Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-01-26


and unresponsive to the harS1onies OF
the beautiful. oh. the teacher who does
not inspire his people with a love for
the beautiful has lost half of his or her
mission, Some time ago l was In the
home Of very intelligent lady. During
the conversation she said to me. "AIy
little daughter has read nearly all the
standard works." as that SOP an
swered. DO you pay her for reading
those books?" Never" answered this
lady. That was the great mistake my
mother made. In order to get me to-
read good books she used to pay me.
The result was unless was paid money
1 never read good literature. Years
after my mothec's death I found out
my mistake. Then commenced to
read good books for the Joy that I got
out Of them. / try to inspire my daugh-
ter to naturally seek the beautiful and
love the beautiful in literature because
l love the beautiful there" AS teachers
have You not a higher mission in life
than simply hammering the multiplied
ton table into your pupils minds? Do
you ever talk to them about the beauty
found In the curve of a rainbow or
about the symmetrical blendings of the
leaves of little violet or about the per
feet design of n snowflake?
But the Schoolteacher has still a
higher mission than that OF examining
n students brain full of n few facts
and teaching him to love the aesthetic.
Art and nature did not make Athens a
city OF virtuous people. Some of the
most ioathsome examples OF immoral
and social Righteousness were prac-
ticed under the shadow OF the Parthe.
non. Some of the greatest writer's of
the ages walked the streets OF Rome
But Rome in its day was what Sodom
and Gomorrah were in their days, and
In modern times the most popular lover
of the aesthetic who ever stepped upon
our shores was himself so stepped In
immortality that lie was not only exiled
from all decent society, but was in
carcerated in Il London Jail and passed
away deSpised OF men to meet his God
and to render an account for bis mis-
spent life. Thus. my friend, as a
teacher you have something more to do
than to teach your scholars to love the
books, and the trees. and the noun
tains. and the blossoms, and the har-
vest fields.
Importance OF Example.
How can teacher lead his pupils
to be pure and true and noble ana
good? In the first place, by giving them
the example of teacher who is good
and true and pure and noble. Only n
Short time ago | was talking to q lady
who for years was a successful teach
er in one of our western cities. said.
What Is the greatest essential for n
successful teachers life?" She I'M
hesitatingly answered: Example. She
herself must be good woman IL she
wants her scholars to be good"
A Few days ago the principal CT one
or the Los Angeles public schools said
TO me: IL cannot expect anything bet
ter from my students than am N.Y.
self. For the last two weeks I have
been trying especially to he kind and
gentle and forgiying. Why? / know
IL l am kind and gentle will make
my children kind and gentle also"
There Is magnetic connection be-
tween the pupils seat and the teach.
er's desk. You know Il. O teacheri
am going TO ask you one blunt oues-
ton. Is there any way easier for n
teacher to be true and noble and good
than BE- = surrendering his life into
Christ's hands? Friedrich Froebel him.
self said. "All education not founded
on religion is unproductive." All,
schoolteacher. / think I can put my
finger upon the weak spot OF your
schoolteachingl You are spiritually a
blind man trying to lead the blind.
You want your scholars TO be like
Christ, and yet you yourself have not
surrendered your own heart to the Saw
Jour. Will you do il now in order to
give the right kind OF an example to
your children?
The next way to make your scholars
true and noble is to appeal to their
best manhood and womanhood. A
sneaking teacher will inevitably have
sneaking and dishonest band OF stu
dents. III a teacher will place his stu
dents upon their honor they will be
honorable young men and women. II
he watches them as q spy would try
to ferret out the actions OF an enemy
ne Will find his scholars dishonest. and
there Is no exception to tho rule.
Thomas ArnoId's Plan.
This truth has been we'll demonstrate
ed by the history of the greatest teach
ers who ever lived. When Thomas
Arnold went to Rugby there were more
rules there than days in the year. Ev.
cry teacher was expected to be a spy.
No teacher trusted q boy any more
than warden in Sing Sing peniten-
tiary would trust q life convict outside
the penitentiary walls. All these rules
were written upon a board and nailed
up In Rugby chapel. No sooner did
Thomas Arnold take charge than he
cut down that board OF rules and threw
II INTO the fire. He then had the boys
assemble before him, and he said:
Young gentlemen, 1 expect every one
OF you to be an honorable young man. |
This school hereafter is to be run ON
the honor OF its pupils" BY that |
course Thomas Arnold turned. lot of |
Receiving pupils into band OF honest |
boys.
The same fact was true in reference |
to the life of Mary a Livermore at |
DuxDury. This is her testimony: at |
Informed my pupils on the opening day |
that the school was to be self governed. |
There were to be no punishments for
,fenses, no rewards for we'll doing.
Each one must conform TO the rules of |
he school as matter of honor or
cave IL. Every young man was to be !
gentleman, every one OF the young
girls lady" Do you wonder when
Mary A. Livermore started her school
ipon such a basis as this that she had