The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-03-26
matter of Dress. "
RAYS, O., March 18th, 1874
To the Editor of the Standard.

To the Editor Of the Standard:
Lind in the STANDARD of March u,
lecture by Thos. Hays, entitled "Uncon-
scious Influence" which has the ring of
the true metal 1t is worthy of its
author and of the association before
which it was delivered, yet l think he
rather overdid the thing in treating on
the Matter of Dress" He says, "even
children expect in the teacher better,
Titalics mine, more cleanly dress than
the working dress of an ore digger, coal
miner or person of other rough employ
ment." Now this may be all very true
and yet be far from necessary. l, when
boy expected the curate to deliver his
sermon in a drawling manner. A nat
ural or conversational style would have
been the next thing to sacrilege. This
was my childish conception, which l
have since learned to be very erroneous.
Children judge by precedent. What
they see in one they expect in whole
class, If they have been in the habit of
seeing teachers hold themselves aloof
from their pupils, they will expect the
same from all 1t is none to our credit
that children look upon our profession
as sort of unapproachable nobility, and
look upon the teacher as tyrant whose
rules it iss honorable to evade. The
teacher should be model of cleanliness,
but that his dress should be of a finer
or better quality than that of his patrons,
be they farmers, mechanics or ore dig
gers, l think is doubtful But Mr.. Hays
says children will honor and respect the
teacher according to his dress. If this.
be true th9n have | studied child life to
no purpose. | have found that they re-
spect him in the exact ratio in which he
shn rnS To Ie frr1n hot
by assuming dignity and a pompous
bearing he may inspire a sort of admira-
ton, but it is too closely allied to the re-
spect of slave for his tyrant master to
suit my conception of what the pupils
respect for the teacher should be- A gain
he says, THAT which is fashionable being
usually pleasant" etc. Now it is very
questionable to wear old CATERS in mid
winter, yet to a man with corns on his
toes it is pleasant. To wear tight boots is
fashionable, but far from pleasant
Again he says that certain person
Ought to be able to lay off his working
clothes and don respectable suit when
he teaches, or attends the meetings of
teachers" From the manner in which
he introduces this sentence it is not diff
ficult to decide who it was that sat for
model for this picture. Well perhaps /
L
think that perhaps l am on one extreme
on this subject, while many of my fellow
teachers are on the other. l do
detest starched muslin but had 1 known
that it was necessary appendage to re-
spectability | might have endured it for
one short week. But irony aside The
question arises, do we of the country dis
tricts advance or retard the cause of pop
ular education by dressing or living in
style above what our poorer patrons can
afford The very poor are generally
very sensitive. 1t does not do to say
they should not be, they have no right
to be- that does not help the matter.
We cannot remedy that in the patrons,
therefore we must try to avoid its nat
ural consequences. To illustrate what l
mean let me give two cases in my expe-
rience. My mother had the misfortune
to be poor. and taste TO be sensitive, and
her children lost much of her school
privilege in one community in which she
resided. Because she YVES not able to clothe
her children in the same style that her
rich neighbors did theirs The rich be-
ing encouraged by the teacher who
put in his appearance each morning
decked in broadcloth silk hat and gold
headed cane. In one of my schools
there was one family whom knew to be
poor, attended. | knew from the cut
and fit of their homespun clothes that
their mother was q woman of taste.
After some three weeks, one day only
the older ones came, and they not sup
piled with dinner. Guessing the cause
| prevailed OH my hostess to bake some
corn bread for my dinner the next day.
On the third day the whole family at
tended, supplied with corn bread. From
that time to the end of the term their
attendance was regular, and department
all that could have wished.
JACOB ZERBE