Low pecuniary reward.-Illustrated. CHAPTER XV. THE REWARDS OF THE TEACHER. It is proverbial that the pecuniary compensation of the teacher is, in most places, far below the proper standard. It is very much to be regretted that an employment so important in all its bearings, should be so poorly rewarded. In New England there are many young women who, having spent some time in teaching, have left that occupation to go into the large manufacturing establishments as laborers, simply because they could receive a higher compensation. I have known several instances in which young ladies, in humble circumstances, have left teaching to become domestics, thus performing the most ordinary manual labor, because they could receive better pay; that is, the farmers and mechanics of the district could afford to pay more liberally for washing and ironing, for making butter and cheese, for sweeping floors and cleaning paint, than they could for educating the immortal minds of their children! Nor is this confined to the female sex. Young mechanics and farmers, as well as those employed in manufacturing, frequently receive higher wages than the common-school teacher in the same district. Many Driving pegs.-Injustice.-Extra expense. a young man who has only genius enough to drive the pegs of a shoe in a regular row, and skill enough to black the surface of the article when it is completed, having spent but a few weeks in learning his trade, receives more money for his work than he who, after having spent months, or even years, in gaining the requisite qualifications, labors to polish that nobler material, the human soul. The injustice of this becomes more apparent when we bear in mind that public opinion demands, and justly too, that the teacher should be not only gentlemanly in his manners, but better clad than the mere laborer,— thus throwing upon him a greater burden without affording him the means of sustaining it. The female teacher of a district school, in order to be respectable, must be much more expensively dressed than the domestic in the family where she boards, and is thus compelled to consume most of her receipts upon her wardrobe, while the domestic is able to place surplus money at interest in the Savings Bank. This injustice has so often been laid before the people, and yet has been so long continued, that many have given up in despair, and abandoned an employment that has yielded so little, choosing rather to engage in that lower service which is so much better paid. This sufficiently explains why so many unqualified teachers have been found in our common schools. Men of talents and ability being tempted to other employments, have left the field unoccupied; and those men who have failed to gain a comfortable living by their Living by wits.-Improvement.-Means of mental growth. hands, have been allowed to try the experiment of supporting life by their wits,—that is, by becoming teachers! Such has been the case for a long time past; and, though in many quarters the people are beginning to open their eyes to their true interest, and are gradually and commendably coming up to their duty, yet, for some time to come, the pecuniary compensation will not constitute the chief reward of the teacher. If he will go cheerfully to his work, and find his daily enjoyment in his daily toil, he must have a higher object, some more elevating, inspiring motive, than mere money-getting. The chief encouragements of the faithful teacher lie in another direction. It is the object of the following paragraphs to point out some of these encouragements; for, having in the preceding pages required very much at his hands, I feel that it is but just that he should be invited to look at the brighter side of the picture, so that when he is ready to sink under the responsibilities of his position, or to yield to the obstacles that oppose his progress, he may have something to animate his soul, and to nerve him anew for the noble conflict. I. The teacher's employment affords the means of intellectual growth. If a man teaches as he should teach he must of necessity improve himself. Teaching, understandingly pursued, gives accuracy. I know it is possible for a man to be a mere schoolmaster-a pedagogue, without any self-improvement. But I am speaking of the faithful, devoted teacher, the man who Means of moral growth.-Illustrated. studies, reflects, invents. Such a man learns more than his pupils. Every time he takes a class through any branch of study, he does it more skillfully, more thoroughly than before. He brings some fresh illustration of it, presents some new view of it, and hence takes a lively interest in it himself, and awakens a new zeal among his pupils. Measuring himself by his new success, he feels a consciousness of growth, of progress. This consciousness is a precious reward. II. The teacher's employment affords the means of moral growth. Brought constantly in contact with those who need a careful guidance, he feels impelled to earnest effort in order to obtain the mastery over himself, as the best means of gaining complete influence over others. Studying the weak points in their character, he is constantly reminded of those in his own; and self-knowledge is the first step toward selfimprovement. Beginning in the feebleness of inexperience, he bolsters up his authority at first by a frequent resort to force; but, as he goes on, he finds himself gradually gaining such ascendency over the vicious as to control them quite as effectually by milder means. At first, easily excited to anger or impatience, he frequently indulged in severe language when it was unnecessary, but by careful discipline he has learned to set a watch before his mouth and to keep the door of his lips." Encouraged by one victory over himself, he is prepared for another. Having learned by selfdiscipline to control his outward acts, he next attempts the mastery of his thoughts. He soon finds that his Moral power.-Progress in the art of teaching. moral power over others is very much increased. Somehow-though perhaps he cannot yet tell the reason why -he finds he can secure obedience with half the effort formerly required, he gains the love of his pupils more readily,—and, with the exception, now and then, of an extreme case, he finds that he excites a deeper interest than ever before in the whole round of duty among the scholars. Why is this? he asks,--and the consciousness of increased moral power rising up within him, is a source of the highest satisfaction. Pecuniary emolument sinks into nothing considered as a reward, when compared with a conscious victory over himself. III. A consciousness of improvement in the art of teaching is another reward. Such improvement will follow as a matter of course from his self-improvement in the particulars just named. As his own mind expands, he feels a new impulse to exert himself to interest others in the subjects he teaches. He soon comes to look upon the work of instruction, not as a mere mechanical business, to be done in a formal way, but as a noble art, based upon certain great principles that are capable of being understood and applied. He employs all his ingenuity to discover the natural order of presenting truth to the mind,―to ascertain the precise degree of aid the learner needs, and the point where the teacher should stop. He studies carefully the proper motives to be presented as incentives to exertion. Interested in his labor as a great work, looking upon his influence as telling upon all future time, he devotes |