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BERKElfY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 CAU.ORNIA 
 
GLEANINGS 
 
 SCHOOL-LIFE EXPERIENCE; 
 
 OR HINTS TO 
 
 COMMON SCHOOL TEACHERS, 
 
 PARENTS AND PUPILS. 
 
 BY 
 
 HIBAM OBCTJTTjA.M. 
 
 PRINCIPAL OF NORTH GRANVILLE LADIES' SEMINARY. 
 
 RUTLAND: 
 GEO. A. TUTTLE & CO. 
 BROWN, TAGGARD & CHASE, BOSTON, 
 1858. 
 

TO 
 THE HUNDREDS OF HIS PUPILS, 
 
 WHO, AS PRACTICAL TEACHERS, HAVE DONE HONOR 
 TO THE PROFESSION, 
 
 THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY THEIR FAITHFUL FRIEND AND FORMER 
 TEACHER THE AUTHOR. 
 
 229 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THIS little book had its origin in EXPERIENCE. 
 It was not, originally, written with a view of publi- 
 cation but for the benefit of the Author's Normal 
 Classes. The substance of these chapters has been 
 recently published in the form of newspaper articles 
 for the benefit of those employed in Teaching Dis- 
 trict Schools in this vicinity. It is now republished 
 in a more permanent form, by the solicitation of 
 Teachers and friends, and with the hope of aiding 
 the less experienced in the arduous and noble work 
 of school-keeping. The Author does not aim to 
 discuss, at length, the subjects here treated, but to 
 present to the reader just what the title page indi- 
 cates, some " Gleanings " from twenty years experi- 
 ence, or practical " Hints " as to the management 
 and instruction of " Common Schools," and the duties 
 of Teachers, Parents and Pupils. 
 NORTH GKANVILLB, N. Y., Aug. 15, 1858. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 i. 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHER'S WORK, 7 
 
 II. 
 HIS NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS, 11 
 
 III. 
 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT, 21 
 
 IV, 
 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, 28 
 
 V, 
 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION, 37 
 
 VI. 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS TO TEACHERS, 58 
 
 VII. 
 OUR "COMMON SCHOOLS" TO PARENTS AND 
 
 PUPILS, 65 
 
t 
 
 IMPORTANCE OF THE TEACHER'S WORK, 
 
 THE Teacher and the Artist have their own 
 peculiar fields of labor, but how insignificant the 
 work of the Artist when compared with that of 
 the true Teacher. The one works upon the 
 stone or the canvas, the other upon the undying 
 spirit ; the one creates an imitation of the form 
 and figure of the lifeless body, the other moulds 
 the living and renowned character of the hero, 
 the statesman and the sage. The Artist may 
 attract attention as a man of genius, and his 
 works may be admired as evidence of inimitable 
 skill ; but the true teacher will be remembered 
 with gratitude and admiration by the hundreds 
 who have profited by his instructions, long after 
 he is dead. 
 
 The great sculptor, Hiram Powers, has re- 
 cently completed the bust of the distinguished 
 
8 THE TEACHER'S WORK. 
 
 Edward Everett, which is said to be unsurpassed 
 by any artist, either in ancient or modern times. 
 Yet, how much greater the work, and more dis- 
 tinguished the artist, who aided in forming the 
 mind of that same Everett, now acknowledged 
 to be the greatest living orator. When but ten 
 years old, young Everett sat before Daniel Web- 
 ster and received from him, as his teacher, the 
 rudiments of education. More than half a cen- 
 tury afterwards, when both teacher and pupil 
 had attained the most distinguished honors and 
 the highest position among their fellow men 
 the one having passed off the stage of life, leav- 
 ing the other without a living superior the pupil 
 sat for his bust before the artist, Powers. 
 
 Now, to whom shall we award the praise ? to 
 the Artist, or the Teacher ? to the distinguished 
 Powers, or the immortal Webster and his co- 
 laborers in this work of education ? But the 
 occupation of the Teacher is not only honorable, 
 but of great importance. He is a patron of 
 society. To him is committed the work of train- 
 ing mind and forming character, and at a period 
 
TEACHER'S WOKK. 9 
 
 when the most susceptible of durable impressions. 
 The future citizens and rulers of this great na- 
 tion are now under his care and instruction. It 
 is his to mould their moral and intellectual char- 
 acter, and fit them for the responsible duties of 
 life. To our common schools we must look for 
 those who will soon be called upon to manage the 
 affairs of families, to transact the business of 
 town and state, to fill the vacated Bench of Jus- 
 tice, to sit in the Halls of Legislation, and to 
 direct and control the Church of God. Upon 
 the character of our schools, therefore, depends 
 the weal or woe of unborn millions ; the perpe- 
 tuity or downfall of our boasted Republic. 
 
 Nor can we stop here in estimating the import- 
 ance of the Teacher's work. He exerts an in- 
 fluence upon immortal minds. From that canvas 
 no impression can be erased ; good or evil, truth 
 or error, virtue or vice, it may remain forever. 
 
 How fearfully responsible, then, the business 
 
 of giving instruction. Yet how few there are 
 
 who realize the nature and importance of this 
 
 work. Many enter upon it with less interest 
 
 2 
 
10 THE TEACHER'S WORK. 
 
 and preparation than the man of business goes to 
 his farm, his shop, or his merchandise. Some 
 dare tread the Teacher's Sanctuary, who have 
 never learned the first lessons of science or mo- 
 rality; who are ignorant, vulgar and profane. 
 How long will such things be tolerated in our 
 enlightened community? How long shall our 
 Common Schools, at once the peculiarity and 
 glory of our nation, receive so small a share of 
 public care and patronage ? They are the inher- 
 itance bequeathed to us by our Pilgrim Fathers, 
 and shall we, through neglect, allow that inheri- 
 tance to waste away ? We can have no hope of 
 the elevation of our schools except in the im- 
 provement of their teachers. Hence no effort, 
 no sacrifice, is too great, on the part of all inter- 
 ested, to secure so desirable a result. 
 
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 11 
 
 II. 
 
 HIS NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 MORE depends upon what the teacher is, than 
 upon what he does. Like the poet, he is en- 
 dowed by nature with the most important qualifi- 
 cations for his work. This natural talent may 
 be cultivated, but cannot be created, by educa- 
 tion. 
 
 The true Teacher has a large share of com- 
 mon sense. 
 
 This is practical wisdom ; a sort of instinct as 
 to the fitness and propriety of things. It teaches 
 its possessor to do the right thing, at the right 
 time. It acts in the real and not in the roman- 
 tic world, and adapts one to circumstances, to 
 society and to duty. 
 
 There are many opportunities for its exercise 
 in the school room; many instances when the 
 
 2A 
 
12 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 want of it imperils the teacher, or proves his 
 ruin. A question of political or judicial economy- 
 is about to be settled in his little empire. He 
 has no time for consultation with older and more 
 experienced teachers ; no time to read books on 
 the " Theory and Practice of Teaching." The 
 question must be settled without delay. The ex- 
 istence of his authority, and his destiny as a 
 teacher, depends upon prompt and judicious ac- 
 tion. Under such circumstances, sound common 
 sense is the teacher's only security. 
 
 Aptness to teach is also a gift of nature, still 
 it may be improved by culture. The most brill- 
 iant scholar is not, usually, the best teacher. 
 Quickness of perception and accurate knowledge 
 are important, but the power to communicate 
 and instruct, so as to secure the attention and 
 wake up the mind of the pupil, and lead him to 
 successful self-application, is indispensable. Apt- 
 ness to teach implies also skill in the selection 
 and use of illustrations. It enables the teacher 
 to adapt his influence and instruction to the 
 peculiarities of his pupils. Some need encour- 
 
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 13 
 
 agement, others caution, and still others rebuke, 
 as they are timid, ambitious, or self-sufficient. 
 
 It guides him as to the amount of instruction 
 to be given, that he may not make the task of 
 the pupil too easy, but simply possible. In a 
 word, it instructs him when to teach, how much 
 to teach, and how to teach. 
 
 Earnestness and perseverance are also among 
 the necessary qualifications of the teacher. 
 
 These qualities are indispensable to success in 
 any department of labor. Look where we will 
 for examples, the same truth is illustrated. The 
 earnest man succeeds ; the indolent, though pos- 
 sessed of more talents and greater attainments, 
 often fails. The earnest and determined teacher 
 not only performs much more labor in the same 
 time, but inspires all around him with his own 
 spirit. He infuses life and animation into the 
 minds of his pupils, awakens new interest in 
 study, and exerts a commanding influence in the 
 school-room, which is felt also in the district and 
 town where he resides. He is a living, breath- 
 ing, acting spirit. Such a teacher has power by 
 
 3A 
 
14 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 his presence to create order out of confusion, 
 and to make the school attractive and profitable. 
 Success must attend his efforts. 
 
 The teacher should have, also, a sound and 
 well-cultivated mind. A sound mind is not only 
 the foundation of true manhood, but of all suc- 
 cessful efforts. It is conceded that respectable 
 talents are necessary to fit the young man for 
 successful business, or efficiency in any one of 
 the mechanical arts or professions. For the fac- 
 tory, the work-shop, the counting-room, we de- 
 mand young persons of talent, and can less be 
 required of those who are to occupy the import- 
 ant position of Teachers ? Arid this mind must 
 be cultivated ; must acquire the power to think, 
 to analyze and reason. An undisciplined mind is 
 unfit to educate other minds. It cannot appre- 
 ciate the importance of systematic culture, or 
 employ the means necessary to secure it. 
 
 Without the power and habit of patient and 
 well-regulated thought, the teacher can himself 
 have no available knowledge ; and if he had, 
 could have no power to impart it to others. 
 
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 16 
 
 Hence, every teacher should be thoroughly dis- 
 ciplined by mathematical and classical study. 
 These furnish the most direct means of securing 
 mental discipline. 
 
 Nor is discipline the only advantage derived 
 from such studies. The study of Latin is indis- 
 pensable to a thorough knowledge of the Eng- 
 lish language and the most successful way to 
 learn that language. For instance, allow any 
 two individuals, of equal age and equal capacity, 
 to commence the study of grammar, with a view 
 to make the greatest possible attainments in the 
 English language in two years. The one may 
 study English grammar during the whole time, 
 and under proper instruction ; the other shall- 
 spend his first year (one-half the time allowed) 
 in the study of Latin, the second year he may 
 spend in the study of the English language, - 
 and the latter shall be the best English gram- 
 marian, when the two years have expired. 
 
 The study of the higher mathematics is of 
 great service to the Common School Teacher. 
 
16 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 It adds strength and vigor to his mental powers, 
 and affords him a knowledge of the principles 
 necessary to explain arithmetic and the practical 
 natural sciences. 
 
 The facts and principles of the branches to 
 be taught must be thoroughly understood. And, 
 if the teacher would do himself full justice, he 
 must extend his knowledge far beyond his pres- 
 ent necessity and requisitions. 
 
 He cannot teach clearly in the twilight of his 
 own knowledge, nor communicate more definite 
 information than he himself possesses. All 
 branches of science are connected. No one 
 branch can be properly taught and illustrated 
 without the aid of others. With a knowledge of 
 the lesson to be taught, merely, the teacher may 
 be able to throw some light upon the subject 
 before him, but it is like the light of the sun 
 where there is no atmosphere to diffuse and 
 reflect it all in one direction, and total dark- 
 ness everywhere else. The range of the teach- 
 er's studies should, therefore, be extensive, and 
 
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 17 
 
 his knowledge liberal. He should be familiar 
 with all the principles that can aid in the expla- 
 nation of the subjects to be taught. He should 
 gather up and preserve all attainable facts and 
 incidents to be found in the wide field of science 
 and history. All passing events should be pre- 
 served for use in the school-room. In a word, 
 the teacher should be constantly reading, observ- 
 ing and thinking for the benefit of his pupils and 
 the honor of his profession. 
 
 Self-control is also essential to success in 
 school-keeping. Without it, the master is like a 
 ship without a pilot or helm. In calm weather 
 he may experience no serious difficulty, but when 
 the storm comes and the winds blow, as surely 
 they will, he has no security from wreck and 
 ruin but in his own self-possession. 
 
 The teacher whose mind is thoroughly disci- 
 plined and well-balanced, can command his knowl- 
 edge ; can apply himself to any subject, whether 
 literary or judicial. His understanding, reason 
 and judgment are ready for any emergency. 
 Hence his efficiency. 
 
18 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 Self-control also gives authority. To be qual- 
 ified to govern others, the master must govern 
 himself, his temper and his tongue. His power 
 to quell a raging tumult or crush a rebellion lies 
 in his coolness. Authority is undoubtedly a gift 
 of nature ; but it is, in a measure, the result of 
 other cardinal and cultivated qualities. Princi- 
 ple, decision, independence, dignity, disinterest- 
 edness and refinement are all commanding. 
 They give power and impression to the whole 
 man ; they speak out in his eye, his steps, his 
 voice, and in all his movements and expressions. 
 Such qualities and such self-control gain for the 
 teacher his true position as instructor and gov- 
 ernor of his school. 
 
 Last but not least, among the necessary quali- 
 fications of the school-teacher here to be enu- 
 merated, is moral and Christian character. Every 
 teacher should be a model of excellence. No 
 position in life demands higher attainments, as 
 none commands *a more important influence. 
 Children are fine copyists. They receive their 
 earliest and most durable impressions by imita- 
 
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 19 
 
 tion. Their teacher is always sitting or standing 
 before them, for his likeness. The impressions 
 of his feelings, principles and character, and 
 especially the defects in his character, are left, 
 in the amb retype of the school-room, upon the 
 imperishable tablets of the immortal mind. The 
 pupil may be expected to exhibit his teacher 
 before the world. He often assumes his airs, 
 imitates his tones, habits, and almost his very 
 looks. He copies his roughness, stereotypes his 
 oddities, and perpetuates his errors and blunders. 
 The results of these early impressions and of 
 this influence will be felt upon future generations. 
 The teacher is doing his most important work, 
 then, when he seems to be idle. 
 
 And let it not be forgotten, that education does 
 not begin with the alphabet, nor end when the 
 scholar takes his diploma. It consists not mainly 
 in tasks and recitations. Character teaches ; in- 
 telligence, politeness, kindness, moral and Chris- 
 tian integrity, all have an important, plastic 
 power in the school-room. 
 
20 NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS. 
 
 No person, therefore, should presume to enter 
 upon the responsibilities of the teacher, who has 
 not, in active exercise, every principle of true 
 manhood, every element of a noble character 
 mental, moral and religious. 
 
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 21 
 
 III. 
 
 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT, 
 
 BY school management we mean much more 
 than is expressed by school government. The 
 former includes the latter. If a school is prop- 
 erly managed, it is of course, well-governed. 
 Strict government may sometimes be found in 
 connection with bad management. Our whole 
 object will be best accomplished, therefore, by 
 alluding to some particulars in the management 
 of schools. 
 
 The teacher's success in the government of 
 his pupils, depends upon a thousand little things ; 
 indeed, it depends upon all things that he says 
 or does. He begins to operate for himself, for 
 good or evil, as soon as he enters the district. 
 First impressions of him and his management in 
 school, are usually permanent, and hence very 
 
22 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 
 
 important. These often determine his success or 
 failure. 
 
 It is of the first importance to gain the confi- 
 dence and respect of the pupils and parents in 
 the district over which he presides. To this end, 
 he should seek an early and familiar acquaint- 
 ance with all. In the school-room and by the 
 way, his first object should be to gain the confi- 
 dence of his pupils. It is through them that he 
 must first act upon the parents. Every expe- 
 rienced teacher knows, that if he would gain the 
 confidence of the father, he must first gain the 
 respect of the mother ; and, to secure this 
 object, he must gain the love of the child. 
 Hence he spares no pains to win the affections 
 of the children, in the school and in the family. 
 He improves the earliest opportunity to visit 
 them at their homes ; is social and familiar with 
 all ; adapts himself to the circumstances and 
 peculiarities of each family, and manifests a 
 deep interest in everything that interests them. 
 He freely explains to parents his plans and ope- 
 rations for the improvement of their children, 
 
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 23 
 
 and thus gains their esteem and co-operation. 
 
 In the government of the school, the teacher 
 should not rely so much upon moral suasion or 
 legal suasion, as upon the influence of a well- 
 regulated school, and judicious management in 
 the district and school-room. 
 
 In a steam-engine we expect harmonious ac- 
 tion only when all parts of the machine are in 
 perfect order. A watch will keep correct time 
 only when all the wheels and springs are in their 
 places, and every part properly lubricated. So 
 a school must be completely organized, systema- 
 tized and fully employed, or disorder and confu- 
 sion will be the result. When so regulated its 
 machinery is self-adjusting order reigns, and 
 the teacher is known as a good disciplinarian. 
 The organization of the school, then, is the first 
 business of the teacher. Nothing else should 
 have his attention, until this is accomplished. 
 
 The pupils should be properly classified as to 
 the seats they are to occupy, and the studies to 
 which they attend. The object in view is to pre- 
 vent disorder and save time. Each pupil should 
 
24 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 
 
 be so located in the school-room, that he may 
 quietly attend to his own duties and not disturb 
 his fellows. All should be so classified, as to 
 have the least possible number of classes and 
 each pupil in classes adapted to his standing. 
 
 Every arrangement in the school should be 
 systematic. There should be a time for every- 
 thing, and everything in its time ; a time to open 
 the school, which should never vary ; a definite 
 time for every school exercise ; a time for study 
 and a time for recess ; a time to whisper and a 
 time to keep silent. In a word, everything that 
 is desirable or that cannot be prevented, should 
 be provided for and have its own time and place. 
 
 Those irregularities that are necessary, should 
 be provided for as really as the regular exercises 
 of the school. Whispering and leaving of seats, 
 should not be allowed in study hours, nor pro- 
 miscuous questions when hearing recitations. 
 Hence the importance of having a definite time 
 for whispering, leaving seats, and asking ques- 
 tions. This will tend to remove temptation and 
 leave no apology for disorder at other times. 
 
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 25 
 
 It is important, also, that the pupils have full 
 employment and feel a deep interest in their 
 studies. The old proverb, that " An idle brain 
 is the devil's workshop," has more truth in it 
 than poetry. Each pupil should have just such 
 lessons assigned as can be well learned by indus- 
 try and earnest application, and should be made 
 to feel that study is the business and the only 
 business of school-hours. 
 
 The teacher's success in exciting an interest 
 in the minds of his pupils, depends both upon 
 what he is and what he does. In this his skill 
 and efficiency will be tested. If he can divert 
 ^the attention from sport and mischief, rouse from 
 indolence, and fix the mind upon the duties and 
 exercises of the school, his work is half done 
 his success is certain. Those pupils who have 
 become interested, will be punctual and constant 
 in their attendance, and earnest in their appli- 
 cation. 
 
 If they are to be deeply interested in their 
 lessons, these must be neither too difficult nor 
 too easy. The mind cannot be interested in 
 
26 SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 
 
 what it cannot understand, nor in what is so sin> 
 pie as to cost no effort. Children are never 
 indolent by nature, but are often made so by bad 
 instruction. Familiar and apt illustrations tend 
 to awaken an interest in classes. Every thought 
 and principle should be clearly explained, and the 
 class recitation thus made interesting. Then 
 pupils will be prompt and earnest. They should 
 be encouraged to investigate and think for them- 
 selves to look beyond their text-books for infor- 
 mation. 
 
 Special efforts should be made to render the 
 school-room and its exercises, attractive and 
 pleasant. To this end the teacher must feel and^ 
 manifest a deep interest in all he does, and by 
 his presence and animation, infuse life and en- 
 ergy into those around him. He should seek 
 variety for the same purpose. Does he desire 
 punctuality at the opening of his school ? Then 
 let him have some exercise at that time which 
 will interest. Brief and appropriate religious 
 exercises, with vocal music, will secure this ob- 
 fect and greatly profit the schools. Let such 
 
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. 27 
 
 exercises be followed by some interesting inquiry, 
 story or illustration of some familiar scientific 
 fact. The pupils will not be tardy, if there is 
 suitable inducement for them to be punctual. 
 Let the teacher lay hold of every incident that 
 occurs in the community, district or schoolroom, 
 calculated to awaken an interest, and he will not 
 fail to " wake up mind," 
 
28 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 
 
 IV. 
 
 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, 
 
 THE hints upon the preceding pages are de- 
 signed to aid the teacher in his efforts to prevent 
 evil and secure the improvement of his pupils. 
 The question now arises, if wrong has been 
 committed and wholesome laws and regulations 
 violated, what shall be done ? 
 
 In answering this question, we would say, some- 
 thing must be done something that will show, 
 without a doubt, that a MASTER has charge of 
 the school. 
 
 The teacher's position gives him a right to 
 rule without a rival. It is his duty, at all 
 hazards, to hold the supremacy over his scholars. 
 His will must be law, and that law must be 
 obeyed. The injured pupils may appeal to the 
 Trustees, from whom the teacher derived his 
 
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 29 
 
 authority, but they may never disobey, however 
 much they dislike his requirements. If, then, 
 obedience has been refused, something must be 
 done to correct the evil, and prevent a repeti- 
 tion. 
 
 The object of all punishment is two-fold : first, 
 the good of the school, and secondly, the good 
 of the offender. If the good of both the school 
 and the individual cannot be secured by the pun- 
 ishment, the scholar must be sacrificed and not 
 the school. 
 
 The murderer is not usually hung for his own 
 benefit, but for the benefit of society for the 
 protection of the innocent, and the vindication of 
 law. In most cases, however, in school govern- 
 ment, the crime may be so punished as to save 
 and benefit both the school and the offender. 
 How shall this be done ? We answer, in general, 
 in a manner adapted to the nature of the offense, 
 and the disposition and character of the "offender. 
 It would be folly in the extreme to act by rule in 
 the discipline of a school. 
 
 That physician is a quack, who prescribes the 
 2B 
 
80 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE, 
 
 same remedy for every disease. Some patients 
 need only encouragement; others need stimu- 
 lants, and still others soothing remedies, to allay 
 inflammation or a fever. And there are some 
 diseases that nothing but calomel can cure. The 
 physician, then, must study the constitution of 
 his patient and the nature of the disease, and 
 administer accordingly. 
 
 So the school teacher must study the disposi- 
 tion and character of his pupils and learn the 
 circumstances and purpose of the crime, before 
 he can prescribe a remedy that will cure. 
 
 Allow us here to suggest, the teacher should 
 distinguish between the " light of the glow-worm 
 and a spark of fire about to fall into a magazine 
 of powder." If a slight offense has been com- 
 mitted, which threatens no evil result to the 
 school, it were better to take no notice of it. If, 
 on the other hand, the offense is public, and to 
 pass it over would give license to a repetition, 
 and put in jeopardy the teacher's authority, let 
 him treat it with becoming promptness and se- 
 verity. 
 
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 81 
 
 He should check the first indications of insub- 
 ordination. No teacher loses his authority at 
 once. No school that has been kept in proper 
 subjection, assumes the attitude of rebellion. If 
 first indications of improper conduct receive 
 proper attention, more aggravating offenses will 
 not occur. Loose government makes punish- 
 ments necessary. That master who exercises a 
 mild severity at all times, and keeps his school 
 in perfect subjection, will seldom need to resort 
 to severe measures. 
 
 Faults that have an influence upon the school 
 should be corrected publicly, that the whole 
 school may feel the influence of the discipline. 
 If the fault is known only to the teacher, he may 
 punish the offender in private for his own good. 
 
 But what degree of severity is to be recom- 
 mended ? That degree which is necessary to 
 accomplish the object ; no more, no less. 
 
 What kind of punishment shall be inflicted 
 
 moral suasion or the rod? We answer, one or 
 
 both, as circumstances require. The quack and 
 
 the theorist only maintains that either moral 
 
 SB' 
 
32 SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 
 
 suasion or legal suasion alone, will govern schools. 
 The kind word of encouragement, the confiden- 
 tial appeal, the gentle reproof, the stern prohi- 
 bition, and the serve blow, are all appropriate 
 and necessary in school discipline. 
 
 And it is a mistaken idea, that corporal pun- 
 ishment in itself is an evil, and to be" employed 
 only as the last resort. It is the punishment, 
 and the only punishment, that will do in some 
 cases. If the disease requires calomel, sugar 
 pellets will not cure. The mortifying limb must 
 be amputated. It is not as the last resort, but 
 the first and only remedy, to save life. The 
 system here recommended is not cruel, but mer- 
 ciful. It has more of kindness in it than any 
 other. There is no kindness in leaving the child 
 to grow up under the influence of an unsubdued 
 temper. It is cruelty in the parent or teacher 
 not to govern that child. Let the master, then, 
 kindly but promptly, enforce wholesome regula- 
 tions. Let him enforce them, if need be, by 
 the severe use of the rod. " The rod and reproof 
 give wisdom." " Foolishness is bound up in the 
 
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 33 
 
 heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall 
 drive it far from him." " He that spareth the 
 rod, hateth his son." 
 
 Many a child has been saved in school, that 
 was lost to the family and society ; lost for the 
 want of proper discipline, and saved by the legal 
 and moral power of the rod. Indeed, the utility 
 of corporal punishment in schools, is no longer a 
 debatable question. Its use and necessity are 
 sustained alike by human and divine authority, 
 by common sense and universal experience. 
 
 But this punishment should never be inflicted 
 in anger. Firmness and decision are no more 
 necessary in cases of discipline, than coolness 
 and candor. The pupils must be convinced that 
 the teacher seeks their good only, and reproves 
 and punishes them as a matter of necessity. He 
 will, then, retain their confidence and respect, 
 however great his severity. 
 
 Punishment to be effectual must be thorough. 
 A half- whipped boy is only aggravated, not con- 
 quered. Hence the object of his punishment is 
 not accomplished. The teacher should never 
 
34 , SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 
 
 i 
 
 threaten unless he designs to execute, but when 
 the crisis comes, he should leave no necessity for 
 a repetition. We can conceive of no proper pun- 
 ishment that may not be inflicted with all needed 
 severity. 
 
 The teacher is responsible for the mode of 
 punishment, as well as for its faithful execution. 
 Any punishment that will inflict a permanent 
 physical injury is unjustifiable. Holding weights 
 in extended hands, " sitting upon nothing," bend- 
 ing forward with the finger on the floor, upon a 
 nail-head, all blows on or about the head with 
 stick or ferule, all violent shaking of children by 
 the shoulders, endangering the delicate vertebrae 
 of the neck, are entirely improper. The teacher 
 who resorts to such punishments, is wanting in 
 common sense and common intelligence. 
 
 And, whenever severity becomes necessary, it 
 should be accompanied and followed by faithful 
 counsel and kind treatment. The teacher should 
 never allow the sun to go down upon the wrath 
 of a chastised pupil. He should see him alone, 
 before he is allowed to mingle with his compan- 
 
SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 35 
 
 ions, or return to his home. Otherwise, he may 
 excite sympathy, and create a rebellion. The 
 object to be gained is to win the offender back to 
 duty and cheerful obedience, and thus save the 
 school^ from anarchy and confusion, and the 
 scholar, it may be, from a course of dissipation 
 and crime. The means to be used are kind and 
 confidential treatment, after the offense has been 
 punished, and the difficulty settled. A few mo- 
 ments spent with the enraged pupil in faithful, 
 private conversation, will often restore him to 
 favor and friendship. Without the chastisement 
 this moral influence would have been of no avail ; 
 with it, is entirely successful. 
 
 This mingling of the severe with the mild in 
 discipline, is the more necessary in consequence 
 of the heterogeneous character of our schools. 
 The teacher cannot select his pupils from those 
 families that have been under wholesome influ- 
 ence, but must receive many who have been 
 entirely ungoverned at home ; the current of 
 whose evil . propensities has received a steady 
 direction and violent impulse, from long years of 
 
3G SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. 
 
 parental misrule and vice. These scholars must 
 be controlled, and, if possible, subdued. It were 
 cruel to reject them from the school, and thus 
 cut them off from the last hope of improvement 
 and recovery from their ruinous course pf life. 
 The master must be held responsible for results 
 in the discipline of his pupils ; results to be felt 
 in the school, in the. neighborhood, and in the 
 world. He should, therefore, possess all the 
 qualifications of a judicious manager and good 
 disciplinarian. 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 37 
 
 V. 
 
 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION, 
 
 IN a previous chapter we have enumerated 
 . some of the necessary qualifications of the good 
 teacher. We now propose to make a few sug- 
 gestions as to the method of imparting instruc- 
 tion. 
 
 And first, as far as possible, instruction should 
 be given to classes, and not to individuals. This 
 is recommended as a matter of economy. Should 
 the teacher devote his time to individuals, in a 
 school of thirty pupils, he could give each only 
 twelve minutes ; in a school of sixty, only six 
 minutes per day. Now let the school of sixty 
 pupils be divided into six classes, and the same 
 instruction given to them, each pupil would have 
 one hour of the teacher's time every day, and 
 
38 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 would receive more benefit than from individual 
 instruction during the same time. 
 
 In some instances individual instruction should 
 be given, but never when the same instruction 
 can as well be given before the class. Calls for 
 individual assistance should never be allowed 
 during class recitations. There should be a defi- 
 nite time for all private instruction such a 
 time as will not disturb the regularity of the 
 school, or withdraw the teacher from more im- 
 portant duties. 
 
 Again, the instructor should teach subjects 
 and not books ; principles more than facts. The 
 scholar may know all that is contained in the 
 four hundred English Grammars, and yet be 
 ignorant of the Science of Language. He may 
 do all the " Sums " [Examples] in all the Arith- 
 metics extant, and not understand the simplest 
 principles of calculation. Books are useful, but . 
 not indispensable. Like a spacious black-board, 
 they aid the teacher in his work of systematic 
 instruction. That they should be used for this 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. l\\) 
 
 purpose only, is the thing recommended. The 
 pupil should be directed to the science to be 
 taught and should have a full and clear explan- 
 ation of its principles. 
 
 There is more danger of teaching too much 
 than too little. It must be constantly borne in 
 mind, that discipline is the end of teaching. 
 The object is not to fit the pupil for any one 
 special trade, art or profession, but to teach him 
 to think, and give him the power and habit of 
 application. The gaining of knowledge is a 
 secondary consideration. It were better to leave 
 this entirely out of the question, than to have it 
 substituted for discipline. 
 
 Just so much instruction should be given, then, 
 as is necessary to save the scholar from dis- 
 couragement and make it possible for him by 
 earnest and persevering effort, to overcome his 
 difficulties, and learn his lessons. 
 
 The teacher should never solve an example for 
 a pupil, but guide him in his efforts to solve it ; 
 he should never answer a question fully, that the 
 pupil by faithful study, may answer for himself. 
 
40 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 It seems superfluous to suggest that instruc- 
 tion should be thorough. Yet such a sugges- 
 tion is often necessary. 
 
 No principle or fact should be passed over, 
 until it is well understood and firmly fixed in 
 the mind of the pupil. After the teacher's ex- 
 planation upon the black-board, the class should 
 be required to repeat it. Each member should 
 not only understand the principles and reasons, 
 but be able to impart his knowledge to others. 
 
 Every scholar should be required to begin 
 with first principles, and to advance step by step, 
 until the whole subject is mastered. 
 
 In this way only is instruction made available, 
 and discipline of mind secured. 
 
 And it is equally important to teach correctly. 
 Many do not teach facts ; others give no rea- 
 sons for the facts asserted. Both these systems 
 of instruction are defective. For example, in 
 teaching Arithmetic we inquire of the school- 
 boy, how many fundamental rules are there? 
 Four," is the reply. Some say, " Six." (It 
 must be so, for the books so have it.) But 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 41 
 
 what is Arithmetic ? " The science of numbers.'' 
 What do you mean by numbers ? " Any aggre- 
 gate of units." What can we do with numbers ? 
 " Add them together [Addition] , and take them 
 apart, or compare them [Subtraction]." This 
 is all we can do with whole numbers. Multipli- 
 cation and Division are short methods of adding 
 and subtracting not new rules. Addition and 
 Subtraction of Compound Numbers and Duo- 
 decimals, are but the repetition of the simple 
 rules, under a different law of notation. 
 
 Addition and Subtraction of Fractions are 
 only adding and subtracting units which have a 
 nominal divisor the common denominator. In 
 a word, by these two rules, or a modification of 
 them, all the examples in Arithmetic must be 
 solved. When we leave these, we pass into Al- 
 gebra, or other branches of the higher mathe- 
 matics. 
 
 We inquire further, what is Simple Subtrac- 
 tion ? " The taking the lesser number from the 
 greater." But we do not change either number 
 in the process. We only compare the minuend 
 
42 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 with the subtrahend, and write down the differ- 
 ence or remainder. 
 
 Subtraction then, is a comparison of two num- 
 bers to find the difference. But in case the 
 lower figure in the lower number is greater than 
 that in the upper, how do we perform the opera- 
 tion ? " Borrow one [ten or a hundred as the 
 case may be,] from the next left hand figure, 
 which is added to the figure in the upper num- 
 ber before subtracting. Then carry one to the 
 next left, lower figure." Why carry one ? " Be- 
 cause we borrowed." But we did not borrow, 
 only supposed one or ten to be added. We 
 carry then, because we did not borrow to can- 
 cel the one not taken away, as we supposed. 
 
 Once more, What are Fractions ? " Broken 
 numbers." What school-boy understands this ? 
 Broken numbers are no more fractions, of neces- 
 sity, than units. The one piece of the one-third 
 of an apple is as really a unit, as the apple it- 
 self. The earth is a unit, though it is but a small 
 part of the solar system. 
 
 In another sense, every finite, whole number is 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. " 48 
 
 a fraction or broken number. The world, and 
 even the whole system of worlds of which we 
 have any knowledge, are only parts of one " stu- 
 penduous whole." There is then, properly speak- 
 ing, but one unit in the universe, and that is the 
 universe itself. 
 
 Broken numbers cannot be fractions, unless 
 considered as parts of a greater whole. Col- 
 burn says : " FARTS OF ONE ARE CALLED FRAC- 
 TIONS." This definition, properly explained, 
 will leave the pupil with correct information, and 
 prepare him for successful future efforts. 
 
 But to teach facts is not enough. To make 
 his instructions really valuable, the teacher must 
 give and require the reasons ; must give the 
 " why and wherefore " for every statement capa- 
 ble of demonstration. 
 
 He has under consideration, for instance, the 
 Arabic or Roman figures. He should proceed, 
 iirst of all, to inquire for their origin and history. 
 Che characters representing numbers were, origi- 
 lally, straight marks, and probably written in 
 he following manner : 
 
44 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 TheArabic| ||EDd En c3 g 
 been changed by degrees into their present forms, 
 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The nine digits with 
 the [0] cypher, constituted the characters by 
 which the processes of calculation were carried on. 
 
 The Roman characters I, V, X, L, C, D, M, 
 had their origin also in straight marks. The [I] 
 indicated a unit. The X was made by the cross- 
 ing of two I's in counting ; thus I, I, I, I, I, 
 I, I, I, X, ten ones. Of these ten straight 
 marks, the last two [X] were made arbitrarily 
 to stand for ten, and the preceding I's omitted, 
 The V is simply one-half of the X (the upper 
 half) in form, as five is half of ten. Three I'a 
 may indicate one hundred, and may be expressed 
 by [^, or (with the corners worn off) C. One 
 half of [^ (the lower half) gives us in form, L> 
 which stands for fifty. Four I's, written in this 
 form, Q , and afterwards in this, |\/| , were made 
 to represent a thousand. And one-half of [ ] , 
 or D, represented five hundred. 
 
 The combination of Roman characters was 
 expressed by addition and subtraction. Thus$ 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 45 
 
 V=5, IV=4 or 5-1=4; X=10, IX=9 or 
 10-1=9. And VI or 5+1=6; XV or 
 10+5=15. MDCCCXXXIV or 1000+500 
 +300+30+4=1834. The nine digits were 
 probably so called from the fact that the fingers 
 [digiti] were used in counting. We have ten 
 characters representing numbers and no more, 
 because the originators of figures had ten thumbs 
 and fingers. Hence the fundamental law of no- 
 tation, "figures increase in tenfold ratio." 
 
 Such familiar illustrations both instruct and 
 interest beginners in this important science, as 
 also in every other. 
 
 In conducting class recitations, a free use of 
 the black-board both by teacher and pupils, is 
 very important. All are thus instructed by a 
 single explanation and the instructions are much 
 longer remembered, because received through 
 the sense of sight. 
 
 The teacher should never consent to teach 
 
 without this "black-wall" on one side of his 
 
 school-room. As far as possible also, he should 
 
 have cube-blocks, globes and maps, to aid in the 
 
 4 
 
46 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION 
 
 explanation of the subjects that come before the 
 classes. And with all, Webster's or Worcester's 
 large dictionary should be upon every school-desk. 
 When the subject will admit of it, recitation by 
 topics is much to be preferred. This cultivates 
 the habit and gives the power of expression >a 
 very valuable attainment. It compels the pupil to 
 think and reason for himself and thus renders 
 his knowledge available. If questions are asked ? 
 they should not imply the answer, but should be 
 such as require an independent knowledge of the 
 lesson, to answer correctly. Questions should be 
 asked before the individual is- called upon to 
 answer, that the whole class may fix their atten- 
 tion. As the lesson cannot be recited until it 
 is learned, the scholar or the class should be 
 required to repeat the same, in all cases of 
 deficiency. The habit of lecturing classes as a 
 substitute for recitation should never be indulged. 
 It tends to prevent suitable preparation of les- 
 sons and discourage self-reliance. It substitutes 
 knowledge for discipline and thus defeats the main 
 object of education. 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 47 
 
 Frequent and thorough reviews are indispens- 
 able to successful study. It is not the number 
 of books passed over, nor the length of time 
 spent in school, but thoroughness that makes the 
 scholar. Repetition tends to remove the dross of 
 knowledge and bring out the pure gold. It makes 
 sure what was doubtful and firmly fixes the facts 
 and principles of science in the mind of the 
 learner. 
 
 Each day there should be a review of the pre- 
 vious day's lesson ; at the end of each week, of 
 all that has been studied during that week and 
 at the end of each term, of all that has been 
 studied during that term. And this study and 
 these reviews should contemplate a thorough 
 public examination, and special efforts should be 
 made to secure the attendance of all parents and 
 friends in the district. 
 
 The teacher must learn to discriminate that he 
 may adapt his instructions to different classes of 
 scholars. 
 
 The roots of all knowledge are and must be 
 bitter. That study which will benefit, must re- 
 2c 
 
48 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 quire effort, as already suggested. The mind 
 must be tasked to be disciplined ; it must be 
 disciplined, to be educated. If, then, we find 
 scholars whose tasks are all easy, so easy that it 
 costs little effort to learn their lessons, we should 
 lay upon them greater burdens ; should rouse 
 them to loftier aspirations. The mother eagle 
 is said to push her eaglet out of its nest for the 
 purpose of teaching it to fly. It were much bet- 
 ter that it be exposed to fall, than not to learn to 
 fly. So must our easy, fluent pupils be taught 
 how to make application, that they may train 
 and develope their untried powers and gain 
 strength for the duties of manhood. 
 
 Another class of scholars are quick and pene- 
 trating, but unpardonably self-sufficient. They 
 are proud to appear well in recitations but anx- 
 ious to have it understood that they have given 
 little or no attention to the lessons. 
 
 Such scholars should be proved with hard 
 questions. Let the teacher expose their weak- 
 ness and show them the difference between sound 
 scholarship, and flippant, boisterous pretentious^ 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 49 
 
 They will thus learn their true position and be will- 
 ing to apply themselves^ as none will do, who feel 
 that they have already attained to perfection. 
 
 Thus may flaws be ground away from the dia- 
 mond. Prune off the leaves and useless twigs 
 of self-conceit, and the fruit of true scholarship 
 will appear. 
 
 Another class of pupils are fearful and sell- 
 distrusting. They meet difficulties on every 
 hand, but discover in themselves no ability to over- 
 come them. Such scholars need special encour- 
 agement. They can be assured that their failures 
 may prove as beneficial to them in point of dis- 
 cipline, as would their success. It is not the 
 finding of truth, but the search for it, that edu- 
 cates the mind. Hence inferior scholars, as they 
 appear in the class-room, often turn out superior 
 men in life. They have shown less brilliantly 
 than their fellows in recitation, but have really 
 made more efforts and hence gained more prac- 
 tical benefit than they. They have received 
 from their teacher less information but more en- 
 
 3c 
 
50 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 couragement and inspiration ; this is what they 
 most needed. 
 
 For such pupils, the instructor should bend 
 down the branches of the tree of knowledge, but 
 leave them the toil of plucking the fruit. He should 
 lead them by degrees into the difficulties they 
 have to encounter. As they enter the path 
 that leads up the hill of science, they will see but 
 a small part of the height to be scaled. If, when 
 they have surmounted one ridge, another appears, 
 it seems but one more. If, as they ascend, 
 
 " Hills peep o'er hills and Alps on Alps arise," 
 
 they will gradually have gained strength and 
 courage to encounter greater difficulties and over- 
 come greater obstacles, till, at length, they can 
 brave the glacier and the avalanche with the 
 fearlessness of a Hannibal or a Kane. 
 
 Still other scholars load their tasks with need- 
 less difficulties. Like the foreigner who dined at 
 a Yankee table. A boiled ear of Indian corn 
 was placed before him. " Ignorant of the usual 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 51 
 
 method of chewing the corn and eschewing the 
 cob, he began at the little end and ate it, as one 
 would eat a radish, cob and all" 
 
 The teacher should aim to remove such need^ 
 less difficulties, and to show the scholar how to 
 direct his efforts and apply his energies. With 
 this power of discrimination and adaptation to 
 the disposition and circumstances of his pupils, 
 the instructor will be eminently successful ; with- 
 out it, he can but fail. ' 
 
 That it is the right and duty of every teacher 
 to impart moral instruction, may here be taken 
 for granted. 
 
 It were enough to know that the object of the 
 school is not to form scholars merely, but to form 
 and develope men, citizens, immortal beings. 
 These citizens are to constitute the community 
 and the state. And what would be the condition 
 of that state which has no regard for justice, in- 
 tegrity, truth, reverence, and no fear of God 
 before their eyes? 
 
 The answer to this question is written in charac- 
 ters of blood on many pages of the world's history. 
 
52 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 And if we would avoid a future " Reign of 
 Terror " in America, our Common Schools must 
 be nurseries of sound Bible morality. It must 
 be the teacher's business then, to give regular 
 and systematic moral instruction. It is his to aid 
 in laying deep the foundations of public justice ; 
 in giving that profound and quick sense of the 
 sacredness of right and the everlasting obliga- 
 tions of truth, without which, law has no sanctity, 
 private contracts no binding force> the pulpit no 
 reverence, justice no authority. In a word, it is 
 his to exert such an influence, and inculcate such 
 principles as will tend to save our youth from 
 vice and crime and to preserve and fit them for 
 the duties of private and public life. 
 
 How, then, shall this moral instruction be 
 given ? First of all and at all times, the lessons 
 of morality should be taught by example and 
 influence. 
 
 Moral and Christian character is an indispensa- 
 ble qualification of the teacher, because, without 
 such a character, he cannot exert a wholesome 
 influence over his pupils. In vain does he preach 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 53 
 
 homilies upon virtue and goodness, or attempt to 
 enforce moral lessons, while he himself, is reck- 
 less and profane. If, however, he is interested 
 in the subject, if his moral sentiments are in a 
 state of healthy activity, his whole deportment 
 will declare it ; every thought and feeling that 
 pervade his soul, will be expressed in his words, 
 tones and actions. 
 
 And if such be his character, he will seek for 
 modes to benefit his pupils by moral instruc- 
 tion. Nor will he fail to find them. 
 
 When devising ways to impart moral instruc- 
 tion, the teacher should not forget that the BIBLE 
 is the source of all genuine morality. To this 
 he must appeal for authority, from whatever 
 source his moral lessons are derived. It is no 
 part of his business to teach dogmas or creeds, 
 but he may impart the soul-inspiring principles, 
 and pure morality of the Holy Scriptures. These 
 gems of wisdom lie scattered all over his field 
 of labor, but like the drifting rocks from the 
 mountain quarry, they have one common lo- 
 calitythe Bible. 
 
54 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 It is not recommended that the Scriptures 
 should be used as a common reading-book in 
 school, but for moral and religious purposes only. 
 The teacher should, if possible, leave the impres- 
 sion upon the minds of his pupils that the Bible is 
 sacred, unlike all other books and infinitely 
 more valuable. Then will its instructions be 
 clothed with authority and power, and its influ- 
 ence be salutary and sanctifying. 
 
 Cases are constantly occurring in the school- 
 room from which moral instructions may be 
 drawn. These should all be improved. Every 
 violation of moral duties in the intercourse of pu- 
 pils, should be made the occasion of imparting 
 moral lessons. Falsehood, injustice, and profan- 
 ity are among the bad habits of scholars. The 
 teacher should correct them in such a way that 
 the whole school may be benefited. He should 
 expose in a mild and solemn manner, the folly, 
 sinfulness and degrading tendency of such con. 
 duct, and at the same time, appeal to the con- 
 science, wake up, if he can, the slumbering sense 
 of obligation, and thus give tone to public senti- 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 55 
 
 ment in school. Make such conduct unpopular 
 and it will not be indulged in ; make the offender 
 feel that he has wronged himself and his school- 
 mates, and he will not be likely to repeat the 
 act. The delicate conscience of the child is quick 
 to perceive the wrong, and if aroused, will in- 
 cline him to cultivate the better qualities of the 
 soul by the practice of virtue. 
 
 The teacher may employ all legitimate mo- 
 tives to accomplish his object, and he should dis- 
 criminate in the selection and application of the 
 motives, as circumstances require. 
 
 The lessons of school present frequent occasions 
 for moral instruction. Science, Philosophy and 
 History abound in moral sentiments. Indeed, 
 there is a moral in everything; in every -lesson 
 recited, in every school exercise, in every action, 
 thought and feeling of school-life, in every inci- 
 dent that occurs in the busy world around us, 
 and it is the business of the teacher to gather up 
 and apply these moral elements for the benefit of 
 those committed to his care. In what particu- 
 lar manner such facts and incidents should be 
 
56 SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 
 
 employed, must be left to the good sense of the 
 instructor, who is presumed to be interested and 
 anxious for the improvement and welfare of his 
 pupils. 
 
 But moral instruction is too important to de- 
 pend upon casual circumstances. 
 
 A specific time should be set apart for some 
 appropriate exercise of this kind. In connection 
 with the reading of the Scriptures, the teacher 
 may explain and enforce the great cardinal duties 
 of life. Such exercises must of course, be short 
 and interesting to be profitable, and may be 
 varied according to circumstances ; but no con- 
 scientious teacher will neglect or trifle with a 
 duty so plain and important. 
 
 Such instructions in no way interfere with the 
 different religious opinions that may be enter- 
 tained in the district, nor do they tend to secta- 
 rian results. Moral and religious instruction in 
 schools, is merely a war upon Atheism. Its ten- 
 dency and design is to purify and elevate the af- 
 fections, to regulate the conscience and to guide 
 and control the whole moral being ; to fit the 
 
SCHOOL INSTRUCTION. 57 
 
 citizen for the duties and responsibilities of a 
 Christian community, and the immortal man for 
 the blessings of a higher life. 
 
 Nor do such instructions interfere with intel- 
 lectual education. Indeed moral culture is in- 
 dispensable to true greatness and aids in the 
 developement and growth of mind, as the heat 
 and light of the sun aid in the growth of vegeta- 
 tion. A plant will grow without these influences, 
 in the dark cellar, but its growth is unnatural and 
 distorted. It may be as large as the one whose 
 roots have been nourished upon the hill-side, and 
 whose leaves have felt the gentle breeze and glo- 
 rious sunlight of Heaven, but it can have none 
 of its health and vigor. So the intellectual man 
 may be great, but it is the greatness of a BURR, 
 a BYRON or a PAINE ! The world has felt the 
 influence of too many such men. The true man 
 has a sound body and a highly cultivated mind 
 and heart. His passions are in subjection to self- 
 love, self-love to conscience, and conscience to 
 the word and will of God. Such should be the 
 result of Common School education. 
 
58 CONCLUDING KEMAKKS, 
 
 VI. 
 
 CONCLUDING REMARKS TO TEACHERS, 
 
 THUS, fellow teachers, we have aimed to redeem 
 our promise and present to you very briefly, some 
 practical " Hints " upon school-keeping. . We 
 trust you will appreciate our motives, with how- 
 ever little favor you may regard our efforts. All 
 that is valuable for you as teachers, must be 
 learned either from those " who have borne the 
 heat and burden of the day," or from your own 
 experience in the " wear and tear " of teaching. 
 Mere theory and philosophy have no place in the 
 management and instruction of schools. The 
 teacher deals only with facts. He is eminently 
 a practical man, and must take a practical, com- 
 mon-sense view of everything. Besides 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 59 
 
 u Teacher! to thyself, 
 Thou hast assumed responsibilities 
 Of crushing weight. A mighty, peerless work, 
 Is thine. The golden chords attun'd by thee, 
 Or grown by thy neglect, discordant; not 
 In time alone, but thro' the limitless 
 Expanse of all eternity, shall throb ; 
 And should one note, which thou, by greater care, 
 More zealous labors, or by added skill, 
 Might now attune in harmony, be found, 
 At last, in dissonance with virtue, truth. 
 Or mental symmetry, in Heaven's sight, 
 Methinks a fearful guilt will on thee rest. 
 Thou hast to do with God's most noble work! 
 The image fair, and likeness of Himself ! 
 Immortal mind. That emanation bright 
 From His Divinity ! Sole transfer made 
 To man, from His own deathless nature! Such > 
 Instructor, is thy trust! Thus sacred, high, 
 And precious, e'en beyond all finite pow'r 
 To estimate, thy holy charge ! No work 
 Of art, or finest mechanism in things 
 Material, hath e'er so challenged, for 
 Its right discharge, e'en the vast aggregate 
 Of human skill." 
 
 Look well then to your qualifications for the 
 great work which you have undertaken. Have 
 you so much common-sense, aptness to teach, 
 energy of character, mental power and cultiva- 
 tion, self-control and moral integrity, as will fit 
 you for the duties of school-life ? If you are 
 conscious that you do not possess these qualities 
 
60 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 and have not power and determination to secure 
 them, you may safely conclude that you have 
 mistaken your calling, and should at once relin- 
 quish it, to engage in some employment less re- 
 sponsible and more congenial to your habits and 
 tastes. 
 
 " For woe to him who brings, 
 Or ignorance or recklessness to such 
 Pursuit! Let him the rather dig, or beg 
 From door to door, his daily food, avidjlive 
 At peace with God, and in His sight absolved, 
 Than tamper with expanding mind ; for if 
 Unsightly mould, he doth perchance impart, 
 No pow'r resides on earth, to e'er repair 
 The seemless havoc he hath wrought. His work 
 Howe'er achieved, whate'er its consequent, 
 How done, is done for aye." 
 
 If, however, you are conscious that you possess 
 the requisite qualifications to enter upon such 
 duties, let your aim be high. Determine to ele- 
 vate and honor your profession. Let no oppor- 
 tunity for self-culture pass unimproved. No 
 teacher has already attained to perfection ; every 
 one should strive still more to cultivate his mind 
 and heart, and to gain general and professional 
 knowledge. This should be the work of every 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 61 
 
 day of his life. Would you earnestly engage in 
 this work of self-discipline, learn to make the 
 most of time. 
 
 Great wealth is not usually acquired by " huge 
 windfalls," but by minute and careful accumula- 
 tions. The little sums which many would deem 
 of no importance, the pennies and half-dollars 
 are the items which the miser has, year by year, 
 collected and preserved, until he has reared his 
 pyramid of fortune. From the miser's success, 
 you may learn the nobler u avarice of time." 
 
 The German critic, who learned to repeat the 
 Iliad in Greek, had no months, weeks nor days 
 to spare from professional labor. He employed 
 the minutes spent in passing from one patient's 
 door to another, in his daily round of duty. Dr. 
 Mason Good's translation of Lucretius was com- 
 posed in the streets of London, under similar cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 Dr. Burney, the great musician, acquired 
 the French and Italian languages while riding on 
 horse-back, from place to place, to give his pro- 
 fessional instructions. 
 
82 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 Elihu Burritt and Hugh Miller are also illus- 
 trious examples of what may be accomplished by 
 a proper use of time, amid the cares and labors 
 of active life. You also should profit by such 
 economy, and learn how to use fragments of 
 time. You should "glean up its golden dust; 
 those raspings and parings 'of precious duration, 
 those leavings of days and remnants of hours 
 which so many sweep out into the waste of exist- 
 ence," and employ them all in study and efforts 
 to make yourselves better teachers. 
 
 To the same end, you should learn to be punc- 
 tual. This is important, not only in your 
 efforts for self-improvement, but also for your 
 success in the management of your school. As a 
 habit in life, it is invaluable. Some always post 
 their letters a few moments after the mail has 
 been closed ; reach the wharf just in time to see 
 the steamboat off, or the railroad depot just in 
 season to hear the whistle of the engine, already 
 thundering by. By such tardiness much time is 
 lost and much inconvenience realized. So in 
 school-life. 
 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 63 
 
 " A LITTLE TOO LATE," will produce evils that 
 industry and perseverance cannot remove ; will 
 waste precious moments that no pains nor toil 
 can recover. Be punctual, then, in every school- 
 duty, and also in those personal duties that per- 
 tain to your own improvement. 
 
 Method and promptitude are also essential to 
 your improvement and success. They will pre- 
 vent confusion and irregularity. If you have no 
 system, or delay until to-morrow what ought to 
 be done to-day, a part of your necessary or de- 
 sirable work, will remain undone through the 
 week, through the year, and through life. "A 
 time and place for everything," should be written 
 over your door, engraven on your memory, and 
 wrought into your fixed habits. Then school-duty 
 will be pleasant and will be performed, and much 
 time saved for self-culture. 
 
 Finally, enter upon your duties with a full con- 
 viction of their importance and of your own in- 
 dividual responsibility. You must cherish this 
 feeling or you can have no motive to put forth 
 suitable efforts to become a true teacher. 
 4 
 
64 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
 
 The community is yet ungrateful and insensible 
 to the importance of your services ; hence they 
 offer you but a meager compensation, and give 
 you but little encouragement. Still it is true that 
 you " stand in the highest and best place that 
 God has ordained to man." It is yours "to form 
 a human soul to virtue, and to enrich it with 
 knowledge an office inferior only to creating 
 power." You stand on holy ground. 
 
 " O, then, be wise! 
 
 Be every measure of thy choice, to aid 
 In forming deathless intellect, the fruit 
 Of earnest study, and of zealous care; 
 E'en looking to the boundless future of 
 Its destiny. Thou may'st be popular, 
 Perchance, but seek not popularity 
 As motive-spring of any act, in thy 
 Profession. Valiant be, and ever dare 
 To do the right, tho' all the gathered hosts 
 Of error may oppose. Then, if thou fail 
 On earth, thy well-earn'd measure of applause 
 To gain, that nobler tribute from the skies, 
 * Well done thou good and faithful servant,' shall 
 Thy glorious mission crown." 
 
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 65 
 
 VII. 
 
 OUR COMMON SCHOOLS, 
 
 THE education of a young Prince or Princess 
 is regarded in royal governments, as an impor 
 tant matter, affecting, as it must, the welfare of 
 nations. The selection of a proper tutor for 
 such an heir to the throne, always excites a deep 
 interest and solicitude throughout the kingdom 
 or empire. 
 
 But we are a Nation of Sovereigns , and our 
 children all princes of a future generation. 
 Yet, with how little comparative solicitude, do 
 parents and teachers in our community, enter 
 upon the great work of Education. How little 
 interest is felt in the character and success of our 
 Common Schools. How small the capital in- 
 vested in school houses, apparatus, books and 
 teachers, (if we may judge by the amount paid 
 
66 OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 
 
 for their services.) And do they expect a lib- 
 eral income from this investment ? Would they 
 expect it in any other department of labor or 
 trade, under similar circumstances ? Let us 
 suppose the mechanic, the farmer, or the mer- 
 chant, should invest so meagerly, as a means of 
 carrying on his business, what but a disgraceful 
 failure would be the result? Yet there is no 
 investment that pays so well as the necessary 
 expense of a first class district school ; a spacious, 
 convenient and tasteful house, a good apparatus 
 and suitable books and a well-qualified, efficient 
 and expensive (because well qualified) teacher. 
 As a mere matter of dollars and cents, we repeat 
 it, no investment pays so ivell. 
 
 Jlailroad and Bank stock is often below par. 
 Manual and mechanical labor may, for various 
 reasons, fail of their reward. But intellectual 
 and moral culture, a sound and practical educa- 
 tion for our children, is always available ; is a 
 better security against future want, than any 
 amount of money can be. Besides, the very 
 property now in possession of these parents, 
 
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 67 
 
 would be largely increased in value, if the con- 
 dition and character of these schools were eleva- 
 ted ? What is a good farm worth in Sodoin ? 
 Yet, the education of our children, in the proper 
 sense of that term, is all that can prevent any 
 district or neighborhood from becoming a Sodom. 
 How then, is it possible for parents to manifest so 
 little interest in the welfare of their schools? 
 Why bestow so little care upon the selection of 
 teachers ? Why take so little interest in the 
 school while in operation ? Are they in the habit 
 of visiting their schools ? Yet, what a stimulant 
 would such a habit furnish the teacher and his 
 pupils. If this habit should become general, the 
 change would mark an era in the history of edu- 
 cation in our community and result in untold 
 good. No other kind of business or enterprise 
 can prosper without care and oversight, and can 
 this be an exception ? Will parents, forgetful of 
 their own best interests and the welfare of their 
 children, continue to toil only for wealth ? And 
 for what end ? The absolute injury, and perhaps, 
 the ruin of their children, unless they are also 
 
68 OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 
 
 educated. Cruel, wretched policy ! When will 
 parents learn wisdom ? When will they seek to 
 secure for themselves and their children, the last- 
 ing benefits of a thorough Common School Edu- 
 cation ? 
 
 The children and youth in our families and 
 common schools, have also a deep interest in the 
 matter. Indeed, the good that may be accom- 
 plished by our educational system as it is, and 
 the desirable improvements that should be made, 
 depends very much upon the pupils themselves. 
 The best teacher in the nation, and the best 
 school-house, and the best books, will not, neces- 
 sarily, make good scholars or secure the desirable 
 advantages of a good school. Those pupils who 
 choose to remain ignorant and become vicious in 
 spite of instruction, may always succeed. If, on 
 the other hand, there is a full determination to 
 learn and a consciousness of individual responsi- 
 bility, scholars will improve with limited advan- 
 tages and little instruction, or with no instruction 
 at all. How many of the great and good men 
 of our country have reached the high places of 
 
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 69 
 
 honor and usefulness, with even less advantages 
 than our pupils at present enjoy. When young, 
 they felt the importance of self-reliance and per- 
 severance, which alone can insure improvement 
 and give success under any circumstances. By 
 industry, economy and laborious effort, they sur- 
 mounted every obstacle and gained the desired 
 object. Whether the school shall be good or bad 
 depends as much upon the scholars as teacher. It 
 must follow, therefore, that there are mutual and 
 reciprocal duties to be performed. Not a child 
 nor a youth attends our Summer or Winter schools 
 who is not, in a measure, responsible for the good 
 or bad results of the teacher's efforts ; who has 
 not power to aid in improving and elevating the 
 school, or in rendering it worse than useless. 
 The pupils have not to perform the duties of the 
 teacher or parent, but those peculiar to their own 
 sphere and within the reach of their own ability. 
 How then, shall they be qualified to fulfill 
 their obligations ? We answer, first, they must 
 regard it of great importance to improve all their 
 time and opportunities to the best advantage. 
 
70 OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 
 
 The minutes gathered up .from the strand of 
 youth, are indeed the golden sands in the houi> 
 glass of life. Will our pupils allow them to run 
 out in indolence or folly ? If so, manhood will 
 become a barren waste, or a frightful desert. 
 This is true when applied to intellectual improve- 
 ment. With diligence and perseverance any youth 
 in our common schools may become a good scholar ; 
 may acquire a substantial, thorough education, 
 sufficient for all the ordinary pursuits of life. 
 All should aim, while yet in the common schools, 
 to become good readers, writers and accountants, 
 and to acquaint themselves with the Constitution 
 of their country and the laws of their moral 
 being. If school-houses are poor and books ill- 
 adapted ; if teachers are inefficient and parents 
 indifferent, pupils should feel more interest and 
 put forth greater efforts ; should resolve to over- 
 come all these obstacles and become men and 
 women worthy of the age and country in which 
 they live. 
 
 It is important, also, that the youth in our 
 schools, should realize the danger of bad habits. 
 
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. 71 
 
 Many suppose that it is brave and manly to dis- 
 regard the authority of parents and teachers ; 
 to indulge in roguery, dishonesty and profanity. 
 But all such should remember that the false, vul- 
 gar, wicked boy, is on the direct way to a useless, 
 vicious manhood, and a miserable old age. Every 
 act, thought and feeling of childhood and youth, 
 has an influence in determining what manhood 
 shall be. School-life for the pupil, is emphati- 
 cally a preparation for the future ; the seed-time 
 whose harvest will be "wheat" or "tares," joy 
 or sorrow, according to the seed which is sown. 
 Pupils should act from principle, and always dare 
 to do right. A true spirit consists in following 
 the dictates of a noble nature, and he alone is a 
 coward who can be shamed out of his principles. 
 And let it not be forgotten that it is the 
 teacher's business to govern and the scholars' 
 duty to obey. The relations they sustain to each 
 other, make this necessary, and all well disposed 
 scholars will aim to comply exactly with the reg- 
 ulations of school. The interests of both teacher 
 and pupils are the same. The true teacher la- 
 
72 OUR COMMON SCHOOLS, 
 
 bors and lives only for those committed to his 
 care ; his honor is in their progress and his hap- 
 piness in their highest good. Those who disturb 
 his plans or hinder his success, therefore, tri- 
 umph in their own defeat and glory in their own 
 shame. 
 
 Our Common Schools should be the best schools 
 in the town, county and state. To secure this 
 object, not only must 'good school-houses be pro- 
 vided, well-qualified teachers employed and a 
 deep interest felt by parents in the welfare and 
 improvement of the school, but pupils must be 
 docile and obedient, prompt, punctual and 
 faithful in the discharge of all their duties. Then 
 we should find in our families and community, 
 better sons and daughters, kinder brothers and 
 sisters, truer friends, nobler patriots, more virtu- 
 ous, more devoted, more faithful servants of our 
 LORD JESUS CHRIST. 
 
YA 07950