The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-09-28
The Teachers Association.
BOOKS.

An Essay Prepared by Miss l.. D.
Martin, Of Columbia, s. G., for the
Teachers Association Of Abberille
County, Read by Rev. W. NJ. Grier,
ID. ID.
Last summer while I was visiting the !stnto
Normal School ut Spartanbury, the Principal
OF the Institute looking over the crowd of as
scmbled teachers one day said to me: 1t Is
an Inspiration to see so many eager faces"
and this year at G%rcenvillc / saw ON many of
the c~ountcnunccs OF the young teachers
around me, tho same wistful look OF earnest
longing for knowledge and counsel.
So when the call came to me to assist In the
deliberations Of this body Of teachers. ! felt
that perhaps there might he among you IL
Young teacher to whom it might be my priv
ilege 10 bear a message OF help and this hope
alone has maue INC venture to respond to the
invitation of your President.
In looking back upon my own experience
Us q teacher, have found no help so efficient,
no encouragement so strengthening, no solice
so satisfying, as that which | obtained from
books. and it is Of these faithful companions
! lave thrown together q lew f~ragmcntary
thoughts.
Among the questions which were put 10
Mr.. Sedan at The Normal Institute, | heard
this one: "rlcasc tell me what ! shall read 2"
and ! thought, here is IN intelligent teacher
who has struck the Keynote Of success, for
believe that that teacher who has books for
tools IN trade and Is ready to train himself for
II iudlciousc nse of them. Is best preparing
himself for usefulness In his hours of work
and for enjoyment in his hours Of rest.
With the marvellous aptitude for saying
inst the right thing in the fcwcSt POSSIBLE
words which so cmirently charnctcrizrs tho
distinguished Principal of the Normal 1nstl
tute :-"prinus interap cs'-th answer came
quick and ready: "first, read the best news
papers published in your town. and then tho
best Educational journal which you CAN ob
tain"
There could hardly have been given mn an.
Swer more entirely complete In It's suggestive
preventative OF the current literature of tht
day with its stimulating force to rouse thu
the curiosity, quicken the energies, and kecF
alive sympathy with the world around us
deeper office of implanting in tile breast o
the TEACHER a sense d his W responsibilities
making him crave q fuller knowledge OF thu
world of letters, and teaching him where sucl
craving can he satisfied, or, in other word'
telling MIN what books 10 read, and where t
find them.
But snys the young teacher. " have
neither time nor strength for books @ftcra lonl
fatiguing day In the school-room. body ant
mind ure both exhausted mi ! only ask fo
rost.' Has that tcnchcr yet to learn tina
change OF employment Is the surcst rest. ant
that there Is no rcfresllmcnt like the refresh
ment which utter for%gctfulnrss of self car
bring? And who has taught with Lccky
Spencer, or Mill. studied with Muller, French
or Rusliin,t walked through tho past with
Macaulay, Frondc, or Prescott, laughed ant
wept with Hood. Dickens, or Thackcry, Cos
slipped with Bulwer, Disracli. or Throllope, OF
philosophical with George Elliott, has no
felt tllas the wand Of the enchanter has beer
held over his head, rs the troubles Of TIT
school-room have been buried In the blest OBJ
livion of books?
4 quaint old writer in the time OF Edward
III says: "Lct us consider how great Il com
modify Of doctrine exists In books; how cas-
nakedness or human ignorance without put
ting IL 10 shame"
"These arc the mnstcrs WHO instruct us with
out the rods and feru!cs. without hard words
and anger, without clothes or money. If yol
approach them they are not asleep; II iavcs
~tiyatinS you intcrrogate them, they nnvel
g%rurnble; If you are ignorant they mover
laugh ut you, Another writer has said, III
that studies books will know how thing!
know how things are We all know tn
teacher is obliged to be q student Of mel
whether he Will 1t 50 or not, for no thoughtful
teacher can ever leave the schnOl-room mt TN
close Of q days work without feeling thai hi,
knowledge OF Human nature has been In
creased. by some unexpected remark made b.
Il pupil, some new trait Of character develop
hidden spring in his W breast How neccs
sary then that his acquaintance with books
should be enlarged and extended, SD that he
may teach how things ought to be, not only
10 OthcrS but also 10 himself
The greatest trouble perhaps in the way OIL
q teachers reading is want OF time. yet ever
thi. may be overcome and the flight OF time
Itself be deiicd by the gigantic power OF 9TH,
pertinent Into practice 1t will seem incrcdi
bic how much can he accomplished by Steadi
y and systematically doing Il little every day
1t happened TO lie my fortune once to know
their education unfinished even in the Ordi
nary acccptation OF the term, and with mos
Of the cares Of Il large household dcvolvine
upon them. They felt It. their duty not only
to the pupils they had in charge, but to them
selves. 10 continue the cultivation of theil
minds and not to let one day pass without dc
voting some portion Of 1t to their own menta
improvements; They therefore IN the inter
walls OF teaching and household duties, by
Using an hourearlier, sitting up m hour later
or snalching a stray half hour or even u short
or time, now and then. managed In one yeal
.Enied, IreScott's History OF Ferdinand ant
Isabella, Macaulay's Essays. Raclnc's Plays
Dante Inferno: Jerusalem Delivered, Childe
Harold. The Conquest of Grenada, Conquest
OF Peru, all Of SCOTS Poems, most of Burns
and several OF Shakespcarc's plays, besile:
which. one sister kept up her musisaI practice
while the other carried on her unfinished
studies In Mathematics. OF course, from time
to time, they varied their reading, and l hnvt
only given part Of their list for one year, but
c!ous economy Of time; for neither of these
young ladies neglected, with all this, thu
claims OF church. Suniay-school, or society
nor omitted to take the amount OF exercise
necessary for health.
But then, the question comes "what tt
rehd?, For many OF our teachers are remote
from libraries aud cannot reach the menta
p"bulum for which they wish. Still In this
cnlishted age and these times Of cheap llteTa.
turc, there can scarcely be Il place where ne
books are 10 be had and almost any book if It:
tone be not Impure Is better than no book a
all. The very contact with n different MINI
must be In some degree Il benefit and reading
OF almost any sort will insure, In q measure
ut least, familiarity with our own language
and some knowledge OF men and manners DC
yond our own limited spheres.
sively read men that l ever knew, told mi
that he owed more to Judge Ion2slrcet thar
to any author that had ever written. For
said he "until | WIS fourteen | had II most In
vineible aversion to books, nothing but Tho
open one. At that time my father gave me Z
copy OF the Georgia Scenes" My mother
who was OF the ~strictcst sect a Methodist was
horrifiCd Mt the double DIS and-s' SO pro
fuscly scattered throughout: the book and OPP
posed my reading 1t: more out Of pcrvcrsity
therefore than anything else, read the book
would, and finding that a book could contain
md dull stories. / continued to read, and 81
laid the foundation of that taste which Is thu
great pleasure and unfdiling esOurce OF IN,
life." All! how many q teacher worry, OK
naustco, nomc-sick ana discouraged mas eH
claimed with DR.. Charming, THANK God 70
books! They ore the voices of the distan
and the dead and make us heirs of the spirit
nal life OF past ages. They give TO all who vii
faithfully use them, the society, the spiritua
presence Of the best and greatest Of our rnce
They are cheering and soothing companion
In solitude, illness and a0liction. The wealtl
OF both continents would not compensate 70
the good they impart." There is however. on
class OF books besides bad books which 1t |
well to avoid n that is other peoples books
IT. Is so easy to turn from a book-borrowcr In
to a b~ook.kccper that 1t Is best TO keep out o
the way Of temptation. Most of us who nr,
subject for there are few book collectors VIII,
do not survey somo aching void In their bool
shelves with the doIeful plant, "See what
rent the envious Casca made" Yet, let no
the young reader who has books Of his owl
and cannot get them, be deferred from tn
pursuit Of knowlcdg even by this difficulty
Borrowed hooks are better than no book a
all. Only let:him b ehonest. show his appreci
book always is, by q careful handling ant
prompt return of the treasure.
Some of us, however, like Burton in til
Anatomy OF Melancholy are led 20 the con fes
sion "Thi rowing hulnor I have ever had
and ike a ranging spaniel that barks at ever.
bird he sees len wing his game, I have followe,
MI saving that which I should, and may just
~ complain and truly, that 1 have read man.
books but to little purpose, for want OF goo
SibiSN y SNllliiSC'tJ ~ wv ~
vers authors In our libraries with small prof
for want of art. order, memory md judg
mcnt." For the benefit of such, Cliancello
Kent Of New York, forty years ago, at the re
quest of the Mercantile Library Association
OF New York, prepared for the use of TIL
members OF that body, q list Of works in ger
eral literature which he deemed best fitted 70
the formation OF q correct taste. So judlciou
were the selections made by the Chancellor
so pure were the waters which he drew from
"the we'll Of English undefled" hat although
a generation Of thinkers have lived and writ
ten since the list was published, he who ha
made his selections from this catalogue vii
find his taste SO established and -cfincd tina
he will experience no difficulty IN choosing
and rejecting among the myriads of book
which have been published In the last tye dc
cades. Chancellor Kent's list however, Is on
ly one of the many helps which the earnes
lover Of books will find and to which an!
journal OF education will direct him. 1t hn
been specially mentioned here, rs 1t happen
cd to 10 the vade meca.u Of one Of the ables
scholars ever known in South Carolina
Among more recent publications Of this ma
ture, there are few better than West Lake
Common School Literature.
Many OF our teachers, young men and yOun: