Year: 1878

Geo. B. Emerson, IL D., in National Journal


of Education.


The connection between manners and
morals is more intimate than is usually
held. He who undertakes to act as if
he were perfect gentleman, and perse-
veres in his purpose, will be likely to
become one. The resolute and sustain
ed exhibition of the exterior of gentle
ness, delicacy, kindness, civility and
generosity, will not fail to act inward
upon the chracter, and produce some
thing of the reality of those high quail
ties. Players tell us that they feel the
character they endeavor to personate.
Whoever will pertinaciously take upon
himself the manners OF a gentleman,
will end by becoming one And | need
not say that the qualities which charac
terize true gentleman are among the
best that can adorn humanity. A deli
cate and habitual regard for the rights
and feelings of Others the foregoing the
convenience and qualification Of ones
self for the convenience and gratifca-
ton of others; the yielding up, volunta-
rily and cheerfully, the better seat. and
the better position, and the better word
to another, these, without which a
man is but poor imitation OF gentle
man, are very nearly allied, to say the
least, to that self-sacrifce which is the
best and highest attainment OF Chris
tian.


| should not call up these admitted
and almost commonplace truths, were
it not that, in the most important act
any man can perform for the benefit Of
his own children and other mems, they
are apt to be forgotten. | refer, of
course, to the act Of choosing teacher.


The highest, most important and es-
sential qualities Of teacher are apt to
be forgotten, at the moment when the
teacher is chosen, who is to have most
powerful influence upon the whole char
acter of all the pupils in the school in
which he is to labor. Most committee
men are too ready to be satisfied, if they
can find teacher competent to teach
satisfactorily the branches which are to
be learned in school. They certainly
are important; and no man can teach
we'll what he does not perfectly under
stand. 1t is right that the examiner
should insist upon candidate possess
ing this knowledge in a high degree.
But as it is more important that boy
should be brought up to be good man
than good reader. an honest and just
man than skillful accountant, kind
and civil gentleman than handsome
writer, so it is more important for
school committeeman to regard the
moral and social qualities Of the teacher
than those lower ones of competence as
an instructor


The best thing a man can do for his
children, next to being himself the kind
of man, in character and IN manners,
that he would wish his child to become,
is taking care that their teacher shall be
the right kind of a person.


The most important qualification for
a teacher, beyond all comparison, is his
moral character. He should be a per-
son of the highest moral character. He
should be person having the highest
title from the highest motives.


The next qualification in Importance
is good manners. He should be, in this
respect, a person whom the father is
willing to hold out to the imitation of
his child in every particular. Commit
tee-men cannot be too particular in
their choice.


A teacher will, especially if he is a
person of ability, leave the impress of
his character, be it good or bad, upon
his pupils. Everything that is excellent
and noble in him, will have tendency
to produce excellence and nobleness in
them. Everything that is bad will tend
to produce itself, in like manner. This
fact need not, even for moment, lead a
committee to undervalue those qualif-
cations which are now considered essen
tial.


Fortunately it is true that the very
person who has the highest moral ma
ture could, on that very account, be
the best teacher. The great defect in
almost all our schools is want of thor
oughness; and want OF thoroughness is
more moral want than an intellectual.
A man of wise and lofty conscientious
ness will naturally insist on having ev-
erything that is done, done as we'll as it
can be- He will desire not to make a
momentary impression at the examina-
tiOn, but permanent impression upon
the character. He will insist upon the
pupils doing right because it is; upon
good order and method, punctuality and
economy in the use of time. Not only
under such management will more be
done and better, but better habits will
be formed, thing even more important
than what is done.


If good Morals could speak, he would
say Of every person he met, What can |
do for this persons best welfare? Good
Manners would ask, What can I do to
add to this persons happiness and en-
joyment? Good manners, therefore, liv-
ing with such kind intentions, is always
convincing.


What GOOD morals will teach to do