The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-26
SCHOOL MELANGE.


All who went 10 Benwo5d on Tuesday
night to hear DR.. Jerome n. Raymond
lecture were well repaid for their
rouble. It is the same lecture given
at the meeting of the State Educa-
tional meeting, ip1lYheeling. but 1t can
very probably pe heard the second
time. and those who had heard It be-
fore It enjoyed Il better than they did
at the first hearing. The doctor while
not an orator In the common accept-
ance Of the term. is u fine writer and
q pleasant speaker. His lecture abounds
in good things well said, and 1t should
be heard especially by every teacher In
West Virginia. The point that he
makes when he says that no one should
think Of attempting TO teach In our pub
lie schools without u thorough acR-
demic education Is one OF the best
points made. Our schools are suffering
to-day because they are in the hands
OF uneducated teachers. Can the blind
lead the blind? Can man teach what
he does not know? We base too much
In the matter OF education. We at
tempt to take short cuts TO get the COW
eted prize-the dlploma-and expect It
to carry us through life, even II our at
tainments are not what they should be.
There is a great need Of educational
leaders to-day, Or. Raymond will lee
ture ut the next meeting OF the Wheel
ing Teachers Association, which will
be held in High school hall, on Friday
evening, January IS, 1899, at 8 o'clock.
The lecture delivered at that time will
be the first OF q course to be given by
him to the teachers OF Wheeling II they
so desire II. The doctor reports the
University as prospecting greatly at
the present time.
"Inaccuracy in any work Is fatal" is
another point made by Or. Raymond,
ITO know myself is to know what
work thou canst do" How many fall
ures there are in the world to-day be-
cause those who fail are trying TO do
what some one else should be doing.
God may call men and women to spe-
cial work. but we apprehend he does 1t
in a very different way from what many
think he does. He calls all Of US TO
prepare ourselves for life work. that
we at least may be able to know what
we can best do, and then he will give
the courage to do IT, if that IS neces-
sary. The days Of Quackery in all the
professions are fast passing away, and
they are loudly calling for trained men
and women to fill them. The call Is be-
ing answered, and the near future Will
find all professions filled with members
of the new arlstocracy.
Why is not teaching counted among
the learned professions to-day, and why
has 1t not been so counted in years
past? This question is often asked.
We have three learned professions.
viz, the ministry. law and that OF
medicine, while the man that trains all
OF these for their work is not counted
among them unless he is one OF them
following the work of teaching. There
are two reasons for this being the case.
One is that teachers themselves per-
nit 1t to be so, hut the great reason Is
with the people themselves, In permit
ting their children to be taught by men
and women who have no professional
training. This will not be the case In
the near future. When the time comes
that none but trained teachers are al
lowed to teach, even In our public
schools. then will teaching be the learn
ed profession, and the prefix professor
viii mean something more than 1t now
does, in many instances, at least.
When that good time comes Corbett
and other bruisers will not be entitled
to the name as they are now. Hasten
the time when the new aristocracy will
manage the affairs OF this great land.
When It does men viii hold places of
honor because they are men in the
true sense OF the word. and not because
they belong TO the monied aristocracy,
as Is much the case to-day.
Speaking Of teachers wages, some
one has propOunded the question: Why
should teachers receive more wages to-
day than they did in former times?
one reason is that the trained teacher
OF to-day can do better work than the
teacher OF former times. Another rea-
son is that to-day there is greater
respect for the teachers office than
there was in the days gone by. Still
another argument is that It takes a
great deal more money to be an up-tO-
date teacher than 1t did in former
times, A good teacher must now start
or should start. with good profes.
siOnal training This costs money, that
ought, at least yield small interest.
Then he must read journals, work on
education, keep abreast OF the times by
reading the best literature. He must
also attend summer schools. In short,
he must be progressive In every way.
This all costs money, and II Will be
Forthcoming Just as the people in
general are made to feel that 1t pays
every man to have competent teachers.
There were Just as good teachers in the
past: lust us good as they Vare to-day.
but the trouble was they were very
few, and the salaries paid we're so small
that these few did not remain very
long in the profession. When the day
comes that the teacher is paid accord
ing to the work done there will be more
willing TO remain in the work, and
thus impress the communities In
which they live with their influence
throughout usefullInes.
There is much said and written to-
day concerning child study. This has
been mentioned several times In these
articles. and we have suggested that
much OF II Is mere twaddle. But while
believing this to be so, still we believe
there IS much in II, and that the true
toacher will get much aid out of the
careful study OF the children under her.
When we say careful" study we mean
everything the word implies. But II is
not the Intention to enlarge on this
subIect-merely to call attention to the
fact that these holiday times bring out
the leading traits Of child character 70
perfection, and the wise teacher Will
take advantage Of all OF these oppor--
tuuItles, BY questioning the very small
pupIls concerning Christmas the an
swer given Will generally show their
home training, something which IS very
important FOR the teacher to know, IN
order that her teaching shall be the
success 1t ought to be-
Speaking Of successful teaching, we
wish TO urge that one Of the greatest
drawbacks to the success OF our city
s,.i,nnls is nIIttlnr Young and ineXperi-