Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1883 — Heaven help the School-ma’- ams. [ARTICLE]

Heaven help the School-ma’-ams.

Our acknowledgments are due to the Hon. Mark L. DeMotte for i;ome nine volumns of the Congressional Record. We shall be glad to lend them to our friends wheu we have read them through. Our neighboring town of Monticello came near losing its splendid school building yesterday by fire. The fire company there, however, succeeded in extinguishing the flames before very serious damage was done. Rensselaer Post, G. A. R., will hold a Camp Fire in the near future, at their hall, when will be given many old war songs and reminiscencies, to conclude with a charming little Cantata entitled “Grand Papa’s Birthday. Next week more definite announcement can probably be made. The entertainment is gotten up for the commendable purpose of helping to procure arms and uniforms for the Post. Arthur Gurley, agent of the Eclipse W ind-mill Co., was working at the house of William and Emmet Bergman at the time Jack Halloran was taken from their house by Mr. M. O. Halloran, Jack’s father, and is understood to have heard the conversation that took place at the time. We have been shown a letter from Mr. Gurley, written at Indianapolis, in which he expressed his belief in the innocence of the Bergmans, and his willingness to travel a hundred miles, if necessary, to testify in their behalf. The WEATHER.-The Arctic wave which passed over the country Saturday, Sunday and Monday last, was the coldest of the season, and one of the severest for many years. The lowest temperature recorded for Rensselaer, so far as heard, was twenty-two degrees below zero, at an early hour Monday morning. A rather moderate temperature when compared with that which other places were compelled to endure. At many places in Illinois and lowa the thermometer reached 30, and, in some cases even 40 degrees below, while in ths far North and in the mountains of the West, the mercury thermometers froze up and the spirit thermometers showed 50 and 60 degrees below. Rail-road travel was greatly interrupted on many roads. On the L. N-A. &C. road the Saturday evening train was 12 hours in running from Rensselaer to Chicago; being detained by frozen freight trains on the Pan Handle crossing. The south bound night train of Saturday was 12 hours in running from Chicago to Rensselaer. No attempt was made to send out any train from Chicago over the L. NA. AC., Sunday or Monday.

7b The Nothing on earth is so extemely disagreeable and tiresome for one, who, is “not born for the purpose.”- or who is not a • natural teacher, as that most common work, echool-teaching. There is nothing which will take Ibo bloom from the cheek, the . brightness from the eyes, or'elas- * i city from the step with so much < ilerity. JKothing which induces t.iose perpuliar disorders which f unhinge the mind, more I articularly of the females. This 1. more especially true in regardl 1 o the district schools of our couu greatiy to the naM of the water-i c imposing

them, and which renders it sijnply impossible; or at least, extremely difficult, to establish such a system as would lighten the physical burdens erf the teacher to any noticeable extent. Six years of constant employment will usually break down the strongest and most energetic woman. In e large portion of our schools, both district and graded, there are delicate, sensitive girls, who, though unable, are too conscientious to neglect labors which they are physicially incapable of preforming. The first essential in teaching a successful school is discipline and in order to receive that properly some very wild, stubborn boys must be subdued. The parent who has endeavored to bring into permanent subjection a bad unruly child can conceive but a faint idea of what is required of the delicate girl who presides over the district school. The teacher is required to be on her feet a greater part of the time; this in ninty nine cases out of one hundred will cause that disorder which is making the woman of the United States old at thirty. Her mind is never off her unruly pupils, she thinks of them continually. Her patience is subjected to the severest trials, her feelings are injured and her sensitive conscience troubled. The physical pertuberation and mental strain become so distressing as to be almost unbearable. Content and happy may she be who can settle down to obstinate indifferent, endurance; if she can immediately bury conscience and relieve herself of the mental distress as soon as the days work is finished. If she can pursue the dull routine of recitations without regard to dicipline, with no other hope than that a day’s work Will have been completed, and the compensation earned. And it is a certain fact that most of those who are not particularly adapted to the life of teaching, but are compelled to follow that vocation for any length of time do, eventually, reach that dogged state. The life of those who have not the disposition to teach, or who dislike it, is a battle more severe than most meu engage in; regardless of the kind of employment. It is true, however, that there are men and wemen to whom teaching is a pleasure; they are like some poets; “born for the purpose.” They will, without any apparent effort, bring order out of the elements which constitute the district school. They will secure such discipline as would do credit to an army. They enjoy teaching they must work for it, live for it, and strive to advance in their profession. They are perfectly contented and are not longing for a wider sphere; but such teachers are few and seldom met. In all events you may look upon the teachers as those who are giving away the brightest and best part of their lives to the public for a mere pittance. Anna Brey. School teachers are but little wiser than other professional people in one respect: Like lawyers, doctors, ministers, and even editors, they are prone to squander ink and breath in glorifying their profession. Of that sort of thing we f most of us, have had a surfeit, but when one of them, as in the case of Miss Anna Bi ey, in this weeks Republican, turns loose and roundly abuses the business, the very novelty of her course, if nothing else, should entitle her to attention.

Miss Brey evidently writes from the fullness of her heart, and in all sincerity. Most people, however, will probaly agree with us in thinking that she rather over, estimates the evil and unpleasant features of teaching. If the business is really as disastrous to those who follow it as our cotrespondent would have us believe, th tn, in our opinion, there are more school , r teachers in this country m need of a groat moral reform, that will save them from untimely fate than | there are drunkards on the road to [ perdition: And, moreover, one| school-maatn is worth a dozen “com- j mon drunks” any day in kite year. , But,*in all seriousne-s, there is, much /truth m what Miss Brey! - f ♦

has to say. To the great majority of people, school teaching, and more especially is this true in regard to the women, is a most wearing, wearying and unhealthful business. To most persons the mental strain produced by the effort required in maintaining authority over a room full of wild, undisciplined, and, often, sadly perverted, young minds, is ruinous to the nervous system. Our correspondent says that this it is that is making American women, so many of them, old and broken before their time. It ought not to be, but wherein is the remedy? Like most other evils great and small, which afflict suffering humanity its removal, probably, will only come with a general elevation, a head and heart culture, of the masses of the people. In one or two minor matters, however, we will venture a suggestiqn or two and let teachers and parents take them for what they think they are worth; Miss Brey makes an especial point of the fact that the teacher must remain upon her feet constantly during school hours. Our advice to teachers in that respect is to sit down behind their desks and conduct their schools from that position. They may not be able to do quite so good work for the school in that position, but if they arfe reasonably well qualified for teaching in other respects, they need have no fears but that they will earn all they get, and more too, even if they do indulge their tired bodies with a restful position occasionally. Parents are responsible for much of the hardship of teaching, both in what they do, and in what they leave undone. They fail, often to properly co-operate with the teachers in their efforts to maintain discipline in their schools and, what is still worse, in many cases the parents take pains to encourage their children in insubordination against their teachers. We invite other teachers to make use or the columns of The Republican in making known their views on any of the matters touched upon in Miss Brey’s communication or in these few observations of our own, only requesting those who may conclude to avail themselves of the invitation to remember that for those who design writing for a country newspaper the beginning and the end of wisdom is condensation.

The Religious Awakening.—At the M. E. Church, the Rev. J• J. Claypool aud at the Free Will baptist church, the Rev. Ferguson, still continue their protracted meetings. Large congregations are present nightly at both places and quite a number of conversions have been made. At the Christian clinch Elder Halstead is, this week, giving a series of discourses, jis per notice in our last issue. Last night as we are informed the building was crowded with auditors, and the interest is increasing constantly.