not
enough that he has been thoroughly
drilled in academic halls; not enough
that he has been literally educated. We
do not entrust to him the life of our child
unless he has studied medicine, nor an
important suit in chancery unless he has
studied law; nor do weregard him quail
flied to preach the gospel unless he has
studied theology. Yea, more, we require
a professional training for the common
mechanic, the farmer, the sailor, and in
deed, ''for every art, trade, and occupa-
tiOR." We do not allow man to build
a house, to cultivate farm, to navigate
a ship, to shoe a horse, to repair watch,
nor even to shave the hair from our
chin, who has not served an apprentice
ship, in order to learn the special art
we expect him to practice. Now, teach
ing is an art, and the teacher an artist
an art of the highest Importance and the
greatest difficulty. And shall we con-
tinue to entrust the business of educat-
ting our children to those who have had
no opportunity for sound instruction; to
the mere novice, simply because she
knows little of arithmetic, geography
and grammar Nothing can be more
inconsistent and unwise than to assign a
work so important to those who are un-
skilled and who have been untaught in
the profession. We have our schools of
law, of medicine and of divinity. We
regard them as a necessity. We require
an apprenticeship in every trade and in
| every kind of business. This, too, is
necessary to the end in view. We ex-
| pect none to undertake the duties of
those professions, or trades, who have
not had this special preparation.
But, until within few years, no pro-
vision has been made for the profession
al training of teachers, nor has it been
regarded of any Importance. The inn
preston prevailed that anybody could
! keep school, and hence-anybody who
would serve an ignorant constituency for
very small compensation, in this sine
MAR office, was employed. But we trust
brighter day has dawned Normal
schools have, at length, been established
in nearly every State in our Union, and
a multitude of teachers have been gath
cred into them. Still a very small part
of all our public school teachers have yet
been reached And this is not the worst
/ feature of the case. The majority do
/ not feel its Importance. They can Sc
cure their certificates, fulfill their en-
gagements and get their wages, aAd
hence, they are satisfied.
The great difficulty is still with pa
rents. They do not demand profession
ally educated teachers. They too often
| prefer those not qualified, if only they
| viii work for less wages and submit to
| more hardships. Let it be understood
throughout our country that no candi-
dates for the teachers Office will be ao-
cepted unless they had been normally
| trained. as it is understood that no one
can practice medicine unless he has
| studied the ''healing art, and soon nor
NAL schools would be multiplied, and all
filled with earnest students preparing
themselves for this important work. 1t
is the duty of parents, therefore, to de
mand of their teachers higher qualitica-
tiOns. If not educated at the normal
school, they should be professional
ly educated somewhere and in
some way. Then would teaching
become a profession in the same sense as
law or medicine, and our schools would
be elevated to a position which their inn
portance demands, ahd to usefulness so
much to be desired.
But the crowning excellence which
should be demanded in our teachers is,
a noble manhood or 20Onld71hOad, We de-
sire to make men and women of our chill
dren. How can we hope to do this, eX-
cept through the example, influence and
instruction of true manhood or woman
hood, at home and in the school-rOom
Instructors should possess such qualities
and principles as may be safely copied
by their pupils They should have physi-
cal vigor, gracefulness of manners, a
highly cultivated and well furnished
mind; a heart filled with noble senti-
ments and swelling with generous emo
tions, and a charactar founded upon
christian principle and above suspicion.
These virtues we may hope to see en-
grated upon our children. Sure we
may be, that all the Ujces of the teacher
will be copied by his pupils. To Illus
trate, we may recall the story of the
. China Plate.
A fanciful housewife CHANGED to find
among the waste crockery of her hard
ware merchant style and figure of plate
which greatly pleased her. This specl-
men was badly cracked and marred, but
it showed an exquisitely fine design, anc
she at once decided to send the plate tc
China, to have set manufactured exact
Ia like the pattern. This was her order
and it was executed accordingly. lmag
. ing the modification of the good lady
E on receiving her goods, to find the imita
ton so perfect that all the defects of tht
old plate had been retained. So parents
, NAV expect the reproduction of thu
teacher in their children, with all thu
spots and stains which are found upol
+. his character Let them look well
therefore, to the qualifications of those
to whom they entrust SO important
. charge. FARENS'
! DEATH OF j. S. d. TAYLoR.-We ar
grieved to learn of the death of the dealt
of John Syng Dorsey Taylor, late on
of the editors and proprietors OF the st
IL, V-rSlT