Evening star., 1914-04-17
THE TEACHER.
BY DR.. FRANK CRANE.
l have received the following letter;
Copyright. 1914. by Frank crane.)

l have received the following letter:
Il wish you would express through your
columns your opinion of the teaching
profession for man.
Il have an innate feeling that it is my
work; that can make both myself and
others happy by pursuing it. My parents
and friends discourage me from entering
upon it, because it promises such small
financial returns
why is teaching, the noblest profess
sion of all, looked upon with such con-
tempt by the majority of people when it
is taken up by a man?
Il trust that you will give your readers
| the benefits Of your views on this sub
ject''
To think clearly upon this matter, the
| first thing YOU must do is to ask YOUR
self: What kind of a life do / want What
do regard as success?
II you want to make money, and to
gain prominence, power, pleasures and
lordly ways that the rich have do not
80 in for teaching: nor. for that matter,
| for art, literature, preaching and the
I like. The chances of becoming wealthy
in these callings are hundred to one
against YOU.
If, on the other hand. what YOU want
/ IS TO acquire efficiency in your vocation,
to live simply and with economy to ma Ike
Just enough money to live in comfort. to
save up bit against a rainy day, and to
find your life's pleasure in Your work
then You may take up some intellectual
pursuit
If you are a real born teacher then to
YOU the amassng of money is a second
rate business.
OF all the professions in the world un-
doubtedly the greatest is teaching,
whether reckoned by the results upon
others or the results upon yourself.
The most valuable property a man can
have is what Bushnell called the prop
erty right IN souls
All forceful men are creators. The
business man creates one kind of values,
the artist another; but the best kind of
ali are those values created by the teach
ers: they consist in character. training,
thought power and Soul-strength
To clear up the ideas of others, to
awaken high enthusiasms in them. to
equip their minds against false reasoning
and clap-trap, and to render them vigor-
ous and skillful. is the very best business
known.
If you like that sore OF thing, if it
makes you content if YOU realize the
wonder and noblencss of il. then teach.
But If YOU measure success by salary,
and II You are continually lusting for the
fesh-pots of money-grubbers. then keep
out of the teachers trade.
There is a large portion of the world to
whom success means only money. They
suppose that only those persons engage
in professional life who are incompetent
% sell goods or win on the board of trade.
They cannot understand such a man as
A AsassiZ. who when offered a lucrative of
nee replied: II have no time to make
money.
The financial rewards of men, So
"iety is now constituted. are far from
being in proportion to the worth of their
services. certain fox-like cunning.
whereby a man makes fortune venture
can bring him Sloo.nO for five minutes
work. The quality of mind that earns
so. 600 a year in a bank or a corporation
is not very high; il is simply scarce. Be
sides. every day thousands Of dollars are
left by inheritance to idle. worthless and
vicious heirs. who do nothing at all to
merit their pay.
With the real rewards. such as self-re-
spect. joy in craft. inward content and
the pleasure of creative work upon an ex-
alted plane, the rewards are certain and
not Enthusiastically unequal.
But it takes superior mind to feel
this And unless YOU belong to the real
aristocracy of souls YOU had better let
teaching alone. and 20 into the great
North American game of money-making