ly, of the pupils whom he is to teach. Whether this
is true or not in particular cases, the fact remains that the teacher
should be full of his subject, should be at home in it, and should be
able to illustrate it in its various phases; he should be free to stand
before his class without textbook in hand and to give instruction from a
full and accurate mind. There is probably nothing that so destroys the
confidence of pupils as the lamentable spectacle of seeing the teacher
compelled at every turn to refer to the book for verification of the
answers given. It is a sign of pitiable weakness. If a distinction is to
be made between knowledge and wisdom a true teacher should be possessed
of the latter to a considerable extent. He should also have prudence, or
practical wisdom. Wisdom and prudence imply that fine perspective which
gives a person balance and tact in all situations. It should be noted
that there is a policy, or diplomacy, in a good sense, which does not in
any way conflict with principle; and the true teacher should have the
knowledge, the wisdom, and the tact to do and to say the right thing at
the right time and to leave unsaid and undone many, many things.

=Professional Preparation.=--In addition to a thorough knowledge of
subject matter every teacher should have had some professional
preparation for his work. Teaching, like government, is one of the most
complicated of arts, and to engage in it without any previous study of
its problems, its principles, and its methods seems like foolhardiness.
There are scores, if not hundreds, of topics and problems which should
be thought out and talked over before the teacher engages in actual work
in the schoolroom. When the solutions of these problems have become a
part of his own mind, they will come to his rescue as occasion demands;
and, although much must be learned by experience, a sound knowledge of
the fundamental principles of education and teaching will always throw
much light upon practical procedure. It is true that theory without
practice is often visionary, but it is equally true that practice
without any previous knowledge, or theory, is very often blind.

=Experience.=--In addition to the foregoing qualifications the teacher,
in order to be really masterful, must have had some--indeed
considerable--actual experience. It is this that gives confidence and
firmness to all our procedure. The young lawyer when he appears at the
bar, to plead his first case