Life — February 23, 1905 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“While there ts Life there's Hop VOL. XLV. FEB. 23, 1905, 17 West Tharty-Fiest Steenr, New Yous fn ad Vo contribution will be returned unte accompanied by stamped and addre envelope, The itlustrations in LAek. are and ave not to be reproduce. py ighted. Promp! notification should be sent by sub= seribers of any chan; address. 0) T cone day all the papers reported that — the {2 Rev. Anson Phe!ps Stokes, Junior retary of Yale University, had declined the rector- rul’s § 01 ship of § I at Concord before, a school trustees 1 elected Mr Some weeks Largs ae ter,and he had readmas- been thinking itover. He finally ¢ clined because of his conclusion that s opportunities of doing good at Yale we abandoned. Why the tidi too comprehensive to be gs of this 1 its rejection should have world, we proposal an unicated to th been comm don’t know On the face of it, it would seem more suitable to use such cases that considerate reticence which ladies who are real ladies use g overtures from anent such flatt ained t gentlemen as they fecl const decline. Doubtless, h from the school was tike a call from owever, the call a church, which is always a_ public matter, whether accepted or dectine The facts in this case being pub- lished, it seems not impertinent to ex- ne Mr. Stokes’ conclusion. We nd believe he is a highly acceptable useful officer of Yale College The op- portunities for doing good in that insti- tution are unquestionably enormous Knowing Yale as we do, we cannot be LIFE surprised that Mr. Stokes failed to persuade himself to turn away from ns, and such ess, Still, we cannot help feeling afield of such dimensic ripe’ that the opportunities of the other job should be greater. We have heard of St. Paul's as a school where they don’t allow Lire in the school limits, and where they don't let the seball. As to the joys play srmer prohibi tion, maybe it is wise. Lire is, of courss . a pretty objectionable paper, and though we. have never meta $ Paul's boy who scemed still innocent enough to be harmed by it, we cannot quarrel with the caution that excludes it, if indeed it is still, or ever w ex: cluded. One hears such a prodigious number of lies about schools, that it is sure of the truth of any such statement. We believe it is true, however, that they don’t have base- hall in that school, and one of the op- portunities of doing good that Mr Stokes would have had there would n to remove the taboo og have t that lively American game ve : e LM he LO URTHERMORE, whereas a man who deals with colleg on gets them more or less ready-made, a man who deals with boys gets them in the plastic if he has really in him the aking of a good school- aster, he can be extremely service able to a la proportic Great schoolmasters are scarce. doubt they are born, not made, like Dr. Coit, who made St. Paul's famous, was undoubtedly a great schoolmaster, whatever his de- fects. All the schoolmasters have de- fects, and if they don't have them to start with, they develop them. To live out of the world, and to be de- prived in great measure of the whole- some discipline that comes from asso- ciation and competition with equals in years, powers and abilities, is trying even to the soundest natures To be year after year a master of be a king. It allibility, and to make even the best of men arbi- trary. A man’s own ¢ up and keep changing in their rela- is something like bein: tends to breed a sense of in: ildren grow tions to him, but a schoolmaster’s boys a re always boys, and when they get to an age when their views might serve as a counterpoise to his, off they ER also has to difficult, liced class, that sure to make him lots of trouble, A SCHOOLMAS deal with parents, dangerous and preju hey ai n when he ought to be backed up, and to back liable to oppose h m up when he ought to be opposed. © dependence can be placed upon them as a class. » he has himself to fight and t ase of the inevit- nd the boys to keep in hand and train, and the parents also to train and not infre- quently to fight. Besides that, he may have trust es that trouble him, and he has alway's to contend (as we have sug- gested) with lies. The sane people will believe about he best of schools—the rumors and libels and preposterous tales that will get about at all belief. If in the face of all these difficulties and drawbacks a mere human man and find acceptance — can bear him in the main so wisely and benevolently as to train the minds. and influence the characters of boys to ir lasting adv ntage, it is certainly supremely good work, and one whereof the opportunities, as well as the hazards, are very seld Whether tl Paul's is at present a good job we don’t know, but it ought te prize : a post of such dignity and dis- ched. headmastership of St. be a great tinction as no aspiring and devoted educator would decline, except for urgent reasons. It ought, incidentally, de makes the school. It flour- ay a generous salary. The h mast ishes or languishes, does good work or . according as he is, or is not, fit for his place. Such schools as Eton, Rugby or Harrow call whom they will, and are apt to get their man, A school of t of St. Par traditions and backing t Concord ought to be i man it wants. If it able to get t cannot, it must be either because the needful man is not in At, or be ase the importance of such posts is not yet appreciated in this country. comicbooks.com