can do no wrong”—was given its farewell toast at
a Boston tea party.
Today another question arises Has the re
public exalted another individual to such auto
cracy that he may assume the kingly rule?
Are we to bend the knee and humbly chant
—“The judge can do no wrong?”
Kings assumed to tell their subjects what they
might say and what they might publish. They
would have liked to tell them what to think.
Those wise men who wrote the Declaration of
Independence told kings that they proposed to es
tablish a country in which men think and speak
for themselves.
Later came patriots and statesmen who con
sidered it worth while to add a special section to
the Constitution guaranteeing free speech and a
free press.
Judge Walther is a rare American—perhaps a
cause they failed to learn the salutation—“The
judge can do no wrong.”
Mr. Opper presents the jurist with a crown
and an ermine robe. They are badges of a depart
ed splender.
When ermine has been worn in courts it has
been the symbol of the majesty of the law rather
than of the man who wore the cloak.
From time to time judges have done wrong
and frequently the American people have told
them so.
Judge Walther is a rare America—perhaps a
biological reversion to a type which really enter
tained the belief that a few human beings are
born with divine rights.—Seattle P. I.
PERSONALITY MORE IMPORTANT THAN
BUILDING OR EQUIPMENT
If I were one of 400,000 members of
School Boards of the one-room rural
schools in America, and we had to choose
between putting our limited money into
equipment or a teacher with personality,
I would vote for personality.
Prof. Walter Burr, educational expert of Kan
sas Agricultural College, offers this advice to rural
school authorities in an article written for the
September issue of The Farm Journal.
Rural schools particularly, Prof. Burr thinks,
spend too large a proportion of their limited budg
ets on buildings and physical equipment, and are
prone to hire, at the lowest salaries possible, any
teachers who can present certificates showing
that they are technically qualified for the jobs.
Technical qualifications are essential, but
they do not make a teacher, Prof Burr holds. A
girl may have graduated from normal school with
satisfactory marks but may lack entirely the ma
turity of judgment and qualities of leadership,
and interest in her work which will make her a
successful teacher.
Prof. Burr quotes the report of the National
Educational Association that the child’s attitude
toward all the duties of his future life depends
upon his like or dislike of his early studies, and
that this turn is conditioned almost entirely by
his like or dislike of the teacher.
A teacher who can inspire the grade school
child and interest him in solving his simple prob
lems can build in him a will power for achiev
ment which will last through life.
Such teachers are not easily found in rural
communities, Prof. Burr admits. But still, he
shows, the tiny Porter School, near Kirksville,
Missouri has become the model rural school of the
country largely through the singlehanded efforts
of the lone teacher, Mrs. Marie Harvey, a middle
aaged woman with a real love of children and the
faculty for inspiring them to their best efforts
both at work and at play.
“I could bring forward numerous examples
to show that there are often individuals of super
ior qualities who can be secured as teachers,” he
adds,. It really seems to me to be up to the in
genuity and peristence of the school boards to se
cure such people. But above all qualities, buy per
sonality. The teacher who has it will find ways
of getting equipment and handling subject mat
ter.”—Juneau Empire.
Editor’s Note: Two years ago, we made a
speech in Wrangell in which we sa:d, “ The only
thing that remains with us after leaving the pub
lic schools is the imprint of the personality of our
school teachers, and if we, as managers of school
systems, do not engage instructors who have per
sonality, we commit a crime against our children.
That is the basis of my opposition to Lester D.
Henderson, who, at best, is but a human adding
machine that recites columns and columns of fig
ures at every school and who never arouses or
tries to arouse the ambtion of the children for the
humanities of life.”
This same test should be applied to all our
teachers, instructors, supervisors, superintend
ents and commissioners.”)