Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-14

development OF the boys and girls des-
| tined to be great
Summarizing briefly. In a discussion
Of How Town and Rural Schools MAY
Meet Their Wants and Supply Each
others demands" these things should
be considered: the drawing together
and unifying of the county school sys-
TEN; the Acknowledgement of common
| ehds sought in town and rural
| schools; the cooperation necessary be.
| tween county and city superntend-
| ents, school directors, teachers and
the public; finally the united efforts
of all these factors in building IN a
school system.
You may have observed the persist
ency with which this article returns
again and again to the county super
tendent. Why not? There is no other
school ofiicial-excepting the teacher
whose mission is more important or
whose department of work needs
greater Improvement, both in manner
and matter.
In one of the Little Journeys"
fathered by Ebert Hubbard. the char
acter and achievement of Pericles is
discussed in words aglow with sympa-
thy. There with steady flame burns
the public spirit of the Greek. who
seems to us, at this distance, to have
been an ideal citizen-certainly one
of the highest type.
10 be efficient as school people we
must be good citizens, citizenship de-
mands so much-often far more than
the individual Is willing to give. Still,
never can completely rounded life
be lived without It, AS stated above.
the object of our schools is to fit child
ren for life-that Is to prepare them
tor citizenship. Surely then we should
first be what we would teach others to
become.
While we are not to be held respon.
sibie for our environment and the cir
cumstances with which we have to
deal, we are required to account for
the use we make of the same. To
say, MY field is so limited, | am so
hampered with this or that condition
he people with whom | have to deal
are so Ignorant and unappreciative
that effort Is useless" argues weak
ness and lack of true insight into life
1t is wisdom to take things as you
find them and do your best with the
world as 1t is.
We need builders in Colorado. men
and women who. like Pericles, will in
terest even the Indifferent and inspire
the whole commonwe to work for
| the general welfare men and women
who will gather up the fragments and
cement discordant elements into a
complete structure: men and women
so full of power that they can induce
| the people not only to desire good
schools, but even more to work to OBJ
tain them.
Power is never wasted. Though it
may attract no more attention than
the dropping of the dew the effort
| which calls 1t forth, in time brings its
own reward. Moreover, the strenuous
struggler gains more from his effort
than anyone else. The spirit in
which child passes his first years
at school gauges pretty thoroughly
what he will take out So with life
Power gravitates to the person who
can WELD it. and responsibilities to
the shoulders able to bear them" A
bigger question than mileage and post
age Is involved here.
Build! County superintendent
build You cannot be paid in dollars
and cents for such effort, and since
there is no market value on the soul
you lnfuse into your work. Who can
tell? 1t may be that your work may
hn k. Inr t, LInE RI N
| edifice whose foundation you help to
lay may become a fitting type of that
house made without hands, eternal in
heavens. Blessing always follows
honest toll. God giveth the increase
and has promised that the little one
shall become thousand"
The eternal fitness of things de-
mands that all of the qualities neces-
sary in teacher of the highest type.
! the school official should possess. AS
| the teacher must love children, the
| superintendent must be filled with a
spirit of kindness and forbearance to-
ward his follows. The firmness. pa.
| tience. perseverance needed In the
| school-room. are required to an even
greater degree In the Office of the sup
| erintendent. The child does not
! change to oay great extent on reach
ing manhood or womanhood. The ex-
ercise of certain qualities in the
school-room. demanded by certain pc
cuIiarities of human nature. is even
more necessary in serving the people
| These human differences OF disposi
tion are, at the same time. the public
servants greatest cross and greatest
crown. His good nature will be sorely
tried; his efforts for the public good
may be mlsjudged. his very motives
| questioned: but II he has a geLulne
love of humanity and truth in his
heart. he will be able to overcome re
sentiment. and thinking OF the import
ance of his mission. say to himself
Never mind"
At such times of stress and strife 4
will be well for the county superin
tendent to look away from his failures
disappointments and petty vexations
of spirit to the motif OF his work, st
well set forth In the message to Jere
miah: Behold. | have set thee oyel
the nations and the Kingdoms, tt
pluck up, to break down. to destro!