CHAP. XL] HIGH OFFICE OF TEACHERS. 151 



various springs and motives by which the child may be roused to 

 the most vigorous use of all its faculties.&quot; ^ 



Nevertheless, some of his most enthusiastic admirers confessed 

 to me that they could not assent to his doctrine, that &quot;to teach, 

 whether by word or action, is the highest function on earth,&quot; 

 unless young men and women, between the ages of seventeen and 

 twenty-two, are the pupils, instead of children between four and 

 sixteen. They expressed their misgivings and fears that the 

 business of the schoolmaster, who is to teach reading and writing 

 and the elements of knowledge, must check the development of 

 the mind, if not tend to narrow its powers. As the real friends 

 of progress, they had come reluctantly to this conclusion ; but 

 they admitted that to despond at present would be premature. 

 The experiment of promoting the teacher of every school to 

 that rank in society which the importance of his duties entitles 

 him to hold, and of training him in his art, has never yet been 

 tried. 



We have yet to learn what may be the effect of encouraging 

 men of superior energy and talent, who have a natural taste for 

 the calling, to fit themselves for the profession. It must doubt 

 less entail, like, every other liberal calling, such as the legal, 

 medical, clerical, military, or mercantile, a certain amount of 

 drudgery and routine of business ; but, like all these depart 

 ments, it may afford a field for the enlargement of the mind, if 

 they who exercise it enjoy, in a like degree, access to the best 

 society, can exchange thoughts with the most cultivated minds 

 in their district, and have leisure allowed them for self-culture, 

 together with a reasonable hope, if they distinguish themselves, 

 of being promoted to posts of honor and emolument, not in other 

 professions, such as the clerical, but in their own. The high 

 schools of Boston, supported by the state, are now so well man 

 aged, that some of my friends, who would grudge no expense to 

 engage for their sons the best instructors, send their boys to them 

 as superior to any of the private establishments supported by the 

 rich at great cost. The idea has been recently agitated of pro 

 viding similar free-schools and colleges for girls, because they 

 * Glasgow Ed., vol i. p. 391. 



