Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-08-03
To the Teachers Of Warren County.

IL tNC LtuCHCfo " hUITtN COVNtD'
You have just entered upon an inn
portant and an arduous work. The
preparation of at least three-fourths
of those who are to become the men
and women of this county, is, for a
time, committed to your care. How
important it is, therefore, that you
should exert all your power to inn
prove the intellectual and moral con-
dition Of your pupils.
Be prompt. Be the first person at
the school house in the morning, and
the last one to leave it in the evening.
Be tidy in your dress. Use no slang
phrases in your conversation. Let
not.the most trifling error in the use
of language ever escape your lips.
Study your grammar attentively, and
observe that your pupils use ev-
cry verb in our language in its appro-
pirate form. When your pupils use
incorrect language, show them the
principle in grammar which they
have violated, and advise them to be
more careful.
An eminent writer has given us
this precept: "a beautiful behavior
is better than a beautiful form; it
gives higher pleasure than statues
and pictures it is the finest of the
fine arts.n
Therefore, do not neglect to teach
your pupils to close the doors quietly,
walk lightly, sit properly, and handle
their books, states, and pencils so as
to avoid confusion.
Teach them by your own example
to say GOOD morning" when you
meet for the days work. Show the
boys how to touch or lift their hats
when meeting their lady acquaintan-
ces on the streets.
Carefully observe their department
at school, on the street, at church,
and in their homes. Discreetly use
these examples as lessons in your
school-room, and our moral atmos-
phere will be greatly enhanced, so far
as right conduct is concerned.
If you have acquired the filthy
habit of chewing tobacco, in the name
and for the sake Of decency, do not
use tobacco in the school-room.
Above all, do not spit tobacco on the
floor.
You are aware that a large MAORI
ty of those who are to become the
men and women of Tennessee, will
never obtain any more education thar
that which they can obtain in oul
public schools. How important, then
it is that you teach your pupils t.
write neat, pretty letter. You
should require them to write a lettel
to some one of their cousins, uncles o.
aunts every Friday evening.
In Reed and Kellogg's two gram
mars, there are some excellent rule
for letter-writing. Ifyou will bring
those two books to the next Institute
some person will explain to you tn,
manner of using these rules.
If an Institute is held during tn,
month of August or September, w
. advise every teacher in the county t,
attend, and to bring a number of tn
| text books that are used in our publ
J schools. Try to make the Institute
l practical matter.
7 If a professor in a medical colleg
was expecting to perform a Difficult
surgical operation, he would tell tn
students to read all they could fine
in the best works on surgery, an,
then attend and see the operation
, performed. If learned judge wa
! expecting a case to come up in court
l in which "Compounding a Felony
} or the danger Of relying too strongl,
) upon circumstantial evidence woul
I be referred to, he would tell tn
young men who are reading law, t
read carefully all that they could fin
on those subjects, and then attend tn
court and hear those points discusse
; by the counsel on both sides.
: This is certainly good, sound, praC
teal, common sense, and the teacher
: at our Institutes should have a read
Il ing book, and see how the rules {
| grammar apply to some OF the be,
> specimens Of our ablest writers.
Il j. p. CLARK.
Severe storms swept over sewers