Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-09-17
Whole No. $50.
The Necessary Elements of Success il
Teaching,
An Address Delivered Before the Teach.
ers' Institute in AImn by Prof. PiOk.
ell, of Ludington.


great era Of inventions. The human
mind seems to be extremely active
and human needs proportionately
great. That Necessity is the mother
of invention" needs no demonstra-
ton, for from age to age and in ev.
cry plane Of action, human need has
been the antecedent of human arti.
fee. Physical labor saving contriv-
ances have Wed with mental in re-
lieving individual and civil drudgery.
Farmers owe no greater debt to
Mccormick than teachers do to
Grlbe for his system of teaching
arithmatic; if Fulton rendered ser.
vice to commerce by inventing the
steamboat, what praise should be
given to Froebel for the Kindergar-
ten:
Although the climax has not yet
been reached IN invention, yet there
is no longer need for so much and so
hard work as when men and women
worked twelve or more hours day,
and but few and crude inventions
lightened labor.
And this state Of affairs has not
been brought about by any one GLASS
but by tire patient and persevering
labors Of all classcs-tillers of the
soil, professional men, explorers of
the mine, bankers and manufacturers,
philosophers and artisans; politicians
and mechanics-a all have contributed
and to all praise should be given.
Experience has been the great
teacher-one generation building
upon what another left, and carrying
the work to still higher stages.
Our forcfathers have not left us
with high standards of beauty and
symmetry in manufacture or art alone
but as well of intelligence ana
morals. These constitute models after
whose uniformity aid grace we are to
>nape the supcrstructure. Time alone
can tell whether we build in harmony
with what has already been done or
not.
Now when our ambition will be
satisfied in no other way than by at.
tanning to or going beyond our mod
els in all that is beautiful and good,
| then will noble effort be insured
then Will 1t be proportional to human
need.
The young men and women who
enter the field of teaching should
know something about the essential
clements of success that their efforts
may not be at random. That they
may prcdetermine certain rules of
action that otherwise might escape
their attention. That their efforts
may meet the children's needs half
way.
What, then, are these necessary
elements Of genuine success in teach.
ing: Not superficial or popular suc-
cess but genuine success.
Under the oldregime Of humdrum
weary hours and routine where one
kept school" instead of taught
school. success could be attained by
keeping order, hearing classes and
going through the program day after
day--not to speak of bearing in mind
the golden maxim Spare the rod and
spoil the child"
Irving says that "Ichabod Cranes
scholars were not spoiled; that he
was not one Of those cruel potentatcs
of the school, who JOY in the smart
of their subject: on the contrary, he
administered Justice with discrimina-
: tion rather than severity, taking the
burdthen off the backs Of the weak
and laying on those of tho strong.
Your mere puny stripping that vino
: cd at the least flourish of the rod,
was passed by with indulgence; but
the claims Of Justice were satisfied
by inficting double portion on
some little, tough, wrong-headed,
, broad-skirted Dutch urchin, who
sulked and grew logged and sullen
beneath the birch. All this Ichabod
called "doing HIS duty" by their pa
rents; and he never inflicted a chas.
tiscment without following it by the
assurance. so consolatary to the
smarting urchin, that he would re.
member it and thank him for it the
longest day he had to live. In this
as well as many other respects Icha.
! bod might bc taken as tpye Of
school keepers.
But under the new dispensation
where the wants Of the pupils need
! close attention.; where due regard is
. luiypn to the principles Of child M