VOL. III.
OXFORD, N. G., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1877.
NO. 37.
BIEWWEi AS(J> JOWES.
Brown and Jones are teachers.
So they are. Bat they mi^ht
have been almost anything else,
in the way of professional men,
without materially changing their
tempers, habits, or characters.
They would have remained much
the same, notwithstanding the
marked changes wrought in .some
men by their omplo3mients. As
a merchant, Brown would have
grown rich, at the expense of his
customers; though it is probable
they never w'ould have known
the latter. Jones would have
gained a competency and the
good will of the wise and good.
As lawyers, Jones would have
been trusted ; Bi'own would have
been suspected, feared by some,
courted by the shoddy, and de
tested by "the wise and good. As
a clergyman, Jones w'ould have
won tire hearts of his lioarers by
an honest presentation of the
truth; Brown, by stratagem and
guile—by extraneous efforts. The
one would liave'been the beloved
pastor of the few—the other the
sensation preacher of the many'.
Tho one would have attracted
the brains, the other the crowd.
As artists. Brown would have
sculptured, and painted, and sung
for the present; Jones, for the fu
ture. As artisans, one would
have builded, and spun, and wo
ven tho shoddy, the other the
genuine.
But they became teachers.—
these two young men,—and they
spun, and wove, and builded with
different material, v/ith tho more
enduring substance of thought
emotion, will, and character. Their
fabrics, in time, becanro a part of
the light force of society. Here is
where they touched material in
terests. One of Brown’s pupils
became an arcbitoct, and planned
a public building that tumbled
down before it was completed,
and killed and maimed several
workmen. But this was light in
comparison with the injury done
the more enduring substance -with
wbioh these men builded; for
they were teachers; more import
ant" than any other consideration.
They were builders of minds and
morals, of governments and reli
gions. They were architects
wliose structures entered into the
fabrics of eternity'.
At first they taughi in country
districts, where, unfortunately,
most green artists begin. Brown
taught to please everybody ; but
everybody having slightly differ
ent notions from overy'body else,
he found it difficult trimming at
first; but by dint of management
he soon contrived clap-traps and
show enough to make every'body
‘—-except a few w’ho thought for
themselves—believe that he was
a great teacher. Jones had stud
ied his work a little, and tried to
conform it to the rules of right,
but failed to please more than a
few. Brow'll by and by became
popular; for he soon learned how
to cater to tho whims of the peo
ple. Jones stood only fair ; for
truth w'orks slower than error.
One thing was in his favor, how
ever. lie remained longer in the
same district than Brown did.
He seemed to grow better on
close acquaintance. Brown car
ried every'thing before him for a
time, but in so doing, carried
public sentiment too high. It re
acted, and he ivas frequently
compelled to seek new fields.
Once or twice he was on the point
of leaving the profession perma
nently, for more congenial w'ork.
But he remained and devised new
plans. Jones also remained and
soon began to see the depth of
meaning in teaching. He studied
it as an art—studied education as
a science which included all the
other sciences; and he tried to
conform his teachings to its great
principles and law's. In tliis he
succeeded, but it was too slow.
The age wanted something faster
than ever !iad been before. The
modes of travel were faster ; and
a building that required years to
complete in former times was now
built in a few weeks. Why should
education he so tardy f Why' not
hurry up the slow, poky growth
of boy's and girls I Why not
hun’y up the educational machine,
and grind them out quick f Oth
er things were moved by light
ning and steam, why not apply'
them to children ?
True, corn and wheat did not
grow any faster now than they
did a thousand years ago, and it
required as much time and pa
tience to raise an oak tree or an
ox in these days as it did in the
days of Solomon. But what of
that? Children were not oxen,
nor oaks, nor corn, nor wheat.
Brown’s quick perception saw
the advantage, and he soon join
ed issue with old fogyism, as he
called it. There was certainly
no need in spending five or six
years in college when all the
work, and culture, and acquisition
could be accomplished in two
years, at most. Colleges were a
humbug; too much behind the
age—(a remark not without its
significance). They were con
trived to extort money' from
young men and women. Six years
ill college ! Why, the thing was
absurd. The whole field of knowl
edge, and science, and literature
could be cultivated by the new
plans much more thoroughly, in one
third the time. Tlius reasoned
our would-be reformer. That
was just the thing. The world
had long been waiting for a rev
elation, and Brown was just the
man to lead in the great reform(?)
(so he thought), He soon found
a place and means for starting
his new educational machine, and
here is one of his manifestoes to
the people:
“notice,”
“To all young persons, of both
sexes, who desire to educate your
selves for any of tho professions,
or for business, I wish to say this
Normal reduces the time and ex
pense of a tliorougli education
more than one half, as compared
with colleges. The course of
study which in colleges requires
from five to six years, here re
quires from one and a half to two
and a half years, while the nor
mal course is more thorough, sys
tematic, and energetic than the
collegiate course.”
This settled the question ; and
the innocent and the ignorant
flocked like sheep to this new
pasture. True, some old fogies
“couldn’t see it ;■ but they were
summarily disposed of and the
thing was a success (?)
But where is poor Jones ! Alas,
alas! He is almo.st forgotten.
But still a few remember him,
and be also is called to preside at
a normal school. Brown contin
ues to advertise his patent nos
trums ; and, as they cost but lit
tle time, labor, and money, he
finds ready purchasers. Jones is
obliged to take what is left; but,
fortunately', as the scum or light
materials rise to the surface, the
“leavings’’ are all the more valua
ble.
Brown advertises to qualify
teachers in a few months, or to
enable them to get a certificate,
which seems to be his idea of fit
ness. But even in this, many un
fortunately (?) fail. Joues, old
fogy as he is, says teachers should
net he permitted to teach until
they have completed a thorough
course of training, both academic
and normal; that tho only way
to elevate the teacher is to elevate
the teaching. Brown advertises
to.make quick teachers; Jones,
to make good ones. The one
-covers up tho deficiencies by a
smattering of learning; the other
uncovers them, and reveals their
real incompetency as a means of
true culture. The one glazes
over the weak spots; the other
probes them that they may he
healed. Brown supplies teachers
with what they think they need;
Jones, with what he knows they
need. Brown makes superficial
and conceited teachers, and a
great many; Jones makes t’nor-
ough and modest ones, and but
a few. Brown breeds quacks and
knaves; Jones, common, honest
people. Brown has an attendance
of 1,500, and he makes money;
Jones, 150, and barely makes a
living. Question—Who is the
successful teacher ?—Educational
Weekly.
sandal wood), powerful as a soap
factorv, assail the nose. This gets
worse as one lands, hut there is
no time to waste thinking of such
a trifle, for a sharp watch lias to
be kept on the mangy', opthalmic
dogs, who amuse themselves by'
harking and snapping at the leg.s
of any one who makes use of
soap and water. At night it is
necessary for Europeans to carry'
a light and a good stick, a well-
planted blow from the latter doing
wonders in warning off the dogs.
—Central Protestant.
EVE’S TOMB.
COIVCEKT KECITATIOBT.
The Arabs claim that Eve’s
tomb is at Jiddah, the seaport of
Mecca. The temple with a palm
growing out of its centre is sup
posed to mark the place where
Eve’s head rests, and a domed
mosque is believed to he exactly
over her tomb. According to the
Arabs, the lady measured about
200 feet in height, but, judgin_
by the dimensions of her tomb,
it would seem that the Ishmael
ites much underrate her real
length. Arabs, however,- are very
bad judges of distance, and near
ly always have a horror of telling
the truth. The sacred ground,
which is pretty thickly Studded
with tombstones of departed
Sheikhs and other worthies, is
inclosed by a high white wall; a
few small shrubs and aloe plants
struggle for existence among tho
gravestones, and close to the
domed mosqu* is a tree growing
over some great man’s grave,
which is surrounded by railings.
There are .many legends and su
perstitions concerning this cele
brated place, but I had no time
to collect any that would be worth
relating. It is visited by numer
ous pilgrims. “ Backsheesh,” of
course, is in great request by the
well-dressed Arabs as well as the
ragged. Jiddah is a clean, fine-
looking town—at a distance ; but
on a nearer approach the illusion
will be dispelled,- and rnany aro
mas (not of ambergris or burned
A concert recitation, when it is
done well, is a very pretty exer
cise, which is its highest due ; for
a wise teacher will be careful how
she trusts much to such for verit
able and truthful teaching.
I have seen somewhere how a
person went into a school and
listened to the repeating of the
twenty-third Psalm. The recita
tion was admirable as a whole,
but when he requested the pupils
to write the different verses for
him to inspect, not one in the
whole school had them all correct!
and in many instances, it was im
possible to tell the word the child
had in mind.
The charts, elementary Sounds,
card definitions, etc., are all ex
pected to he taught in class or in
concert, hut I was a little chagrin
ed, the other day, in testing each
scholar’s individual capacity on
the punctuation marks, and ar
riving at the colon, to hear him
assert with an unblushing face,
that it was a “colburn/” In his
estimation I was reduced down to
two dots 1
Another little fellow wlio was
determined to lememher evei'y
thing, and who really is a little
hero, assured me that I should
find his reading lesson on “ page
twenty'-five—te?e^raj)A four!”
It doesn’t do to trust to the
whole body implicitly until each
member, in some degree, knows
its individual duty'.
If each teacher would be fcare-
ful to note down all the funny
little things that are transpiring
daily in this direction, even in
her own school, the aggregate
would be the best lesson she
could herself take towards doing
away with this most popular, but
really injurious, “pietty” exer
cise.—If. P. C., in The Education
al Weekly.
BANK or ENOEAND NOTES.
oas process in Mr. Coe’s depart
ment within the bank buildingi
There is an elaborate arranges
ment for securing that no note
shall he exactly' like any other iii
existence. Consequently there
never was a duplicate of a Bank
of England note, except by forg
ery. According to the City Press-,
the stock of paid notes for seven
years is about 94,000,000 in nums
her, and they fill 18,000 boxes,
which, if placed side , by side,
would reach three miles. The
notes, placed in a pile, would be
eight miles high ; or, if joined
end to end, would form a ribbon
15,000 miles long ; theif superfi
cial extent is mord than that of
Ily'de Park ; their original value
was over §15i000,000,000, and
their weight over 112 tons.
ETHAN AEEEN AND PARSON
DEWEY;
Parson Jedediah Dewey, who
preached a vVaf Sermon the Sur-
day before the battle of Benning
ton; was the first pastor of the
first church in Vermont. His
strict theological views sometimes
brought him in contact with Col.
Ethan Allen, the hero'of Ticon-
deroga; who lived in Beiinington
some y'ears; Pi-eaching on the
character of God one Sunday,
Col. Allen rose in Ids prominent
pew and disputed one of the par
son’s statements. Pointing at the
disturber, Mr: Dewhy retorted!
“ Sit down; thou hold blasphe
mer, and listen to tlid Word of
God.” During the Thanksgiving
service lor the surrender of Ti-^
conderoga. Mi’; DeivSy had been
ascribing the glory of the victory
to the Lord rather more sweep-
ingly than was agreeable to Al
len, who called out in the midst
of a prayer: “Please mention to
the Lord about my being there.”
—Btidndke Niios.
Few of the persons who handle
Bank of England notes ever think
of the amount of labor and inge
nuity that is expended on their
production. These notes are made
from pure white linen cuttings
only, never from rags that have
been worn. They have been
manufactured for nearly 200 years
at the same spot—Laverstoke, in
Hampshire, and by the same
family, the Portals, who are de
scended from some French Prot
estant refugees. So carefully is
the paper prepared that even the
number of dips into the pulp
made by each workman is regis
tered on a dial by' machinery', and
the sheets hre carefully counted
and booked to each person through
whose hands they pass. The
printing is done by a most curi-
Those who would make an
educational office a temporary
shift, a stepping-stone to some
thing else, should be forever bar
red from holding it. Merit expe
rience, a perfect familiarity with
all grades of the work, a nice
perception of its true motives and
methods, and of its bearings upon
life, character, and the interests
of society at large, should be tho
sole passport to its positions of
trust and responsibility. When
school boards are thus constituted,
when superintendents are made
of the stern stuff of sterling man
hood, when the rights of true
teachers are properly respected,
and their services are adequately
compensated, when educational
tramps are quietly laid upon
their appropriate shelves, and
permanence is assured to the men
and women of brains who are wil
ling to consecrate themselves to
the service of education, we shall
hear less complaint of Its co.st,
and witness results more nearly
commensurate witli the public
needs, and not before. The soon
er this lesson shall be learned
and acted upon the better for tho
schools, for the people, and for
the interests of the country as a
Educational Weekly.
“ There is a generation, whoso
teeth are as swords, and tlieir
jaw-teeth as knives, to devour tlie
poor from off the earth,'and tho
needy from among men.”
(J
ll'
J
h.
' i-'i ?
I
i:.i
ip
i
;«!
■i'i