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La term fuller of meaning to the average man of to-day, than to h m of onVor two centuries ago.-renders the cost of education an insurance one or two centuries ag , ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^ ^ premmm wh^h we must pay, fven • ^^ ^^^^^^ .^ ^^ ^^ anomalous: :L b"Ta ught sonX^^ is unavoidable: to live without teachers s imVossffi It seems like the assertion of the merest truism to say that a rmmon education is a requisite of civilized society. But, having reached a common Luui.ai ^ j:yercence of op nion is at once percept- li: nv^ia^sLrK^^^^^ t-^»^^^ ^'y -^-^ ^^f \ be t.ugh ? Here are questions which are s^ill, to a great extent, unsolved nroblems After a fa hion, we Canadians have endeavored to find the Lnswer and Us not claiming more than is justly due to us as a people uhen we assert that our fashion is, in many of its features one of the best th. mTnd has vet conceived, and worthy, in its chief characteristics, of mita^n by olde countries.' We have set jnachinery to work, m each Prnvince bv which the education of every child is made possible. We hav^rne beyond the experimental stage, and although the results of our Istem may not be so high as the most sanguine expected, they are satis- Schools" has unfortunately, marred what would othc-rwise have been an ?in,^« VuMess Dlan for general education. A large and important class of ou felta cU zens has fn consequence, been condemned to remam at a Ebordier^^frt:::ru^^^^^^^^^^^ muchCre Xtiv^^^^^^ and we have combatants where we ough to see . H Srrpf THs I the one blot upon our educational scheme, the one our system, would do well to prevent the growth, and the one error TEACHERS ANJJ TEACHING. • Confederation plan which we as a people have cause to mourn. Let us hope that the comparative failure of the experiment may speedily convince Its supporters that a conmion school is better than a separate one, and that he church and the nreside are suited, more than the school-room, to the teaching of the various shades of religious belief upon which good men and women sensibly agree to (juietly differ. When that day comes, and when the friend.s of our .semi-religious schools, convinced that education can be safely and much more cheaply given in an institution open to all creeds agree to cast in their means with those of their fellow-men, and make the common fund do much better work than can be hoped for in its div-ided state our school system will more nearly approach what its pro- Siished' *'' '"'''" ^ ^"""'^ "'''"" '"'''''■'"'■ ^" ^"y ''^'''^ '"''" ^''^^ y^' If we are debarred from discussing these .juestions of how and what to teack from what may be termed the politico-theological stand-point, we are at full liberty to examine them from what is a more practical one I et us spend a few minutes in looking at them in this spirit. And first' a word or two upon "how to teach." To you it may appear presumptuous n one, who has never had practical acquaintance with the art of teaching, to utter a single sentence upon this subject, but you must remember that there are theologians who are not in the pulpit, critics who are not on the press, politicians who are not la->v'-makers, sanitarians who are not doctors farmers who never touch a plow, financial authorities who are impecunious,' and fault-finders^ who are not perfect. And as much of what is about to be said is intended specially for the ears of new beginners, I trust that the veterans in the ranks will not criticise too closely, because, it may be nothing oi a strictly novel character is placed before them ' If I have never taught, other than as a monitor in my youthful school- days, I have seen many teachers and closely watched their methods when opportunity offered, and this is the outcome of my observation. To teach properly, you must enlist the sympathy of the scholar, magnetize him with kindne.ss, if you so like to word it, and get him on your side. He must become your partizan. He must believe that you know all, even if he does not know all you believe. Your word must be unto him a law, not merely because you are a strict disciplinarian or an efficient drill-sergeant, but because he has no reason to doubt your veracity or to question its reliability. faith in the teacher is generally the mainspring of success in he student. Implicit confidence, in all said and done by the superior, leads to that attentive and intelligent obedience which is the first element of progress in the inferior. Whatever else you may study, learn to be a feood talker. fell, p amly and earnestly, all that it is necessary to impart. l)epend upon yourself more than your book, but first master the book. »l)are no pains to accjuire all knowledge within your reach upon any given subject and then think it no trouble to place the gist of all that you know at the dispo.sal of those seeking to know. Do not forget that it is part of your business to learn something new daily, so chat you may the better lustrate old truths. And bear in mind the fact, that you must make sure of the perceptive m your pupils before you can be confident that you com- mand the receptive, and, still more, the reflective. Children think, and think correctly and quickly, but they must first have something to think about. "Seeing is believing," with the child as with the man. Fix the eve TEACHERS AND TEACHING. nf the scholar and you have his ears and brain. In teaching, use objects, of the scho ar, anu y understand and ran dcscnbc them, and iVrat one: t 'the ScnUoJ. of the learner. Let every reading lesson hnv. if nossfb e its most accessible illustration. A common stone can be a\ to o he story of the formation of the crust of the earth upon which the chtl-1 H se stands, the wayside weed will serve as a starung- .?, fnrVdescriutiou of its boumeous covering, a piece of wood, with its point for a ^^^^^"^'1^^ "'' ^ /,,iu ^.^hibit the wonderful process of vegetable marvelous gra in and fibre vvi ex ^^^^ school-house stove, or the growth, ^7V l^v mi of suga n the drinkmg-cup, will afford a practical nK'lting ^'\f. H^\^^'*"'".'p .r^"^^^^^^^ in or about the school-house which ^^ot'b^SS^ytLe^^nking, active tead^ The history of the very chair u on which he sits may be emi.loyed to illustrate several of the tucles in which his scholars 'have an interest. He can g^ve a simi>h: c n t^r horn Botany while tracing the progress ot the tree, whence it com onent parts were derived, from the tiny seed, through the ^Zih o year , it mav have l)een for two or three centuries, until the axe- nn selected i^ or his purpose. A lesson in H story may be given whi e man seicc cu u i ' , • ^.o^j ^ent, which that monarch of the J''''' M.i witnessecrafd su V ed Natural History may be brought in to ."Irrthrn'ny tbm it has exhibited itself in the surround^ r woods and streams. Mechanics may find a place m a description of riedteUke axe which felled the giant, the leverage of heavy limbs the ^t-dgL-like axe i li^jT and crashing down to earth, the rS ofthf a! vl 'cintrted' it 'nto boards, and of the turning-lathe E uave them form, and the force of the smoothmg plane the driving and of he pa nt which covers the whole with ornamentation. J he ve y due which plavs such useful part in the structure, has its own story to be ^ r.o)' to The Mans upon the wall are capable of being invested S' new in rest ad ma have other uses than the primary and mportant oies fo Xch they were pure h.sed. The paper, and cotton and prmtinbS .n?colo nrand varnish'which go to their make-up, have biographies, ^ 'the expres on n.^^ be permitted to me, of nearly as great attraction to the vouneas the I f^histo ies of the brave discoverers and voyagers who sue SveW or age have gathered, bit by bit, the knowledge which ha. • eXd^^he cSgraphe' to lay down so accurately the outlines o the worlds continents and to place, at small cost, m every school, a birds c>e V 'o th S surface.^ Subjects for the object lesson ne^ never be wnnting and however humble, are not to be despised. I he coat yoii e" the cm)' froi which you drink, the stove which gives heat, the brocmi whi'h cleans the floor, has each a separate story wortli repeating, and an ace uaimance dth whi^h cannot fail io have its deej) meaning tor the little Hstene s t^whom vou relate it. lUU you must supplement yxnir stock of fanXa? objects The black-board, a comparative novelty when I was a hd is now an indispensable, and to use it effectivel, the teacher must not odV'ducate his bmin but his hands. As every man can learn to write, so TEACHERS AND TEACHING. 5 every man can and ought to learn to draw. Some make better letters than others, and sonic will use the chalk more deftly than others, but every teacher ought to be, more or less, an artist. Drawing a house or tree, without bemg compelled to write under it, "This is a house," or "This is a tree," will yet be as necessary a part of education as learning how to sign a marriage contract, a deed, or a note. Making intelligible representations of everyday objects upon the black-board is one of the prc-reciuisites to the model teacher. With this ability, common to all, the art of teaching will be materially sim|)lirii:d. Ideas will be conveyed to the student with almost telegraphic laciliiy. The rough way will be made smooth, and the toils of the uiiward march considerably lessened. We are on the threshold of the Picture Age. Our books are rapidly becoming as much indebted to the artist as to the author. The pencil will, before long, be as powerful as the i)en. 'I'here are old-fashioned folks vho regret this, but much as I respect old-fashioned folks, and many of their good old-fashioned ways, I cannot join with them in their belief that thought will go out as art comes in. The imagination is as much strength- ened by the realistic picture as the incomprehensible poem, and the robust 'jitellect may learn as readily, and retain as permanent impressions from tliat which is written in artistic short-hand, as from that which is clouded in abstruse terms and elaborate verbosity. Do not understand me as underrating the value of books or their study. The world will never dis- pense with the alj)habet. There are many thoughts, many facts which can be conveyed from mind to n jnd through the use of words alone. What I am anxious to impress upon you is, the great value of the object as illus- trative of the written or spoken idea, and the use of the eye as the most ready avenue to the young brain. So convinced am I of the utility of the Picture method, and of its advantages over the ordinary and laborious committal to memory of mere words, by the juvenile student, that I would willingly see every School Board instructed to subscribe to some one of the many illustrated periodicals of the day,~notably the Lomlon News, the Graphic, or Ilarjierg Weeklif,~and set every teacher to exhibit and explain Its contents to his pupils. I would cover the walls of every school-room not with maps alone, but with well-selected engravings and chromos, con- veying at once to the young mind correct ideas of the manners and costumes of varied peoples, of the vegetation of different climes, of the animals which are scattered over our earth, of modern discoveries and ancient methods, of all that interests and regulates our every-day life I hus, at a glance, I would familiarize the student with the doings of the past and present, and carry him round the world while sitting at his desk I here are some who may think that this would convert the school-house . into a i'lay-room, and do away with the mental discipline which is necessary to the success of the pupil. I'he idea is erroneous. Boys and girls, young men and women, are sent or go to school with a settled purpose— an intention to obtain ideas which may be useful in their after career Convey these ideas m as effective a manner as is practicable. Apijeal to as many senses as you can, but make a lasting impression. At the best many of our rural schools are but fitfully attended, and it is impossible to give a liberal education in a few brief intervals of a broken course of study 1 his IS a deplorable fact, but we cannot ignore it, and it supplies us with ^j .iVIIlCKIIIS AND TIACHIKO. tl.c Strongest reasons for making the school as attractive and utilitariari ij we can, so that the greatest possible good may be cffcrtcd ir a urn ed time Therefore woulc I employ objects, wherever practicable, for the Durnose of hastening the mind to something like maturity. And this brings me, rather abruptly, I confess, to another branch of my subject— The^law restricts our teachers in the number of subjects to be taught, but this is not a cause of complaint. 'I'he general belief is that the pro- Eramme of studies is too extensive. My lack of practical acquaintance with the actual work of teaching may account for a want of sympathy w'lth this belief, but I must confess to looking suspiciously upon the cry that the teacher has too much work to do. The programme, however, affords to the head of the school ample opportunity to impart to the public all that he knows. A necessarily large share of .attention is given to the three leadinfaphy and history have their claims sufficiently recogni/.ed, but with a well-devised scheme of monitorial helj) for the younger members ot the school, even in rural sections where but one teacher is employed, there is surely time every week,— I would willingly believe in every day, -to instruct the more advanced scholars in that useful knowledge which the merest acquaintance with the physical scie.K:es plainly implies. Why it is, appears ditf^cult to determine, but this important branch of education too often seems to receive a willing neglect from the average teacher. To know something of the bodies which we possess, of the world which surrounds us, of the soil uDon which we tread, of the growth and decay which are constantly going on, of the air which we breathe, the heat which we enjoy, and the cold which we dread, of the uner- ig laws which govern ourselves and the Universe, of the progress of invention and discovery, are surely things to be desired. To be able to form a conception, however crude, ot the force, be it varied or one, which i)roduces dew and launches the hurricane, which eives life to the vegetating germ and shatters huge blocks of granite, which Snheaves continents and congeals oceans, which conveys the telegraphic despatches along the wire or destroys the lofty pine, which carries the sound of the himian voice over miles of space or l)ellows forth the roar ot echoing thunder, is to give a fresh fillip to the awakened mt*^"^^^' '/"^ elevate man still higher above the brute. The Book of Lite is opened by the modern scientist, with its first pages so simply wordea that all may read, tells us of a world which our forefathers knew not, and "\tmduces us to a library of which the volumes are ever varied and endless. 1 hat w hich has, until recently, been the possession of a few, is now within the reach of all. and the teacher is unfitted for his work, and an immeasurable distance behind the times in which he lives, who does not introduce his scholars to the new wonders which the researches of the last ciuarter-century have made common property to all who care to take the little trouble necessary to possess them. The day has passed, or is rapidly passing '-^^ay, in which- men asked each other of what u.se are the labors of the diligent student of science. Improved general health, extended means of rapid locomotion a system of higher and" more productive agriculture, an increase of labor- saving machinery, a profitable use of raw products, once waste and worth- TRACHERS AND TEACHING. m dlfficu U tu sturelc us with a „ovd,y%vcn ^hcn i^ is f, co pr c Sibk^ " v^ w „ gas was al.nost unkncwn, whe.i railways had not even a legal ex teo^e ^hen the hi- iter match was unth(,ught of, and when the te^^eL'rinh th' duKuerrootype, the sewing ma.:hine. and the reaper were i, the tture ^ f;^a;;:^Sa-s:;>rs- unULr tlR sun ,1 the days of bolomon, but we have fallen uuon rliff, r^nt aS. 'The' "cll^^tt'll'S """ '!'"'=, ^-'^">«."'d bm' -Sh a:[dr lumti. int a .cient will be constantly thrust as de bv the moder . inH the ime-worn ever displaced by the latest discovery. Can the ^e.ch'e; of ucl an age afford to ignore Science ? A knowledge of its 'uphabet at east, IS as necessary to him as his acciuaintance wkh th^n s S irh '• r "r'' 1° "'i^"^' '' •" '^'^ '"^-^^ ^''^^y ^^^ thorough marine he must would yield a larger return of pleasure and consciousness of well sper!j 8 TEACHER?^ AND TFACHINO. J • u T<- «rp irP to fill Canada with a prosperous, intelligent race, blessed wuh. If ^^^.^f.^^^^^'^f their great opportunities, and fitted to capable of t^kmg advantage of their g ^^i^i ^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^^_ develope our "^^^^^ J^^^J^^,^^^ [^^^ the mechanical art of reading a book, thing more m our schoo -rooms '^^ ^y^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ to a large writing a name ^"^J^^^^f^^P^hb great country, and of the enormous extent, rests he "^ar ^ut^re ^^^^ ^^.^, 4ieh we hold dominion, and I do hope tha he ^^/^ >^;° ^j^j^^j,/ i^ ealled upon to fulfil, the task, and the high m^^^^^^^^^ opportunity, I venture to suggest Pardon me ^f'tf"^lf^7..^JhcVmay worthily and properly direct his another subject ?^;:;'}^^;^f'^^Xe^^^^^^^ a self-governing people. . We '"'"/T^n^tld to^/n^^^^^^^^^ have institutions for the protection ot are fairly entitled \« f ^^^ /"^^if^re of all classes, second to none which life, property and ^J^^g^^XJ;! '%' ee from the expensive burdens which the wisdom of man ^^^ ;P^°^"^^ J^„,,^^^ the old world, we have no stand- are necessitated by the ^'Tcumstances oi ine ^o privileged classes homes for the present and ^"^ure generations. ^ b ^^^ the people, through the P^^Jl'^' ^^^^, J^^^^^^^^ pro- good as his Master, and sometime^^^^^^ ^.^^ ^^^^ verbial personage. Liberal laws have ^n^estea ne y > franchise, and a ^^e^^"^^ T^J^^f^^.t^S^ and cu^r moral standard is is safe, taxes -^^^^^.^^^^/^J'^^.^d^^^^^^^^^^^^ ''we have our party differences at least equal to hat of h^ old wor d grumblings just before always, our depe ions at tmes ana ,„„tented, and prosperous. and a PoP^'f"" h-^^' ^t S/S IctZ >a-s away. .;om trains of settlers who go up to Poff ^.'he ^"d^ of Onta °> The scho<,l Mountains they carry with them the '"'•"^rrf mcether Our municipr.I house will rise up wherever a handful »";.f»*?^^^4°^f4^"^,oi^^^^^^^ system will be rapidly adopted m ! J »'-y'^„Vrk,SXthe uncultivated, Our form of government, with all us seeiiiinKiu. will speedily prevail ^^h- Sttung BuU -^^l^;;;,''---" Has he no stmple council «/ *^^ rHas he no^duty to discharge in pre,«ring the responsibility m the matter. n.w Jl^rrnw —for the part which TEACHERS AND TEACHING. g laws which govern us daily. There are few children in this country I fear who can ponit out the difference of the functions of the Local and Federal Governments, and of the obligations of the one to the other; who know anything of the modus operandi of a Law Court ; who understand the meaning of -Vote by Ballot;" who have the faintest conception of the modes by which revenue is collected and expenditure checked; who have more than a vague comprehension of the term "The Government-" and who could sit down and write the barest essay upon the theme " How we are governed." And yet many of them can tell you when Trial by Turv is supposjed to have originated, how the Feudal System declined, how, when and where Magna Charta was signed, what distinguished the reign of the 1 udors, and from what cause the union of England and Scotland came about. In a country like this, where almost every boy, in one capacity or other is destined to become a law-maker, or law-executor, at some period or other of his life, it is surely worth while to teach him how laws are made and in what fashion administered, and there is no place in which the work can be more thoroughly done than in the school-room. Having thus cursorily discussed the questions "What and How to leach I will turn, for a brief space, to the third point: "By whom should our schools be taught." Our Legislature has answered this query by declaring that none other than "a duly qualified Teacher" shall be employed in our Public Schools, and that the (iualifu ation shall be deter- mined by an educational test, impartially administered; and this is, probably as far as, with a view to keeping up a supply equal to the demand, any statute or regulation can go. We must all admit, however, that it is but a meagre and unsatisfactory proof of any person's fitness for teaching Literary attainments, a'^ne, valuable and essential as they may be, are but half the outfit of the successful teacher. It is probably true that the best teachers must have an intuitive knack and liking for their profession However that may be, it is certain that the simple ability to secure a third* or even second-class certificate, is not all that is requisite to make an effective instructor of the lowest class in the school. The brain may be saturated with the contents of books as a sponge with water, and yet unable to communicate its absorbed treasures to thirsty minds. A know- ledge of human nature, of men and places, is as important as profound acquaintance with the most valued literary treasures. Some inherit this lamiliarity with human nature and its workings: some can only acquire it through experience, and intercourse with the world: and it is by that inter- course, rest assured, coupled of course with literary ability, that the really valuable teacher is formed. Circumstance , the want of means, may have prevented the young beginner, the simple apprentice to the profession, noni making acquaintance with much beyond the radius of the home circle, but, by the expenditure of a liberal share of the first moneys received trom the Trustees, should this self-imp-ovement commence. The methods ot conimumcation have been so multiplied and simplified, the cost of travel has been so cheapened, that the recipient of the smallest salary, paid by the most economical Trustees, can now utilize a fair proportion of the summer holidays in learning something of the great land in which we live, and of the bustling active people of whom we form a part. A few dollars, not more than a fifth of the average income of the worst paid of j^ TKACH£ltS AND TEACHING. L Quebec and gaze on the sublimities of the Saguenay; httle more m\\ suffice to convey the sight-seer to New York and the ocean, or to Chicago, thf Prahies and the Mississippi. Of the advantages of such a series of summe Hps it wouW be idle to speak. Upon the. necessity of some such actuTknovvledge of what is going on around us it is unnecessary to dwell SrAmeHcan cousins understand this better than we. Every sun^mer^ay our sVeSoats and railway cars are crowded with tourists, *^[o«V , .nH s^de of he lines, and common amongst them are bevies of school gir s and school teacher?. Young women cannot conveniently travel long distances £e but they can havl no scruples which would prevent them from join- ina a fHendly party of their own sex, under the guidance of some l7perie"rLn,'and so overcoming the »'"le diffic.dues wh^ch m^^^^ otherwise beset them. And slender purses, under such co-oix-rative a rangmentNvould not be so depleted, probably, as would be that of the Se traveler, for a large party often commands cheaper rates than SnrvTnd lessens individual expenditure. There are no such obstacles, horever 'n the the path of the young man. To him the whole Dominion h open whether as a traveller by rail or boat, or ..s a pedestrian and here s Sng to prevent him from seeing every nook and corner of our land • in Germanv the young mechanic is compelled to complete his education ;^ wSn by^ars of travel in search of fresh employers, and is not Smiued by "he State to the full privilege of citizenship until he has finished hfte m as a ™derer. Here, as we are proud to declare we are a freer neonTeVnd such a law is an impossibility, but it would be well that the hLher law of public opinion and common sense should be brought to bear u Si the quesron, and that the teacher should be valued for what we know h m to have se?n of the world around him, as well as for that which we bclLve hinlto have acciuired through the school-room. Between two njen o S ual TbUhies, one of whom has travelled and the other of whom has st\id at home, there is a wide difference m teaching value. He who telb of what he has seen, conveys his ideas to the mind of another much more readUythan does he who retails, .at second-hand, what he has heard or read h's own impressions are more vivid, his descriptions more natural, hb ideas^fuUer, his'ability. and, let me add desire to convey ^nowledg^^ more intense. Travel, too, removes that self-adomtion,— some call it sell Tnce t"-which mars 'the best of us, and which is apt to ^^ecorne stronger in a limited home world in which we are nearly supreme, than m an extended one where we rub coats with better men, and find that we are not taken at exacTly ou own estimate. It developed our originality and prevents that parrot-like repetition of others which makes mere machines o us He whl is a simple echo of the very phrases ^-"^ thoughts of other men however lofty the plane on which he stands, is an mtellectua monCTn empty^chatterer, performing to the often indifferent music of his owTbarreligan. Contact with the world, such as travel afford^ which is ^h^ the etsy reach of every young teach., and will t>e --l^i «f by all who care for the work in which they are engaged does ?«"cj tc, coircct this growing evil, and is, next to hard study, the best i)ossihle educator of TEACHERS AND TEACHING. .| ." m who spemlly sets himself apart to become the guide of others I ...i ^ ^. ' '''^'''">' ^"? imperfectly, surveyed The ground over which I purposed to carry you when setting out to write thi! paper I have endeavored to answer the question " How to teach " by dwemn; unon ?h! advantage of object lessons over the simple exercis7of memory- ?n tSe ommittal ot words without accompanying ideas. I have sough Uo^im press upon you in considering " What to teach," that more pronSnce shouM be given o the practical than is now the rule. And I have ventured n looking at the question "By whom shall our children betlueht>» n suggest that experience and culture are quite as requisite to the stLfS teacher as a certificate, of however high a character, obtaned before a lioard of Examiners of whom none, probably, has become person^^^ acquainted with or even seen the candidate. It would W beerpo^sib ^ to go much further m illustration and elaboration, but that wouM Lve been unlair to you, and I must content myself with the hope that one or two of tlje hints roughly thrown out will bear fruit somewhere, and Zt the work of putting together these words, which to me has been an aUeab^ if somewhat unsatisfactory task, has not been altogether thrown away , In conclusion, let me, as an old Trustee, impress two or three other thmgs upon young teachers. You complain thLt your efforts to nnke you^'lU'e^ 'Z 'T'- -/»n—--ts, are not'alwaysTecondedt your 'ru^ttcs If this is the case, you are, depend upon it. nearlv atoge her to blame. Let your employers be convinced that you are n earnest ; show by your acts that you are anxious to serve your schoLs and for:tV'/oJ3t^''"/^'"^»"^^"^^^ ^^"'^ beafraid'orark^ntbofdly lor What you want; and, m nine cases out of ten, (and I could almost assure the tenth itself,) any reasonable plan for the advancement of the interests of the school will certainly be adopted by those who hold the purse-stnngs. As faint heart never won fair lady, so the teacher afraid of are Z ^%^'''^^^, ^'^t ^''''' P^^^^^^^ion because the salaries of beginners ^iJ Remember that, as new beginners, you are but apprentices and LwJef !;""'"^' ^T ''' '"'"y "°* ^'^"'^ •"'^^^ 'han you rece v^ A yoSSg voJlnA T""^ '^''''°''' \y°""8 J^'^'^^*^^' »^ ^' ^ ^"»^. not so well paW a! woric^M ^""""^ mechanics realize such large profits on their yeaS TndVwi UticTrv'or^'rh'' "'^ f '^ '' 'r P^°^-^'°"' how'e^r ana 11 win stick to you. It has prizes for those who deserve and strucgle on to win them: comfortable homes and competency for those who rS long enough at the work to become entitled to them.^ And do not aUnZ voii^^thIrd"r ^" v^'"' "'^^^^.y t"'"^^ ^ ^^'«'^'" status. VVhen you have your third^lass, if you remain at the desk, you must obtain a second work fra firT ^ti'^'^'^'^i' ^T"^' ^^"^^ ^°^ «^ '^'^'^^^ grade,' nd then work lor a first. He who does this is sure of a money return for his labors and will never regret that he has become a member of one of the hiS tlchTn^f r"' P^ T 'r.r'' "'^^ ^" •^^^' ^o^n^on to manMha n^»«"f^ t»»e worst paid of all methods of obtaining a living. Look Sol aL" it?** ""f ^-^ r?' '■^""^^^ '^''' ''' •" iiie,'and then'com^re notes, and it is venturing little to assert that, when you have comuleted the tTmeS"T;y?H" ^'" «"^*»»^S""\"b<^rs considered.'the teacherZ^^ W times than the members of almost any othei- working class in the t> TEACHERS AND TEACHING. rraK nus r.sy aS:. or„Lc„.. u *. ««„.. wish with which I close this paper. > ig It. rately irnest THEN AND NOW. »IUD BEFORE * TOBtlC MErrmo. HELD UNDER THE AUSPICES O, THE TEACHERS' ASSOCAT.OH EOR THE FIRST D.V,S,0» O, WELUNOTON. .AT CUELPH, I4TH MAY, 1S80. '"mde w^ori? J?T ■ " '^"^ "="• ''"' f"" "' -"""ing- Three commerce, civiliMtion, education and freedom THEuf^Zul SJn.ll.h'.K !,"°" "'"• A"^ P""'' «'"• 'he children o7s?«? gold, carries us io the fierce st^Le..T»f'^'^ f "'?/^ ^^'"^^ ^han of Spartan heroes re^naru fi!!?^?l ^* J^^^^^opyl*. recalls the fortitude from the nor r?heho?des of Poth! ^^"/ »y?"^i"'". and brings dowi civiKzation under fo^tTHrvLpK"! Vandals who trampled rising with appliances of wU\e^'^^^^^^^^^ »° ^^X^ ^»^en toiling thousand^ mids amidst tL J^d, of LJf . ? ^' ''''''^y ^'^^^^^ those huge pyra- we may; and whkh stand H% ^T ^r"'^''' ""*^"°^" ^« "^' theorise as whelming all unti h^found no mt J marched with Alexander, over- ^"l^ -^^-^^^^^^^^^^^ s pnze lor ruthless conqueror, and was with Vptvpc -,n^ r^ • /' ^ " "-wluUW .heir »igl.y hi Ja^S' ^o/rSL^ti''^^; if l.ls.t^ 14 THEN AND NOW. ; W'\ for the common herd, without a book other than the costly manuscrtp . TTw&crwT ainfu lly spc^rout an indefinite history. 'I'hen bnngs Xe u !^ ,rctureos^.^an shallops tremblingly feeling their way across ^htwestern Se of waters, with despondent crew but heroic master mmd mtirhnd was seen like distant haze, and America was discov^ered 1 hln .'!;hr^d buccaneers and greedy hunters of gold, and ruthless slayers of I'n .nd Im nTol "^^ ^-^ nevertheless opemng up the Tew Wor do that fertilizing flood of white man's blood which has^smce oveTsoread i Then reanimates the band of austere men and women, who defiant of fe low-man, and loyal only to their God, braved the dangers of the deep .-md the terrors of the savage, for conscience sake and, landing at nhosSwe Plymouth Rock, made their mark in the world's annals, and have iS ever s nee, and will live, despite their bigotry, m man's grateful r'rembrancras the Pilgrim Fathers. Then invokes, - «- -» «^ shades of men as devout as they, as self-sacrificing as "^^y' ^^.^^^y;® n^eet death for Christ's sake, as willing to endure hunger and thirst and fatT^ue for^t^^ furtherance of the Cause which they had esjX)used and who ca nvinrtheir lives in their hands, habited m the simple dress of their ordeV anT a?med only with the cross, traversed our then unknown nvers and seeming rbo^ in frail canoes and braved the horrors of ?he wUderness that souls might be saved and savages redeemed And ?HEV ," lo us the strug'gles of our pioneer^ the doubts and difficul^es anM hnnlP for existeucc of those who have here preceded us, and tne mth^rworl^^^^hSoomed before them, enough to appal the bravest, when Sffirst iron axe rang on the bark and trunk. of the first feUedt^ee Leaving this Then, the Past, and turning to the Now, the Present, what acontfast presents itself ! blanking presses ixtnting en^gine^^^^^^^^ teleeraohs talking telephones, have made the whole world km. 1 he canoe of the savaged yielded plice to an ocean marine which has spread us 1 te wings^on evJry sea, or with the heavy smoke of its fleets of throb, bintsreamers has darkened every .ky, There is scarcely a rernaining spot upon the earth which has refused to yield its secrecy to t^^e enquiring ga.e of nushiuL^ travellers, and to pay tribute through man to all mankind, vve S home no long;r to discover but to utilize and enjoy, and when we move from place to place we traverse, in a day, a space which would have TcuDied our grands res for a week. The comforts of life have increased Sdred?oTd wkhin thecentury. We have left the Tinder Box era behind us, and seek illumination in an Electric Light. We have exchanged the THEN AND NOW. «s pack-horse for the raiUv.iy, the flint-lock for the MartinLHenrv the rf..h churn for the dog-power, and the "between " needleior the sewW n.achbe' few burnt rags a sphnt ol wood, and a Httle roll sulphur Yet with surh materials did their mothers go to work to create a firi, or liglua t^ ow d.^ And we are growing aesthetic as we become more clforta^^^^^^^ cities and towns,-our centres of inteIligence,-Art is a ra^e Our w.ll bett^rd'th^r ' • '^r' ^^ ^"^'^^^^'"^-' - Adt "graphfor s^om^ethtng man or won ^^^^^^^^ poor, if the habitation' of an inte lig n? one o L shSe:Tn'"r 'f " V'' '^"" "^^^'"^^ ^« eL)rmous iLgntud^Ts has kept Lcc' wi h^h^ '^ '^'^ - "lan festing Uself. The love of sound hoL.. hi , ^^- '^^'"''' ^°'' ^^^ gratification of sight. Nearly everv floor", and .Tuh is'rr""'' ""i ""^ '^'"^ °^ «^^-' - '^ hasTar^ We liW Imunln / 'o"g<^'- the rare possession of the wealthy only. flLh/ If •'"''"""^^^' e^^'^y hour, by more conveniencies than the wildest ot .orrow, of rough-and-tumble contest with the world of S ifot/n Hiv.„, l«n"il elfo" of memory, but takes us to a point in Canadai, Hwory wi h,n the remembrance of some amongst us this evening r^drf nuny „hab,tants 01 this Province not yet past the prime of We!*' "^ the Countv'rf wV ?^ '''"' "8°' '.""<='' "f "^' """'T. n°w known as rlir^ *^ . ^^'^"'"g"'". was a wilderness. The territorv north S Ouelph was almost unsettled, beyond the Township, %!■&," ndth^ t6 THEN AND NOW. settled portion possessed but few residents. In Wellington, the upper tier of Townships had scarcely been entered upon, and names of places now "familiar as household words" were unknown Such ^^^ds as there were had been simply cut through the bush, and had experienced little other improvement than that which the axe, the handspike, the logging chain and fire had afforded. Peel was in the early stage of settlement ; Maryboro was almost unknown; Minto was really a Urra incognita; Luther was, in popular estimation, a vast and irreclaimable swamp; Arthur had a mere handful of settlers; Mount Forest was a nameless and unbroken govern- ment reserve for a town plot, covered with a virgin forest ; Elora possessed some half-dozen houses; such places as Harriston, Palmerston and Drayton were not even a dream of the future; and the gravel roads, thrifty villages, and smiling farms which now make pleasant travel from the northern bank of the Grand River to the utmost bounds of Wellington, were covered with thick and luxuriant growth of maple, hemlock, elm and cedar. Everything was in primitive shape, and yet the mark of future progress was made, here and there, and coming events cast their shadow Oxen were far more numerous than teams of horses, and neither could be regarded as plentiful. The axe was more busy than the plough, and regularly prepared more acres for the annual sowing. Money was scarce, produce was low m price, barter was the rule and not the exception, postal communication was defective, wages were poor, and "hard times" were as commonly talked about and as earnestly believed in as to-day. when, measured by the past, the term is comparatively meaningless. There was a feeling uf despondency throughout the community, and i^eople were divided as to the cause of the general depression. Some blamed the Rebellion of a few years before: others said that the effects of Family Compactism had not yet died away: and still others attributed all evils to the newly effected Union between Upper and Lower Canada. There is little wonder that, at such a time, schools and schoolmasters were under the weather, and reckoned as but of "small account" by many of our people. Thanks to the energy, however, of a noble few, prominent amongst whom stood Egerton Ryerson, the Government of that day took steps to obtain information as to the system of public edur-tion in force in some of the States of the American Union and in Europe, and, taking Massachussetts and Prussia as a guide, enacted a sweeping amendment to the School Act for Upper Canada, m the nmth year of Her Majesty's reign, and put it into operation m 1847- I". ^*»4i. the first Common School Law had been passed, and in 1843 Jt was amended, but the system was defective and unproductive of expected re«iults Under it, townships were divided into school sections, by 1 own- ship Superintendents, who were practically uncontrolled, and therefore, in many instances, arbitrary, and these divisions were unequal m size, often unnecessarily small, and frequently unfairly made. The consequence of this state of things was unpopularity of the law, and a pretty general con- viction that common schools were too often common nuisances. 1 he Report of the Superintendent of Education, for 1847, tells us that the system produced "miserable school-houses, poor and cheap teachers, inter- rupted and teir, porary instruction and heavy rate-b'lls." In some Districts, before the passage of the amending School Act, 9 Vic. Chap. 20, the District Council had never imposed a school assessment, depending tor THEN AND NOW. if what should le employed in each\w\larsecrn ^n'^Ti: nor'"« than 13 different Spelling Books, 107 Readers t^Trith ml- •« r° ''''*^' phies, 2 , Histories and 1 6 Gnu, mars werfused^in n l r ' '° c^f ''^';^- besides varying Class Books on o he iubTects The n e^hoHTn? f''^ v ''^' were almost as numerous as the teacherland fcl^eTno s ^cif^^^^^^^^^ i>omctimes ,t was by classes, often by individuals, and in o^he ^a^S bv Iti extensive use of monitors, being generallv a mi^furM of Vk »u ^.^^ and nearly always a higgedyl^edy coasvoTnL^I ' '^'■'' "'y'"'' easy as ,x.ssible ti the te:^:her^^n'd' as Lf^odVc^v 'oTI^^^ pupil as such mdefinite work might be fully ex,>ected to he An^ k^ character of the teachers, speaking in general t^rms .nH Lt f J^"" circumstances, would have become de.)endL-m . rJ n Vi, ' ""^^^"^ "f^»"ary benevolence of their fellow-cSn. ' in T ■^*' ^"""^ "''^^"'^ ^"^ after the inss4rortl e n!j^ *^ k i t ''"'' ^*''^"^^' ^ Superintendent, the average was ^26 2s, or $104.40; in 1846, Ag 4s or W J .n i^-^' tivdy little i„fl„eLe in leJilg "he Tnerll tcS "tI' .v""- '°'"'"".- of injs^cii^':; • in '.t ri^^Tsr d'?f i;j^^- ^?i -4 attainments will not teach for UhIp or n^.h: f ^°°^ abilities and iS THEN AND KOW. ations saying all oyer '^^J^'^^^\J^'^ ^y the amount of salary they are or corporation of trustees may be testca Dy ^^^ ^^,^^ ^^^ ^^^^ disposed to give a ^^^^^^^^^^^l^.i/haveXervcd the gratitude of every nothing more than this ht ^^"^^ f'J;'- " . ^,^^,rage to put upon record teache?in Ontario -^^^l-ff^.^^^^^ iscTtrwords!. ,,A.nincntly a sentiment ^,^";^' jj^^f^^^^^^^^ing ng rebuke to nearly every schocl-board uniKjpular, and a direct '^"^ ' "^^^^^ ,verc wanted, and the supply eciualled the demancl, wnue uic i Countv Poor Houses were not semblance of education ^•^'^'V\^^^,'''l^^^^ one. at least, of reciuired so long as every o her ^l^^^^'^^!; '^Xded a^ candidates those who woud. ^^^'^^^',^^1^^^^^^^^^^ in c'ducational mat- for admission thereto ^^^ ^^ie alone. The school-house, in Us ters was not evidenced n «"^^";^^^^^^^^^^ ^^ school-houses in Upper ciuality, too often n^'-^^^- ;f ^^^^^ ^^^^^J ^'^ and 84 of stone, the others being Canada in 1847. 49 o'^y-ere oj br^ck. a 4^ ^^^ ^^.^^^ ^^^^ .^ frame and log. Of the a, 500* 0°"' , ^ j^ jr ^.^.^e properly repair; 98 had more t^- one^room ,. .5, ^J^^^^ ;,, , 'JJi, furnished with desks and seats, o^^y 30 7 i necessary out- play-ground; and not more than ^^J, out ^^ ^.57^, r^^^ ^^^ ^^^^'^^^^^^^^ ^«"7- i^ school-house. Khich '::. ^s S/of ston^. . we. ^^^^^Z uS "^^ Report states that on y .3-^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ■ those were inferior. ^y^^^'^.^^.J.^"'^, r.f;,' t^ ^ere thankful for small favors in days, when school authorities at / P'^"*^^^^^ '"'^u^^^^ of the buildings nir'al districts, we can have --J-j;^*^^^^^^^ ,^.;;r up to \he style ?,f pronounced inferior. "'^ 1"^°^^'^'^ ^"*; - ^ Manitoba which I find Accommodation of the Maijton ^^^^^^^^^^^^'^^^^^^^^ Schcx>ls descril^ed in the last reijort of tne ^ '^^""^S';';^" ,^,j ,.4,^ the school- have the picture m your "^'"^' ^^ y°" j^' ' " of less than half a century pleasures of teaching m the -good ^^^/""f ' °;,;' ^Id that in the whole Lo, in Upper Can:ida. Returning J^. ^^^/'je arc to^^^f^^^^^^^ the three 3 WelUnglon District, composed ^^I'^^^^J^'^^^JZr^^^^^^^^ of of $>.48o.8., «herev;-..h to W »7^'^J;?'^^^,o;^W indifferent, ..» I THEN ANP.NOW. If remembered that if two or three Teachers were employed, at different nor- tions of the year, m one school, they increased the grand total of Teachers for the year. U may have been that, while 13 ai)i)car to have been engaged, there were not more, and probably less than 10 employed for the full tevning year. In 1847, Erin had the highest number of scholars of any municipality in the County, having returned a total of 58s, in six schools and with 11 Teachers, at an outlay of $1039.06. Amaranth wa.s at he foot of the list, with one school, one Teacher, ^S scholars, and ai outlay, made up from rate-bill, assessment and legislative grant, of $68.04. Peel and Wellesley. combined, had one school, three Teaches,- employed at some portion or other of the year,-and spent $80.52. Nichol, (includ- ing Fergus and Elora), Eramosa, and Garafraxa made returns, -the name Garafraxa being spelt with a double r, as I have found it to be in all old official documents,— but Pilkington, Arthur, Maryboro, Luther and Minto do not apijear to have had school organization, not even municipal exist- ence, while, of the whole County of Grey, Derby and Sydenham were jlone mentioned in the return. It may be interesting to know— although I am aware, from painful experience, that listening to strings of figures is not the most enlivening occupation in the world, that the whole amount paid for school purposes, in the County of Wellington, for that year, was $5,862 of which $5,763 was given to Teachers, and that the average' cost for each pupil taught was $2.10. One other fact may be adduced which will enable you to torm a still clearer estimate of the educational status o'" Upper Canada at the date referred to. The Chief Superintendent had, in torms and Regulations issued by him, specified the lowest general standard of qu.-ihfication for Teachers, but was forced to believe that a much lower standard had been acted uiwn by School Visitors. These Visitors were Clergymen, Magistrates, and District Councillors,— eciuivalent to our Reeves, —and any two of them could examine a Teacher, test his or her qualification, pretty much as they deemed best, and grant a certificate, availabe only lor ore school and one year, it is true, but nevertheless renewable, and answering every purpose of the certificate of to-day. It is not difficult to imagine a much more easy and varying examination, under such circumstances; than that which an improved system soon rendered necessiiry, and the quality of Teachers so produced need not be further particularized. We have thus obtained some glimpse of the Then of our educational facilities of a generation ago. The picture might be elaborated. It would be easy to fill in details from memory ; to tell how the blind oft times led the blind; how the ignorant teacher insured the ignorant pupil; and how schooling" was freiiuently a farce, and mere waste of time. But it is more agreeable to spend a few moments iu looking at the Now which has taken its place. . 'F^^^ ^''^ Province has made enormous strides in population, wealth, inte ligence and importance, during the last thirty years, admits of no doubt. Our forests have disappeared, an improved system of agriculture has followed, manufactories have sprung up, railways have connected every County, a daily press has become an established and indispensable institu- tion, the telegraph has economized time by practically annihilating distance, while numerous inventions and discoveries have created new wants, and 'f flO THEN AND NOW. i sunnlied a!» rapidly as they have made then. Without losing our cbarac- erht c love of hJrd work.- I here speak of everybody m general and nobody in particular, and puri>osely avoid all personal -'^llu^'on';. IJ^'J, '^'^ industrial enterprise which springs from it, we have l)ecome a reading and much more cultured peoplJ. To make money, honesty if Poss.be but Tmake it, anyhow and anywhere, is no longer the be-all and end-all of ndvtdual existence. While we still regard money-making as he fir. "ssential to the solid comfort which ensure-: human happiness, we beg n to s''e that it is not the only or chief end of man 'I'he fine arts have been fostered, a better literary taste has been estab ished. a higher moral tone prevails and every man aspires to be something more than a mere ani- mated machine. On all hands there is a firm conviction that the educated n an is more likely to win in the business race than the ignoramus and Se school has come to be generally regarded as the main avenue leading to wealth The breadwinner who can read or write, and so better employ °s intelligence, counts for more in daily life than the mere animal n.an who delves and cuts and plows by instinct. The so d.. r even, who has cM^g b en an automaton,' is, in (hese days of individual fighting more highly priced if able to know why he is to d to do this and ?^« f '" J^ >' ^ doing that, and to intelligently put this and that together. 1 ^^^ .^olar, endowed with physical capacity ecjual to that possessed by an illiterate com^KdL s i^^^ more than he in the factory, the workshop, the store he 1^1 the mine, or on the sea or farm. Cultivated brain has a market value, and book learning is no longer despised, or regarded with ha f con- 'emp , as the mark distinguishing the mere dreamer from the worker lo fosse s the "Reason Why^' is no proof now-a-days of physical and practical nfcriori ty to know a little of everything, and everything of ;^omething not now the ix-culiar privilege of the English (lentleman. Little wonde U here therefore, that what the school has helped to bring about snould end to make the school more valued. That such has been its effev i .■ luore than a ^even h are of thac primitive character. There are no returns of money cost o buildings or of amount expended in their erection in ^«47, but we find that he expenditure for all school purix,ses, m that year, »"^1"«'^'^. °» ^^S",''; salaries was $iSO,ooo. while for 1877, for erection and repairs of school- housetf^el etc.! alone, we paid $i,o35.,390, and a total for school purposes of $-; 07 1 480. or, in round numbers, nine times as much as m 1847- ^ ne impr'ivid fint°cLl value of the Teacher is another strong testimony w.l indv borne by the people, to then- increased interest in education, for. as a rule, a free^opleVl not pay for that which they fail to apprec^ae. n ,847;therewS U ^o^ Teachers' Salaries a totas^^^^^^^^ 1877. the amount was $2,038,099. In 1847, there were 3.02° '^ employed, while in 1877 there were 6,468. In 1847. board ^^ as often half THEN AND NOW. 41 given in addition to the nominal salary, and was. in fact nart of th^ eachcr's remuneration. (Jnuu that the Teachers hLcnummtcd.! •fiiic Th I ^•^' ^l'":" •''''^''■*''*^''^ amount paul to each Teacher was Jj'S- Ihe I i..?« Schools, than was unwillmdy myen n 18.17 i\r h/nl uu,!^ I ^^ siiniif»rKv/i cK.^.j. r ^ h'*^" "• '047, lor the maintenance of rate- Icnf '*''''"•''• -^^"': P;iy'»^'nt was then made under protest and he our Common School out of n h ? '*^', ""'^ ''/'^'^ pupils attended mai„t„rce. "' L '^'^tZTJ^^J' ""^T"^ '° '""^ ^■^'■-''- .icast iW n^rfJ 1 ""^ "^ •■■ ^holastic generation. We have Ions got ckrUme',^ roMlT ■" f >■ '""■ '""Sistrates, any two reeves, or even any two iiiiiisiiiiii h^vl Ho ^ ''^^ ^*"' ^''^ P^'^P^^e Of securing them. As a oeoDle we W ^,""^"« "^«^^,than, probably not so much as we ought to do wkh the view of placing educational facilities within the reach of Pv^VvrKJu anTe^ictrntnC^^^^^ '^^ we h v^ ^erthdervLu'r d wealth vbnlwf has been attempted in many older knd more house bell is within the hearing, or the school-house itself is Uhin sighrdf m THEN AND NOW. in'flue" ce"'of Ihe pres., and the cheap literature ot the day. He -1- '^ of wheat for him who -'""-- '';=-';^'^"''X,- .^^"%, Im the Teacher :nlfe :;t^t?e?.r/ "1«L' ■" rfar tyond thok- now daily chaiUing Si^r^r »i;:^.s:d^sihrip;f^:^eS3 nd to coVe. gratefully acknowledged and -'-^Pf ;;',;;™^''^l S^^ ^rSLratn^S^TotdS rnd oSretfr ;SsS in the ..e, wanting, ^z'^;"'''"" ^ :. ^q.j^cI ungracious to pronounce, but to nr^i? ™uld i^r '^ZX^ withhold *ehrn. convict,^ and one which is.beginning » be entcrtatned ,n -^^^^J^^^!!:^;:^,, our i^^rctJrs. IrSeSw'lost inThe ^^^^^^^P^J^^ of men and things, and the acqua.ntance "^^^ *^ '"1.™^' °\vTglt THEN AND NOW. «f precocious girls of sixteen, the right to control a public school, and it was only as yesterday that we sawand condemned that folly by declaring an additional year's knowledge of life necessary to the female teacher^ I mn.rJnf ^"'jr'' '^' °r"^"" '^""^ ^" ^^^ y^' ""d'^^ t'^e "^^-irk, and that we must s 111 mrther raise the standard, by enacting that no young lady shlll be cruahfied to teach until she has reached eighteen. would go even Shn^"'' ^T/n ^^'•'''■' ' ""^ I^'-^^'^'"^ ^"y l^^'--^^" ^--""^ t^-^king charge of a school until fully twenty-one years of age. Just now, that wtuld pfobablv be mpracticab e, but the day will come, and it is no! far distant.Then k will be found feasible and advisable to place such a restriction upon those seeking certificates. It will be a step in advance when it is declared thi? while assistants must be over eighteen years, none under twenty-one svU be qualified to assume sole control of any school. We are all fan ih with the argument urged against such p' change as is here ind^^^ eS Young men worth anything, are anxious to get along in the world, 'ome of them wish to take the University course,---and of these a portk,n ho e to earn sufficient, as teachers, to supply them with the neceLary means 1 his seems praiseworthy, from a certain standpoint, and is undoubtedly a tn J'i\"'!;"''' '" '""f'^ promising young men, but no individual has a right to seek his own advancement at the general cost. 1 o place callow vouths m d.arge o our public schools, and to so enable then! to acquire 'a few needed dollars, at the expense of our boys and girls, whose education nust, in consequence, be necessarily of an inferior character, and to keep up an exchange of unfledged matriculant after unfledged matriculant untU IS completed ,s to throw away much of the advantage which our cost ; scheme of pub he instruction ought to confer upon the^^community anS to get the smallest possible good out of it for the special benefit of a limited numoer of our citizens. Nor is this the only ob ection to the employ m "choo7ro'oT' It'"- '"' ^"'' "^ •''• "^'''^''^ '^ "^^- "-"'ded Tthe cont^^^^^^^^^ """' '^ '"''^">^ instance., from the first contact Mth life which aaily intercourse at school affords. The Teacher as largely as the parent,^-in a majority of cases, much more largely tl arl le chHd ' h"'"-' u' '""'' ^''- "°^t' "^^'' ^° ^°"^^' -^^"^' the'fufur of the child. How all important is it that he or she who assumes this vast Tc er'tSharf T'W''' '^'^"? °^ '''''' '''''' --'•^' -^h\-har- acter somewhat developed, with some knowledge of the world and possessed ot that self-control which, although it may seem in u^v; to a lew can only come with experience to the great majority ! I know much of the precocity which enables our boys and girls to carry off cerdficates at intermediate examinations, and before County Ex.nmiiirs but I have yet to learn that efficient Teachers are necessarily and at once manufactured ou of this material, 'leachers may all be heaven-born, but I fear S he and wonZ,l"l f " ^' Tl °'^'" ^^^^'«»^^^ ^'^''^"^'^^^^^^ ^-'«- --hood advantars T^ ':''' T '^'"' ''""^^ °" '^^ ^^^^'1^'^"^^ ^^ «"^h special advantages. It seems almost unnecessary to mention, in this connection the unfair competition to which Teachers, whose lives have been devS^d' wisely or unwisely, to the profession, are thus subjected, bj boys or voune hiuher thof h'^"'"°' salary merely as a step >ing slonrto's^.e'th n^ higher, whose hearts are never in the work for the work's sake, and who are a4 THEN AND NOW. f A:.^f^^^^, it >»a«; netted the coveted purse; or by ready to leave teaching ^^^^^^^^Vio or so a year, until marriage brings girls, to whom teachmg means $^^^° .^^^'^'^J^^^^ this, that the young relief and ends their sufferings, ^^^"j^""^^^^^^^^^^ ^ proper end. or man is to be condemned, -^°J^f ^^^^^^^^^ first good that the young woman '« J« ^^^^ ^^.^^^^^^^^^^ in life, as the helpmeet of opportunity which presents itselifo settleme ^^^ .; ^^ ^^ commended a desirable man ^n the con a^^^^^ ehance'offering for his elevation m who avails himself o every leb"""-^ nleasure to remember that many of the social scale, and it "^^^^g^^^^^^^^i^^s '^^^^ 'surgerL, our offices, our ,he best men ^^ J-J-^^^,'^^^^^^^^^ begin- editorial chairs, our legislatures, "^^^nd the voung female Teacher, who, ners in a country sj^^oo^-^^"^^' ^ ,^f : '^"rtan^ intelligently.and prudently, f^^^^J^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ be and is the chief of the married state, seeks ^hat condition wm j. ;„!„ these con- end of her sex and has 1^^ ^o some^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ f^^ ^^„^, ^f victions, it would be folly to f^^.^^X^^dbv the marriage of scores of the our school Teachers ^'^ y'^^jj^^^f^^^^^^ certificates. SLf^^sS:efVr^r9^ a competition as unfair ^^^ »^ ?J""^^^' the e^^^^^^^'^^^^ ^"'^*"^'' ^^°''^'*^ community. And I especially object to the ext y ^^^ ^ to young girls to enter the F«fe^«\""'. ^^^^ make it a life's work. The small percentage expect to remain m »t' ^"^^^"^f/^^^^:^^ „f the great bulk ?act that early marriage is the P^^J^rf^^^e T^^^^ to con- of our female population, is ^''"^f'^X^^^^^^^^^^^^ tinue in the teaching ranks, and to me it ^^^J^'^^^^^ ^ich they have little encourage the enlistment of so '^^^y/^'^^^^ J^^^ ,0^^^^^^ hope to real liking, to which but few become ^"^f f VJowd^^^^ appUcanls for speedily escape. An ^-^'''^f]i^''''^''lif;^^^^ render them positions which their age and ^f/i^^ ^[,, [^ '^/tE neverthe- Unqualified to fill, with justice to thm P:;^P^^^^^^«^i^'^^;'^Hous Trustees, .for less presented ''^en^P^^^g bargains or^^^^^^^^^ market, ever find ''cheap goods,-' ^" ^'^^er the educat^ o^^ As 7 consequence, we are not niost favor with poor judges of ^"f '"y- ."^^^^t^,,, ,^hich we have a right receiving that benefit from our ^^^^^^^^^^^ool/^^^^^^^^^^ the school which they to look for, and many of our y°'f"g Pf^^P^^J^'e\,ion of mere words and have been attending as pupils, with ^^^^^^f P^^^^f ^nWedge which those phrases, and <^!fZtJ^::^^^^ '"^--"^ ^^^7 >'^ ^ ^^:tl ^^tr^^^'^^h-^^ni- " Education will boldly grapple with the difficulty. permitted to briefly allude. ^ There is another point to which I "^^y !j»^^ Pf ;^;;;; '^^e overteaching A cry is going up, in many places ^^-^^^^^^^^^^^^^ manual our young men and women, that eaucaiion b^vwa « THEN AND NOW. as labor, that to keep a boy at school, after he is twelve or thirteen vean of SfL'lt'n'T.t''^ ^^?"^ '^' ^^^•"' --^"^ ^""^ »^i"^ into the vast^aZ of those who live by their wits, and that the number of n.ere brain-worke thi?s Sih"? K^ ^^T i'^" ""^*^^^^^y ^"^^^ "f handworkers is thus dep Jtei IS altogether beyond the re(iuirements of the country. While I have no sympathy w.th the cry of over-education, and believe that the farmer's son can profitably know as much as is imparted to the son of t^lawver or the merchant, I must frankly acknowledge that it is difficult to combat ^av m|)oss.ble to refute the statement, that too many of our younrmen at east, leave the farm in search of an Kl Dorado which exists only nlhe ffi? <»^ ^»^\poet or of their own, in this particular, too active brain cnlT^' f"" ''''"^?? '^' P'«"Sh. succeed in finding wealth no fa^S could hoi>e for, or would care to enjoy, as the citizen enjoys, even The found .t; that many, flushed with the vigor of rural yout /hive entered the professions and secured a competency; that a U reared on the old ■ ^nlTif ""• r V^''^ g^^nerations. have reached the highest posftions i^int tn , f'h'jlT""^ contradiction, and we livers in country parts proudl i^v h.r "t T"""^' ^^ :^' '*."^'^^' ^^ ^^^ ^"""t^y J^J- But " is safe to fnr !tj ^'^""^ Preix)nderatmg majority of those, who desert the farm Znt ?%' •?°'"''''' ' ■^''^''^' *^'""^*^^^' ^"^ t^^^t >^'here one succeeds tK absolutely fail ,n securing more than a tithe of the vabstantial hanp nes! which rural life affords. Our cities teem with wrecks-with ill-paid derks broken-down merchants, briefless barristers, needy doctors, and ^rac^ nmv 'X Vu r "*^' ''''"H ''^'^ ''^^" comfortable and wealthy formers Tau ^"'^ ^r. '"'"'^'""^' '^^"^^-^ ^^'"^l>le incentive to progress and Its most va uable aid when driving us along in the right path and i!Mn to ""S? )' despised.--urged them from p'enty to penury Induced \tV f T^'u ^""^ '''^'' ^'^•"^ '^"^ ^^^ ^i"' ^"d imi)elled them in"o a life for which they were totally unfitted. In too many of such instances hfn^ UnT'"^'^'^'^ l^' school-house afforded, had been a dangerous thing. Unaffnghted at the warning so |X)intedly conveyed to all who care theTomV lif;"'' r.t'^'^ '""''^ ""f^''^ ^ ^^^^"- ^« esc^L tl^drtrdgery of often bvuf;r •^' P'"''''"' o^/ffluence without exceLve labor, worrid feJdn. . ""fl^l^ ^'^i^t'^e surroundmgs, our farmers' sons are continually bU^^^JeT^.^ an uncertamty and solid happiness for a mixture of wrons track .nH ^^U '^^ "'1,^*^'" ^^'" """^^^' '^^^' ^^ey are on the Hrong track, and would retrace their steps f that were mssible Thit oute? ZZ'''7'i '""^ ^'^. '^"^^' ^»^^^" ^»-^y obtain thatTmp'e of the llor n .nvl"'^ "^ smattering of education affords, is not Surprising. I^bor, in any form, unless there is some stimulant, some reward present SLn^ "'" M^ '^''^T^ '?' ^'^°"^ '« •'^^y ''^'•»««t everywhere, but that firS so^Hi^ probably be of too sweeping a character.-i-we se; how the reZIerZn^ .t ' J^'J" ""^'^^ ^l''^ "^""' ^i^^°"^ the opportunities and STZ . n\il' '"* "'""• .'^ ' '''y ^^" ^^^ ^ P^^^"t to assert, as «Jct wli^^fV" V^ 7??^ "I'" ••'.?^"^"' '^^ ^'-^""^t legally or reasonably Srea,rS/thl^l^^^^^ ^'''!^l'y ^^'■'^'"g ^°^ others that young man them • f Jr?I!" 1V -n """"u- u'"'^'"^' ^"^ g^'-^'ify the little tastes, call them fancies if you will, which raise him above the animal, and which THEN AND NOW. ** .1, wUl «refer "hiring out" to staying are denied to him in home ''^^^:^Xrc\u''^ (or himfdf " much, more !Ji!h "the old man." He sees that ^^^^/^^^ J'.? \^^^ ^hen remainmg m early in Ufe, when ''within .^l^^'/i^^'^S.'.fvhere labor is valuable, some ht fa her's house. And m t^^^, 5^;"""^; '^.i^y! by which he can obtam om)ortunity or other PrestM)ts useK t« ^^^^^^^^^^^^ I advisable to give to more remuneration than ^l^f^^^f ^*^, '^^^^^^^^ . ^t*" him His position at home is not "^f ^^1J^'^^'{„ ^^„y instances, m the llhhed man" occupies a l;»g»-;,Xm r" on"' If the'latter ventures an eyes of the farmer, than does tj^^^,^^^"'^' ' ^^vements, they are decned as opinion, he is sn^^^^^^ V?^?t rbc^ok7 f he asks a holiday, it is given nlw-fangled notions P-^f ^^^^itardolial or new suit of clothe. In to him grudgingly as the ^^^^^ °^^^^^^^ i, looked upon, now and then, as short, the farmer's son, under " a3onty. ^ ^^ endurable ; and fre- sou hern chattels used to be, and fi'^d^ ;„' Overgrown lad, useful for work quently he is treated as little ^'!^^''^^1{X:^L^^^^ as he earns more han. 3- wellU closely watched, and F^^^^^^^ ^ 'I'^k'^"! S he eats, drinks and wears. I h^re are n i^^^ken view of the young unfortu'nately, with a too comrnon rde^ l^ thoughtlessness-fron fellow's worth and position arises otten iro ^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^ thTlove of power which is common o all ol u , ^^^^ ^^^ ^^.^^^^ eaUs of that increasing -?";^^„^^;^ii^fi^^^^^ is .hort-sighted and Iradually loosens control, and from a se Uisn .^ ^^^^^^ ^^.^^ frequently overshoots Jtse f. ^hc motive ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^,^,,^ The father must save that the son may , ^^ ^^^^ ^,^,^ ^ with regard to that son to-day ^^ dictated Dy^ possessing ordinary he may enjoy in the future. B^^ to the ^^; ' ^^^ ;, conscious ot ability, generally appreciates his .^^^'^f .'J"\^defini e. He would like to Jhdr obj^ect, that future is "^certain, d^tarU ^we s whic:h will enable him ao for himself. He feels that he 1^''''.^^^ ' T u' .eyards as useless and t to do,^'d he kicks against a '^-^J;^'"^/^,^^^^ through the uncalled for. He sees an easy entrance ^o ^^^ ^^^j,, ^.^e, he soon SoUhouse, and, if -biuous as ^ -^^^.^^^^fi^or anything higher convinces the l^o^^V-^^^^^^f ^'^oo^it a d am^ '^''- '^''.^th ?d than a Teacher, and, amidst groans aiQ i .^ds in securing a third- s permitted a year or two of ^^^ '^^^f >i 'Je.ret to say, many good farmers class certificate. And in this manner^ 1 rt„ >^^ teachers is found, are lost, and a somewhat smaller number m ^ uttle more Tlittle self-denial, a little give-and-take a httl^^^ the catastrophe, and common sense, on both sides, -^l%\^'^Tnoi better men, if they had father and son would have been more '^apPY ^ j ,3^1 repeat possessed a more thorough -d-tanding o^ ead ^.^^ ^^^^^^ Uat has been said, over and over a^ain oy J ^^^^.^^ ^^ ^^ f.^m, Ufe as farmer's boys, when I say '^^^^^Z^i of material in the world and don't forsake it for teachmg. ^^^^^^^^^an be made and are being out of which Teachers and g^f ^^'^/^l/^^^Jther, but there is noi a super- made everyday, apart from y^^.^.^^'^j^^^^S^^ gUead. full-of-snap, up-to- SLittr""^traVr:r':^r« or other, ana aU .h« son of THEN AND NOW. 27 ring Kire r in Dine itain L* to The the s an d as jiven In :n, as 1 fre- work ; than, aling, ^oung -from parent which id and y case. iiclised which rdinary ions of Uke to )lc him jss and igh the le soon ; higher iziness," a third- farmers is found. tie more phe, and they had lit repeat lo began he farm," the world are being t a super- lap, up-to- ;ry well to fforts and at sort of thing, upon all who enrol themselves in its ranks. Granted. So you may say of the profession of Law, and of Physic, and of the Gospel. So of the profession of the Dry Cioods Dealer, of the Plane-driver, the Hrick- and-Mortar man, and even of the Legislator — tometimci. I have seen men who have conferred dignity upon a wheelbarron- and a v/hitewash brush. Much depends upon the manner of doing things, and nobility is, after all, a very common (juality amongst decent people of all sorts and conditions. You may rely upon it that there is no profession more truly noble than that of the farmer, none more worthy the fullest energies of our best men, none yielding more substantial returns for intelligent labor, none more calculated to call forth our highest qualities, and to enlist more heartily our deepest sympathies. Once I became a farmer, and feel ashamed to confess to desertion from the ranks, 'i'here were reasons, however. I went from a draper's counter, in England, to a tough, worked-out, thistle-covered clay farm in the Niagara District, in the days of No, 4 plows, pine stumps, and wheat which invariably turned to chess and cockle, two years out of three, and I didn't succeed in becoming a success. I had a fair eye in my head, but, from some cause or other, never explained and to me yet a mystery, my furrows wouldn't come out straight. The wheat crop averaged from five bushels per acre down to zero. The hay, when there was any to cut, consisted of mullein stocks, thistles, and more mulleins. Potatoes grew, I believe, but the soil about them was so solid that you might have cut it with an axe, and that sort of thing was discouraging to one who had never had much experience in chopi)ing. As an additional attraction, there were wolves on one side of the farm, wild cats on the other, foxes everywhere, and rattle snakes scattered i)romiscuously about so as to be handy whenever you required them. And, as a capsheaf to all, fever and ague set in with great regularity every July, and stuck closer than a brother until snowfall. Under these peculiar circumstances, I thought it better to leave, and left accordingly. And that comprises much of " what I know about farming." To me it is often matter of regret, nevertheless, that when removing to Wellington, the centre of advanced agriculture in Ontario, I didn't "stick to the farm" as closely as, speaking fronj a rather odd experience, probably, I now advise every farmer's son to do. Taken all the year round, there is no career so satisfactory, in its general results, as that of the agriculturist, if followed, by an intelligent, industrious and healthy man, and the more thorough his education, the greater his appreciative enjoyment of the direct contact with Nature which rural life affords. Let farmers' sons once learn to respect themselves and their calling, to realize the dignity of labor, and that nothing worth having can be obtained without it, to feel that the more they know the more they can produce, and to be proud of the fact that they belong to a class upon the success of which rests true national pros- perity, and they will cease to run from the farm as if it were a plague spot, and help to put an end to the cry of "over-education," which will soon come to be numbered with the weak sayings to which every generation is liable. There are many other matters to which I should gladly allude did opportunity i>ermit, but having deprecated selfishness, I must avoid incon- sistency and a bad exami)le, by but brief encroachment upon time which is fairly claimed by one whom you are anxious to hear. At the risk, however, THEN AND NOW. ^ ^^'" Tfic e'^ our lines are d^a^ " iM ^^^^^ ^o be prtg ^^^^^ ScierMific br. forefathers^ ^^^cn ^^^ ^^^^ ^uLn commotion public institutions, learn ^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^oroughly ^now the >vorld, and you w.U find many . ^^^.^^^ , Ho« , ^^^^^^ ,„ Elora, pither by loan or gi.t o' ' . .,owth of the »<."" pn„mred «"" '^"' ?hU manner U "l'«'"''=trtVprovincial reputation. W- ^^,,„„ve, which has already »f ;""J,Vctaracter, it '^^^^"'^'J^'J^^. in this county, little, comp^rativ , « THEN AND NOW. «9 iper lUcd have I the Vings with study lOtion done utable i\ways :e not is and ly pro- i more [ets do :t from len had able to iducator uish the i\\ as to I around W'kdge Manuals, with the aries and :ountry is )ntro\ the the world; athin your d that yovi nost useful the largest sirable end )om into a your care. \ued simply r, but which ineralogy, or )ublic name, . public good y be done in umin Elora, red with Pro- i as extensive, in this county, ch the classiti- ection has cost at much in the labor of its indefatigable curator, but there is ample return in its usefulness, which is demonstrated daily in the pleasurable instruction it affords, not only to the pupils in the Elora Schools, but to the general public, who, during each year, visit it in hundreds. What has been done there, may be done elsewheie— much better in a city like Guelph, than in a country place, and e(iually well in many other parts of the county. Its utility to the teacher may be readily understood when it is remembered that every reading, every scientific study, every geographical lesson, can be made plainer by the exhibition of some object taken from this admirable col- lection. There is no village in Wellington, with an enthusiastic teacher to do the work, and with sympathizing teachers in surrounding sections willmg to assist in it, which could not, in the course of a few years, obtain similar advantages, and I have thus alluded to the matter in the hope that in the ranks of those now engaged in the education of our children there nriay be found some willing to imitate that which has been found to be practicable, and to resolve that, before the next meeting of this Association, they will unflinchingly "go and do likewise." If I hear of one such resolve followed up by action, I shall feel that this paper has not been written without result. In taking leave of those who have complimented me by such an attentive hearing, permit me to express the wish that the success which has hitherto attended the Teachers' Association for the South Division of Wellington, may m; :■■; its future progress, and that, when, a quarter century from this time, so" one of the present audience appears before Jt, m a city containing d. Lole or treble the population of the Guelph of to-day, he may be able to draw a more marked contrast between the educational "Then and Now" than that which I have placed before you on this occasion.