THE MATAMOROS PAPERS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 1912, 22 June 1869, Page 2

THE MATAMOROS PAPERS.

No. 11. “ ARMA VIRUMQUE CANO,” Arms and the man with the cane—that is to say, the schoolmaster. Not that it is my intention to write about arms, —I leave that to the Editor ; he will, no doubt, satisfactorily polish off Mr Stafford, Mr Fox, Te Kooti, Tito Kowarau, Warau Katito, and the rest of them ; I go in for the schoolmaster. Yet, not only of the schoolmaster is it my intention to treat, but also of most things on the earth and under the earth, and more especially of doctors, lawyers, and ministers et hoc genus omne, as they are in these colonies. Now be jit known to all men by these presents that all these classes of gentlemen have little peculiarities; some of them weaknesses, others strong points, the consideration and discussion of which will, no doubt, afford no small amusement and instruction, Let it be understood, however, that we ai'e to have no personalities. You and I, 0 reader ! know that nothing is more mean and cowardly, than for a man, who is sheltered under his nm de plume, to pitch into private persons. It is splendid fun, to us, of course, to see a man wi’ithing under a stinging satire, but hardly to

him. At any rate, I will have nothing to do with such a thing. I could do it easily enough, and so could you : nothing is easier, nothing comes more natural to most people than to say bitter and telling things about other people, and especially about those in authority. For, unfortunately, human nature is of such a kind, that it is only too prone to receive the poorest imaginable jest as a thing worthy of all admiration and encouragement, if it be only at our neighbour’s expense. So that the result of a mental effort of this kind, which, if it were made in any other direction would be truly pitiful, is often crowned with the most splendid success, especially when it is very spiteful. As to my qualifications for dealing with so large and important a subject, I have only to say that my hair is beginning to grow grey (if any one wishes to have a lock of it, he may do so by calling at my barber’s next time I have my hair cut, of which event, of course, due notice will be given in the advertising columns of this paper) ; that I have travelled a good deal; and, above all, have generally kept my eyes open. For the rest, “ The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” But to proceed with the matter in hand. The first point to be noticed with reference to the scholastic profession, is the peculiar disadvantage under which schoolmasters are placed as compared with other professional men—with the ministers, the doctors, and the lawyers. This disadvantage arises from the fact that the object aimed at by persons who employ these latter is definite, while children are sent to school to be educated ; which expression is probably the most indefinite in the English language. For though it has, of course, an exact scientific meaning, when used by adepts, in the mouths of the multitude, it has as many different meanings, as the number of persons who use it. Thus the doctor is sent for when we ai'e ill, for the purpose of curing us. This is perfectly precise. This is our object; the mode of doing so is left to himself, and he has the privilege of putting us to death after his own fashion, if it is fated that we should die. The lawyer, too, is consulted for some clearly defined object; we wish to get possession of what some one else has, or wish to keep what is our own ; no mistake can possibly arise as to our intention, and we may remark en passant, that a lawyer ought to be a happy man. He has, to enable him to make out a decent case of any matter whatsoever a vast collection of statutes and precedents. And yet, as neither he nor any other mortal, can be expected to predict what will be the effect of these statutes and precedents, when brought into contact with one another in court, he can hardly be, and in fact seldom is, considered responsible for the result. Meanwhile Ms fees ai’e secured to him, so that he is in every instance in the fortunate position of a Derby man who has made his book with such judgment that he is safe to win in any event. The clergyman is hardly as well off in this respect as his other professional brethren. He and his flock are liable to differ as to the object desired : he wishes to save* them from impending evil—they wish to gain a present good. It must be confessed that people are ready enough to go to church, because it is respectable and seemly to do so ; they are by no means so ready to go to heaven, unless the road can be made extremely comfortable and easy for them; and are wont to resist with considerable spirit any real attempt to make them live in a Avay becoming to those who believe that they are on a real x*oad to a real place. The fact is, that vast numbers of people are of the same opinion as the sailor, who, on being admonished by a minister, declared that he thought it very hard that he should have to go to sea all his life and to everlasting perdition afterwards ; and that he could not believe that it was possible. Though they are, I fear, terribly wrong, it can hardly b« doubtful that this is the comfortable creed of multitudes of persons :—that things will all come right somehow and at some time or another, and that under these circumstances it is hardly necessary to take much trouble about such matters. Still it cannot be denied that all things considered, the work to be done by the minister is definite enough in its character. Now, as we have said before, the services required of the schoolmaster are, from the circumstance that every man has his own particular theory about education, altogether of a shifting, varying, and undefined character. Mr A. sends his boy to school that he may ultimately be able to read the newspaper and sign his name to a receipt. Mr B’s highest idea of education is that his son should be fit to enter an office at a salary of LI per week. Mrs C. considers any education complete whose effects are made manifest by a solo on the piano, and the ability to read a French novel. Mr D.’s notion of a complete education is that the person educated should be able to think

correctly, to reason logically, to observe accurately, and to express his ideas with fluency and elegance.—l have reached the end of my tether for the present; hut more anon.