LB n^/f .kss nS,'!},!;!^ O"" CONGRESS 019 747 870 6 LECTURE ON rilLURES IN TEACHING, DELIVERED BEFORE THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INSTRUCTION, At Bangor, Maine, August, 1848. \/L By JOHN KINGSBURY, PROVIDENCE, R. I. J)i^ Printed for gramitous ' fribntion, by order of the Institnte. BOSTON: WILLIAM D. TICKNOR & CO. MDCCCXLVIII. L VALUABLE SERIES OF FRENCH SCHOOL BOOKS, ON A NEW PLAN. BY COUNT DE LAPORTE, INSTRUCTOR OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE IN HARVARD UNIVERSITY. PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM D. TICKNOR AND COMPANY, Corner of Washington and School Streets, (73^,, BOSTON. COUiNT DE LAPORTE'S FRENCH GRAMMAR ; Containing all tlie Rules of the Lan- guage upon a new and Improved- Plan. New (Stereotype) Edition. 1vol. 12mo, half-em- bossed morocco. $1 50. COUXT DE LAPORTE'S SPEAKING EXERCISES, for the Illustration of the Rules and Idioms of the French Language. New (Stereotype) Edition. 1 vol. ISmo, half-embossed morocco. 63 cents. COUNT DE LAPORTE'S KEY TO THE FRENCH EXERCISES, New (Stereotype) Edi- tion. 1 vol. 12mo, half-embossed morocco. 50 cents. COUNT DE LAPORTE'S EXERCISES AND KEY. Bound in one volume, half-embossed morocco. $1 00. COUNT DE LAPORTE'S SELF-TEACHING READER. For the Study of the Pronuncia- tion of the French Language, after a Plan entirely New, which will enable the Student to acquire with facility a Correct Pronunciation, with or without the Aid of a Teacher. New (Stereotype) Edition. 1 vol. 12mo, half-embossed morocco. 50 cents. »• - J):^The above Series is used in the Universities of Cambridge, Hanover, and Virginia, as well as in many other Colleges, Academies, and Schools in New England and elsewhere. [From George B. Emerson, Boston.] The Count De Laporte brings to the preparation of his Grammar a thorough knowledge of his native language, great experience in teaching, and an exact and philosophical habit of mind ; and he explains in the most satisfactory manner, those points which are usually most difficult and embarrassing to learners. His work will accordingly be found of great value to all who are learning, and especially to teachers of the French language. The means which he presents of acquiring the sounds of the language, with little aid from a master, are among the best and most effectual that have been offered for that purpose. The present edition contains various improvements, and places the Count's works at a mod- erate price. See third page of cover. LECTURE ON FAILURES IN TEACHING. By JOHN KINGSBURY, PROVIDENCE, R. 1. It is a common opinion that there is a greater pro- portion of faihires in teaching than in other pursuits of Ufe. This opinion is undoubtedly without foun- dation. From statistics which approach something like accuracy, it is estimated that ninety persons, out of every one hundred, who engage in business in the city of Boston, are either partially or totally unsuc- cessful. At the same time it is a conceded fact, that nowhere in our country are business men more enter- prising, more industrious, more economical, or more honorable. Now, if the whole number of persons who engage in teaching, either as a permanent or temporary busi- ness, be included, it is certain the number of failures in proportion cannot be so great ; and when this esti- mate is confined to those who either make teaching a permanent employment, or who design to do so, the proportion must be considerably less. 1 2 FAILURES IN TEACHING. To avoid ambiguity the term failure will be used in its common acceptation. There are some persons who have so high a standard for the trial of teachers, that not one in a hundred or perhaps a thousand can be accounted successful. Such a standard, however, is not less evidently absurd than that which in busi- ness would not permit any man to be considered suc- cessful, unless his fortune equalled that of a Girard or an Astor. It is no subject of surprise that persons of feeble capacity, of limited acquisitions in knowledge, and of bad moral character, should fail in teaching. Nor do we wonder that those, who excel in branches of knowledge with which they are acquainted, should fail when they attempt to instruct in things concern- ing which they know little or nothing. These are causes of failure so obvious, that they need not occupy a moment's attention. All my remarks, therefore, will be founded on the supposition that teachej's have good natural capacity^ are well educated^ possess good Tnoral character^ and are provided with suitable and well furnished rooms for their schools. Some of the friends of popular education may here be led to inquire what more can be necessary '? With talented, well educated and right-minded teachers, placed in good school-houses and furnished with books and other apparatus, surely, what more can be neces- sary! Have notour principal efforts been directed to the attainment of these very things % And shall all our labors in this respect be in vain ? All these things arc necessary, but they are only FAILURES IN TEACHING. 6 the preliminaries of a good school. Something more must be done in order to avoid faihire. This it will be the object of the present lecture to attempt to shore. The subject is naturally divided into two parts. First, failures which arise from the deficiencies of parents ; Second, those which result from the deficiencies of teachers. Irregular attendmrce. There will be a failure, let teachers possess whatever qualifications they may, if children are not sent to the schoolroom, and kept there long enough for some impression to be made on their minds. Irregular attendance may neutralize the benefits to be derived from the best arrangements, and the labors of the best teachers. Some persons seem to suppose, that if a child has once entered the path of learning, progress is inevitable ; and that how- ever far from his teacher, either in body or mind, there is a kind of magnetic influence, by which he is to be reached, and the teacher is held accountable for his improvement. So far is this from the truth, that a child may attend school a whole year, yet so irregu- !arly or at intervals so far apart, that it will be for- tunate, if at the end of the year, he know as much as at the commencement. Irregular attendance operates much more unfavorably on some minds than upon others. Those who are strongly inclined to learn, will readily overcome the evils arising from absence. But those who are indifferent to study, will lose by their absence, not only the lessons of the day, but what is of far greater consequence, the interest how- ever small, which they may have previously felt. FAILURES IN" TEACfffNG, The boy who stays from school in order to hiin(, of fish, or skate, will not only feel a positive disinclina- tion to study his arithmetic when at school, but a positive inclination to resume his hunting, fishing or skating. Fortunate will it be for the teacher, if the boy under such circumstances is not more successful in producing an influence among his companions, in these respects, than the master in teaching them arithmetic. The girl too, who is kept at home for the fitting of a mantua-maker, may not only lose her interest in study, but is liable to feel that the adjust- ment of her dress is more important than the im- provement of her mind. There is less objection to detaining children from school that they may assist in home duties ; because these are not so attractive to youth as company, dress, or sports. Yet so serious are the losses resulting from absence, that parents even in humble circumstances, should never detain their children at home for domestic duties, except from absolute necessity. Rising a little earlier, more activity and diligence, either on the part of parents or of children, or both, would, in numerous cases of supposed necessity, provide an effectual remedy. Ig?iorance. A teacher may fail if the community around him are too ignorant to appreciate his labors. He may be so far in advance of them, in his methods of teaching, as well as his qualifications for it, that his very superiority may prove a source of condemna- tion. This may occur where parents have just knowledge enough to render them self-conceited. Such persons are most likely to suppose themselves the centre of light and truth, and consequently that FAILURES IN TEACHING. 5 Others are in darkness just in proportion as they are removed from that centre. Prejudice. Prejudice, however, is a more frequent cause of failure than ignorance. Kind and persever- ing lahor may in due time dispel ignorance. But prejudice is a sterner tyrant, and his tyranny becomes more intolerable by the very efforts which are made to dethrone him. From whatever source it arises, prejudice puts a wrong interpretation upon every thing which a teacher does. If he is kind and affectionate, it is his object "to get round" parents and children; if he is diligent and laborious, it arises from selfish- ness or ambition. If he manages his school without consulting parents, he is too independent ; if he does consult them, he is not independent enough. In short a teacher thus situated can never be right. He is either too rigid or too lax in his government ; he is too religious or too indifferent to religion ; and if there is nothing in his moral or intellectual character which can form the subject of complaint, prejudice will not scruple to attack his person. He is too tall or too short; too handsome or too ugly; his manners are too gross or too refined ; and his dress is too much neglected or it is the subject of too much care. Want of pecuniary support. Much has been said, and said without sufficient discrimination, about the scanty income of teachers. No intellectual labor is generally so poorly paid. While from some, the shoe- maker, the tailor, and the quack doctor receive the highest pecuniary rewards for their services, those who are called to the godlike work of moulding the immortal mind, are paid proportionally a much more 1* FAILURES IN TEACHING. limited sum, and that sometimes most grudgingly. At the same time it must be confessed, that the smallest sum paid to poor teachers is money wasted : and he who receives the lowest wages is sometimes most of all overpaid. The great difficulty has been, and there is reason to fear that it is not now sufficient- ly removed, that there has not been a proper distinc- tion made between the poor and the good teacher; the successful candidate for place having too often been the one who sets the least value on his services. A good teacher should receive a remuneration so am- ple, as to enable him to live respectably in the yjlace where he is appointed to instruct ; to avail himself of books, social influence and travel, to such an extent as shall better qualify him for his profession ; and to place him, if he practise a wise economy, out of the reach of harrassing anxiety about the means of sup- port. For the want of such compensation, many a deserving teacher has not had the means of improve- ment, and been obliged to rest satisfied with limited attainments in knowledge, or he has been driven from one place to another, till finally he has quitted the business of teaching in disgust. Failures in teaching may arise from a want of respect and kind sympathy ; interference with govern- ment and modes of instruction; dictation of influen- tial individuals, and from a total indiflierence to the whole subject of education. But numerous as are the sources of faikire which arise from parents, it is the more immediate purpose of tlie present lecture to no- tice some of the sources of failure arising from teachers themselves. FAILURES IN TEACHING. 7 Should any of my remarks seem inapplicable to those who engage in teaching as a temporary avoca- tion, allow me to express the hope that the time will come, and at no distant day, when persons will be- come teachers without any more probability of chang- ing their profession, than there is in the practice of law or medicine. When this shall come to pass, one of the most prolific sources of failure will be removed. It is said of the early conqueror of Mexico, that when he landed he destroyed his fleet, so as to remove all possibility or hope of retreat; and thus taught his followers that nothing but victory or death was be- fore them. The more speedily you can destroy the life boats of those who engage in teaching, by which, in case of failure, they design to make good their re- treat, the more certainly you will achieve one of the noblest triumphs for the profession. Want of hard and fersevering labor. Tn the first place, whatever may be the talents and attainments of the teacher he will fail if he does not work hard. It seems a very diflicult lesson for some to learn, that labor is the basis of all success. The young especial- ly are prone to think that it depends chiefly if not en- tirely on chance. Consequently some men spend a whole life in watching chances of success, while they neglect the only sure means of attaining it. Two merchants, side by side, are engaged in the same business. They possess equal capacity and equal facilities for trade. They are equally moral, and both are valuable members of society. It is therefore matter of surprise to some, that both are not equally prosperous. Let the observer draw nearer 8 ' FAILURES IN TEACHING. and he will learn the reason. The one is engaged in business both early and late. He personally superin- tends the minutest transactions. In the absence of a clerk or any other agent, his own hand supplies the place. The work of today is not only finished, but so finished that he is ready to anticipate the work of tomorrow. His neighbor, on the other hand, does not wholly neglect his business. Early rising, how- ever, and an early breakfast are not entirely agreea- ble; therefore the work of the day begins later. Perhaps the first thing is to answer an order which should have received attention yesterday, or even the day before. Perhaps also that very order, in the ab- sence of a clerk, may be postponed till tomorrow. If pleasure entice him from business, he flatters himself that he can be fully remunerated by greater subse- quent diligence. The one either becomes bankrupt or accumulates little wealth, while the other is rich and increased in goods ; and yet the latter differs from the former in nothing save his untiring industry. Just so is it in teaching. In no pursuit is unwearied industry more necessary to success. Let no one, therefore, enter upon it who wishes to shun labor, or whose first question is directed to securing his per- sonal ease. The teacher must also persevere in his labors. Many are willing to bestow much labor on the com- mencement of an enterprise ; but it is in expectation that it can be remitted after a few weeks or months. The teacher must labor not only when he is establish- ing his school, and when making himself acquainted with the branches of knowledge, which he is required FAILURES IN TEACHING. © to teach, but he should strive continually to make himself a better teacher, every successive day and year, so long as it is his profession. He must labor too, where the immediate results do not appear to the common observer, or scarcely to himself. It was un- seen and unappreciated labor, which gave the finish- ing touch to the immortal works of a Phidias or a Raphael. So it is with the teacher. The efforts on which ultimate success oftentimes depends, are such as will bring no immediate renown. All men may not need to bestow an equal amount of labor, in order to produce a given effect ; but whenever any thing, finished and beautiful, is before us, whether in moral or in intellectual results, whether in the elegant or the useful arts, we may rest assured it is the off- spring of labor. Want of jpunctuality . Immediately connected with the preceding is another cause of failure, want of 'punctuality. Punctuality not only requires attend- ance at school regularly and. in due season each day, but also the exact fulfilment of each duty at the ap- pointed time. This habit the young should learn, and they sooner learn it from example than from precept. The teacher, therefore, should be to his pu- pils an eminent example of this virtue. He who is late, loses time which he cannot regain, and in at- tempting to do so, he is liable to fall into impatience, and thus mar all the exercises of the day. Nor is this all. A teacher who is late, will find his scholars late; and, as deficiencies seldom come single-handed, late scholars will be more or less deficient in their lessons. And what is worse than all, the teacher who 10 FAILURES IN TEACHING. is late, will find that some of his punctual scholars have been very diligent in the use of their time. But he will find too, that they have used that time in a wdij pectdmrly their ovjn. How many a design, sub- versive of a teacher's influence, has been begun, ma- tured and executed, while a school has been waiting for his tardiness. He who would prevent evil, rather than correct it after it has taken place, should, if pos- sible, be the first at his school. He should be there not as a spy, but as a friend. It is at such a time that he can, if judicious, gain a most important social influence, as well as acquire that knowledge of indi- vidual character which will materiallv aid him in adapting his instructions to special cases and special exigencies. At the same time he can attend to many things by way of preparation, which, thougli trifling in themselves, could not be done during the regular hours, and the want of which might occasion no in- considerable friction in the arrangements of the day. Want of perseverance in some system. A teacher may be industrious.^ and may ])ersevere in his indus- try; but for the want of perseverance in some fixed plan or system, his labors may be rendered unavail- ing. With great earnestness he introduces some favorite scheme to-day. He has found, as he thinks, the philosopher's stone, and he is resolved that the world shall receive the benefit. He carries his scheme into execution, and possibly sees it attended with good results. But the results are not unmingled good. Difliculties, such as he did not apprehend, meet him, and this beautiful theory is renounced for another, which will in due time share a similar fate. He la- FAILURES IN TEACHING. 11 bors sufficiently, but is too impatient for the results; and as a natural consequence he tries no one plan long enough to form a deliberate judgment. Such a teacher is not much wiser than the child Avho plants his beans, and frequently plucks them up to see if they have not sprouted. Love of novelty. Nearly allied to this is another source of failure, love of novelty. It is the nature of some men to cleave unto the old because it is old, it is equally the tendency of others to embrace the new merely because it is new. Of these extremes both are unwise and unphilosophical ; but the latter is by far the worst. He who adheres to a principle because it has long prevailed, has the assurance that there is something in it which is good, or it would not have been preserved from obhvion. Whereas, he who grasps at every thing new, is ordinarily in the situa- tion of one, who leaves a boat, which would at least carry him safely, if not speedily, to the shore, for one that may sink the very next moment. A teacher should never adopt novelties as a part of his system of instruction, till he has by careful investigation sat- isfied himself that they are decided improvements ; so decided that they will more than counterbalance the evils of change. Directing the mind to other objects. Dr. Good has somewhere said that the old proverb, "you must not have too many irons in the fire," is very pernicious in cramping the energies of men. He adds you can- not have too many, though you have "poker, tongs and all." Old maxims are not to be discarded with- out reflection; for frequently they are concentrated / 12 FAILURES IN TEACHING. wisdom. There may be some persons, to whom Dr, Good's theory may be apphcable, but the majority, if they attempt many things at thesame time, will fail in them all. This if specially true of teachers, whose personal labors are required in the instruction of their schools. There may be some who superintend sem- inaries of learning, having excellent assistants, that may devote a large share of attention to other objects, and yet be eminent in their profession. Be assured, however, that if the mass of teachers allow their minds to be devoted to other objects, though excellent and useful in themselves, and sometimes closely al- lied to their professional duties, there will be a corres- ponding loss in the value of their instructions. What- ever withdraws from his school, the fresh feelings, the choice thoughts, and glowing enthusiasm of the teacher's mind, has purloined what it can never re- place. The making of a book, the exclusive pursuit of any branch of science or literature, the love of art, the investigation of a principle in mechanics, not to mention business pursuits, habits of speculation or love of pleasure — have frequently undermined a teacher's influence and subjected him to failure. Dislike of teaching. It is a good general rule that persons should not engage in any business, towards which they feel a repugnance. If circumstances be- yond their control have, for a time, thrown them in- to such a situation, let them first of all subdue that dislike ; or if they are unable to do it, let them quit an employment which they can never honor. This is peculiarly applicable to teaching. Some, however, may engage in the profession without any dislike at I ^AlLltRES IN TEACHING. 1^ first, and yet after a certain period, fall into that dis- position. Against such a disposition a teacher should constantly strive. It is incidental to all occupation. There is no station in life which has not its vexa- tions, perplexities and disappointments. The sooner this is understood by the teacher, and manfully met, the sooner he will render himself happy and useful. One of the natural results of turning the mind to other objects of engrossing interest, is the diminution of that love of teaching which is an indispensable requisite to success. That seemingly paradoxical doctrine of the New Testament, whosoever lovith not, hateth, has its foundation in the human mind, and is applicable to more than one class of men. He who is obliged to teach, while he has given his heart to some other ob- ject, will inevitably fail. He is liable to this, if for no other reason, because he cannot long endure the labor. Every step is one of difficulty where the heart, is not engaged. See the child that has l:)een directed to ask the forgiveness of a playfellow, whom he has wronged. So long as he is unwilling, his reluctant, heavy step shows how difficult is the task. See him again. Why is that heavy step changed to one of perfect ease and elasticity 7 He is going to that same companion; but it is to join him in a holy day excur- sion. So it is with children of larger growth. If therefore, the teacher dislikes his work, and yet at- tempts to perform the necessary labor, this labor is liable to become a burden which neither his physical- nor his intellectual system can sustain. This leads- directly to another source of failure. Want of health. The health may be impaired not. 2 14 FAILURES IN TEACHING. only by labor, which we feel to be burdensome; but from the performance of cheerful labor and from a strong desire to avoid failure. There is a limit to every constitution beyond which the individual can- not pass with impunity. If there is a class of persons under deeper obligation than any others to understand this limit, and the general laws of health, that class is composed of teachers. It may be thought that parents form an exception ; but the influence of pa- rents is necessarily limited to a few, while that of teachers extends to greater numbers. Leaving the general subject toi the medical faculty, let me call your attention to one of the laws of health, which re- quires no depth of science to understand, and yet obedience to it on the part of teachers, should be im- perative. It is the balance to be preserved between physical and ititellectual labor. This law may vary materially in its application to different individuals ; and though its requisition may be greater in one in- stance than in another, that requisition must be fairly and faithfully met. There is no other alternative except by suffering a penalty which is never slight, and sometimes fearfully severe. Teaching is mainly intellectual effort; and the more intensely the intellect is tasked, the more imperatively this law demands corresponding exercise of the body. Some individuals need vigorous and even protracted physical exertion. For others, mere cessation of intellectual labor may be all that is required. Each person should know how he can best be relieved from that state of exhaus- tion which follows all intense mental effort. If this law were better understood, and better obeyed, when FAILURES IN TEACHING. 15 imdersrood, we should not see so many failures in pro- fessional life ; nor so many of our best teachers, male and female, retiring from their stations when they are best fitted to adorn them. There is no hazard in making the assertion, for it is susceptible of the fullest proof, that it is not mental labor which kills professional men. In nine cases out of ten, it is phy- sical inactivity and disregard of the plainest laws of health. No one can study so as to injure himself, if he will take time enough to counterbalance that study by physical exercise. It is a very great mistake to suppose that time cannot be found for this; it is only in this way that time can be extended and made equal to our labors. The freshness and vigor which come from active exercise, will materially diminish the amount of time otherwise necessary for the ac- complishment of any intellectual effort. Connected with health, and greatly dependent upon it, are several requisites, the want of which may produce failures in teaching. Patience. By this is not meant that disposition which will induce a teacher to sit down and calmly endure evils which might easily be corrected. This is only another name for indolence. Patience, on the other hand, is a never-tiring principle, which will en- able you to perform cheerfully for the tenth time, that in which you have failed for the ninth, provided you are satisfied that the effort is right and sufficiently important to demand so much attention. While it does not require one to pass over wilful neglect and positive disobedience without rebuke — it does require the teacher to use every suitable means to subdue I€ FAILURES IN TEACHING. such a disposition ; and at the same time to repeat cheerfully, again and again, instruction to well dis- posed pupils however dull they may be. For the want of this heavenly virtue, many a teacher is not only impatient ivith his scholars, but with the school- house, with the neighborhood or town, in short with every thing by which he is surrounded. Equanimity, or what perhaps is a better term, vniformity of disposition. This is not a passive principle wliich makes men indiflerent to what is passiug around them, but it is an active one, which so regulates and controls the whole being, that the teacher is the same to-day as yesterday. For the want of this, teachers punish conduct at one time, which had only occasioned a smile at another, and which probably would not have taken place, had it not been for that smile. Self control. He who is appointed to teach, cannot do it well without a just and steady control over his scholars. Nor can he control them in this manner, unless he controls himself This is by no means a trifling work. So mighty is the task, that inspiration pronounces him who ruleth his spirit, better than he that taketh a city. Patience, equanimity and self- control, are all, in no inconsiderable degree, influenced by health, and cannot be manifested in their best forms without it. Yet so indispensable are they to success, that the teacher who is suffering from indis- position, should strive more strenously to exercise them, than when in perfect health. Government. The most difficult part of a teacher's duty, is the government of his school. So important FAILURES IN TEACHING. 17 however, is good government, that some teachers who are deficient in ahnost every thing else, by this alone, meet with considerable success. For it is an estab- Hshed principle, that no school is good which is not well governed. There are two very common ex- tremes. Some govern too much. You may always hear the sound of the ferule, the snapping of the whip, or what perhaps is quite as bad, the noise of the tongue. The machinery of government, what- ever it may be, is always in motion, and compara- tively little lime is left for the important work of in- struction. On the other hand, some teachers govern too little. They fall into the opposite extreme, and treat children as if it were impossible for them to do wrong; or at least, as if there was little difference between the right and the wrong. In such a school you are not troubled with the machinery of government — but the total want of all government. Noise and confusion usurp the place of order, and the genius of improvement flies far from such a scene. Between these two extremes there is a happy medium. It is found in that school where the teacher directs and controls every thing, yet in so kind and quiet a way, that the scholars seem to govern themselves. Every thing is subjected to law, but the machinery of government is scarcely percep- tible. Self-conceit. No persons should so carefully guard themselves against self-conceit as teachers. Their professional intercourse is so necessarily limited to their inferiors, that they are liable to over-rate their own attainments, and rest satisfied with present ac- quisitions. Nothing will sooner impair their influ- 2* 18 FAILURES IN TEACHING. ence. It renders them disgusting to other persons, destroys the respect which is necessary to sanction their labors, and what is worse, closes every avenue of improvement. It may be assumed as an axiom, that he who teaches well to-day, and yet ceases to make further acquisitions in knowledge, will soon cease to be a good teacher. The current of society is onward ; and he w^ho in any respect remains stationa- ry will soon be left behind. Indeed it is impossible, from the nature of mind, to remain stationary. If therefore we are not making progress in knowledge, we are losing ground, and very soou it may be truly said of us, that we are behind the age. It is true there are certain principles in education, which are so well established tliat they will remain the same forever. In the application of these principles, how- ever, there is room for the most studied ingenuity. At the same time there is a wide field where first principles are either undiscovered, or as yet quite un- settled. ^elf-co7iceit, or any other thing which pre- vents the teacher from aspiring after higher attain- ments, should be most studiously avoided. His mind should be ready for the reception of knowledge from every, even the humblest source. By failing to do this, teachers have placed in the way of their advance- ment, the most insurmountable obstacles with which they have ever been troubled, and drawn down upon their profession the severest satires of the most gifted minds. There is one way, and only one, in which teachers can prove, not only that Dominie Samson and Ichabod Crane are caricatures of the profession, but also that they have not sufficient resemblance to preserve them from merited oblivion. It is by indi- FAILURES IN TEACHING. 19 vidiial and united aspiration after the highest moral and intellectual endotoments. Fondness for hobbies. All men have their hobbies. Teachers not only have them, but are more prone than other men to ride them to death. This arises from two causes; first, their professional intercourse is with their inferiors in knowledge, by which they over-estimate themselves ; second, they have less op- portunity than others to have their hobbies put to the test of severe investigation. One teacher delights in arithmetic, and he makes every thing bend to his favorite pursuit. Another is equally delighted with geography, and much time must be devoted to it, even to the exclusion of other studies equally impor- tant. Or the favorite may be language, rhetoric, elo- cution, or any other of the numerous branches now introduced into schools. If undue prominence is given to any one of these, there will be a corresponding loss in reference to the others. It is not the business of teachers to make great arithmeticians, or great lin- guists merely ; but to advance their pupils in every species of knowledge necessary to their situations in life, and to unfold in harmony all the faculties, moral, physical and intellectual. The former course presents a much stronger temptation. A more brilliant exhi- bition can easily be made in the presence of specta- tors. A much greater reputation can in a short time be gained, and much severe labor and patient endur- ance can be avoided. Yet is it too much to suggest, that such a reputation may be more easily lost; and that we hence learn the cause of the failure of some celebrated schools and some very celebrated teachers 1 There is not a gifted teacher, who if he will push FAILURES IN TEACHING. some two or three favorite studies, especially with reference to some very gifted pupils, cannot gain more reputation in six months, than in half that number of years, by attempting the harmonious cultivation of all the powers of every one of his scholars. Yet it is only this latter method which is pursued by the real- ly good teacher ; and it is this method only, which can sustain a teacher's reputation for any considera- ble number of years in the same place. It would be easy to swell the list of causes having more or less influence in producing failures in teach- ing; austere, uncouth and embarrassed manners; want of kind and sympathizing affections; defective powers in the communication of knowledge ; rash and hasty temper; dislike of children; imprudence in speaking, especially of things communicated in con- fidence — but the enumeration shall be closed with a topic, which might have preceded all others, as it blends more or less with them all, and which, if not possessed in some degree, will render all other acqui-- sitions comparatively useless. It is common sense. Common sense enables the teacher to adapt himself and his instructions precise- ly to the place, which is the scene of his labors. Un- der the influence of this, he looks at men and things, just as they are, and not as they should be, or as he might wish them to be. He does not commence his school with a beautiful theory, adapted only to fairy land, or with a plan well adapted to some real meri- dian, but not at all to that where he is; he adapts or modifies or makes a plan, exactly fitted to the pecu- liar circumstances of the neighborhood, district, town or city, where he is called to teach. He knows full FAILURES IN TEACHING. 21 well, that what would be well suited to the habits and manners of a city, would be perfectly absurd in the country; and that the converse of this is equally true. While he feels under obligation to set up a high standard for himself and others, he takes care that this standard is not only a practicable one, but one which shall seem practicable to other reasonable persons. His maxim is, to do all he can., if he cannot do all he woidd. Common sense enables the teacher to ejffect judicious reforms. He does not begin them by unnecessarily shocking the prejudices of people. He first gains their confidence, before he attempts re- form, and then attempts no more than he can reason- ably hope to accomplish. If different methods are equally practicable in the attainment of his end, he will select that one which excites least prejudice; and in addition to this, he will take particular pains to demonstrate, step by step, the utility of the change. Common sense also instructs a teacher to rely upon himself for success. Some persons are prone to rely upon political, sectarian or family influence; and some even make loss of health or loss of property a claim to patronage. These things may aid a teacher in establishing a school, but they will not enable him to sustain it for any length of time. He hence learns that if his school is to prosper, it must be by his own individual exertions. Many teachers for the want of common sense, fail in the management of financial matters. The success of a particular srhool, as well as the cause in general, is made to turn upon the skill of the teacher in this respect. The want of this skill is followed by disap- pointment, discouragement and failure. Some teachers jBB FAILURES IN TEACHING. make expenditures, either without duly considering whether they can afford them ; or whether by so do- ing, they shall not bring themselves under great em- barrassment. A teacher who judges incorrectly in this respect, not only wastes his money, and endangers the success of his enterprise, but what is far worse, he is liable to lose his reputation as a man of good judgment. Without this a teacher is like Samson with his shorn locks. If a man has a fortune and can imitate a Fellen- burg, it is a subject of congratulation that he should spend his money in so noble a cause. The majority of teachers however, must by their labor obtain the means of living; and if they make expenditures be- yond their ability, they seldom gain even the thanks of those for whose benefit the sacrifice is made, but more frequently draw down upon themselves their censure, however undeserved. Professional men sometimes seem, to act as if it were beneath their attention to understand matters of business, as if they thought their professional ability was great, in the direct ratio of their inability to com- prehend the value of money, or to understand the every day things of life. On the other hand, it is a melancholy thing, to see a man who has enjoyed the blessings of moral and intellectual refinement, so give himself to the pursuit of business, the accumulation of wealth, as never to manifest aspirations after higher enjoyments. Is there not, however, a happy medium between these two extremes'? May not a man be- come eminent in his profession, rise to the highest point of moral and intellectual improvement, and gain a wide range of knowledge in other things even of the FAILURES IN TEACHING. 23 minutest kind? Is it not said of Roger Sherman, that so minute and various was his knowledge, that he made every tradesman with whom he conversed, be- lieve him to belong to his particular craft 7 Could we not more confidently insure the success of many who engage in teaching, if they possessed more of this same kind of knowledge ? If it could not be some- times truly, as well as sarcastically said of them, they have all kinds of sense except common sense ? There is no doubt that teachers ought to possess sufficient knowledge of business affairs, to give them influence with practical men. Otherwise practical men will set aside their best suggestions and their wisest plans, on the ground that they are mere book-worms or men of the closet. It may be thought that these suggestions have un- necessarily assumed a negative form ; that the whole might have been said, and said in a better way, un- der the title of Requisites to success in teaching. The present mode however, has been adopted with the hope that a more lasting impression may be made upon the minds of teachers. The suggestions have all been made, on the suppo- sition that teachers have good natural capacity ; suf- ficient acquired knowledge; good moral character; and are provided with suitable, and well furnished rooms for their schools. Such teachers may fail, if children are not sent regularly to school ; if the community around them are ignorant and influenced by prejudice, and do not furnish a competent support. They may fail for the want of sufficient and per- severing industry, punctuality, and perseverance in u FAILURES IN TEACHIN&. some given plan or system ; from love of novelty, di- recting the mind to other objects, dislike of teaching, impaired health ; want of patience, equanimity and self control; from bad government, self conceit, fond- ness for hobbies ; and finally for the want of good common sense. I have just glanced at a few of the causes of failure in teaching. By no means are they to be viewed as all equally important in their bearing on success. Yet so far as my observation extends, through a period of many years experience in teaching, no persons such as were supposed at the commencement of this lec- ture, have failed, without one or more of these causes having contributed to that effect. What then shall be done to diminish the number of such failures in the future? Let the causes of failure stand out as warn- ings to every one who enters the pathway of this pro- fession ; and let the requisites to success burn as so many beacon fires, to guide him onward and upward, till his labors shall be crowned with glorious success. And above all, let him, remembering his own weak- ness, repair to that Fountain, from whence alone, can come the strength, and the wisdom which he needs. If he should be so fortunate as to win applause, thai wisdom will preserve him from the fatal effects of flattery and self-conceit. If he should find his fondest hopes blighted, his best motives misinterpreted, and his most self-denying actions wickedly traduced, that strength will confirm his heart, and nerve his arm for still nobler efforts, till he shall gain his final crown. [From Professor C. C. Jewitt, of Brown University, March 7, 1848.] Messrs. W. D. Ticknor & Co. : I have received and carefully examined the French books of the Count de Laporte, which you kindly sent me. I do not hesitate to express to you the opinion that I have formed, that the Grammar is by far the best that exists in our language for the thorough study of French. We have had no lack of excellent elementary treatises, but we have long needed a complete grammar — one which should ftimish full and satisfactory answers to the questions which present themselves to the thoughtful student, which should be for Englishmen, what the Grammar of Girault, Duvivier, and Napoleon Landais are for Frenchmen. The Count de Laporte has endeavored to supply this want, and he has accomplished this task in an able and scholarlike manner. The "Exercises," and the " Self-Teaching Reader" are admirable works. The latter con- tains a pliUosophical analysis of the sounds of the French language, aud a clear and accurate exposition of their combinations. I will merely add, that I intend to use these books with my classes. [From Geo. W. Greene, Professor of Modern Languages in Brown University.] Two things distinguish the Grammars of Count de Laporte from all other French Grammars which we have had occasion to examine — the clearness of its arrangement and its general completeness. And we use the word completeness in preference to any other, for it expresses our meaning exactly. For by completeness in a work of this kind we mean full and satisfacto- ry answers to all the questions which can present themselves to the mind of the thoughtful stu- dent in the course of reading or writing, and not answers merely in the form of rules, but all the illustrations from standard authors, which are necessary to render the rule intelligible, and impress it upon the memory. Now this is what Count de Laporte has done, and he has done it too in a manner which leaves very little to be asked for. Take, for a short example, the paragraph on the use of pas and point, or for a fuller one, his exposition of that thorny pass in French, the use of the imp. perf. def. and perf. indef. It is not fair to ask of a writer more than he pretends to give you, and therefore we shall not condemn Count de Laporte for having treated each subject as a whole, instead of separating the origin and formation of words from the principles of their connexion. In a philosophical work, like Becker's German, or Kuglmer's Greek, or the lamented Nordheimer's admirable Hebrew Grammar, this division is essential, for the two subjects are so distinct, when consider- ed from this point of view, that it would be impossible to form a clear idea of either, if they were taken together. But Count de Laporte has aimed rather at a full and systematic exposi- tion of the facts of the language, and this he has accomplished very successfully. The reader will find each part of speech fully discussed in separate sections, the word first, and then the rules which govern its application. Pages are devoted to the article alone, and no one who wishes to master this difficult subject, will think there is a page too much. Let any one study this chapter in connexion with the Exercises, and he will find that he has little left to learn which any grammar that we know of can teach him. The exercises are judiciously arranged, and form an indispensable accompaniment of the grammar. Of the Self-Teaching Reader, it is not too much to say, that it is the only satisfactorj' work of the kind we have ever met with ; the only one which contains a philosophical analysis of the sounds of the French language, and a clear and accurate exposition of the principles of their combination. In our own course, for we write ex cathedra, we have used De Iiaporte after Ollendorf, whose work (we speak only of the French) is far from meeting the wants of the advanced student. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS [From Rev. H. Winslow, Bos I consider it a very accurate and thorough Grammar of tli more common Elementary matter, it is replete with observ peculiarities of the French language. . . . I am free to e: ,,„„,„„,... French Grammar extant among us, which exhibits the idioms Q 019 747 870 O more thoroughly. [From Daniel Leach, Teacher, Boxbury.] I have examined with care and attention the series of French books prepared by Count de Laporte, and I have no hesitation in saying that I think them the most complete and philosoph" ical that I have ever seen. They are such books as a thorough practical teacher only could have prepared, and one admirably adapted to remove the difficulties that an English student would meet with in studying French. I shall henceforth use them in my school. I [From Prof. Arnault, French Teacher, Boston.] * * * Indeed, I do not know any better Grammar! not only in this country, but in the world, for his purpose. It contains all the rules, difficulties, and niceties of the French Lan- guage, carefully collected from the very best authorities ; and besides, the whole work is now presented on the new plan of the "abrege" of the grammaire nationale (by Besherelle, Paris) an improvement which makes this edition very valuable, clear, and_ convenient. * * * In my opinion it ought to be, and will be in time, in the library of everybody in America who wants to improve his French, and especially of all conscientious teachers. [Fr6m the Philadelphia Saturday Courier.] " The auspices under which these works are presented, will entitle them to respectful con- sideration. They claim, and obviously possess, considerable novelty. The author would seem to have constructed the series with a view to exhaust all the resources of the language, to leave none of its usages, however new or irregular, unprovided for. It contains everywhere the evi- dence of care and scholarship, and will no doubt become a work of standard character. * * The whole series will be regarded with interest by all who are directly engaged either in teaching or learning the French Language. They are printed with unusual neatness, on good paper, and are well bound. WILLIAM D. TICOOR & CO, RATE FOR SALE THE LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INSTRUCTION, FROM 1840 TO 1848, INCLUSIVE. In 9 ISmo volumes, handsomely bound in cloth. Price $4,50, or 50 cents per volume. Each volume contains the JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS of the Institute, at its annual session, in addition to the Lectures. Five copies sent to one address for $20.