University of Maine at Presque Isle - Salmagundi Yearbook (Presque Isle, ME)

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SALMAGUNDI 9 exist that there may be greater men. In every de- partment of life we see the service and inspiration of vigorous-minded men. But While we should strive to do good and to achieve greatness, We must avoid copying others,-the greatness must be inherent in ourselves. 44He is great who is what he is from Nature and who never reminds us of others. The types chosen by Emerson as representative men are those whose thoughts and lives stand for something definite. He has chosen them on account of their sincerity to great principles. His own prejudices and preferences are shown very clearly in this essay, which is his strongest and most cliaracteristic work. ALLINGHAM, '10, What a Teacher Should Read. A teacher must read widely for his own sake and for the sake of the children whom he teaches. Lord Bacon has said, fflfteading maketh a full man. But there is so much literature printed in these days that a teacher must take care to select what will be a ben- efit and not a hindrance to him. - A great deal of informational reading must be done by the teacher, for he must know far more about the subject which he is to teach than the pupil knows. Pupils are impressed by genuine and exact knowledge and give more ready respect and obedience to teachers who have it than to those whose knowledge is shallow and inaccurate. There are now so many great works in history, science, and geography that every teacher has access to work of this kind. N ext in importance to informational literature comes the educational Not to know sornethingof other times, the stories of great lives, the discussion of social' and political theories,is to show one's self of poor and mean attainment. A good knowledge of educational history gives one a deeper respect for the past and makes him more modest. Every teacher needs to read psychology for he must make.a study of the individual child. Teachers are beginning to see that ,children should not be treated as a whole, but that each child must be studied sepa4 rately. . A teacher must not neglect to tread some of the general literature of our times, for it is quite em- barassing to be found ignorant of what is produced in this field. There is a danger that too much time be spent in reading the works of fiction, and no person

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I0 SALMAGUND1 who spends more than half the time, which he gives to reading, in the reading of prose fiction, will come to be truly cultivated. But fiction should not be en- tirely neglected for it enlarges our acquaintance, quickens our sympathies, removes us from the unme- diate circumstances of ordinary life, and so makes us better able to bear the irritations when we go back to them. The work of authors such as Eliot, Thackeray, and Hawthorne lead us into good society and tenflrto cure narrowness and provincialism. The teacher must keep in touch with the current history of our times, but this part of literature is not so important as the others, and less time should be given to it. A teacher. should be especially careful not to spend his time in reading the trashy contents of the newspapers as this sort of reading does much harm. In this respect, magazines and journals are a great deal better than newspapers. Therefore tl1e teacher should read the different kinds of literature, giving special attention to those books which have todo with methods of teaching, educating and uplifting the young. Q AMY BROWN, 1909. Presque .Isle Me., Jan. 1, 1909. MY DEAR EMMELINE: W This is the first day of the New Year and I am going to begin it by writing you a long letter. I have resolved to be a better correspondent henceforth. There is so much' to tell you that I hardly know where to begin but I think I will.tell you- first of my visit to Limestone. You have probably. heard me speak of my friends, Elsie, Mary, Nellie and Harriet. Well, Elsie invited the four of us to spend Christmas with her at Lime- stone. N ellie, however, decided to divide her holi- days with us and her aunt' at Fort rFairfield. School closed Wednesday, the 23rd, and we started' on our trip Thursday afternoon. We took the train, which was two hours late, for Caribou, and were met there by E1Sie's brother, who was to drive us to Linge- -stone, a distance' of ten miles.. . V As soon as he saw us he became very much excited. I suppose the effect of seeing so many beautiful vis- ions, dressed in their best iinery, rather unnerved him. Be that as it may, he was certainly fiurried. for what did he do but rein the horses between two tracks. There was nothing for us to do but to jump out into the deep snow while the horses were beinv' - 'D - turned. Trouble was 1n store for us and in the proces time i reignei with 1 turns 1 smith turn. that in was eig Mrs. spent quaint Erni his brc Hcatch one da it mor! The and ha syrup, and co Afte obliged have h hate to broom washer pare tl expect and cn berry, cream After 1 which fore. The drive ti about 1 sleigh. arrivin, pointnm ter stex previor L's., E howevu were di Besiu brother ested ir home s in play reachea