educational realm men make about the same use of the term "personality."

One cause of confusion in the use of the term comes from our sometimes not having in mind a clear notion of the relation. of personality to the science of teaching or pedagogy. As most teachers who have become somewhat efficient look back upon their early attempts at teaching they feel that this work was pretty largely a failure. Some of them do not care to acknowledge it however.

I presume that in nearly every case the failures, have been, by some one, attributed to a lack in personality. A few years ago, without seeing her, on the recommendation of her principal an Ohio school board hired a young woman from an eastern normal school. She was a disappointment to the board, the superintendent and the schools. In a few weeks she returned to her home branded a failure. Why? Because she lacked the personality necessary to become a teacher. This was the verdict. To-day she is one of the strongest teachers in an eastern city where the requirements are as high if not higher than in the Ohio city in which she began work. What is it that takes place in these cases? At one time they are said to fail because of lack in their personality, after a time they succeed. Have their personalities changed? Are they stronger personalities than they were at first? I think not. I think that in very few cases has their been any marked change of personality. What has taken place is this, the teacher through study, through training, and through experience has acquired knowledge of and skill in teaching, and has thus become a more efficient teacher.. Some one may at once conclude that personality is then a secondary factor in the make-up of a teacher, that scholarship, pedagogical training and experience are the determining elements. A

college president in speaking of what a college education can do for a man said multiply a cipher by whatever number you choose, it will remain a cipher still. So it is in teaching, the size of the resultant teacher depends upon the multiplicand of personality. A large personality will become a large teacher though the multiplier of scholarship and training may be small. The practical experience of every employer of teachers will bear out this statement. There is probably not a school system here represented where, during the past year, there has not been one or more instances of men and women of good scholarship and of good training failing as teachers because of a lack in their personalities.

On the other hand many instances may be given of great personalities attaining magnificent results almost without scholarship, without the training of the schools. One of the strongest teachers of certain essential fundamental truths of individual and social life that I have known could neither read nor write.

Many men who have risen from a lowly place to one of emience find that their impulse toward higher things came from the influence of the personality of some humble school teacher.

In every community may be found teachers who with small scholarship, with no pedagogical training, who by the power of their personality are able to do great deeds for individuals and for the world. Such personalities are not rare. The effort of this paper, thus far, has been to point out and emphasize the importance of a right personality in teaching. It is not the intention to in any way minimize the importance of broad, deep, accurate scholarship and sound pedagogical training. By means of these a right personality is enabled to extend its influence more widely, to exercise its powers more effectively, with

less resistance. By means of these a right personality comes nearer to a realization of its highest ideals. Scholarship and training are powerful assistants to but they can never be substituted for right personality.

When we study the lives of those teachers who are worthy to be considered as exemplary, we find that their individualities have contributed largely to their success, and we also find that no side of the teacher's personality is more within his power to modify than his individuality. However, we do not find their individualities entitled to the kind of credit that is often given them. I suppose that nearly every young teacher has had held up to him the unparalleled powers of some "born teacher." He has been almost frightened from going on in his chosen work because he fails to find that he has many if any of the qualities of the socalled born teacher. Such individuals seem according to popular report to possess some mysterious powers, a subtle, indefinable magnetism that make him superior to all others. Such a one can by the flash of his eye, by the lifting of an eye-brow bring order out of chaos, make the intellectually blind to see, the intellectually deaf to hear, the intellectually lame and dumb to walk and talk. Such remarkable individuals can not help being so, they were born that way. They are sort of freaks. There may be such marvelous people in school work, but they are not common. A study of the great teachers shows that great teaching personalities are not determined by physical qualities. All educational history from Socrates to the present time is filled with examples of great teachers who achieved success though their bodies may have been frail, deformed and ugly.

While a right teaching personality may not be determined by the physical nature it has its determining elements.

The one that appears most prominently and the one that probably should be con sidered the dominant element of personality is character. It is not necessary to discuss at length the importance of this side of a teacher's nature. It is a sound pedagogical principle that the teacher should be what the pupils should become. There is no more effective method than by example. If we would have children become brave, noble and generous, if we would have them become broad, strong, cheerful, patient, punctual and loving men and women there is no surer way than to give them into the training of men and women whose characters are the living expressions of these qualities. For as desire begets desire, hope inspires hope, faith creates faith, so high character develops high character. In school as nowhere else do these thoughts hold true. "Be noble and the nobleness that lies in others sleeping but never dead will rise in majesty to meet thine own." But a right teaching personality needs something in addition to a strong individuality and a sound character. You know of men and women who so far as scholarship, individuality and moral character are concerned would measure up to the highest standards, yet you would no more put them in the schools than you would put yeast germs in fruit juice that is to be kept sweet. trouble with such people is that somehow they have gotten twisted in their attitude toward life.

The

The personality of him who would teach must stand in right relation to life, to the world and to God. He must believe in the brotherhood of man, the fatherhood of God and the progress of the race forever upward and onward. He must feel that the work of teaching is to help on this progress and that as he helps an individual to rise a little higher he is helping on in the development of the plan

of the Almighty. He must possess a spirit that will enable him to appreciate the value of a child even though that child may be the poorest and meanest of earth's children. Some one has said of such a spirit that it elevates above everything else the nature and capabilities of the human soul, it trembles under the responsibility of attempting to be its educator, it looks upon gold as the contemptible dross of earth when compared with that imperishable gem which is to be polished, it recognizes and reverences the handiwork of God in every child.

Men and women who are filled with such a spirit are sure to become efficient teachers if they remain in the work. If they lack scholarship, they will get it; if they lack the necessary skill in teiching, they will acquire it; if they find that their habits of living and thinking are not right, they will change them, because they know that only by so doing can they come near to a realization of their ideals.

There are few who remain long in the work of teaching who are not, at least in part, dominated by such a spirit or whose personalities do not stand in such an attitude toward life.

For those who are trying to teach out-of-joint with the world, with life and with childhood, there is no hope excepting to be born again. There must be a complete changing about in their attitude, they need to be converted. I say it reverently, they must come to love the things they once hated and to hate the things they once loved. When they have this changed outlook they will be glad when some ignorant, undisciplined, and wayward child has been assigned to their room because they feel it an opportunity to help make the world better by making this individual better. They will not feel that a boy is hopeless because they have discovered that he has lied, cheated, used

profanity or stolen. They will be pleased when they find that he has done some of these things. They will be pleased not because he has done the thing but because the act shows them a need that they might not otherwise have been conscious of. They are thus able to help him strengthen his character at one of its weakest places.

As was said at the beginning the aim of this paper has been to point out and emphasize some of the essential conditions in the problem of personality as the problem relates itself to the work of the teacher. There has been little or no attempt at a solution. That work has been left for those more competent, those who are to follow in the discussion.

The effort has been made to maintain 1st that personality is the most essential element in the make-up of a teacher, 2d, that scholarship and pedagogical training are aids to but cannot be a substitute for right personality, 3d, that individuality, character and a right outlook upon life are the leading factors in a right teaching personality.

DISCUSSION.

SUPT. CHARLES HAUPERT.

I will talk to you only for a few moments on this question. I did not hear the paper, but I stand for two things on this old question of the personality of the teacher. It is a most difficult problem to handle. It is a most difficult thing to form a correct judgment to be pronounced upon the teacher in the question of personality. I want to maintain the idea without any question in my own mind that personality is capable of development. It is the teacher's highest duty to develop this personality. This development is the price of success. It must be kept in mind that in the development of this personality it is the unconscious rather than the conscious

tuition that flows out from the teacher, from what that teacher is to what he does. Then there is the attitude of the teacher. This is a very important matter. Let me caution the young teacher on this point of attitude to the profession and to the child and one of the besetting sins of the teacher is this abominable egotism. We might as well confess it now. Egotism is a nuisance anywhere. It is especially a nuisance in the school-room. There is no place in any community for the teacher who is not strictly and highly professional. We ought to be optimistic. We ought to have great faith in human progress. We ought to have great faith in the possibilities of childhood. I am beginning to get a father's viewpoint on this question and I have a different view of it from what I had 20 years ago. From the teacher's personality there must emanate intelligent sympathy, encouragement and hope. Give me a teacher who can look at things from a learner's point of view. Give me a teacher who can encourage right doing in the right way and who can inspire hope in the soul. Give me a teacher who can inspire in the child that kind of hope which will conquer in the end and I am satisfied. Sympathy is a matter of patience and the inventor of devices. There is something that is stronger than words, deeper than tears, more beautiful than wisdom, it is hope. Never give up. I like the boy that has the principle of initiative in him and a determination to attack a thing and stay with it until he conquers it.

The matter of health and out-door life has much to do with personality. I have been suggesting gardens and fruit-trees for out-door life. It gives good cheer and good humor. Let us not forget to count our blessings and endeavor always to keep cheerful and sweet. Another thing in the development of the teacher is the mingling with

all classs of people. I attribute what little success I have had to my opportunities of mingling with all classes of people. Of course men have a better opportunity to do this than women. By this mingling you can lead people to the right ideas of education. We must know the people and we must understand the people. We must look at things from their standpoint and then bring them to our standard when we know we are right.

ers.

The resourceful teacher will make the boy busy and happy in school. A boy would better be out of school than to be in an unhappy state. We must have a strong hold upon our pupils as our country grows. There are other things to which the teacher must give attention. He must present a good appearance, be neat in dress, correct in character as well as dress and have good manners. Our children want model men and women before them as teachThen there is the question of sex and there have been many foolish things said about this question. I notice that Mayor McClellan of New York said he would rather be damned for doing something than for doing nothing. I do not know but what he is right in that and my last point is that when we aim at professional life the one thing we all need is a right vision of the whole educational problem, the twentieth century ideal, the power to look into the future and to grasp the true American ideal and know the rational life of the people.

HOW SHALL A TEACHER MEET HER FULL ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES?

NETTIE SHREVE BAYMAN.

Since the time the Great Teacher dwelt among men and taught the principles of our relationship, one to each other, the world is more and more com

ing to realize these principles and follow them.

Not behind in this movement of social interest is the teacher. Nor is it

a recent movement in our profession, for the great reformers of education realized and taught the responsibility, and to-day it is an established truth that ethics, defined as the doctrine of man's duty in respect to himself and the rights of others is the gravest task of the teachers. We are to think for a little time to-day how we shall meet this responsibility. Since it is to the child that we owe the duty, we first must know the child through a knowledge of physiology and psychology.

In every possible way an understanding of the child, physically should be known.

The condition of his health, his environment at home, an acquaintance with his parents if possible. An example, of a clean, wholesome, sound body, by the teacher should be before the child. The school-room should daily represent order and neatness, that such ideals become a fixed standard.

The psychological study gives the teacher a true insight into the life of the child. "It ought to give a teacher help," says Prof. James, "but it is only the fundamental conceptions of psychology which are of real value to the teacher." Psychology is a science and teaching is an art, therefore to know psychology is absolutely no guarantee that we shall be good teachers. We must have an added gift to know what to do when the child is before us. We must care for him in a very particular way. A way that covets for him the best things, a way that is willing to make sacrifices that he may gain the best things, a way that will mete (out to him) justice in reward or punishment.

Fortunately for the teacher who has this gift, the pupil is in the impressionable age, the habit forming period.

And when we use the word habit, let us remember that virtues are habits as much as vices. It should therefore be our aim to supplant every vice with a virtue. Children can be taught that the mind ought to be stronger than the body, that if a physical vice seems to preponderate that the mind ought to say to the body, "Thou shalt not."

We are well aware of the nervous energy expended by the American child, for they are in miniature what the average adult is in our country to-day. Our nervous system must be made our ally instead of our enemy. Useful actions must become automatic and habitual as early as possible. Hence it is given to us as teachers to direct the energy of the child toward habitual usefulness, for we want him to become a useful character and a character writes J. S. Mill, "is a completely fashioned will" and a will is a multitude of tendencies to act firmly, promptly and definitely in life's emergencies.

The effort set forth to obtain this result must be continuous and faithful, and unconsciously the child fixes the habit.

But the value of relaxation which too is needed and which we must help to bring about, how can it be reached? Not by talking about it you will agree but by simply being a living exponent one's self of the now much talked of theory.

An unperturbed countenance, a gentle voice and a quiet manner in the teacher will give confidence to the child and lend him aid in mastering himself. We have met the fussy teacher who is never entirely sure of herself, contrast her work with the teacher who is a general and the lifelong impression that is made.

Again, we must not take our work so seriously that it shows itself in our faces. It is not a sign of excellence