The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-04-18

The fourth of the vesper services undel
the auspices of the Young Mems Society Of
the Universalist church was given Sunday
evening. The musical program included &
number of favorite hymns by the congrega
ton: 81 alone the cross must bear" by thu
quartette; "The Heavenly Home" solo by
Mr.. c. c. Brooks; and the solo son the
Cross" by Mrs. Jesse H. Weber The
address, on Teaching as profession fol
young men and women" by John R. Dun
tun, Superintendent of Schools, was briet
and to the point. He SAID in part: Faith in
our institutions, whether religious, political
or educational relieves us from many re.
sponsibilities. If there were school fol-
horses l should not be obliged to investi-
gate the qualifications of this jockey OF
| that to find a worthy one to train my blood
ed colt. | find him at last, however, and it
| is one of life'S little irOnies that my beast is
! trained by selected skill but my boy by
| er for the term. | entrust my child's i'm
mortal mind to the new and untried teacher
with less of mental questioning than when
l give over my untrimmed locks to an I'M
tried barber. A school is a school, teach
er is a teacher, but a barber is not a barber
until he has learned his trade Will YOU
learn to train horses? Will you learn to
cut hair? Or will you, without waste of
time, become one of that great profession
whose practice is to train the immortal
minds? Before young man can begin the
practice of law or medicine he must have,
besides liberal education, long course of
professional training, perhaps followed by
longer course of starvation. But the fact
that the teachers profession is easy of access
is only of advantage to those outside. Within
every place is occupied, and the teachers
agencies and school boards are flooded with
applications. This competition has enabled
the school boards to establish rules and
make more careful selections of teachers
The compensation of teaching is small in
sponsibility. The custom of re-electing
teachers year after year is now seldom de-
parted from, but occasionally spasm of
sO-called reform inaugurates reign of
terror, and no head is safe from the guillo-
tine. The tendency is to diagnose a teach
er's case by feeling the pulse of the people,
and at times it happens that efficient ser
vice is rewarded with dismissal As rule,
however, the efficient teacher is appreciated
by both school officers and people. When
teaching becomes truly profession its
practice will require not only knowledge
of the subjects studied, but also knowl-
edge of the pupil himself The artificial
method of grading will disappear, and in
its place will come grading according to
the pupils ability to do things with his
mind. The teacher is responsible not only
for the pupils intellectual growth, but also
for his manners and morals. If the lawyer
loses case we place the blame on the OPP
ponent and his perjured witnesses if a
doctors patient dies we remember that it is
natural for all to die. But if our boy has
trouble in school we find at once that the
teacher is at fault, and when the case final
ly comes to a hearing before the school
board it is really the teacher and not the
scholar who is on trial, and if no justifica-
ton can be found for the boys misbehavior
the teacher ought to be won over to forgive
ness-because boys will be boys, and the
teacher and committee did even worse
things when they were boys. People do
not realize that the welfare of all may be
imperilled by the bad conduct of one IN
ruly pupil. If you have the true spirit of a
teacher you will do all in your power to in
still the vigor of virtue in the weakly wick
ed, and to reflect sweetness and light upon
the sour and scrubly. If you fear to take
upon yourself the responsibilities that may
make or break a hfe's well-being, and the
other grave responsibilities that are in
separable from teachers calling, you had
best think twice before choosing to be
teacher: To one ambitious for wealth or
honor teaching has little to offer, but to one
who has the true teachers spirit-that which
desires to be in the highest degree useful
to the pupils-teaching has it's abundant re-
wards.