The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1914-05-14

my friend Diogenes," replied Aristip-
pus, "if thou hadst learned to ffatter
Kings thou wouldst not have to live
on cabbage"
Another great factor in making
pupils fairminded is properly super
vised play on the grounds at recesses
and other intermissions. Unless the
teacher plays with the children and
directs their activities, the play
grounds at our schools may become
not only useless as factors for good
but may degenerate into positive fac
tors for evil.
Another habit of mind which should
be developed as result of school
training, is optimism. Here again
the teacher should be the living exam
pie. The good in everything and ev-
erybody should be sought, recognized
and emphasized. If we would only
cease looking for and predicting evil;
stop calling attention to bad reports,
we would all be much happier and the
world would advance long ways to-
ward the millennium in a very short
time. 1t is thoroly good policy to
watch all the time for the things in
our schools which we can commend.
Find some good in every pupil and in
every pupils work!
We complain of hard times. Many
of US are prone to find fault with prac-
tically everything and everybody. We
are wasteful and extravagant-extra
agant even with time. We throw
away ashes and buy soap. We raise
dogs and buy hogs. We grow weeds
and buy vegetables and catch Zoe fish
with a $500 rod. We build school
houses and send our children away to
be educated so that the boys will be
able to hunt 15c rabbits with a $4,000
dog and a $4,000 gun and the girls
may be sufficiently educated to do
fancy work and play the piano while
mother washes the dishes and weeds
the flower beds. The Education that
Educates must prepare pupils for the
problems of the time in which they
live Society is becoming more and
more complex. The problems of the
future will be largely the problems
of Peace Problems of Industry,
problems involved in the development
of our resources problems of public
health, problems of social welfare,
problems of efficiency in service,
problems of Economics For all of
these, our schools must in some meas
ure, at least, prepare the future men
and women of America. Hence, the
teachers Of our nation must have that
"belief in the perfectibility of man and
the essential nobleness of his nature
which tends to keep ones mind Sc
rene in the midst of the necessary linn
itations of ones daily teaching. With
out this person becomes narrow and
bigoted
To face and conquer problems of our
age we must cultivate in ourselves
and in our pupils the habit of sane
thinking. We must not develop alarm
lists or fanatics. One of the greatest
needs of the day is this habit of sane
thinking-the habit of careful consid-
Grafton of all that any questions OF
policy or conduct may involve. Many
of the unfortunate things come from
lack of investigation. Hasty action,
hasty assertion, is usually regretted
later.
Another habit very necessary to a
proper preparation for future citizen
ship is the reading habit. Relatively
few people have any comprehensive
grasp of the questions of the day and
have such a lack of general informa-
ton that they have little or no proper
foundation for their opinions: This
is true of too large number OF teach
ers and students. The greater the
fund of general information, the great
err the chance of making right judg-
ments.
The education we are discussing
should make much Of current liter
ature of various kinds. Here is the
knowledge we need for intelligent
consideration of our immediate prob
lems-social religious, political.
Loyalty to home, home institutions
and home business should be taught
and practiced by the teacher. Teach
ers should be the last class of people
to patronize catalog houses. From
one-half to two-thirds Of all the money
paid to teachers in salaries comes d.
rectly from the taxpayers of the I'M
mediate vicinity where the teacher
works. A large part Of the rest comes
indirectly from the same source thru
state and county. All of US like to
have our boards of education vote us
increases in salary; stand between us
and critical patrons; cooperate with
US in every way. 1t is hardly fair for
teacher to expect some hard work
ing country merchant to fight her bat.
ties as member of school board
and then send away to catalog house
for her coat, suit, gloves, etc. Eel
low teachers, let US be fair! Let us
inculcate this spirit Of fairness also in
our pupils.