The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1905-05-12

above all others in the communit,
who represents to him the valu,
OF study and of intellectual ac
quirement-is paid q laborer'.
wages. must skimp and scrapt
to make ends meet" must weal
threadbare clotI ing and must
comport himself humbly in the
presence of his fellow men. Is
it a wonder that the boy, seeing
the low valuation that the com.
, munity has put upon learning.
regards study as scarcely worth
while? Is it any wonder that he
loses his respect for schools and
Tor teachers, and becomes idle
and hard to control? 1t is no
wonder-it is the most natural
thing in the world. You have
underpaid your man, and how
ever conscientious he may be,
you have lessened his worth to
you. That which you have saved
from your teachers salary your
children will pay with compound
interest throughout their after
lives.
But we pay a good salary"
says some one, I'VE pay so much
a month"
Yes, you do; but you pay it for
only seven or eight or nine
months. Take what you nav
him in a year and divide it by
twelve, and see what it is that
he gets, For you know quite as
well as he does that he cas, OBJ
tain no remuneratiye emnlo loNpaent
during the summer. Even If he
could get it he has no business
taking it. Teaching is an ex-
hausting business-you agree
that it is, and you kindly grant
your man a vacation, but he could
get a vacation for eternity at
exactly the same rate of wages.
Il suppose you are enjoying your
rest" )" says the good-natured
citizen to his pedagogue in Au-
gust. l always listen for the
answer. Before / die, I expect
to hear: Eyes, as well as a
hungry man can!" Would you
turn your horse out in January
and expect him to come back in
March in good condition for the
spring work?
Another great drawback. to
teaching as a calling is the lack
of discrimination on the part of
the public between a good teach
er and a bad one. This lack
this inability to distinguish be-
tween that which makes for the
good Of the individual child and
that which makes for his ills
perhaps unavoidable. Every man
is judged by his work. The law
yer wins or loses his case, the
physician heals or buries his pa
tient, the farmer harvests his
crop or else has none to harvest,
and in all these undertakings the
result is immediate and apparent.
But it takes q lifetime to mature
that crop of brain of which
spoke in my last, and the effects
Of the training that a teacher
gives are so far removed'in point
| of time that we are apt to lose
sight of the cause. Because o1
this, false ideas prevail and yer,
often an Indifferent workman i.
awarded the honors while a bet
ter one is set aside.
Owing to the slow growth o.
brain and of character, the pub
lie becomes impatient and de
mands immediate results; so tn
popular" teacher introduces ;
system of cram, and the course
of study of our public school
become overloaded with an in
lfinitude of trash. The goodnes
of q farmers crop consisteth no
in the multitude Of plows that h
uses. Moreover, in trying t
teach everything 1t is likely tina
lyour school will teach some les
sons that are better left unlearn
led. Hasty methods and super
ficiality of accomplishment ar
seldom held at q premium by tn
people who really count.
BESIDES, whatever we may sa
Iof the brain, the body must ais
be considered. With a burder