St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-11-04
TEACHERS CONVENTION.
TContinued from First Page.l

;dent Stannard then announced the fOl-
lowing committees: On nominations,
Principals John L. Alger of Johnson, B.
2 Merriam of Bellows Falls, 0. D.
Mathewson of Barre; on resolutions,
Sunt. HI. O. Wheeler OF Burlington, Prin-
c;nals c. H. Morrill, of Randolph, M. D.
Ch;ttenden of Brandon.
After another song by the Mahogany
ouartette, President Stannard introduced
President Hyde. who spoke on THE Per
sonaity of the Teacher" 1t was an adj
dress iull of intelligent and practical ad-
vice concerning the ordering of his life,
which every person in the profession must
consider to be entirely successful. He
began by remarking the great difference
in the achievements of teachers-a differ
ence he attributed to the difference in
their personalities. This was due, first
OF all, to heredity, but it was something
which could, after all, be cultivated. He
said in part:
To this problem the world has found
FIVE answers, the Epicurean, the Stole,
the Platonic, the Aristotelian, and the
Christian. shall present these five ans
wers in order. The Epicurean says.
"Take unto your life as many simple,
natural pleasures as possible" The Stoic
SAYS, keep out of your mind all causes
of anxiety and grief The Platonist
says, Lift up your soul above the dust
and drudgery of daily life, into the pure
atmosphere of the perfect and the good
The Aristoteian says, "Organize your
lite by clear conception of the end tor
which you are living, seek diligently all
means that further this end, and rlgdly
exclude all that would hinder it or dis
tract YOU from it," The Christian says
Enlarge your spirit to include the inter
ests and aims of all the persons whom
your life in any way affects
The Epicurean gospel is the one thing
in which the teacher on no account must
faiI-that which Stevenson calls our great
task of happiness. The world is a vast
reservoir OF potential pleasures. What
then is the Epicurean ideal for the
teacher? Plenty OF good, wholesome
food, eaten leisurely in good company
and pleasant surroundings. No hurried
breakfast of coffee and doughnuts, no
snatched lunches or dinners. comfort
able room where you can be quiet by
Yourself and do not have to talk to any
body when you do not want to. Now,
in the old days of boarding, the teacher
around these things perhaps were not
possible. But in the long run these fund
amentals of pleasant room and good
boarding place are half the battle; ano
before accepting a position a teacher
should make sure that thesefundamenta
REQUISITES can be had. Next comes exer
else in the open air. How many hours o
every day do you spend outdoors, fre'
from care, enjoying the sunlight, TIT
fresh air. the fields, the flowers, the birds
the bills, the streams? A teacher wht
works at such exhausting and narrowing
work as instructing 80 or 40 restless
children, and does not counterfeit 1t D,
playing games, plenty OF play, is not onl.
committing slow suicide-he is stuntin.
and dwarting his nature so that ever,
year will find him personally less ut t
teach than he was the year before. u
YOU sleep soundly as long as nature re
quires, never letting the regrets OF tn
day past nor the anxieties OF the day t.
come encroach upon those precious hours
any more than you would that creates
of abominations--the alarm clock. ID
you lie dow every night in absolute rest
lulness and thankfulness and tranquility
and do you get up every morning wit
laughter, song and shout" to spin tn
great wheel OF earth about? Have yo
friends with whom you spend delightful
hours in the Joy OF unconstralned CON
panionship? Have you books which 20
read for the pure fun OF it? Do you go t
concerts and entertainments and play
as often as you can afford the time an
money? Take it altogether, are you hay
ing good time; or, if not, are you n
sorting to every available means OF ge
ting one? Then, not otherwise, you WI
pass this first test.
Second. Be Stole, which means kee
your MUD free from worry, anxiety an
care. You say that is impossible. TT
world is full of evils and we can't hel
Worrying about them" eyes you can,
the Stole tells US, for things out there
the external world never trouble us.
is only when they get into our mine
that they hurt, and whether they sha
be let into our minds depends entirely Q
ourselves. You make mistake on MO-
day morning. That is an external ta
to be ackno wledged and corrected
promptly as possible. If it makes ye
nervous all Monday afternoon, ar
takes away your appetite Monday eve
ing, and keeps you awake Monday nigh
and starts you out on Tuesday mornl1
enfeebled, distrusttul, and consequent
ten times as likely to make mistakes
you were the dav before-that is entl1
ly your own affair." and, it it happen
your own fault. You have allowed tn
external fact that ought to have be-
left in the outside world where 1t belop
to come in and take possession OF 20
mind and drive out your normal, mentf
emotional and physiological possession
A teachers Lille is probably more full
conscious failure, of personal collisio
severe criticism and general oiscouras
ment than almost any profession. l
ends at which the teacher aims are va
and indefinite, the material is perve1
and recalcitrant, the resources availal
are often meager, and the outcome
always far below what one would WIS
But the Stole formula faithfully apph
will help us to frankly recognize the
facts, aud at the same time to overcol
them.
The third of the worlds great devi'
for the development OF personality
Platonism. The Epicurean tells us
take in all the pleasure we can get,
Stole shows us how to keep out greet
pain. But it is a constant strife
struggle in either case The Plato
bids us rise above it all. THE worlt