Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-01-25
Training The Girls.

c Training The Girls.
4 look at the girls" is old as a state
menr. but it is untrled enough in prac
e t'ce to make it an unique experiment
With all the interest of novelty. Get
your eyes out of the hook and study
your girls Look at the new ones wher
they fret enter school, Unless at the
, end of your work with them, thev are
less fiabby in mind and body. more
erect and sprlngy; unless they stand
better, walk better. breathe better
look better, think more accurately
rounectedly and extensively; see more
clearly, act more decisively, apd enjoy
more heartily, OF what credit is the
long record of the days present. pages
covered and credits set d, q in a book
| ihe perpetual aud unanswerable fling
made at schools from Aristopbanes
down to Emerson is that the things
they do are so remote from human
sympathies. Almost any man or wo-
man can give fairly definite idea of
Tue kind of girl who is fine girl But
schools have been bent on other things |
ON a body of knowledge handed down |
aud made the main consideration of |
school because other schools have
copied it from others.
While the ideal girl is the aim of the
;hool, We must be content to accept
the condition that we are only one of
the forces working with Tor sometimes
against) heredity, home, literature and
Society, to develop her. The exact aim
OF the school. therefore, is such con-
trloutlon toward the tine.girl as can be
made with the facilities and time
available. To follow convenient
analysis suggested by city supt, VIII. X
of New York. the teachers'l
Professional assets may be divided
INTO teaching, ability, scholarship,
,fprt and persona lity.
IF, for the moment, we could i'm {
lgine teacher made up of two parts,
'ue consisting of know ledge and skill.
he other OF what we NAV call attrac-
i've personality, that is cheerfulpess. z
magnetism, etc l think C
hat there can be no doubt that the q
of her knowledge over u
ler personality would diminish ratn er O.
han Increase her power as teacher. Ii
t is not the amount of scholarship we a
'ossess that helps the girls. 1t is the n
mount OF enthusiasm, and lasting de- e
ire for Improvement we can inspire D.
them. This depends more upon our u
personality than upon our knowledge
our spirit Is right it will lead us to u
'erfect ourselves in scholarship suffici- 10
ntly to furnish US with materials for Sc
fflcient instruction. tt
Will you not agree that this apprecia X
lie but indefnable force that we call tt
ersonalIty is not perpetual and self u
ostalnlng! Ii requires food If we L.
re to be eminently successful teachers bt
"a must live, when not engaged in &C
;hool dnties. such lives as will refresh OF
ur minds and hearts. We must not te
My be scholars We must be per- O.
DIS, live men and women. OF
being called upon to furnish sym ar
atny' encouragement. spirit and ir- OF
we must make conscious and sp
ttquate provision to 90. tbe.e tbinos T,
lrselves. In other words we must see 10
lat falr distribution of our lives is al
ade between our professional and
ersonal occupations. When I sav
lat this arrangement must be a con an
lous one. meant TO emphasize the ed
Elective. Unless we DO plan for tn ose ar
which restore, and inspire ~
J, they will be neglected. Tue ma to
lFal tendency of teachers is toward 4
'erwork thru neglect to Iealize that za'
e other life must be consciously and ~
refully guarded and not permitted Lo
diminish thru encroachments of ito
lsiness or professional demands. Gol
Ii We would exercise our reason land NJ n -
ali peopie III the world, We who have pos
arge of the education of the coming vii
oman should be guided by very wide cd
ID intelligent views and should act s.n n
om reason rather than impulse) we mo
)uld not fail to see that not only our pl e
innate but our daily success depends !
on maintaining personal life that anc
refreshing and inspiring. will
For those that have not schooled see
emselves to q conduct of life that LII. ~.
actices this, there is no scarcity of
ldes, from Socrates. Epictetus, Epi.
rus, and Marcus Aurelius down to
nerson. Phillip Brooks, Robert Louis sTl
evenson, and Daniel Brinton. They
Il US that We must order our hours. I
masters of our time, provide for the Gus
lngs We need and not let even school thr
cumstances unfairly interfere with sec
r plans. A teacher should select hes
ne things she wants to do and sed
ould do them. If the reasonable ty,
ne allowed for professional duties Ki(
expired and she finds herself con- eas
nted with bundle of school work \
an attractive novel. 1 cannot but r1st
ieve that she is better teacher if ira