reat teachers in charge--are
in this condition; they are coming in under full speed toward the goal,
guided by a master whose will stimulates the pupils to the greatest
voluntary activity. Other schools, we are sorry to say, illustrate the
conditions where the reins are over the dashboard and the school is
running away, pell-mell!

=Physically Sound.=--What are some of the characteristic attributes or
traits which a masterful and inspiring teacher should possess? In the
first place he should be physically sound. It may seem like a lack of
charity to say, and yet it is true, that any serious physical defect
should militate against, if not bar, one from the schoolroom. Any
serious blemish or noticeable defect becomes to pupils an ever-present
suggestive picture, and to some extent must work against, rather than
for, education. Other things being equal, those who are personally
attractive and have the most agreeable manners should be chosen. Since
children are extremely plastic and impressionable, and so susceptible
to the influence of ideas and ideals, beauty and perfection should,
whenever possible, be the attributes of the person who is to guide and
fashion them.

=Character.=--A teacher should be morally sound; he should "ring true."
One can give only what one has. A liar cannot teach veracity; a
dishonest person can not teach honesty; the impure cannot teach purity.
One may deceive for a time, but in the long run the echo of what we are,
and hence what we can give, will be returned. It is often thought that
children are better judges of moral defects and of shams than are grown
people; but, while this is not true, it is nevertheless a fact that many
children, in a short time, divine or sense the true moral nature of the
teacher. Children appreciate justice and will endure and even welcome
severity if they know that justice is coupled with it. They are not
averse to being governed with a firm hand. If pupils are allowed to do
just as they please they may go home at the close of the first day,
saying that they had a "lovely time" and liked their teacher, but in a
very few days they will tire of it and begin to complain.

=Well Educated.=--We need not, of course, contend at any length that a
teacher should be well educated, in the academic sense of the word. In
order to teach well, one must understand his subject thoroughly. It is
quite generally held that a teacher should be at least four years in
advance, academical