M. J. KENDALL, ESQ., M.A._, ON THE TEACHER's VOCATION. 93 



of the English method. It demands nothing, but it says in efiect 

 to the man, train yourself. 



I should be glad to see everv Secondary teacher brino^ some * 

 special bit of experience with him : let him travel and explore 

 the spirit of another people ; let him go into business, if he hkes ; 

 let him study the poor and Uve among them ; let him take a 

 turn at agriculture ; let him teach in a colony or in an elementary 

 school in England : let him live the life of a student, at a Training 

 College or elsewhere (some such training is good for all), and lay 

 the foundation of some special study. If he wishes to take 

 Holy Orders, let him read with a parson and get acquainted 

 with the parish. Let him by all means emancipate himself for 

 a Little while from the prejudices of a class and he will be better 

 able to train up boys to perform the duty of man, both in peace 

 and war. 



It will remain a vexed question for each several teacher whether 

 he should enroll himself among the oflB.cers of his Church. Of 

 one thing I make no question that our vocation is high and 

 honourable ; that it stands in its own right and should not be 

 regarded as ancillary to any other calling, even the highest ; 

 but that the sympathy, the earnestness, the sacrifice which 

 form its foundation are all derived from and sustained by the 

 li^ang force of Jesus Christ. There are some striking words of 

 Dr. Paton's which put our service and its only som-ce in their 

 right relation : The best of us are just passers-on. People talk 

 to us about our personal influence and our moulding the lives of 



the rising generation AMiat am I, what is anybody but 



just an iron-fihng with a capacity to conduct current ? 



There is only one word for the teacher to five by and it is this. 

 'I dehvered unto you that which also I received of the Lord 

 Jesus.' " That is the root of the matter : it is Platonism in a 

 Christian habit. We, hke Ion, are rhapsodists, iron rings in a 

 chain which derives its magnetic Ufe from God. 



Discussion. 



Dr. ScHOFiELD remarked : May I suggest that the word teacher 

 seems too small for Dr. Kendall's great theme. It is true, on p. 82, 

 he seems to treat education and teaching as identical, but on p. 83 

 he already begins to give us his larger concept in describing thoughts 

 and feehngs which are not in themselves teaching,'' in the strict 

 sense of instruction. 



