The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-06-04
Shall he Marry or Shall he Go Back TO
SchooI3

correspondent in Mississippi asks us
whether it Is better for him to marry the girl
OF his choice Mt once or to wait until he has
finished his school education before making
her his bride. 1t is not an easy question to
answer, for his ease is peculiar as his letter
will show:
81 am - years old. left school last June, and on
account OF financial pressure not able TO at
the beginning OF the fall term have been engaged In
teaching ever since with view of raising the money TO
pursue my studies again next fall and should
would graduate IN two years Now, am engaged to one
OF the lovclest girls in the country Would you advise
ne to finish my literary course before marrying or
would ioeter marry next fa' My brother is Y well.
TODD farmer. and wants TO stock farm and
solicited me to join him with these facts before you
please tell me what you think would be best
I" A SUBSCRIBER"
There is no doubt that our Mississippi
friend stands in need Of further education.
We have had to correct several very bad
mistakes in spelling in his letter. And yot
he has been engaged in teaching others to
read and write. Nor is his case a singular
one. We have observed that very often the
teachers who writo to us are unable to spell
correctly. Were they themselves taught by
men and women OF equally faulty orthogra-
phy2 However that may be, it has been
made manifest to us that very considerable
number OF teachers, in the West and South
especially, are unfit for the work they under
take to do. They ought to be on the bench
of the pupil, not in the desk Of the teacher.
How is it that school trustees employ such
tcachers2 Are they so ignorant themselves
that they do not know the difference between
the right and the wrong spelling Of words
lynl, tl,,& l., Al "A
tunate for the boys and girls Of their neigh
borhoods that men so unlcttcrcd have power
to decide on the qualifications of teachers.
1t is bad enough that the district schools are
SO generally taught by men and women to
whom the work is mere drudgcry, under
taken as makcshift merely, who are utterly
inexperienced in teaching and who have no
love for it, no aptitude for it. But it is worse
when, like our correspondent. they are
lamentably deficient in the first elements of
education. They cannot correct their pupils
because they themselves do not know the
difference between what is right and what is
wrong. They have slovenly habits Of doing
things, which set bad example to those they
assume to instruct.
Instead, therefore, of longer imposing him
self on Mississippi boys and girls as a
teacher, it is much better that our corrc-
spondent should go into stock raising. Nor
is it worth while for him to pursue the more
advanced branches of study until he has
mastered those which are elementary. He
has not yet got good foundation. Until he
has that to build on, it is not advisable for
him TO undertake two years more study at
the high school.
Under the circumstances, therefore, it may
be as we'll for him to induce the lovely girl to
marry him, and set up housekeeping on the
stock farm. Then, in his hours of leisure,
ana nc Will nave many oil them, let him prac
tise spelling, and take care to read good
English authors In that way he may come
out with better education than If he spent
two years more at the high school.