Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II THE TEACHER The Master Builder The inspiration of the school is the presence of the living teacher. Above all, a teacher must be a scholar, and if he is to be a teacher of real power, he must be a man of wide and accurate scholarship. — W. H. Payne. Good methods of teaching are important, but they cannot supply the want of ability in the teacher. The Socratic method is good, but a Socrates behind the teacher's desk to ask questions is better. — Thomas M. Balliet. The woman who touched the hem of the Savior's garment felt at once the vivifying influences which were all the time going forth from the Great Teacher. Here we stand face to face with the greatest mystery of the teacher's art. —Nathan C. Schaeffer. r I HERE are some things which the teacher ought J. to be or do. There also are some things which he ought not to be or do, and these latter are of equal importance with the former. He ought not to be indifferent to his personal appearance. Personal No matter how small his monthly salary; no "/nee matter how meanly dressed his pupils may be; no matter though the people of the district are careless as to cleanliness and neatness, the teacher is under obligations to place before the pupils an example which they may safely follow. If the teacher is a lady, then a trim dress, which costs but little, a clean apron kept in the desk for school use, a spotless white collar set off by a bit of blue ribbon tastefully tied at the throat, hair neatly brushed, teethpearly white, finger nails immaculate as ivory,—these things will exert a more potent influence over thoughtless boys and girls than switch or ferule can possibly have. The frown of such a teacher is a terror to evildoers, and her smile is a perpetual reward to those who do well. Wit...