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ed it to his minister. One died at New Orleans; one died at sea, and one by suicide. One became president of the Bank at Brattleboro', and one of the Union Bank, in New York. Two became eminent as sons of the printer; one at Binghamton, New York; and one in Ohio.

I need not proceed farther with this commingled detail of the pleasing and the painful. It may seem to you more like the tales of romance, than sober, truthful history, that the members of a single district school should travel so wide apart, and present biographical sketches so highly elevated, and so deeply and affectingly depressed. Hence let teachers be aware of their high and awful responsibility. You act upon minds whose future destiny may range as wide apart as the chair of state and the dark cell of the penitentiary. Mind, like the smooth ocean, is easily impressible with the slightest touch; and yet the impression, once made, is graven, as with an "iron and lead in the rock forever." Every movement of the teacher in the school-room must strike a chord which will vibrate for

ever.

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FONDNESS FOR TEACHING.

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THE question is often asked by those about to engage in teaching: "I wonder if I shall like teaching." Now, one of the first requisites for success in this vocation is a fondness for the occupation, an ardent love for the work; and we would have beginners in the profession enter upon their labors with nothing less than a determination to love the work. This determination, before a practical trial has been made, cannot, as we think, be regarded as premature or inconsiderate. No person should engage in teaching, without having first studied the nature of the calling, and his fitness for its duties; and public sentiment now quite generally demands, also, some special professional training for the work. In the case of an individual who has thus studied his vocation and himself (we use simply the masculine pronoun for the sake of convenience, including, of course, teachers of both sexes), and also, perhaps, made some special preparation for engaging in it; and who still has a desire to make a trial at teaching; it is fair to presume that there is enough in such a person's tastes and predilections to constitute a guaranty, that the labors of the teacher will be, in a good degree at least, congenial to him. Hence we think such a beginner in teaching may safely resolve to love the work.

Entering upon the labors of the school-room with this resolution, the young teacher will be in a frame of mind to understand properly the nature of his work, to grapple successfully with its difficulties, and to bring the full strength of a willing mind to bear upon the discharge of his duties. This, most assuredly, will lessen his trials. Such a state of mind is to him the achromatic glass, through which he clearly sees the many perplexities and provocations he necessarily encounters, in their true relations, without distortion, and without the confused colorings of a dissatisfied mind. And it is to him, likewise, the Astronomer's planet-seeker-the far-seeing glass. It enables him, reading the hearts of his pupils, to discern those little points of light, not obvious to common vision, to understand those little peculiarities and traits of character, to discover those little signs of encouragement and success, so cheering and so valuable to him, and which by a doubting, wavering, and indifferent teacher are never seen.

But there are teachers, too many indeed, who do not love their work. It is not very uncommon to hear one of that class remark: "I would not follow teaching, if I could get out of it. I am in the business, and am not fit for anything else." Alas, that such a teacher should not understand himself, as well as others understand him! While he is conscious, or fancies himself so, that he is "fit for nothing else," it is a matter of deep regret that he is not, also, conscious of his utter unfitness for the very business in which he is engaged.

According to our idea of the feelings which a teacher ought to cherish for his calling, the school-room must seem the most unsatisfactory place in the world to a teacher who regards his labors as mere drudgery, and looks upon them with disgust. It would seem to be a kind of slow, but real, torture. Small, indeed, must be the pleasure that such a teacher derives from his daily labors. Not only is he a loser himself, in this respect, but he inflicts a great wrong upon the community. He is without the proper spirit of a teacher, and he cannot labor with success, or profit to others. His work will be un

skilfully and badly done; and he will send forth his pupils infested with his own bad temper, and without that harmonious development of their powers and character, which is the true end of education. He owes it to himself, but more especially to the welfare of the community, to cultivate and exhibit a fondness for his calling; or to step aside, and give his place to others who are qualified to discharge its important and delicate duties.

Such is the character of the age, that the teacher has a great

work to perform, great, not only in respect to its arduous duties, but in respect to its consequences upon our own, and upon future times. No one qualification is more indispensable for him than a love for his work, the true teacher's spirit. The teacher who has it will take delight in his labors, and will be willing to spend his strength and his days in moulding the character of the young. And let him not fear lest he may not be appreciated. A successful teacher of the right spirit is quite sure to be sought for, and to be awarded a compensation that will enable him to devote his life to his profession. He will secure the coöperation of the public, and of all friends of improvement in particular; will be recognized as a useful citizen; and will have assigned to him that position, socially and otherwise, in the community, that will entitle him to the respect and confidence of his fellow-men. To such a teacher every valuable member of the community will say, in the language of the curate Nathaniel to the schoolmaster Holofernes: "I praise the Lord for you. You are a good mem

ber of the Commonwealth."

A. P. S.

THE PARISH SCHOOLS OF SCOTLAND.-MORAL AND RELIGIOUS CHARACTER.

DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES.

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THE daily routine of exercises in the parish schools of Scotland, at the period to which I refer, the early part of the present century, was uniformly such as to favor the most salutary impressions on the young mind. The duties of the day commenced with prayer; and among the regular classes of the school, was always to be found one whose reading lessons were in the New Testament, and another whose lessons were in the Old Testament. One of these lessons followed

the prayer.

THE BIBLE AS A CLASS-BOOK.

To the Scottish people, our mooted question, whether the Bible ought to be used as a class-book in schools, would, fifty years ago, have seemed a strange and most unaccountable one to exist in an intelligent Christian community. The worthy dominie, in particular, would have had very little respect for any such doubt or scruple. It would have seemed to him a fancy, or an absurdity. He would have asked, at once, how children were ever to learn to read aright in the devotional exercises of the family, if they did not receive the requisite

training on the chapters of the sacred volume at school. He well knew that the peculiar style of expression in the Scriptures, and the many difficult proper names occurring in them, rendered a separate and frequent practice in Scripture reading indispensable.

Aside from the daily use of the Bible in the regular reading exercises of the classes, there was a time specially appropriated to reading the Scriptures, as a volume of sacred history. Saturday forenoon was customarily devoted to this purprse; and all faithful teachers made it a point of duty to prepare themselves for this exercise, by extensive reading in books of commentaries, history, travels, antiquities, and whatever else might serve to render the weekly lesson instructive and interesting. Those teachers who were themselves students of theology, or licensed preachers, had it, of course, easily in their power to make the Bible lessons peculiarly attractive; and those who did not possess such advantages would, in many instances, make it a weekly practice, on their own part, to call at the minister's study at a convenient time, and obtain from the pastor, or his library, - ever open to such calls, the requisite aid.

The effect of the reverential regard for the sacred volume, and of the earnest desire to understand and treasure up its contents, which are so characteristic of the Scotch, was to render the Bible readings on Saturday forenoon a kind of sacred festival to both teacher and pupils, -even to the youngest, who were, on that day, permitted to lay aside a portion of their accustomed lessons, and indulged in the delightful privilege of listening to the readings and explanations going on in the older classes. These explanations turned, it is true, chiefly on points of history, customs, manners, and scenery. But they were by no means limited to such topics. The faithful teacher never omitted an opportunity to explain, where it seemed necessary, any spiritual truth, to enforce any moral injunction, or to comment on any instructive exhibition of Divine Providence. A thorough understanding and an early love of the sacred Scriptures, were thus infused into the mind and heart of childhood, and much done to produce one of the most prominent traits of the Scottish national character.

LESSON FROM THE CATECHISM.

Monday morning was regularly appropriated to hearing les sons from the Assembly's Catechism, unless in the case of such pupils as were excused from this exercise, on the score of their parents being dissenters of some communion which did

not sanction the use of that manual. The lessons from the Catechism were meant to provide useful and salutary occupation for the otherwise unemployed hours of Saturday evening and the Sabbath day. But the teacher usually exercised his own judgment as to the age at which his pupils should commence such exercises, so as to secure, as far as practicable, a sufficient maturity of understanding for the profitable performance of them; and, at the same time, to avoid laying on the tender mind a burden too heavy for its powers, and thus producing an aversion to such employments.

SCHOOL DISCIPLINE.

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The discipline adopted in the Scottish parochial schools, at the period to which I refer, was of a sterner character than is deemed necessary or appropriate at the present day. It depended, however, to a great extent, on the disposition and habits of the teacher individually; as parental interference, or opposition on the part of the pupils, was a thing never apprehended or experienced in the management of a school. occurrence of such a character would have been generally regarded as bordering on sacrilege. The parent gave up his child unreservedly to the control of the teacher; and seldom, indeed, was this sacred confidence misplaced. Parent, teacher, and pupil, alike, regarded education as a hallowed privilege, and instruction as a sacred office. This very circumstance precluded the necesIsty of recourse to harsh measures to subdue turbulence, or of extreme resorts to assert or maintain authority, or resent indignities. The current of control accordingly ran smooth, as did that of submission Such, at least, was the ordinary course of things; and, in most cases, even the master who was severe in office, was regarded with reverence and awe, as only the more inflexibly just. Hatred or aversion to a teacher was nearly as rare among pupils, as among parents.

MORAL INSTRUCTION.

Another most effectual aid to the government of the Scottish schools, was the high standard of moral influence which was uniformly aimed at in the daily business of the school. Familiar and affectionate conversation, aided by striking and impressive anecdotes, illustrative of the importance of moral and religious principle, was usually a daily resort. The sacredness of filial duty, the reverence due to parental authority, the sanctity of religious obligation, the indispensable necessity of the fear of God, and of devout regard to the authority of his word, as the only

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