The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1889-07-20

in the labyrinth of knowledge, unfor-
tunate must be the youth who follows
the footprints of such IL guide. Such
teachers have no capacity for leader
ship, and usually are strangers to the
fields into which they would lead.
Hence they do not fluid the pathways
tina, lead by fragrant Il IweFs and
tempting lrui,s au, only pass along the
briery ways, where there are thistles
for the feet aud ttorns for the teuder
fash of their unwilling followers.
Ii may he necessary for the childs
full and bes. development, of kDowl-
edge and nature, that he have parent
that carries him to the ant to learn
wisdom; to the birds aud singing brooks
10 learn music; TO the swelling buds
and bursting flowers to feel the joyous
thrill. If rising life; and even to the
o.Ignt bued, falling leaves 10 learn
that life has its linitatious; aud out
upon The clear white snow TO learn
| how spolless should be his character,
| but the teacher must lead in the .voy-
age of discovery around aud through
the grea, world Of books. The eyes of
the child can only see what lies about
him; his ears can only hear what
sounds now fill the air; and much Of
these he may net understand.
Osthe dull eyed Peter Bell, Words
| worth said:
"a Primrose by the rivers brim,
A yellow Primrose was to him,
| Aild twas nothing more"
II takes training to get utility aud
brightness out of these. The cultivated
ear gets harmony where the other gets
discord. The richness of color, the
beauty of form, and the poetry of
motion which delights the eye OF the
cultivated are mere common places to
the eye Of the dullard. Blu: these
things do not solve the problem Of liv-
ing; they give US only a part OF the
philosophy of life. To do all that is
possibly to US, we need the experience
ard wisdom OF sIl the ages. We need
these brought 10 a focus in our being,
and concentrated upon the otnnipres,
ent NOW.
Tennysou makes Ulysses after his
swanderings say: l am u part Of all
that 1 have met" So are we to-day;
if we get all that we may out of The
experience of the past.
Carlyle says: All that mankind has
done, thought, gained or been, is lying
as in magic preservation, in the pages
of buuks.
OF him who reads books, it may be
said in the words of Emerson: What
; Plato has thought he may think; what
saint has felt he may feel; what al,
anytime has befaiien any man he
can understand
An old school book haI u picture OF
some bright being pointing youth to
the pinnacle of the temple of kuowl-
, edge. How proud shall be the heri-
tage of that youth, when he shall
stand upon that height, having ab-
sorbed into his being, and into his
immortality, all the mysteries of all
: science, ali the bright dreams ct beauty
r of all the. poets, all the profound
thoughts of all the race! Bu, first he
must keep company with the shades
of the Departed. That he may not be-
affrighted and bswi!dered amid these
, ghosts of the past books, the teacher is
the good genius that NUT bear him
company. Happy the cnild il these
, ghosts off right not the teacher
The teacher should bu full of all
practical wisdom and Knowledge, but
since SD mulch of all that is best in
life comes TO the pupil in books, and
, the teacher first opens these books to
The children, With what tenderness
and love must .hsy be opened, and
how utterly untitled is one who has
not n love for books, to be the teacher
This does not mean textbooks alone
, for these are surely the outer gates
made sometimes of skeletons to the d.
J. main Of knn~ledge.-,S. W. L,ihs.