Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-12-18
ECHOES FROM THE SCHOOL
ROOM.
BY PHIL. 0. sopHER.


"a merry heart doeth good like a
medicine; but broken spirit drieth the
bones
Do not fret. 1t only adds to your
burden. To work hard is very well,
but TO work hard and worry too is more
than human nature can bear.
But is school-teaching work 1t GER
tainly is;-the very hardest kind Of
work, = embarrassing, nerve-killiDg
work. In the popular mind school
teaching is considered an easy Job;-a
lazy mans life. But it takes a strong
man 10 teach school; a man OF iron
nerve. No weakiing need apply. 1t
takes man of high moral courage, un-
bounded faith IN humanity, lifting
spirit of hope and cheerfulness, and a
strong and abiding faith in the ultimate
triumph of right and the Illuminating
influence of light over wrong and lis
attendant powers of darkness and
degradation. Let US have faith that
right makes might, and in that faith let
us to the end dare to do our duty as we
understand it."
Yes, school teaching is hard work.
If you don't believe it, try it just for a
day. | make special plea for the
teacher. Give him better pay, better
schoolhouses and better children. 1t is
an investment that will pay better
dividends than stock in a brewery, or a
share in a threshing- company.
Hard work. should say SO. The
mental strain, the super-heated school
room, the vitiated air, the lack OF ade-
quate exercise, and the petty annoy
ances incident to school life, tends to
''use man up" quicker than any other
job | can think O1,-eyen rallroaolng or
glass blowing.
And the ladies; well, it appears as
though they like it, at least for while,
Judging by the number of schoolma'ams
extant in the country, but even these, l
notice, after a few years of hair-pulllng,
headaching, blood-b boiling experience
are signing and dying to exchange
their lot for one less strenuous, even II
less remunerative. 1t is the blessed
privilege of the American girl to teach
school. Here is where she gets her ex-
perience for the future management OF
her home and grown-up pupil. And
she makes good house keeper, an ele-
home builder. God bless the Yankee
schoolma'a am. She 'openeth her mouth
with wisdom; and in her tongue is the
law of kindness" Her children shall
rise up and call her blessed; her hus-
band also, and he praiseth her saying
many daughters have done vlrtuously,
but thou excellest them all"
Hard work well / should remark
Look at the thousands of overworked
underpaid school teachers. This bust
ness has a tendency to bring on that
pitiable disease called brain-fag and
brain-fag produces melancholia, melan.
cholia produces death, and death pro.
duces, WELL nobody ever came out OF
that alive yet. But speaking of dying
| it is pitiful sight to see teacher die
| have had the misfortune of seeing
that sight. He was an old man, the
only teacher ever saw, and he came
from Ireland Alone, poor, and ne
elected like some old wheel horse after
many years of faithful service in the
interests of mankind, turned out upon
the cold, cold world to exc out a petty
subsistence from the cold and chilly
hands of charity; such was his condi'
ton. He lay lingering with a hollow
cough for many months and | used to
sit by his side and read to him by the
hour. One day as | raised my eyes
| from the book to look at his face, the
| light in those luminous orbs were
dimmed forever, and his generous soul
had fled to that bourne from whence
no traveller returneth' leaving his
weary and "outgrown shell by life's
unresting sea-"
Better wages, better teachers, better
schools. o, Lord, hear my cry.