M. J. RENDALLj ESQ., M.A., ON THE TEACHEfi's VOCATION. 85 



and hope, the elders with pride and confidence. Himself moving 

 always amid the larger things of life, the power that went forth 

 from him insensibly raised the tone of thought and motive 

 in those around him .... He lived a common life with his 

 scholars in meals, in games, in excursions, always sharing their 

 interests and pleasures. ... It was part of Vittorino's purpose 

 to attract rather than drive, and to respect the dignity and 

 freedom of his boys."* This, it may be said, is a fair picture 

 of a house-master in a boarding school, but does not fit other 

 types of teachers. It is my contention that no teacher, however 

 obscure his position, can shuffle off this responsibihty : he bears 

 on his breast, whether he will or no, a larger wallet than other 

 men to contain the infirmities of youth. He is by profession a 

 censor and a moralist. The grown-up world has a right to give 

 him a wide berth — Hie niger est : hunc tu, Romane, caveto. 



Now there are two tendencies of to-day which run counter to 

 this view. Firstly, there are teachers who study naturalness at 

 the expense of dignity, who fail to emphasize the real issues of 

 life and conduct because they have never wrestled with them, 

 who have hardly developed in gravity since their own school 

 days ; who are content to make boyishness their own ideal as 

 well as that of their pupils. They are good fellows, athletes, 

 anglers, clubmen, devoted — to golf, students — of bridge : their 

 avocations have consumed their vocation. The influence of 

 such men — and they are numerous — on the profession is dis- 

 astrous. They are the very opposite of Vittorino : for they 

 are " moving always amid the " smaller and pettier " things of 

 life." 



The other class take a different point of view : instruction, they 

 tell us, is their business and not morahty. Their profession is 

 that of teachers, not of prophets. Our reply is, you cannot 

 dissociate the two. There are, no doubt, subjects which afford 

 httle or no scope for ethical teaching ; we might, for instance, 

 cite chemistry or physics ; but, whatever may be said of the 

 elementary stages of scientific work, its later developments 

 are intimately connected with religion and morality ; no scientific 

 teacher can throw ofi the prophet's mantle. Still more is thig 

 true of history : indeed, Mr. Gould, in British Education after 



* Mr. Lewis Paton, High Master of Manchester Grammar School, 

 develops the same thought, in a fresh and suggestive manner, in his paper 

 on " The Spirit of Discipline " (in the T.C.V. vol. of essays, " Education : 

 Its Spiritiial Basis and Social Ideas "). 



