The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-05
THE IMMORTAL PART OF EDUCA-
TON.


culture of the teacher, whether he be
parent, schoolmaster, or preacher; 1t lies
in the living character of the teacher
and his sympathetic powers of perception
and apprehension of the different quality
and capacity of his pupils: it was this
perception on the part of Faraday that
made Tyndall a scientist, this perception
on the part of a university teacher that re-
vealed to Darwin in his easy, indolent,
conviyial, purposeless youth that he had
an exceptional genius for accurate scien-
tific observation and deduction.
If the teacher is q man of moral earnest
ness in purpose and sweet, sincere hui
manity in his daily walk and talk, some
thing of his immortal fire will go out of
him into his pupils-to witty and ener-
gize them morally with the stimulating
glow of pure and ingenious enthusiasm
for whatsoever things are lovely, honest,
honorable and of good report in this world.
The Rev. DR.. Bartol once went to pay a
bill in Boston, and the storekeeper said:
"Doctor, I'd rather see you any time than
have the money!" that is, the storekeeper
felt the intellectual electricity and moral
sunshine, the Christian cheerfulness, indie
pendence, good sense and spiritual
wisdom that the fine old clergy
man always carried about with him.
It was part of his worldly happiness to
meet such man he so enjoyed the radiant
warmth of the atmosphere the clergyman
carried about that he felt almost willing
to give him his bill for the sake of his COM
pany. This Is the kind of temperament
that is wanted in teacher to make him
the formative influence for the multiplica-
ton Of fine manhood and womanhood,
which is the real end Of all education.
When we come to the specific culture,
or kind of knowledge taught, the only
safe rule, after the common school, Is to
encourage every boy and girl to strive
only for that knowledge for which
they feel an honest, not an affected
thirst. If a woman has an honest, intelli-
gent, passionate thirst for an education in
philosophy and science that will make her
the peer Of college professors in acquire
ment, by all means let her get it If she can,
even though she knows that she will be-
come nothing but wife and mother at
last" as some one has scornfully said of
higher learning for women.
1t is just as important to educate
woman who has q genuine thirst for learn
ing for its own sake as it is to educate
man with that thirst. 1t is not worth
while to educate either man or woman be-
yond the common schools If they have
no thirst for learning for its own sake. but
If they have that thirst let no one inquire
sardonically what good comes out of slak-
without reasonable prospect that this
knowledge viii declare large dividend in
ducats. If it declares a large dividend in
disciplined mental powers; in self-poised
character; in enlarged capacity for fine
companionship and fertilizing friendship;
In superior powers for inspiring and
illuminating the minds of her growing off
spring, who shall say that the
satisfaction of the intellectual hun
ger and thirst of a woman will not in
sure as rich a return of superior character
as it does to man. How few of the finest
and rarest powers of man, natural or ac-
quired, are utilized in the solution of the
problem chow to Get Rich" How bar
rem would be the world even to those
whose sole pursuit is vast wealth if there
was nobody in the world except persons
whose faculty was absolutely limited to
| the powers that are concerned in the art of
making money. The real reason why
many men of excellent abilities do not
make money is that they have other
admirable powers strongly developed,
other worthy ambitions, which act as diff.
fuslve and distributive agencies, and are
| alterations, which however consistent
with high and useful public service, are
seldom co-existent with extraordinary
| financial success, because the art of money
| making needs narrow intensity, immov.
able tixity of gaze to master and execute
it, which is damaged by divergent efforts
and versatility Of ambition and action.
For this reason it is no argument for
| higher education to say that the education
of the man is lost because it did not helm
him to get rich; or that the education of
the woman is lost because with the learn.
Ing of professor she has consented tn
become nothing but wife and mother"
| The education that is essential to the
art of bread winning is taught US all IN the
common schools; the education we take
on afterward. outside of specific training
for distinctive pursuit, will be valuable
or worthless according as its acquisition
was normal, irrepressible thirst and as
pirstion, or only the languid, formal march
OF stagnant, stupid or frivolous mind
through fashionable curriculum.
If twas originally a genuine. honest
thirst. then in man or woman it will some
day declare dividend in shape of sound
thought and sterling force of character.
There Is therefore much that men and
women with thirst for knowledge may
acquire that has an unchanging, change
less value that cannot be reduced to dol
lars and cents any more than the beauti-
full, bright days of autumn, with their
golden haze on the hills and air of IN
broken calm, can have their value, near or
remote, calculated by an actuary and ac-
curately announced in his interes. tables.
-------------
Mr.. Gladstone, with sound statesman
ship, declares that he believes in "local
option" in the matter of laws regulating
the liquor traffic.