Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1919-07-10
This July 9, 1919.
SCHOOL TEACHING

Paul the great Apostle to the Gen.
tiles once said that now we see
through a glass darkly, but then
shall we see face to face" This
certainly can be construed to apply
to the inability of the human family
to measure relative values in this
world, as well as that spiritual sig
nificance which all attribute to it.
A few days ago l met a man on
the street and asked what he would
charge me to hoe corn and vegetables
in my garden. His reply was un-
hesitating and immediate-25 cents
per hour. l reaect-hoeing the stalk
if corn is assisting nature to do her
work. That plant can appropriate
the plant food in the mineral king
dom of the soil, elevate 1t contrary
to the law of gravitation and convert
it into living matter in a vegetable
kingdom that is far above the min
eral kingdom. The man who as
sists nature by stirring the soil
around the corn plant Is doing
great work. If he is spiritually in
clined he is able to see God in that
living, growing plant. He is able to
believe in miracles for day by day
there is miracle being performed
in his presence. The soil becomes
sacred to him as he sees her respond
to his fair dealing and good treat
ment, the plant is the manifestation
Of God as it impjerceptibly and ST.
lently grows in his presence. The
greatness of his work justly entities
him to compensation of rs cents
per hour, $3.50 for ten hours work,
SIS for a week, or $50 for four
weeks work.
would not object to our seeing in
this particular, our vision is fairly
clear. But suppose we explore an
other field of activity and compare
its importance with the case stated.
l am trying to rear three children.
My child cannot appropriate the
plant food in the mineral kingdom
but when the plant mas converted
it into nice ear of corn and that
corn has been properly cooked, my
child can take it into It's body and
convert it from the vegetable king
dom, another miracle. This is
kingdom far superior to the plant
kingdom ever when found in the
tissues of the OK or pig, but when
transformed into the living matter
of the organism of a human child
who can think, hope, love, hate, as
pire, pray, there is no comparison
between the Importance OF the plant
in the world and its complexity anu
that of the child. And Just as that
plant cannot be made to grow by
any force known to man, and the
only thing that man can do is to as
sist nature by stirring the soil
around the plant and protecting 1t
from the encroachments of weeds
that would consume the plant food
that it needs, so the only thing that
can be done to develop the child in
to the kind of citizen that he should
be is to assist nature by "hoeing"
around his life and prevent other
things from consuming the life CIV
ing material so necessary to his de-
This last work is the function of
the school teacher, NOT to enumer
ate the contributing agencies that
in measure have the same func-
tion. This function is the only
ground on which to justify the ex-
lstance of schools and school teach
ers. Is his work as difficult as that
Of the man who hoes in my garden?
No one will deny that there is not
good hoeing and bad hoeIng but
however that stalk of corn is hoeo
It has no ambition to De stifIed, II
las no hope to be crushed, 1t has no I
possibility OF developing an ideal af- |
.er which to pattern It's life, 1t has
no nervous system to be deadened !
3y the process of hoeing. The child
has all of these and many more that
snter into the process Of his develop ,
nent into good citizen and becom- !
ng an individual capable of loving !
he right and hating the evil.