Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-11-12
MISCELLANEOUS.
Controlling Ones Temper.

would rule others must first learn to
govern himself, and it is a saying
which finds application to the every
day affairs of life.
1t is not merely the political rulers
OF men who are not required to gov
ern themselves that they may be
able to rule others, but teachers and
parents, foremen IN shops and all
who have one or more other persons
subject to their orders need to take
lessons in the art Of self-government.
They must set 3 good example in all
things, and moreespecially they must
keep their tempers under control if
they would command respect and
obedience.
A mans natural inclination is to
do all things that are agreeable to
him and to avoid the disagreeable.
Except when reason interposes to
check him he 9eeks to crafty every
tast and desire. Some men never
get control Of themselves, but the
majority learn from necessity, from
desire to do right, or from sense
OF duty, TO put curb upon their ap-
petites. Snch men are said to have
mastered themselves and the meas
ure OF that mastery is generally a
measure OF their strength of charac-
ter and fitness to guide others.
The foreman of shop has many
duties to discharge requiring intelli-
gence and sometimes special skill,
hut his chief duty is to govern
the employees under him. He can
not do this successfully unless he has
self:coutrol, and, above all, control
OF his temper, for, though there are
foremen who govern with severity,
they must in time become depend
ent upon an inferior class Of work.
men, as the best workmen will not
submit to their unreasonable dicta-
tion as long as places are open to
them elsewhere.
Exhibitions of ill-temper on the
part of foreman are, therefore, to
the disadvantage of his employer;
nor can any Tnan do the best work
of which he may be capable if he
permits himself to fly into passion,
for then he becomes unreasonable
and incapable of clear thought.
The teacher Of young children, or
the parent, though with more au-
thority over his charges, is equally
inefficient when he is subject to
losses of self-cOntrol. The unfor-
tunate who is reared by one who is
without selfcontrol almost of ne
eessity becomes either ahject and
spiritless or dissembler who has
learned to avoid abuse by deceit.
To a lesser degree the characters
of children are injured by contact
with preceptors who have not learned
to control themselves. The exam
pie of such people is bad to begin
with, but, worse than that, the
child, having no other means of de-
fense, is forced to become a hypo-
critic or sneak. There can be no
worse training than this for the
young. They should be trained
from infancy to be frank, truthful
and, within the limits of proper re-
spect, bold and independent, or at
least self-reliant.
All of these qualities can be de-
velOped under teachers who have
such control of themselves that they
are always SONerueu ny TedSOu, UuI
they will be stunted under the harsh
rule of a teacher who loses his tenn
per. and, for the time being, ceases
to be a reasonable human being.
Temper is an excellent servant,
but bad master. A man without
temper-and enough of it, too, to
lead him to violent deeds under suf-
acient ovocation-would not be of
much moral worth but his temper,
to be of value, must be under the
control of his reason and, therefore,
seldom exhibited. Such a man in
spires respect in any walk of life.-
He has control of himself and is
therefore, recognized as qualified to
govern and guide others Baltimore
Sun.