Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-08-20
EDUCATIONAL BUREAU
Under Direction OF
KATE MARKHAM POWER
THE TEACHER.
BY Bishop Galloway.

oil the recent visit to them OF the Mis-.
sissippi School Bulletin with its
wealth Of rich mental food. its splen.
did advice and unanswerable argu
ments for improvement In tho schools
of Mississippi today.
Among the leading editorials which
mado the current number a dis
tlnguished success was one from the
brilliant pen OF that beloved bishop,
Charles b. Galloway, now on his long
journey to China, where he is doing
the Masters work.
So well Is it worth reading, and so
far Is it ahead of anything that my
unframed pen might write, that | re.
print it in these columns today, and
beg our readers to give their time and
thought to its perusal:
with the rapid development of the
modern school idea, there is an in
creasing appreciation Of the teacher.
And with the enlarged demand for
thorough professional training, the
character and personality of the teach.
er are Of most intelligent concern. I'm.
proved methods are important, better
text books are desirable, ampler equip
ment Is demanded, but above and be-
You'd all other considerations il, WHO
teaches the school. The person be-
hind the desk, rather than the books
his hand-determines the character
and measures the value Of an institu-
ton. The world move by personal
ity.' Character o~utweighs scholarship.
A great life Is more potential than
technical training. Tennyson has hap
PLY expressed that idea in these ex-
quisite lines:
"'And so the Word had breath, and
wrought
With human hand the creed of
creeds,
In loneliness Of perfect deeds
More strong than poetic thought
Teachers are more easily under
stood than textbooks. A child may
find difficulty in |unraveling the mystic
ries of syntay, or the rules of mathe-
MATES, but can feel the might and
weight of character as readily aud
helpfully as the %profoundest phil
osopher. This is the one vital fact on
which the whole science Of education
must proceed. And this should also
be the one controlling principle in the
organization of schools and the selec-
ton of teachers. | can imagine moth
ing more fatal to a child or to q com.
munity than a teacher. intellectually
bright, but with a shallow character
and hippant name and superficial
ideals. On the other hand, n teacher
who regards his profession as u holy
calling-who has seriousness and
serenity OF characteristic loves the
schoolroom for its opportunities rather
than its stipend, is the mightiest factor
In his community. 1t was these quail
tltS tllplt NDdu MS vast iNti hI'b ''ht
made Arnold Of Rugby the greatest
man of his time in old England. In
this connection ] would therefore offer
two suggestions to all school trustees
% Never employ q teacher who sim
ply wants to make a salary; it will
bankrupt any nation to pension would
be teachers at the expense Of the right
education Of its childhood. (2) Never,
If possible, employ a teacher on writ
ten testimonials. See the person, and
feel the weight Of his character be-
tore entrusting to his care the children
of your homes.
"The teacher should be professional
" trained. We demand skilled Ia
lor everywhere except in the school
room. At least that was the history
OF American education until recent
years. Now, happily, sentiment has
changed, and with it has come the
greater dignity and boiler response
bility OF the professional teacher.
There is much shoddy work lone in
tllG StuOOilOoih. VI tA' ''N
moral tragedy has been enacted In our
land because of incompetent and UNI
worthy instructors Of American youth.
Nowhere Is skill more needed than in
the schoolroom. A mere desire to
teach is not sufficient qualifications for
that high service. Passion for the
sea does not make a great sailor.
Eagerness to defend the flag OF ones
does not make a hero or a
capable general Of armies. So a son
timental ambition to teach does not
make q teacher.
"a few years ago II of the great
Atlantic liners was driven against h
rocks on the Irish coast. The com
mander Of the vessel was tried before
a proper tribunal and suspended from
further service at sea. So vast are the
interests involved that no Il can be
intrusted with command who betrays !
the slightest negligence or incapacity.
And yet in this larger commerce OF
immortal mind--in this more perilous
voyage over the sea Of ~life-anybody
has been thought competent TO guide,
any unframed hand can hold the
wheel. any Impractical eye can take
tho daily reckonings.
THE teacher should be a patriot.
And whether the flag OF his nation
waves above his school house or not
IA. a,t,,ntyNln, Fhtnht IN Gu4lv HE ire ]
and dominate all his e%ndeayors. After
all, the teachers of a people, and not
its politicians, write its constitutions
and enact its laws and define is gov
ernmentsl policies. Horace Mann,
who founded the common school sys'
tenn OF Massachusetts,, did more to de-
termine the political history of that
commonwealth than did Daniel Web
the great senator and so-called
e~xpounder OF the Constitution. The
battle for the future of the American
republic will be fought in the Aneri-
can schoolhouse.'
Barnyard Wisdom.
Said the roster in the barnyard
To the rooster ON the vano:
"Im o mighty knowing fellow
At predicting when twill rain.
For ] cast my eye upon you
And observe which way it blows,
Then ] rouse the farmers family
With M most s~agacious crows"