The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-31
Prof. Erskine of Columbia
Addresses ~SChOOlmasterS
Speaks on Possibilities of Teaching"-Dr. Walter H.
Eddy Of High School of Commerce Delivers
the Presidents Inaugural Address.
COCIETY expects OF teachers what
lx.a m tnnnlADru nrlnlnnmy AX.

we as tcaCneTS OTlElTHIly VA
pected of ourselves-that we
60 into our work with an ideal and that
we never for one moment cease to drive
toward this. The prospects OF the
teacher who constantly attempts to live
his ideal of teaching were never
brighter. for the world now expects
more Of us than II looks for In any
other of the professions"
with this note of idcalism Prof. John
Erskinc OF Columbia University led the
discu ZION upon Possibilities OF Teach
ing" at the 2Oith regular meeting of the
Scholmastcrs Association of New YORK
and Vicinity held Friday evening.
October o.. The place Of gathering was
the new building of the Yale Club,
where the first of the regular monthly
dinners OF this year was held. sixty
five members and guests were present,
AMI all were enthusiastic about the
evening.
The pre-. ident's inaugural address was
delivered by Or. Walter II. Eddy OF the
High School of Commerce. This Will be
printed separately In the near future IN
the school page OF THE SUNDAY SUN.
DIR. Eddy then introduced Prof. Erskine.
Taking as his theme the thesis that
the highest possibility of teaching IL
the incubation Of the true spirit or
echolarship, Prof. Erskine urged that
teachers measure themselves by think
ing upon the things that are immortal.
''Some OF US he said, keep constantly
doing things we would rather not 10
forever. If We would grow in our
work we must address ourselves TO n
definite gain I'm our own scholarship. IL
lis not too much to say that we really
ought to spend more time In preparation
for each days teaching than IN the
actual teaching itself.
81 wonder IL we do not think ls
teachers that our destiny is TO live with
the ignorant and TO correct their de-
fects? Suppose we remember our own
caree-: I" not this sufficient REPUTATION
of any such idea? Is II not true that as
boys we started with a considerable
respect for scholarship? We looked hrHt
upon our text books as a reservoir OF
knowledge beyond even the teacher.
Then. as we progressed. We felt more
and more admiration for the glimpse
of scholarship IN the lives OF men VINO
truly know their subjects. l remember,
for example. that the man who hrst
taught me Greek did so as though he
were the actual inventor OF the Greek
verb. Even after the first few days ne
used to insist upon our talking Greek
to the limit OF our wee vocabulary. In
college. too. and even in the graduate
school there was that attitude or
respect .or true learning. All TINS
would point to the need OF n upon
the things which are immortal ana
realizing that 1t is Immensely worth
while 50 to i've these as TO be able L
present them TO our students.
This requires no unnatural stand
rom. In pr. Arnold We ind a maj
do.ng n perfectly natural thing. III
YOU want to improve UPON the immortal
Nv OF Or. Arnold. remember that ihe
emphasis of his life MAS really upon
the things we should III. to do forever
I'VE as teachers are very quick u
organize for t q temporary th!ngs-ln-
creased salaries or material gains oi one
kind or another. 1t Is nara, however
10 get any enthusiasm over the rlEn'
10 be scholars. Tn.s is Fundamentally
our own fault. We must have 1t IN
mind that this is the very t.ing ioi
which the world looks to US. Tn" fac'
that people are so often dlslllus!oneo
gives us the great chance TO present II
life our ideals.
THE children come 10 US witn dreams
II " a crime that we forget that II
80 doing we destroy most OF theii
dreams. We give them no chance e
see true scholars lip at work IN US. II
this temporary wa we allow n purely
fictitious division to come up between
scholarship and teaching and between
administration and teaching. | got IN
feeling in school that scholarship AM
taantdng are two different things, ans
ut college to-day / find that there Il
an emphasis upon almost anything bu
true scholarship.
The good teacher IL the one who hai
IN enthusiasm to inpart wat he knows
He will teach by showing his student
that he Is himself at work in the al
vancement of his own knowledge.
conditions have little 20 do witt
what happens with US. In the teaching
Of arithmetic and in tie correction q
themes in English you can be "A scholar
there Is truth there. You can get
boy to study n word in the ~dictionar,
until he knows absolutely all about IL
'.The true results indeed are TO b
reached only in this way. | know tina
Whenever | have been working or study
ing particularly hard my classes i'm
prove. When | ease up because | al
tired or because of some other dis
fractions | notice almost invarlab.
that the work of the classes willis. ant
in common with others, | am incline
to feel tina the students themselves ar
to blame, whereas in fact the faul
tests WITH me.
Il have little patience with the az
sumption that IN the good old day,
boys had a different attitude towar
scholarship ] believe they are a
scholarly "a they ever were and respo
as cheerfully as ever to the suggestio
tnat they reach out toward the hes
used TO think that the right practiC
In to reach down to them In order I
get them to th.nk upon their own plan
to give them. for example, themes o