The Portland daily press., 1900-01-20
THE TEACHERS.
Continued from Finh Page.

s'eadiness, persistence, patience, pre-
cision, thoroughness, self controls Virtues
which mere mental proiigies too often
lack. For the great majority OF our
school and college graduates, who have
had neither industrial nor artistic train
ing, manifest an Impotence In presence
cf patty obstacles; an irritability at delay
and ecOursgement disinolination 10
The detail and drudgsry of which every
useful life must be full; an indisposition
To nav the bigh price which absolute 40
curacy, and thoroughness, end practical
De rfsction always cost, which stin
course in doing hard things with hand
and eye might have taken out OF them.
Nature study, which Is simply teaching
tha child to read his own mind wthVsn
Itrse in the structure and motions OF
earth and stars, forms and functions o.
plant and animal, and Is at the same
lime a vast expansion OF his range OF in
tsrest and sterner discipline In the see
ing and to ling Of the truth. Few people
whoss training has been chiefly literary,
metaphysical and theological. TO the ex-
clusion of the precise scientinc mebnous
of the laboratory and the nots-book, can
keep from lying II they try. FOR they
have not been trained to draw clean,
SHARP distinctions between what theI eT-
poet to find and what Is actually there;
between things rs they would like 10 have
them and what "the God OF things as
they are" has vouchsafed.
Reading has little moral value so long
as IL is confined to short, Eenseiess, cls-
connected scraps from reattnR DOCK.
The moment continuous, Dramatically
constructed narratives are onered, win
lust enough Of inkling Into the plot TO
awaken curiosity In advance. and the
children are taught to get the exact
thought for Themselves and to give 1t co
Others 1t becomes an exercise In nearly
ali the moral virtues. 1t 10 a good plan TO
have FREQ uent exercises In which the rest
OF the GLASS for their apprehension OF an
Important part of a story are made entire
ly depende on what they can gather
from the reading OF one of their numb bar.
That makes reading resl rather than
formal; and the children at oncs tests IL
by the searching standards we all intlnc-
lively spply TO what we really cars ior.
Dull. stupid, unsympathetic reading then
stands cut in,its moral quality. as cheat
ing, defrnuding, robbing their fellows OF
the pleasure and profit they have right
TO expect from listening to It.
Spelling likewise has little moral value
when it Is the learning of unrelated
words out Of a spelling book. 1t becomes
an exercise in morality when 1t Is COM
bined with writing and composition; and
shown to be essential to the expression OF
ones ideas and communication with per
sons at a distance.
Arithmetic oan he lightened up by ap-
D6EllDR 10 ING Cuiiu q Aoaoh1n'
for business transa ctions; possibly by In
Producing some simpliiled form OF the
methods OF the business college. which
would allow the scholars 60 have fnagi-
nary dealings With each other In school
merchandise and school money, and the
keeping of school accounts. typography
ana history, dead und hfeless when me-
Chemically taught. become full OF IN
teJest, and hence full Of moral discip-
linary POWER when they ere presented In
connection with the ohiid's familiar ex-
peIiencss; as answers to bis own curious
questionings Of nature and Proyidsnce,
and as the means of gettiuZ mis- bearings
In the world In which he lives.
At this point, II not before the old
fashioned schoulmaster breaks out In
wrath and Indignation: This lie the
weak nam by -pamby doctrine we hear So
ouch Of nowadays, that you must turn
all the chiid's work into play. and then
II the poor thing finds that too hard, ycu
aust take hold ana do 1t for him. ="
!. The second cardinal principle is respect
for others yhis prisoiple grows out
Of the first. for not until man has some
interest of his own, In other words Is an
end to himself, Is free person, can he
respect others rs onds In themselves, OF
as person. Hence Kant and Hegel
in their formula couple the two principle
toget er. Kant says: ''So cot as to treat
humanity, whether In thine own person
or in that of any other, in every case as
an end witbal, never ~ means only"
/ know teacher who Kept class OF o.
Ia the lowest grade of a city high school
in psrteot order on this plan. She had
been warned by the grammar school
TEACHER of this that and the other I'M
comfortably bad boy or Girl to the num-
Der of a dozen or more. Having exer-
eised little care in seating the lawiess
elements, she told the school that there
h.. Onlv TIL la in that kGhCOl.
No one shall do anything that interiors;
with any body else. Cases Of whispering
and other familiar sources OF disorder
were all dealt with in the light OF their
Interference with the work they were
all there to do. Thus all special rules
we're lifted up into the one great principle
of respect fer others as persons. The bad
boys were conquered, not only by the Will
of the teacher, bnt by the latent reason
and goodness within themselves; and
they were cent out prepared TO be neither
the slaves OF society. nor rebels against
is but its stannch supporters and sym
pathetic friends.
Tact on the part of the teacher was
indeed required. When anything wrong
was done, instead of soolding the offender
before the school, thus driying1him into
hostility ami the rest into sympathy with
him. and hardening the hearts OF all,
she wouli call the offender to her desk
tone what he should do in the future.
Tbs frienG,i ness Of the teacher appealing
to the reason and right impulses Of the
individual Is pretty sure to conquer the
scholars one by one. while scolding and
punishment administered before a whole
school can secure at host only the out
ward show of order without its moral
substance; and is not always successful
In securing even so muca as that.
{ The third principle is loyalty to institu-
lions: TO home, and state and school. In
terest In himself makes the child strong.
Respect for others makes him just and
kind Nothing short of loyal member
ship in these Institutions can take him
out OF the llttleness of the merely indi-
vidualistio life, and make him generous
and great
Ths teacher who will be a power In the
life of the child must know his home,
md II possible know him in his home.
For the child apart from the home Is
bat nfef nj feaottar IF n Nhtl1 1ha