Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-06-04

lessons from everything around him
from every object that comes within
his visions and from every sound tina
falls upon his ears-trom the unfold
ing bud VI spring, and from the ripene,
fruit of autumn from the tenue
flower that Is crushed beneath his way
ward feet and from the majestic oat
that lifts its head beyond his touch II
Is not implied that any austere, un
bending regime of discipline is to ht
pursued. We do not commend the or
thodoN mode of restraining boy from
robbing birds nests on Sunday--iur.
nish him Il straight backed chair and
the family bible with the injunction to
read. Many II poor boy has read until
birds nests danced all over the sacred
page aud no doubt concluded the bible
was not intended for him, when he
might have been taught willing obedi.
ence to its divine precepts and love fnr
its sacred songs and sublime poetry.
The most pressing want to-day in
the cause of education, is good teach.
ers. How shall we get them: The
FIRST step Is to have good school truss
tees. An honorable and successful
business man, with large business IN
terests may make good trustee of IA
trust estate, but be great failure ms a
school trustee. 1t takes an educated
man who has II high appreciation OF
the Importance of schools, and who
understands their proper management,
| to make success As II school trustee.
DO not elect them because OF their
politics. II you are so saturated, so
] filled with gospel measure of that
commodity, that you must have vent
or explode. select your clerks, your
doctor, your lawyer or even your
preacher because of their politics, but
| | pray you, elect your school trustee
because of their merits.
"NeXt pay your teachers-yes, pay
them. What is now paid, Is perhaps
too much for tn" Young lady who is
teaching only until she can wed, or for
the young man whose only aim is to
get funds to advance himself in some
other cause, but it is not enough
for the man or woman who il qualified
and who makes 1t his lifework. Teach-
ing should be classed with the learned
professions and teachers should he, not
simply respectable, but be the leaders
in the social circle; the Oracles in their
neighborhood. With such teachers
tor Il generation, this world of ours
NottJ Sb SIOW Vul 'pi ltS oit Ctoltit$, ,
that you wouldn't know it.
"The teachers responsibility is i'm
measurable. Year after year he mas in
fluential control of the youth, at IA
time when his mind is sensitive to
! every impres ion, when its nerves AS
! readily respond to every touch rs the
keys of the piano to the deXtrous fins
gers ofa Padereweski. The teachers
ife disposition, moral character, his
very self, become in great degree the
model for the pupil. Man may be the
architect of his own fortune, but large.
| ~ he commences it with the character
his teacher constructs for him. IL Is
true that Seneca, that modern puritan
in antique mould was the teacher of
the vicious Nero and the bood-thirsty
| Alexander, had for his the scholarly
Aristott;e but Nero's mother WAS the
murderess Agrippina and AleXaudcr's
was Olvmphias of 'sav pe energy and
fierce superStition.'
'The first duty of IA teacher is to un.
derstand the dspositi n oi each pupil
and this Is emphasized in contradic-
tions to the Old rule, to assign lessons,
hear recitations and apply the 'birch. !
1t is as much his duty to protect the
I
strain the precocious and gently curb
the dnmineering spirit of the ambitious
boy as to mpart knowledge. Lay siege
to the citadel of his love and never
raise it until you have conquered an
unconditional surrender. You must so
teach that study will be delight aud
not ii burden. One long step in this
direction is, that you must have enthu-
siasn; your soul must hc in it; your
eyes must flash with the interest, your
voice vibrate with the emotion aud
your body be nerved with the electric.
jty of your work If you 20 nIoping
through your duties, with "A listles- eye
and IA h"artles- heart, be assured that
all you are accomplishing is tn get
hot earn--your bread and butter
Rather than this, you better take IA
snooze, and let the boys make your
nose "A target for their paper bullets.
"Nour enthusiasm must he supple
mcuted by your judgment. Do not
overta>k your pupiI--give him variety
and never enough of anything to wear
him out--before he gets weary, turn oil
the >tcam--relaX the tension, furnish
amusement. Your stomach will rebel
if you give il nothing but "h0g aud
aominy' or iorce upon it another
delicacy 70" "A long period. Your con
stitutiou i such that when sick any
one medicine loses its efficacy and the
doctor has to change the remedy. and
il does seem that the medicine il
changed very often and each bottle j.
worse than the last. So the child :
mertal food and prescriptions must be
frequently changed. lie must never
be so crammed with one thing that Il
mental emet,c is required.
II presume the large majority Of pro-
Pile, and even many teachers. think
of education as process of filling the
mind with facts. BY too many It i.
considered that the you'll who lia,
: mastered his text books by committing
all tn air rules, and storing in his mind
: all their propositions, is educated. Il
does not seem to occur to them that t.
know the reason of the rules and gras;
> Their philosophy Is any part of educa
ton. With the accumulation of fact
: we want also the development of the