The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-06-16


munity. His power cannot be meas
ured. Behind every great national
movement stands some great leader ana
behind every such leader is the shaping
hand of some matchless teacher
Prof. Carlyle discussed three me.ho.s
by which teachers may best serve their
communities. The establishment Of pl',-
lie libraries in cities. towns and vii
lagos, the organization Of reading claDs
for the study of special authors and .he
organization Of debating societies We're
the three suggestions offered.
PROF. HORNER'S ADDRESS.
Prof. J. G. Horner, of that excel
lent boys school, the Horner Military
school at Oxford, spoke on the Past,
present and Future of the Academy in
North Carolina" Prof Horner spoke
from an intimate and successful expert
ence in academic work and received the
closest attention. He said in part:
Teachers are the most potent factor
in making the history of the State, and
the women who are in the public schools
work do more to shape the destiny of
North Carolina than any other element.
The certificate does not make a teacher
in the true sense. Neither does col
lege or University diploma with a sum-
ma cum laude make teacher. The
fellow with high sounding college de-
gree, who was a failure behind the plow
or as a clerk and undertakes to teach
because he is too lazy to work, will be
a failure in the school room.
"The study Of poetry and the knowl-
edge of versification and rhyme will not
make you a great poet. Neither will
the knowledge of books and full course
in pedagogy at a Normal college make
you a great teacher. If you are a born
teacher these will only make you great
err. The new methods for rapid learn
ing with little labor is a sham. The
school master, with the element of great
ness in his make up, with the old time
methods of hard ticks and close appli-
cation is the sine qua non of making the
most of what there is in the pupil.
twenty-five years ago more ex-
tensive preparation for college was re-
quired than now.
From one to two years less prepara-
ton is required to-day. Rivalry between
the colleges for numbers has lowered the
standard for entrance. The teachers
| meetings have done a great work in
inspiring our teachers with the spirit
of progress, and the present public
school system is vastly improved. The
great work of the State in education
is now done in the public schools, and
the foundations for even greater use
funess are being laid deeper and firm
er. We, who are working in the acade-
mics, can see the improvement in the
scholarship Of the pupils now sent us
from the public school. We feel the
loss of patronage in having them enter
mostly in our upper classes. The gap
between public schools and colleges has
grown so narrow that there is less room
than ever for the academies. We have
only words of commentator for the for
ward movement in higher scholarship
of the public schools, but we deplore the
downward drift Of higher education.
The University and colleges instead Of
wrangling with each other for numbers
should vie with each other in generous
rivalry for higher standards in scholar
ship. There has been much lost energy
in battles and attacks upon each other.
'The entrance in a freshman class at
college Of 80 or 100 boys who are with
out the necessary preparation and conse-
quently without the hope of graduating
means even more than the loss of so
graduates to the college. 1t is the loss
of 80 patrons to the academies. And
these 80 failures are not merely so
negative qualities, not merely 80 promis-
ing young boys blasted in their possi-
bilties of success as scholars. They
have been a positive injury to their
fellows. Fifty idle associates in col
lege damage the scholarship, the disci-
plne, the morals of the whole college.
They are a vast injury to the high
schools, the college, the State, and to
the general cause of education. This
state of things cannot continue. Reac-
ton must come, has already begun.
Our colleges cannot afford to compete
with the academies. They must widen
the gap for the schools. They are big
hearted and wish to put themselves
where they can benefit the masses, but
they must not overlook the necessity of
keeping healthful respect for superior
scholarship. Lower the standard and
they lower respect for college men. The