The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1877-06-14
thought and expression. The following
is a brief synopsis Of her remarks:
many

| FORWARD 10 TINS DAY; sometimes with feel
ings of pleasure, sometimes with regret
with pleasure, because we knew that thi
days setting sun would see realized one O
our brightest hopes; with regret, at tn
thought of leaving friends, scenes and as
sociations which have grown so dear {,
us-at the thought of bidding farewell Il
school-life forever. Our trials have beer
but trials of the hour, soon buried in tn,
duties of the coming day. So swiftly hav,
we been borne along with the tide tina
when we some times anchored, twas
only to think of home and holy things
But one by one the old college bell ha'
tOlled forth the death-knell of those fleet
! footed hours until the fortunes of eacl
and every one have been tried, the las
lesson recited, examinations passed, the
books reluctantly closed and laid aside
the exercises of commencement begun
and school-life a bright dream Of the
past. No doubt the heart of every mem.
| Der of this class looks forward to q happy
sometime" in the future when his path
shall be surrounded with beautiful flow
ers and sweet-singing birds, and whether
1t be realized or not, it is q sweet, sweet
song, softly murmuring in the heart and
filling the air of the present with joy and
gladness, taking half the bitterness from
the sorrows of to-day. We have been
taught that humanity, that charity to.
wards God and man is the fundamental
virtue without which we can never hope
for success in our work, and we thank oul
professors for keeping these higher mo.
| tives ever before US; we thank them for
the christian influence which they have
caused to pervade every room. May we
not be turned aside in our course by sur
rounding circumstances which act upon
us. Let US exercise it, marching on through
storm and tempest till the last great vic.
| tory is won and we shall be gathered home
to rest.
Next in order was Miss LIZZIE LYON OF
Minburn, Iowa, of the
Normal Class
who read an essay on "Higher Education
and Teaching" This was an excellent
paper. The following is short synopsis
of her paper:
HIGHER EDUCATION AND TEACHING.
Progress is our country's watchword.
Growth, development, a pressing forward
beyond the present to that which is high
er, is evidently law of nature. That it
is a recognized law Of our being is recog-
nized law of our being is shown by the
provision made for the cultivation Of those
arts which tend to make US wiser and bet
ter. Education begins almost in infancy /;
hence the need that the teachers from the
kindergarten to the university should be
those capable of directing the mind in such
time spent in acquiring an education has
been not only pleasant, but the end in a
high degree satisfactory. What then is
teaching? 1t is not merely telling. The
old metaphor that the mind is an empty
vessel waiting to be filed cannot be wholly
accepted. 1t is not mere passive object,
but living force capable of being aroused
to earnest and powerful action. If the
metaphor be true, the process Of educa-
ton would consist in simply telling and
the labor of teaching would be proper
tionate to the depth of the vessel and the
volubility of the teacher. Unhappily this
simple process will not succeed. Teach
ing is causing to knOw-facts are the
things to be known, and when once the
means must be employed to fix them there
The attention must be awakened and the
interest kept up in the mind of the
pupil. There must be created in the
mind of the pupil a desire to know more
than is contained in the text books. To
place before his Imagination the ex-
tended field of learning and to make the
entrance therein so pleasing that the young
student will be attracted by it's beauties
and encouraged to boldly enter and take
his place beside those already labortng
therein. love Of the beautiful is, next
to religion, the surest guide to virtue.
This faculty of mind, if we may SO call it,
seems natural to some persons, while in
others it is not so. This sentiment should
be cultivated by the teacher where it ex-
lists, and created where it does not exist.
Again, how few Of the many pupils who
leave the public schools have any just
conception of government. How many
who regard all rule as tyranny; that re-
sistance to authority is manly and to es
cape punishment for disobedience O mark
of shrewdness. The same spirit of antag-
onism is often carried into daily life after
the pupil leaves school, and as a result,
mob law with its dangerous influence has
often ruled in place of rightful authority.
Children as well as men, must learn that
law exists for the good of the governed,
and that respect for authority is one of
the nOblest traits of manhood, and patri.
otism the impregnable fortress of the
state. Nor should the work cease with
the cultivation of the mind. Education
includes not only the discipline and in
struction of the intellect, but also the
training of the moral nature. Religion is
the basis of morality; as in the school, so
in the state, and we may well tremble for
our safety as a nation when we consider
the efforts that are made to exclude the
Bible from the schools of our land. The
teacher who fails to instruct from this,
the grandest of text books, fails in hu-
manity to his country and to his God.
The old prejudice against higher educa-
ton is fading away. Parents are now
willing to pay cultured teacher for in
struetion even in the elementary branches.
But this higher education must be broad
and real-not a mere acquaintance with
text-books-but a general knowledge oil
science, art, literature and the world in
general. The position of the teacher is
an important one and commands the re.
spect of others, and how necessary, then
that those who enter the profession should
do so only after much and careful study
and are thus enabled to perform their du
ties with credit to themselves, with bene
fit to their fellow-beings, and with honor
| to God.
An essay entitled "Self Culture, by
Miss CLARA SAMPSON of Sigourney, Iowa
came next. This lady soon won the at
tention of the audience and held it to thu
last. Her essay was beautiful, both il
sentiment and in expression, and wei
read. The following is very imperfec
synopsis of her remarks:
sELF-CULTURE.
When our Creator in his goodness ani
supreme greatness, created his grandes
and noblest work-man-after his owl
image, endowed with the higher faculties
he bestowed on each gifts differing great
ly, yet all leading to the one great ant
noble purpose of life. These were givei
to as yet uncultured, like the sculptor W,
Il - 4