The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-01-09
The Teachers Work and Qualif.
cation.

CtslOu.
ESSAY DELIVERED AT TIE TEACHER;
INSTITUTE, RECENTLY HELD IN TIL
CITY. BY REV. J. GILLIES.
Of all classes of the community, teach
ers sustain the most important and hon
orable position. The mechanic, tn
merchant, the lawyer, the physician. tn
politician. sustain Offices which dwindl,
into insignifcance when compared witt
that of Il teacher. lie has to do direct,
with mind, and generally with mind il
its most impresSible and mouldable con
dition. He acts on the handspring
of society. and may throw the Who'll,
machinery into confusion, or assist il
giving harmony to its movements ant
utility to its results. The outlines of 4
nations history are drawn in schools
There the intellectual and model type.
of future men and women are formed
The habits and conduct of men and
women of this age, are but the actual.
cation of the ideas and lessons they re.
ceive at school. The teacher stands
nearest the worlds heart; he is up al
the fountain of moral and social life, and
may give to its streams what tinge and
direction he pleases.
1t is i sad reflection on the intelli.
! gcnce and moral insight of tine age, that
; its most valuable functionary should be
! so little appreciated and so poorly re-
muneratcd. Men are willing to pay d
trainer OF fast horses more than they are
/ .-tllt,r q, nnx n s,nr n.fnpf fnnlhpp Tn
| the education of their children. 1t will
not be always so; brighter times are
coming for the true educator of his age,
As intelligence advances and the para.
mount claims of mind become recog'
nized, society will award to him the
highest honors it has to beStow.
Let US examine, for u short time, what
is required of true teacher, and some
of the qualifications necessary for thu
discharge Of his duty. He has to Il,
with mind. and mind implies life, anG
life implies growth, and growth implies
dew, lopment, and development implie'
developing conditions. Now a deat
thing cannot grow where life once was
but has departed, growth has ceased
The false views of education, which ar
often seen, are based upon IN ignoranc,
of what mind is. Sometimes education
is spoken Of Is if the mind were u dea'
vessel, into which n certain amount o
information is 10 be poured until it j
filled. The instructor endeavOrs t.
cram the memory of his pupil witt
names and dates. facts and rules; bu
the putting into the mind all the facts o
science and history is not education. j
not growth. Nay, these may checi
growth and crush the inner germs o
life. Too much soil thrown upon tin
seed will exclude the suns rays an.
make it rot. There are many well in
formed men who have new been edu
Gated, whose minds have never grown
There is such n weight of books pile,
upon the brain that it cannot perform
its junction. Again, education is spo
ken of rs If the mind were some stone
on which the instructor was to act rs
lapidary to chisel it into some graceful
form, and polish it into beauty. uenc
We are constantly hearing of the accom-
pli,hments. such as painting, drawing
and the fashionable in style of talk ant
gait. Some of the nos uneducate'
people in the world possess the o o
these merctricious accomplishments
Sometimes education is spoken of rs
the mind were tillable land. which ha
to be pIowed and narrowed in order t
receive and terminate seed. Philosoph
icallr. nothing can grow in the mind
it is not the facts nor principles that yol
. impart to the mind that will grow the
remain dead things in the memory
worse than useless-unless the min
takes them up, drinks them in, 4
healthy trees drink in the sunbeam An
the shower. 1t is not the water or til
light that grows in the plant. but tn
plant that grows in them. The MIND
then, is not . vessel. or u stone, or
field, il is vital existant, to whose ma
/, turc YOU can add nothing.
The idea of growth, then, implies tia
mind possesses developable powers
There are living things that have NJ
the power of growth. Some. perhaps
!. have been created with their nature
, fully developed: there. is no power i
them of coming to any higher poin'
, And others have passed through all til
. stages OF development, and are e,
hausted: the eliminating point has bee
reached and decay sets in. The autumn
OF life has come and gone, and the col
: hand of winter is on its heart. 1t is nj
. so with the mind; its potentialities al
unbounded. Development is the gre'
! law of mind. everywhere felt and ever.
u where ut work. 1t runs through Il
: ages and explains half the phcnomer
: Of the worlds history; it throbs N Il
e bosom of childhood and nerves til
!; mind of q New attainments on
serve To whet its appetitcs. and ne
d It, ps in the line of advancement ev'
painting bright futures. and the memo
u collecting material from the past 10 he
US on it explains the past OF huinani
and predicts its future. 1t makes o'
q lives Il r~ace-course and keeps the goa
port always before the eye. No SOON
do we reach the one inviting point in Il
prospect than We are urged on TO a
s. other, and thus the goal of to-day is b
the startin. point al tomorrow.
..makes the coming life-cry always, on
N Omniscicnce only knows what greatne
~ of intellect, grandeur of character M
II splandor of ACHIEVEMENTS come with
N til power of every mind, however hun
bic. 1t is asked by the materials
- SLOW is il that mind decays with t
nj approach Of disease and deathp" v
nj answer that it is not r that it thus d
n cavs. On the contrary it often, und
h. such ci~cunE.aurcs, e~rinres it. Irssen