Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-08-05
The Scholarship of Teachers.
Rr Iahn ST c.lis..,.s.

| Before teaching can take rank as
| profession, teachers must eomman
respect in society for their seholaI
ship. II they coufine themselves [
the school room If they will writ
nothing, do nothing and say nothin
society will estimate them Tor valu
received. Teachers who would ris
10 their business must read. stud,
think, observe and take some part i
the affairs of life outside Of thei
aehooI-iessons.
''rhe hardest thing to DO 10 til
world" says Emerson, sis to think.
Bat the teacher must not stop wit
thinking; he must take the step fror
thought to action. His work is done
not so much in the retirement of th
closet as in living contact with o!he
minds. The beat teacher is not tn
one who has deYoured the mos
books, but be can best kindle yount
hearts into enthusiasm for self.im
provement by a spark Of electric fir
from his own soul, The teacher i
gagged, not by what he knows, bu
| by what he does. "The first prirci
| Pile ct human culture, the foundation
stone Of all but false, imaginary cul
ture," says Carlyle, sis that mel
must, before every other thing, b.
able 10 do somewhat"
The principal question put to th,
teacher By society is, not what DO yot
know of mathematics aud metaphys
les, but what ia you know of things
OF men, Of managing children not
can you scan Virgi! and translat,
Homer, but can yau write good Eng
lish not can you speak French. but
can you tpIk common sense. True
scholarship implies, not merely tax
possession OF knowledge, but the De
velopmeDt Of the social faculties and
the emotions. Mere learning is otter
mistaken for scholarship, and walk
ing library for an electric battery O.
thought. "No person can be called
educated" says Whipple, "until be
has organized his knowledge into
faculty, and can WELD it as a weap,
on"
The scholarship Of the teacher
ought to be liberal, embracing some
knowledge OF many things; and any
teacher can make bis culture liberal
+ he uses Alright the ample leisure
which his pursuit affords him. II is
8 good thing to be mauy-sided, but
tile teacher must be specialist in
whatever relates to educational sci.
enco. He Is judged By his success
as teacher, not as q scientist, wri.
ter, poet or q politician. When he
rises above his routine drudgery, be
gets ito the religion of hard thinking.
Climbing mountains is hard WORK,
and is hardest near the SUBMITS. The
teacher who gets out of the stage oil
imitation into that Of invention and
discovery, will fad ample scope for
thinking and observing, One reason
WHY self educated msn SO often sue,
coed ls, that they concentrate their
energies upon what they need to uae.
Like Napoleon, they fight without
tents or baggage They require a
concentrated force of character that
stamps its impress upon everything
with which it comes in contact.
Above all things, u. the true teach
er avoid recasting everything in the
mold Of his own egotism. Dealing
mostly with y9Qng and immature
minds, there Is q continual danger
that he will estimate bis own
powers. Seldom questioned in his
assertions, he is liable to become
dogmaNc an apinioaated. Thora are
pedantio pedagogues whose conce.t
is insuffsrable and ineffable They
pride themselves on diplomas, dis.
playing the broad phylacterics Of q
sham scholarship, to attract the won
dering gaze Of the multitude. They
look wiser than it is possible for any
mortal to become. They gain credit
like Wonter Van Twiller, for knowing
vast deal, by saying nothing at ail
The egotistical pedagogue reversec
the old maxim, "AlI men know more
than one man, 50 that it reads, "Ont
man knows more than all men," AMI
be 10 that one man. But the true
teacher viii! net dream his life away
like q Eiindoo god, IN contemplating
his own Projections.
1t Is often said tLat teaching
school belit.ies man and sougs {
woman. II may be 50, il some.
times ID s2, bat not from any ine7i
table law of Nature II il not ira.
n any teacher made alive by keep
ing bis iutoiloatpal aad sDirilua
faoultiea 10 good working condition
TIE true teacher cannot live within
himself ard for himself. lis mns
imparb ko0wiedys, and by giving
Gu. enrich himself. Tho FRESHNESS.
Ct ohllGhoo3 becomes 10 him q faua
tain II youth "Tho original ans
proper sources Of knowi8d ga," sayi
ar@ar;.sa .zaa-.f 80 800. - e ~
;a ,, H. - - 4 !. ~ As0i
rs -. - a., ~ $3.50 7.e' ~ :;
&c. .,.ss.,r 49, :; go 1' go !.
oaer3.',f,5s i.st t;r, ~ bo,o~ ri \
nroe55q;an rsr,,e5b,4r;rr lit,
pte.o utb24 nan csnnot s~aa.ss :,
LIZ ,a,s..-fs4ss.
4en' af5 IL ol.-r y says Arnoll