,,education ,,as ,,service        ,,by  
,j4 ,,krishnamurti    7,,alcyone7       
,,the ,,rajput ,,press    ,,chicago     
#aiab          ,,education ,,as         
,,service          ,,introduction    ,in
 long past lives the author of this     
little book had much to do with         
educational work1 and he seems to have  
brought over with him an intense        
interest in education4 ,during his short
 visits to ,benares1 he paid an  alert  
attention to many of the details of the 
work carried on in the  ,central ,hindu 
,college1 observing and asking          
questions1 noting the good  feeling     
between teachers and students1 so       
different from his own school           
experiences in ,southern ,india4 ,he    
appears to have been brooding over  the 
question1 and has1 in this booklet1 held
 up the educational ideals  which appear
 to him to be necessary for the         
improvement of the present  system4     
,the position of the teacher must be    
raised to that which it used to  occupy 

in ,india1 so that to sit in the        
teacher's chair will be a badge  of     
social honour4 ,his work must be seen as
 belonging to the great  ,teaching      
,department in the ,government of our   
world1 and his relation  with his pupils
 must be a copy of the relation between 
a ,master and ,his  disciples4 ,love1   
protective and elevating on the one     
side1 must be met  with love1 confiding 
and trustful on the other4 ,this is1 in 
truth1 the  old ,hindu ideal1           
exaggerated as it may seem to be to-day 
and if it be  possible1 in any country  
to rebuild this ideal1 it should be by  
an  ,indian for ,indians4 ,hence there  
is1 at the back of the author's mind1 a 
dream of a future ,college and ,school1 
wherein this ideal may be               
materialised--a ,theosophical ,college  
and ,school1 because the ancient        
,indian ideals now draw their life from 
,theosophy which alone can shape  the   
new vessels for the ancient elixir of   
life ,punishment must  disappear--not   

only the old brutality of the cane1 but 
all the forms of  coercion that make    
hypocrites instead of honourable and    
manly youths4  ,the teacher must embody 
the ideal1 and the boy be drawn1 by     
admiration  and love1 to copy it4 ,those
 who know how swiftly the unspoiled     
child  responds to a noble ideal will   
realise how potent may be the influence 
of a teacher1 who stimulates by a high  
example and rules by the sceptre  of    
love instead of by the rod of fear4     
,besides1 the ,one ,life is in  teacher 
and taught1 as ,alcyone reminds us1 and 
to that ,life1 which is  ,divine1 all   
things are possible4    ,education must 
be shaped to meet the individual needs  
of the child1 and  not by a ,government 
,procrustes' bed1 to fit which some are 
dragged  well-nigh asunder and others   
are chopped down4 ,the capacities of the
  child1 the line they fit him to       
pursue1 these must guide his education4 
,in all1 the child's interest must be   
paramount2 the true teacher exists  to  

serve4    ,the school must be a centre  
of good and joyous influences1 radiating
  from it to the neighbourhood4 ,studies
 and games must all be turned to  the   
building of character1 to the making of 
the good citizen1 the lover  of his     
country4    ,thus dreams the boy1 who is
 to become a teacher1 of the            
possibilities  the future may unfold4   
,may he realise1 in the strength of a   
noble  ,manhood1 the pure visions of his
 youth1 and embody a ,power which shall 
make earth's deserts rejoice and blossom
 as the rose4    ,,annie ,,besant4      
,,to ,,the ,,supreme ,,teacher    ,,and 
,,to ,,those ,,who ,,follow ,,him       
,,foreword    ,many of the suggestions  
made in this little book come from my   
own  memories of early school life2 and 
my own experience since of the  methods 
used in ,occult training has shown me   
how much happier boys'  lives might be  
made than they usually are4 ,i have     
myself experienced  both the right way  
of teaching and the wrong way1 and      

therefore ,i want  to help others       
towards the right way4 ,i write upon the
 subject because  it is one which is    
very near to the heart of my ,master1   
and much of what  ,i say is but an      
imperfect echo of what ,i have heard    
from ,him4 ,then  again1 during the last
 two years1 ,i have seen much of the    
work done in  the ,central ,hindu       
,college at ,benares by ,mr4 ,g4,s4     
,arundale and his  devoted band of      
helpers4 ,i have seen teachers glad to  
spend their time  and energies in       
continual service of those whom they    
regard as their  younger brothers4 ,i   
have also watched the boys1 in their    
turn1 showing a  reverence and an       
affectionate gratitude to their teachers
 that ,i had  never thought possible4   
,though many people may think the ideals
 put forward are entirely beyond  the   
average teacher1 and cannot be put into 
practice in ordinary  schools1 ,i can   
thus point at least to one institution  
in which ,i have  seen many of the      

suggestions made in this book actually  
carried out4 ,it  may be that some of   
them are1 at present1 beyond most       
schools2 but  they will be recognised   
and practised as soon as teachers       
realise them  as desirable1 and have a  
proper understanding of the importance  
of their  office4    ,most of the       
recommendations apply1 ,i think1 to all 
countries1 and to all  religions1 and   
are intended to sound the note of our   
common  brotherhood1 irrespective of    
religion or caste1 race or colour4 ,if  
the  unity of life and the oneness of   
its purpose could be clearly taught to  
the young in schools1 how much brighter 
would be our hopes for the  future6 ,the
 mutual distrust of races and nations   
would disappear1 if the  children were  
trained in mutual love and sympathy as  
members of one  great family of children
 all over the world1 instead of being   
taught to  glory only in their own      
traditions and to despise those of      
others4 ,true  patriotism is a beautiful

 quality in children1 for it means      
unselfishness of purpose and enthusiasm 
for great ideals2 but that is  false    
patriotism which shows itself in        
contempt for other nations4 ,there  are1
 ,i am told1 many organisations within  
the various nations of the  world1      
intended to inspire the children with a 
love for their country  and a desire to 
serve her1 and that is surely good2 but 
,i wonder when  there will be an        
international organisation to give the  
children of all  nations common ideals  
also1 and a knowledge of the real       
foundation of  right action1 the        
,brotherhood of ,man4    ,i desire to   
thank my dear mother1 ,mrs4 ,annie      
,besant1 for the help she  has given me 
while ,i have been writing this little  
book1 and also my  dear friend1 ,mr4    
,g4,s4 ,arundale--with whom ,i have     
often talked on the  subject--for many  
useful suggestions4    ,j4              
,,krishnamurti4          ,,contents     
,,the ,,teacher    ,i4 ,,love    ,,ii4  

,,discrimination    ,,iii4              
,,desirelessness    ,,iv4 ,,good        
,,conduct      #a4 ,self-control as to  
the mind      #b4 ,self-control in      
action      #c4 ,tolerance      #d4     
,cheerfulness      #e4 ,one-pointedness 
#f4 ,confidence          ,,the ,,teacher
    ,in ,at the ,feet of the ,master ,i 
have written down the instructions      
given to me by my ,master in preparing  
me to learn how best to be useful  to   
those around me4 ,all who have read the 
book will know how inspiring  the       
,master's words are1 and how they make  
each person who reads them  long to     
train himself for the service of others4
 ,i know myself how much  ,i have been  
helped by the loving care of those to   
whom ,i look for  guidance1 and ,i am   
eager to pass on to others the help ,i  
have obtained  from them4    ,it seems  
to me that the ,master's instructions   
can be universally  applied4 ,they are  
useful not only to those who are        
definitely trying to  tread the path    

which leads to ,initiation1 but also to 
all who1 while  still doing the ordinary
 work of the world1 are anxious to do   
their duty  earnestly and unselfishly4  
,one of the noblest forms of work is    
that of  the teacher2 let us see what   
light is thrown upon it by the words of 
the  ,master4    ,i will take the four  
,qualifications which have been given in
 ,at the  ,feet of the ,master1 and will
 try to show how they can be applied to 
the  life of the teacher and of the     
students1 and to the relations which    
should exist between them4    ,the most 
important ,qualification in education is
 ,love1 and ,i will take  that first4   
,it is sad that in modern days the      
office of a teacher has not been        
regarded as on a level with other       
learned professions4 ,any one has been  
thought good enough to be a teacher1 and
 as a result little honour has  been    
paid to him4 ,naturally1 therefore1 the 
cleverest boys are not  drawn towards   
that profession4 ,but really the office 

of the teacher is  the most sacred and  
the most important to the nation1       
because it builds  the characters of the
 boys and girls who will be its future  
citizens4 ,in  olden days this office   
was thought so holy that only priests   
were  teachers and the school was a part
 of the temple4 ,in ,india the trust in 
the teacher was so great that the       
parents gave over their sons  completely
 to him for many years1 and teacher and 
students lived  together as a family4   
,because this happy relation should be  
brought  back again1 ,i put ,love first 
among the ,qualifications which a       
teacher  ought to have4 ,if ,india is to
 become again the great nation which we 
all  hope to see1 this old happy        
relation must be re-established4        
,i4 ,,love      ,my ,master taught me   
that ,love will enable a man to acquire 
all other  qualities and that all the   
rest without it would never be          
sufficient4  ,therefore no person ought 
to be a teacher--ought to be allowed to 

be a  teacher--unless he has shown in   
his daily life that ,love is the        
strongest quality of his nature4 ,it may
 be asked3 ,how are we to find out      
whether a person possesses ,love to a   
sufficient degree to make him  worthy to
 be a teacher8 ,just as a boy shows his 
natural capacities at an  early age for 
one profession or another1 so a         
particularly strong  love-nature would  
mark a boy out as specially fitted to be
 an  instructor4 ,such boys should be   
definitely trained for the office of the
  teacher just as boys are trained for  
other professions4    ,boys who are     
preparing for all careers live a common 
life in the same  school1 and they can  
only become useful to the nation as men1
 if their  school life is happy4 ,a     
young child is naturally happy1 and if  
that  happiness is allowed to go on and 
grow in the school1 and at home1 then   
he will become a man who will make      
others happy4 ,a teacher full of love   
and sympathy will attract the boys and  

make their school life a pleasant  one4 
,my ,master once said that children are 
very eager to learn and if a  teacher   
cannot interest them and make them love 
their lessons1 he is not  fit to be a   
teacher and should choose another       
profession4 ,he has said  also3 ,those  
who are mine love to teach and to serve4
 ,they long for an  opportunity of      
service as a hungry man longs for food1 
and they are  always watching for it4   
,their hearts are so full of the divine 
,love that  it must be always           
overflowing in love for those around    
them4 ,only such  are fit to be         
teachers--those to whom teaching is not 
only a holy and  imperative duty1 but   
also the greatest of pleasures4    ,a   
sympathetic teacher draws out all the   
good qualities in his pupils1  and his  
gentleness prevents them from being     
afraid of him4 ,each boy then  shows    
himself just as he is1 and the teacher  
is able to see the line  best suited to 
him and to help him to follow it4 ,to   

such a teacher a boy  will come with all
 his difficulties1 knowing that he will 
be met with  sympathy and kindness1 and1
 instead of hiding his weaknesses1 he   
will  be glad to tell everything to one 
of whose loving help he is sure4 ,the   
good teacher remembers his own youth1   
and so can feel with the boy who  comes 
to him4 ,my ,master said3 ,he who has   
forgotten his childhood and  lost       
sympathy with the children is not a man 
who can teach them or help  them4       
,this love of the teacher for his pupil1
 protecting and helping him1 will  bring
 out love from the pupil in turn1 and as
 he looks up to his teacher  this love  
will take the form of reverence4        
,reverence1 beginning in this  way with 
the boy1 will grow as he grows older1   
and will become the habit  of seeing and
 reverencing greatness1 and so perhaps  
in time may lead him  to the ,feet of   
the ,master4 ,the love of the boy to the
 teacher will make  him docile and easy 
to guide1 and so the question of        

punishment will  never arise4 ,thus one 
great cause of fear which at present    
poisons all  the relations between the  
teacher and his pupil will vanish4      
,those of us  who have the happiness of 
being pupils of the true ,masters know  
what  this relation ought to be4 ,we    
know the wonderful patience1 gentleness 
and sympathy with which ,they always    
meet us1 even when we may have made     
mistakes or have been weak4    ,yet     
there is much more difference between   
,them and us than between the  ordinary 
teacher and his pupil4 ,when the teacher
 has learned to look  upon his office as
 dedicating him to the service of the   
nation1 as the  ,master has dedicated   
,himself to the service of humanity1    
then he will  become part of the great  
,teaching ,department of the world1 to  
which  belongs my own beloved           
,master--the ,department of which the   
supreme  ,teacher of ,gods and men is   
the august ,head4    ,it may be said    
that many boys could not be managed in  

this way4 ,the  answer is that such boys
 have been already spoiled by bad       
treatment4  ,even so1 they must be      
slowly improved by greater patience and 
constant  love4 ,this plan has already  
proved successful when tried4    ,living
 in this atmosphere of love during      
school hours1 the boy will  become a    
better son and a better brother at home1
 and will bring home  with him a feeling
 of life and vigour1 instead of coming  
home1 as he  generally does now1        
depressed and tired4 ,when he1 in turn1 
becomes the  head of a household1 he    
will fill it with the love in which he  
has been  brought up1 and so the        
happiness will go on spreading and      
increasing1  generation after           
generation4 ,such a boy when he becomes 
a father1 will  not look on his son1 as 
so many do now1 from a purely selfish   
point of  view1 as though he were merely
 a piece of property--as though the son 
existed for the sake of the father4     
,some parents seem to regard their      

children only as a means of increasing  
the prosperity and reputation of  the   
family by the professions which they may
 adopt or the marriages that  they may  
make1 without considering in the least  
the wishes of the  children themselves4 
,the wise father will consult his boy as
 a friend1  will take pains to find out 
what his wishes are1 and will help him  
with  his greater experience to carry   
out those wishes wisely1 remembering    
always that his son is an ego who has   
come to the father to give him the      
opportunity of making good karma by     
aiding the son in his progress4 ,he     
will never forget that though his son's 
body may be young1 the soul  within is  
as old as his own1 and must therefore be
 treated with respect  as well as       
affection4    ,love both at home and in 
the school will naturally show itself in
  continual small acts of service1 and  
these will form a habit out of  which   
will grow the larger and more heroic    
acts of service which makes  the        

greatness of a nation4    ,the ,master  
speaks much on cruelty as a sin against 
love1 and  distinguishes between        
intentional and unintentional cruelty4  
,he says3  ,intentional cruelty is      
purposely to give pain to another living
 being2  and that is the greatest of all
 sins--the work of a devil rather than a
  man4 ,the use of the cane must be     
classed under this1 for ,he says of     
intentional cruelty3 ,many schoolmasters
 do it habitually4 ,we must also        
include all words and acts intended to  
wound the feelings of the boy  and to   
hurt his self-respect4 ,in some         
countries corporal punishment is        
forbidden1 but in most it is still the  
custom4 ,but my ,master said3  ,these   
people try to excuse their brutality by 
saying that it is the  custom2 but a    
crime does not cease to be a crime      
because many commit  it4 ,karma takes no
 account of custom2 and the karma of    
cruelty is the  most terrible of all4   
,in ,india at least there can be no     

excuse for such  customs1 for the duty  
of harmlessness is well known to all4   
,the whole idea of what is called       
punishment is not only wrong but        
foolish4 ,a teacher who tries to        
frighten his boys into doing what he    
wishes does not see that they only obey 
him while he is there1 and that  as soon
 as they are out of his sight they will 
pay no attention to his  rules1 or even 
take a pleasure in breaking them because
 they dislike  him4 ,but if he draws    
them to do what he wants because they   
love him and  wish to please him1 they  
will keep his rules even in his absence1
 and so  make his work much easier4     
,instead of developing fear and dislike 
in the  characters of the boys1 the wise
 teacher will gain his ends by calling  
forth from them love and devotion2 and  
so will strengthen all that is  good in 
them1 and help them on the road of      
evolution4    ,again1 the idea of       
expulsion1 of getting rid of a          
troublesome boy  instead of trying to   

improve him1 is wrong4 ,even when1 for  
the sake of  his companions1 a boy has  
to be separated from them1 the good of  
the boy  himself must not be forgotten4 
,in fact1 all through1 school discipline
  should be based on the good of the    
boys and not on the idea of saving      
trouble to the teacher4 ,the loving     
teacher does not mind the trouble4      
,unintentional cruelty often comes from 
mere thoughtlessness1 and the  teacher  
should be very careful not to be cruel  
in words or actions from  want of       
thought4 ,teachers often cause pain by  
hasty words uttered at a  time when they
 have been disturbed by some outside    
annoyance1 or are  trying to attend to  
some important duty4 ,the teacher may   
forget the  incident or pass it over as 
trivial1 but in many such cases a       
sensitive  boy has been wounded1 and he 
broods over the words and ends by       
imagining  all sorts of foolish         
exaggerations4 ,in this way many        
misunderstandings  arise between        

teachers and boys1 and though the boys  
must learn to be  patient and generous1 
and to realise that the teacher is      
anxious to help  all as much as he can1 
the teacher in his turn must always be  
on the  alert to watch his words1 and to
 allow nothing but gentleness to shine  
out from his speech and actions1 however
 busy he may be4    ,if the teacher is  
always gentle to the boys1 who are      
younger and weaker  than himself1 it    
will be easy for him to teach them the  
important lesson  of kindness to little 
children1 animals1 birds and other      
living  creatures4 ,the older boys1 who 
themselves are gentle and tactful1      
should  be encouraged to observe the    
condition of the animals they see in the
  streets1 and if they see any act of   
cruelty1 to beg the doer of it very     
politely and gently1 to treat the animal
 more kindly4 ,the boys should  be      
taught that nothing which involves the  
hunting and killing of animals  should  
be called sport4 ,that word ought to be 

kept for manly games and  exercises1 and
 not used for the wounding and killing  
of animals4 ,my  ,master says3 ,the fate
 of the cruel must fall also upon all   
who go out  intentionally to kill ,god's
 creatures and call it sport4    ,i do  
not think that teachers realise the harm
 and the suffering caused  by gossip1   
which the ,master calls a sin against   
love4 ,teachers should be  very careful 
not to make difficulties for their boys 
by gossiping about  them4 ,no boy should
 ever be allowed to have a bad name in  
the school1  and it should be the rule  
that no one may speak ill of any other  
member  of the school whether teacher or
 boy4    ,my ,master points out that by 
talking about a person's faults1 we not 
only strengthen those faults in him1 but
 also fill our own minds with  evil     
thoughts4 ,there is only one way of     
really getting rid of our lower  nature1
 and that is by strengthening the       
higher4 ,and while it is the  duty of   
the teacher to understand the weaknesses

 of those placed in his  charge he must 
realise that he will destroy the lower  
nature only by  surrounding the boy with
 his love1 thus stimulating the higher  
and  nobler qualities till there is no  
place left for the weaknesses4 ,the     
more the teacher gossips about the      
faults of the boys1 the more harm he    
does1 and1 except during a consultation 
with his fellow teachers as to  the best
 methods of helping individual boys out 
of their weaknesses1 he  should never   
talk about a boy's defects4    ,the boys
 must also be taught the cruelty of     
gossip among themselves4 ,i  know many a
 boy whose life at school has been made 
miserable because  his companions have  
been thoughtless and unkind1 and the    
teacher either  has not noticed his     
unhappiness1 or has not understood how  
to explain to  the boys the nature of   
the harm they were doing4 ,boys         
frequently take  hold of some           
peculiarity in speech or in dress1 or of
 some mistake which  has been made1 and1

 not realising the pain they cause1     
carelessly  torture their unfortunate   
schoolfellow with unkind allusions4 ,in 
this  case the mischief is due chiefly  
to ignorance1 and if the teacher has    
influence over the boys1 and gently     
explains to them what pain they are     
giving they will quickly stop4    ,they 
must be taught1 too1 that nothing which 
causes suffering or  annoyance to       
another can ever be the right thing to  
do1 nor can it ever  be amusing to any  
right-minded boy4 ,some children seem to
 find pleasure  in teasing or annoying  
others1 but that is only because they   
are  ignorant4 ,when they understand1   
they will never again be so unbrotherly4
    ,in every class-room these words of 
my ,master should be put up in a        
prominent place3 ,never speak ill of any
 one2 refuse to listen when  anyone else
 speaks ill of another1 but gently say3 
',perhaps this is not  true1 and even if
 it is1 it is kinder not to speak of    
it4'    ,there are crimes against love  

which are not recognised as crimes1 and 
which are unfortunately very common4 ,a 
teacher must use discretion in  dealing 
with these1 but should teach a doctrine 
of love so far as he is  permitted1 and 
may at least set a good example himself4
 ,three of these  are put by my ,master 
under the head of cruelties caused by   
superstition4    #a4 ,animal sacrifice4 
,among civilised nations this is now    
found only in  ,india1 and is tending to
 disappear even there4 ,parents and     
teachers  should tell their boys that no
 custom which is cruel is really part of
  any true religion4 ,for we have seen  
that religion teaches unity1 and        
therefore kindness and gentleness to    
everything that feels4 ,god cannot      
therefore be served by cruelty and the  
killing of helpless creatures4 ,if      
,indian boys learn this lesson of love  
in school they will1 when they  become  
men1 put an end entirely to this cruel  
superstition4    #b4 ,much more widely  
spread is what my ,master calls the     

still more  cruel superstition that man 
needs flesh for food4 ,this is a matter 
that  concerns the parent more than the 
teacher1 but at least the teacher may   
gradually lead his boys to see the      
cruelty involved in killing animals  for
 food4 ,then1 even if the boy is obliged
 to eat meat at home1 he will  give it  
up when he is a man1 and will give his  
own children a better  opportunity than 
he himself had4 ,if parents at home and 
teachers at  school would train young   
children in the duty of loving and      
protecting  all living creatures1 the   
world would be much happier than it is  
at  present4    #c4 ,the treatment which
 superstition has meted out to the      
depressed  classes in our beloved       
,india1 says the ,master1 is a proof    
that this  evil quality can breed       
heartless cruelty even among those who  
know the  duty of ,brotherhood4 ,to get 
rid of this form of cruelty every boy   
must  be taught the great lesson of     
love1 and much can be done for this in  

school as well as at home4 ,the boy at  
school has many special  opportunities  
of learning this lesson1 and the teacher
 should point out  the duty of showing  
courtesy and kindness to all who are in 
inferior  positions1 as well as to the  
poor whom he may meet outside4 ,all who 
know  the truth of reincarnation should 
realise that they are members of one    
great family1 in which some are younger 
brethren and some elder4 ,boys  must be 
taught to show gentleness and           
consideration to servants1 and to  all  
who are below them in social position2  
caste was not intended to  promote pride
 and rudeness1 and ,manu teaches that   
servants should be  treated as the      
children of the family4    ,a great part
 of the teacher's work lies in the      
playground1 and the  teacher who does   
not play with his boys will never quite 
win their  hearts4 ,indian boys as a    
rule do not play enough1 and time should
 be  given for games during the school  
day4 ,even the teachers who have not    

learned to play in their youth should   
come to the playground and show         
interest in the games1 thus sharing in  
this part of the boy's education4    ,in
 schools where there are boarding-houses
 the love of the teacher is  especially 
necessary1 for in them the              
boarding-house must take the  place of  
the home1 and a family feeling must be  
created there4 ,bright  and affectionate
 teachers will be looked on as elder    
brothers1 and  difficulties which escape
 rules will be got rid of by love4      
,in fact1 all the many activities of    
school life should be made into         
channels through which affection can run
 between teacher and pupil1 and  the    
more channels there are the better it   
will be for both4 ,as the boy  grows    
older these channels will naturally     
become more numerous1 and the  love of  
the school will become the friendship of
 manhood4 ,thus love  will have her     
perfect work4    ,love on the physical  
plane has many forms4 ,we have the love 

of husband  and wife1 parents and       
children1 brothers and sisters1 the     
affection  between relatives and        
friends4 ,but all these are blended and 
enriched in  the love of the ,master to 
,his disciple4 ,the ,master gives to    
,his pupil  the gentleness and          
protection of a mother1 the strength of 
a father1 the  understanding of a       
brother or a sister1 the encouragement  
of a relative  or a friend1 and ,he is  
one with ,his pupil and ,his pupil is a 
part of  ,him4 ,besides this1 the       
,master knows ,his pupil's past1 and    
,his pupil's  future1 and guides him    
through the present from the past into  
the  future4 ,the pupil knows but little
 beyond the present1 and he does not    
understand that great love which draws  
its inspiration from the memory  of the 
past and shapes itself to mould the     
powers of the future4 ,he may  even     
sometimes doubt the wisdom of the love  
which guides itself  according to a     
pattern which his eyes cannot see4      

,that which ,i have said above may seem 
a very high ideal for the  relation     
between a teacher and pupil down here4  
,yet the difference  between them is    
less than the difference between a      
,master and ,his  disciple4 ,the lower  
relation should be a faint reflection of
 the higher1  and at least the teacher  
may set the higher before himself as an 
ideal4  ,such an ideal will lift all his
 work into a higher world1 and all      
school  life will be made happier and   
better because the teacher has set it   
before him4          ,,ii4              
,,discrimination      ,the next very    
necessary qualification for the teacher 
is ,discrimination4  ,my ,master said   
that the most important knowledge was   
the knowledge of  ,god's plan for men1  
for ,god has a plan1 and that plan is   
evolution4  ,each boy has his own place 
in evolution1 and the teacher must try  
to see  what that place is1 and how he  
can best help the boy in that place4    
,this  is what the ,hindus call ,dharma1

 and it is the teacher's duty to find   
out  the boy's dharma and to help him to
 fulfil it4 ,in other words1 the        
teaching given to the boy should be that
 which is suitable for him1 and  the    
teacher must use discrimination in      
choosing the teaching1 and in his  way  
of giving it4 ,under these conditions1  
the boy's progress would be  following  
out the tendencies made in past lives1  
and would really be  remembering the    
things he knew before4 ,the method of   
evolution1 as a  great ,master said1 is 
a constant dipping down into matter     
under the law  of readjustment1 i4e4 by 
reincarnation and karma4 ,unless the    
teacher  knows these truths1 he cannot  
work with evolution as he should do1 and
  much of his time and of his pupil's   
time will be wasted4 ,it is this        
ignorance which causes such small       
results to be seen1 after many years  at
 school1 and which leaves the boy       
himself so ignorant of the great  truths
 which he needs to guide his conduct in 

life4    ,discrimination is wanted in   
the choice of subjects and in the way in
  which they are taught4 ,first in      
importance come religion and morals1 and
  these must not only be taught as      
subjects but must be made both the      
foundation and the atmosphere of school 
life1 for these are equally  wanted by  
every boy1 no matter what he is to do   
later in life4 ,religion  teaches us    
that we are all part of ,one ,self1 and 
that we ought therefore  help one       
another4 ,my ,master said that people   
try to invent ways for  themselves which
 they think will be pleasant for        
themselves1 not  understanding that all 
are one1 and that therefore only what   
the ,one  wills can ever be really      
pleasant for anyone4 ,and ,he also said3
 ,you  can help your brother through    
that which you have in common with him1 
and that is the ,divine life4 ,to teach 
this is to teach religion1 and  to live 
it is to lead the religious life4    ,at
 present the value of the set moral     

teaching is largely made useless  by the
 arrangements of the school4 ,the school
 day should always open  with something 
of the nature of a religious service1   
striking the note  of a common purpose  
and a common life1 so that the boys1 who
 are all  coming from different homes   
and different ways of living may be     
tuned to  unity in the school4 ,it is a 
good plan to begin with a little music  
or  singing so that the boys1 who often 
come rushing in from hastily taken      
food1 may quiet down and begin the      
school day in an orderly way4 ,after    
this should come a prayer and a very    
short but beautiful address1  placing an
 ideal before the boys4    ,but if these
 ideals are to be useful1 they must be  
practised all through  the school day1  
so that the spirit of the religious     
period may run  through the lessons and 
the games4 ,for example1 the duty of the
 strong  to help the weak is taught in  
the religious hour1 and yet for the rest
  of the day the strong are set to      

outstrip the weak1 and are given        
valuable prizes for their success in    
doing so4 ,these prizes make many  boys 
jealous and discourage others1 they     
stimulate the spirit of  struggle4 ,the 
,central ,hindu ,college ,brotherhood   
has for its motto3 ,the  ideal reward is
 an increased power to love and to      
serve4 ,if the prizes  for good work and
 conduct and for helping others were    
positions of  greater trust and power of
 helping1 this motto would be carried   
out4 ,in  fact1 in school honour should 
be given to character and helpfulness   
rather than to strength of mind and     
body2 strength ought to be trained  and 
developed1 but not rewarded for merely  
outstripping the weak4 ,such  a school  
life will send out into the world men   
who will think more of  filling places  
of usefulness to the nation than of     
merely gaining money  and power for     
themselves4    ,an important part of    
moral teaching lies in the training of  
the boy in  patriotism--love of country4

 ,the above plan of teaching the boy to 
be of  service in the little family of  
the school1 will naturally widen out    
into service in the large family of the 
nation4 ,this will also influence  the  
boy in his choice of a profession1 for  
he will think of the nation  as his     
family1 and will try to fill a useful   
place in the national life4  ,but great 
care must be taken in teaching          
patriotism not to let the boys  slip    
into hatred of other nations1 as so     
often happens4 ,this is  especially     
important in ,india1 where both ,indian 
and ,english teachers  should try to    
make good feeling between the two races 
living side by  side1 so that they may  
join in common work for the one ,empire4
    ,discrimination may also be shown in
 the arrangement of lessons1 the most   
difficult subjects being taken early in 
the day1 as far as possible4  ,for even 
with the best and most carefully        
arranged teaching a boy will  be more   
tired at the end of the school day than 

at the beginning4    ,discrimination is 
also wanted in the method of teaching1  
and in the  amount of time given to     
mental and physical education4 ,the care
 of the  body and its development are of
 the first importance1 for without a    
healthy body all teaching is wasted4 ,it
 should be remembered that the  boy can 
go on1 learning all his life1 if he is  
wise enough to wish to do  so2 but it is
 only during the years of growth that he
 can build up a  healthy physical body  
in which to spend that life4 ,therefore 
during  those early years the healthy   
development of that physical body must  
be  absolutely the first consideration1 
and anything that cannot be learned     
compatibly with that must for the time  
remain unlearned4 ,the strain on  the   
boy's mind--and particularly on those of
 very young boys--is far too  great and 
lasts far too long2 the lesson period   
should be broken up1 and  the teacher   
should be very careful to watch the boys
 and to see that  they do not become    

tired4 ,his wish to prevent this strain 
will make him  think out new ways of    
teaching1 which will make the lessons   
very  interesting2 for a boy who is     
interested does not easily become tired4
 ,i  myself remember how tired we used  
to be when we reached home1 far too     
tired to do anything but lie about4 ,but
 the ,indian boy is not allowed to  rest
 even when he comes home1 for he has    
then to begin home lessons1  often with 
a tutor1 when he ought to be at rest or 
play4 ,these home  lessons begin again  
in the morning1 before he goes to       
school1 and the  result is that he looks
 on his lessons as a hardship instead of
 a  pleasure4 ,much of this homework is 
done by a very bad light and the  boy's 
eyes suffer much4 ,all home lessons     
should be abolished2 home work  burns   
the candle at both ends1 and makes the  
boy's life a slavery4  ,school hours are
 quite long enough1 and an intelligent  
teacher can  impart in them quite as    
much as any boy ought to learn in one   

day4 ,what  cannot be taught within     
those hours should be postponed until   
the next  day4    ,we see the result of 
all this overstrain in the prevalence of
  eye-diseases in ,india4 ,western      
countries set us a good example in the  
physical training of their boys1 who    
leave school strong and healthy4 ,i     
have heard in ,england that in the      
poorer schools the children are often   
inspected by a doctor so that any       
eye-disease or other defect is found    
out at once before it becomes serious4  
,i wonder how many boys in ,india  are  
called stupid merely because they are   
suffering from some eye or ear  trouble4
    ,discrimination should also be shown
 in deciding the length of the waking   
and sleeping times4 ,these vary1 of     
course1 with age and to some extent     
perhaps with temperament4 ,no boy should
 have less than nine or ten hours  of   
sleep2 when growth ceases1 eight hours  
would generally be enough4 ,a  boy grows
 most during his sleep1 so that the time

 is not in the least  wasted4    ,few   
people realise how much a boy is        
affected by his surroundings1 by  the   
things on which his eyes are continually
 resting4 ,the emotions and  the mind   
are largely trained through the eye1 and
 bare walls1 or1 still  worse1 ugly     
pictures are distinctly harmful4 ,it is 
true that beautiful  surroundings       
sometimes cost a little more than ugly  
ones1 but the money  is well spent4 ,in 
some things only trouble is needed in   
choosing1 for an  ugly picture costs as 
much as a pretty one4 ,perfect          
cleanliness is also  absolutely         
necessary1 and teachers should be       
constantly on the watch to  see that it 
is maintained4 ,the ,master said about  
the body3 ,keep it  strictly clean      
always2 even from the minutest speck of 
dirt4 ,both  teachers and students      
should be very clean and neat in their  
dress1 thus  helping to preserve the    
general beauty of the school            
surroundings4 ,in  all these things     

careful discrimination is wanted4    ,if
 a boy is weak in a particular subject1 
or is not attracted by some  subject    
which he is obliged to learn1 a         
discriminating teacher will  sometimes  
help him by suggesting to him to teach  
it to one who knows  less than he does4 
,the wish to help the younger boy will  
make the elder  eager to learn more1 and
 that which was a toil becomes a        
pleasure4 ,a  clever teacher will think 
of many such ways of helping his boys4  
,if discrimination has been shown1 as   
suggested in a preceding  paragraph1 in 
choosing the best and most helpful boys 
for positions of  trust1 it will be easy
 to teach the younger boys to look up to
 and wish  to please them4 ,the wish to 
please a loved and admired elder is one 
of  the strongest motives in a boy1 and 
this should be used to encourage  good  
conduct1 instead of using punishment to 
drive boys away from what  is bad4 ,if  
the teacher can succeed in attracting   
this love and  admiration to himself1 he

 will remain a helper to his students   
long  after they have become men4 ,i    
have been told that the boys who were   
under ,dr4 ,arnold at ,rugby continued  
in after life to turn to him for  advice
 in their troubles and perplexities4    
,we may perhaps add that discrimination 
is a most important qualification  for  
those whose duty it is to choose the    
teachers4 ,high character and  the      
love-nature of which we have already    
spoken are absolutely necessary  if the 
above suggestions are to be carried out4
          ,,iii4 ,,desirelessness       
,the next qualification to be considered
 is ,desirelessness4    ,there are many 
difficulties in the way of the teacher  
when he tries to  acquire               
desirelessness1 and it also requires    
special consideration from  the         
standpoint of the student4    ,as has   
been said in ,at the ,feet of the       
,master3 ,in the light of ,his  holy    
,presence all desire dies1 but the      
desire to be like ,him4 ,it is  also    

said in the ,bhagavad ,gita that all    
desire dies when once the  ,supreme is  
seen4 ,this is the ideal at which to    
aim1 that the ,one ,will  shall take the
 place of changing desires4 ,this ,will 
is seen in our  dharma1 and in a true   
teacher1 one whose dharma is teaching1  
his one  desire will be to teach1 and to
 teach well4 ,in fact1 unless this      
desire  is felt1 teaching is not his    
dharma1 for the presence of this desire 
is  inseparable from real capacity to   
teach4    ,we have already said that    
little honour1 unfortunately1 is        
attached to  the post of a teacher1 and 
that a man often takes the position     
because  he can get nothing else1       
instead of because he really wants to   
teach1  and knows that he can teach4    
,the result is that he thinks more about
  salary than anything else1 and is     
always looking about for the chance of  
a higher salary4 ,this becomes his chief
 desire4 ,while the teacher is no  doubt
 partly to blame for this1 it is the    

system which is mostly in  fault1 for   
the teacher needs enough to support     
himself and his family1  and this is a  
right and natural wish on his part4 ,it 
is the duty of the  nation to see that  
he is not placed in a position in which 
he is obliged  to be always desiring    
increase of salary1 or must take private
 tuition  in order to earn enough to    
live4 ,only when this has been done will
 the  teacher feel contented and happy  
in the position he occupies1 and feel   
the dignity of his office as a teacher1 
whatever may be his position  among     
other teachers--which is1 ,i fear1 now  
marked chiefly by the amount  of his    
salary4 ,only the man who is really     
contented and happy can have  his mind  
free to teach well4    ,the teacher     
should not desire to gain credit for    
himself by forcing a  boy along his own 
line1 but should consider the special   
talent of each  boy1 and the way in     
which he can gain most success4 ,too    
often the  teacher1 thinking only of his

 own subject1 forgets that the boy has  
to  learn many subjects4 ,the one on    
which most stress should be laid is the 
one most suited to the boy's capacity4  
,unless the teachers co-operate  with   
each other1 the boy is too much pressed1
 for each teacher urges him  on in his  
own subject1 and gives him home-lessons 
in this4 ,there are  many teachers1 but 
there is only one boy4    ,again1 the   
boy's welfare must be put by the teacher
 before his own  desire to obtain good  
results in an examination4 ,sometimes it
 is better  for a boy to remain for     
another year in a class and master a    
subject  thoroughly rather than to go up
 for an examination which is really too 
difficult for him4 ,in such a case it is
 right to keep him back4 ,but it  is not
 right to keep him back merely for the  
sake of good results for  the teacher4  
,on the other hand1 a teacher has       
sometimes to resist the  parents who try
 to force the boy beyond his strength1  
and think more of  his rising into a    

higher class than of his really knowing 
his subjects4    ,unless the teacher has
 desirelessness1 his own desires may    
blind him to  the aspirations and       
capacities of the boys in his care1 and 
he will be  frequently imposing his own 
wishes on them instead of helping them  
in  their natural development4 ,however 
much a teacher may be attracted  towards
 any profession or any particular set of
 ideas1 he must so  develop             
desirelessness that while he creates in 
his pupils an enthusiasm  for           
principles1 he shall not cramp them     
within the limits of any  particular    
application of the principles1 or allow 
their generous  impulses--unbalanced by 
experience--to grow into narrow         
fanaticism4  ,thus1 he should teach the 
principles of citizenship1 but not party
  politics4 ,he should teach the value  
of all professions to a nation1 if      
honourably filled1 and not the          
superiority of one profession over      
another4          ,,iv4 ,,good ,,conduct

      ,there are six points which are   
summed up by the ,master as ,good       
,conduct4  ,these are3    #a4           
,self-control as to the mind4    #b4    
,self-control in action4    #c4         
,tolerance4    #d4 ,cheerfulness4    #e4
 ,one-pointedness4    #f4 ,confidence4  
,we will take each of these in turn4    
#a4 ,self-control as to the mind is a   
most important qualification for a      
teacher1 for it is principally through  
the mind that he guides and  influences 
his boys4 ,in the first place it means1 
as my ,master has  said1 control of     
temper1 so that you may feel no anger or
 impatience4  ,it is obvious that much  
harm will be done to boys if their      
teacher is  often angry and impatient4  
,it is true that this anger and         
impatience are  often caused by the     
outer conditions of the teacher's life1 
but this  does not prevent their bad    
effect on the boys4 ,such feelings1 due 
generally to very small causes1 re-act  
upon the minds of the students1  and if 

the teacher is generally impatient and  
very often angry1 he is  building into  
the character of the boys germs of      
impatience and anger  which may in after
 life destroy their own happiness1 and  
embitter the  lives of their relations  
and friends4    ,we have to remember    
also that the boys themselves often come
 to school  discontented and worried on 
account of troubles at home1 and so both
  teachers and boys bring with them     
angry and impatient thoughts1 which     
spread through the school1 and make the 
lessons difficult and unpleasant  when  
they should be easy and full of delight4
 ,the short religious  service referred 
to in an early part of this little book 
should be  attended by teachers as well 
as students1 and should act as a kind of
  door to shut out such undesirable     
feelings4 ,then both teachers and       
students would devote their whole       
energies to the creation of a happy     
school1 to which all should look forward
 in the morning1 and which all  should  

be sorry to leave at the end of the     
school day4    ,the lack of control of  
temper1 it must be remembered1 often    
leads to  injustice on the part of the  
teacher1 and therefore to sullenness and
  want of confidence on the boy1 and no 
boy can make real progress1 or be  in   
any real sense happy1 unless he has     
complete confidence in the  justice of  
his elders4 ,much of the strain of      
modern school life is due  to this lack 
of confidence1 and much time has to be  
wasted in breaking  down barriers which 
would never have been set up if the     
teacher had been  patient4    ,anger and
 impatience grow out of irritability4   
,it is as necessary for  the boy to     
understand his teacher as for the       
teacher to understand the  boy1 and     
hasty temper is an almost insuperable   
obstacle in the way of  such            
understanding4 ,the teacher is angry    
to-day1 ,the teacher is  irritable      
to-day1 ,the teacher is short-tempered  
to-day1 are phrases  too often on the   

lips of boys1 and they produce a feeling
 of discomfort  in the class-room that  
makes harmony and ease impossible4 ,boys
 learn to  watch their teachers1 and to 
guard themselves against their moods1   
and  so distrust replaces confidence4   
,the value of the teacher depends upon  
his power of inspiring confidence1 and  
he loses this when he gives way  to     
irritability4 ,this is particularly     
important with young children1  for they
 are eager to learn and eager to love1  
and only those who have  no business to 
be teachers would dare to meet such     
eagerness by anger4  ,it is of course   
true that younger boys are in many ways 
more difficult  to teach than elder     
ones2 for they have not yet learned how 
to make  efforts1 nor how to control and
 guide them when made4 ,the teacher has 
therefore to help them much more than   
the elder boys who have learned  largely
 to help themselves4 ,the chief         
difficulty is to make the best use  of  
the young energies by finding them      

continual and interesting  employment2  
if the young enthusiasms are checked    
harshly instead of  being guided        
sympathetically they will soon die out1 
and the boy will  become dull and       
discontented4    ,i have read that youth
 is full of enthusiasm and ideals1 and  
that these  gradually disappear with    
age1 until a man is left with few or    
none4 ,but  it seems to me that         
enthusiasm1 if real1 should not die out1
 and leave  cynicism behind1 but rather 
should become stronger and more         
purposeful  with age4 ,the young        
children coming straight out of the     
heaven-world  have brought with them a  
feeling of unity1 and this feeling      
should be  strengthened in them1 so that
 it may last on through life4 ,anger and
  irritability belong only to the       
separated self1 and they drive away the 
feeling of unity4    ,self-control also 
involves calmness1 courage and          
steadiness4 ,whatever  difficulties the 
teacher may have either at home or at   

school1 he must  learn to face them     
bravely and cheerfully1 not only that he
 may avoid  worry for himself1 but also 
that he may set a good example to his   
boys1  and so help them to become strong
 and brave4 ,difficulties are much      
increased by worrying over them1 and by 
imagining them before they              
happen--doing what ,mrs4 ,besant once   
called1 crossing bridges before we  come
 to them4 ,unless the teacher is        
cheerful and courageous with his  own   
difficulties1 he will not be able to    
help the boys to meet their             
difficulties bravely4 ,most obstacles   
grow small before a contented mind1  and
 boys who bring this to their work will 
find their studies much  easier than if 
they came to them discontented and      
worried4 ,courage and  steadiness lead  
to self-reliance1 and one who is        
self-reliant can  always be depended on 
to do his duty1 even under difficult    
circumstances4    ,self-control as to   
the mind also means concentration on    

each piece of  work as it has to be     
done4 ,my ,master says about the mind3  
,you must not  let it wander4 ,whatever 
you are doing1 fix your thought upon it1
 that it  may be perfectly done4 ,much  
time is lost in school because the boys 
do  not pay sufficient attention to     
their work2 and unless the teacher is   
himself paying full attention to it the 
minds of the boys are sure to  wander4  
,prayer and meditation are intended to  
teach control of the  mind1 but these   
are practised only once or twice a day4 
,unless the mind  is controlled all day 
long by paying attention to everything  
we do1 as  the ,master directs1 we shall
 never gain real power over our minds1  
so  that they may be perfect            
instruments4    ,one of the most        
difficult parts of a teacher's duty is  
to turn quickly  from one subject to    
another1 as the boys come to him with   
their  different questions and troubles4
 ,his mind must be so fully under his   
control that he can pay complete        

attention to the particular anxiety of  
each boy1 taking up one after the other 
with the same care and interest1  and   
without any impatience4 ,if he does not 
pay this full attention he is  sure to  
make mistakes in the advice which he    
gives1 or to be unjust in  his          
decisions1 and out of such mistakes very
 serious troubles may arise4    ,on this
 point my friend1 ,mr4 ,g4,s4 ,arundale1
 the well-known ,principal of  the      
,central ,hindu ,college1 writes3 ,at   
frequent intervals1 of course1  boys    
come with complaints1 with petitions1   
and here ,i have to be very  careful to 
concentrate my attention on each boy and
 on his particular  need1 for the       
request1 or complaint1 or trouble1 is   
sometimes quite  trivial and foolish1   
and yet it may be a great source of     
worry to the  boy unless it is attended 
to2 and even if the boy cannot be       
satisfied he  can generally be sent away
 contented4 ,one of the most difficult  
tasks  for a teacher is to have         

sufficient control over his attention to
 be  able continually to turn it from   
one subject to another without losing   
intensity1 and to bear cheerfully the   
strain this effort involves4 ,we  often 
speak of something taxing a person's    
patience1 but we really mean  that it   
taxes a person's attention1 for         
impatience is only the desire of  the   
mind to attend to something more        
interesting than that which for the     
moment occupies it4    ,boys must be    
helped to concentrate their attention on
 what they are  doing1 for their minds  
are always wandering away from the      
subject in  hand4 ,the world outside    
them is so full of attractive objects   
new and  interesting to them1 that their
 attention runs away after each fresh   
thing that comes under their eyes4 ,a   
child is constantly told to  observe1   
and he takes pleasure in doing so2 when 
he begins to reason he  must for the    
time stop observing and concentrate his 
mind on the subject  he is studying4    

,this change is at first very difficult 
for him1 and the  teacher must help him 
to take up the new attitude4 ,sometimes 
attention  wanders because the boy is   
tired1 and then the teacher should try  
to put  the subject in a new way4 ,the  
boy does not generally cease to pay     
attention wilfully and deliberately1 and
 the teacher must be patient  with the  
restlessness so natural to youth4 ,let  
him at least always be  sure that the   
want of attention is not the result of  
his own fault1 of  his own way of       
teaching4    ,if the attention of the   
teachers and the boys is trained in this
 way1  the whole school life will become
 fuller and brighter1 and there will be 
no room for the many harmful thoughts   
which crowd into the uncontrolled  mind4
 ,even when rest is wanted by the mind1 
it need not be quite empty2  in the     
words of the ,master3 ,keep good        
thoughts always in the background  of   
it1 ready to come forward the moment it 
is free4    ,the ,master goes on to     

explain how the mind may be used to help
 others1  when it has been brought under
 control4 ,think each day of some one   
whom  you know to be in sorrow1 or      
suffering1 or in need of help1 and pour 
out  loving thoughts upon him4 ,teachers
 hardly understand the immense force    
they may use along this line4 ,they can 
influence their boys by their  thoughts 
even more than by their words and       
actions1 and by sending out a  stream of
 kind and loving thoughts over the      
class1 the minds of all the  boys will  
be made quieter and happier4 ,even      
without speaking a word  they will      
improve the whole atmosphere4    ,this  
good influence of thought should spread 
out from the school over  the           
neighbourhood4 ,as those who live among 
young people keep young  themselves1 and
 keep the ideals and pure aspirations of
 youth longer  than those who live      
mainly among older people1 so the       
presence of a  school should be a source
 of joy and inspiration to the          

surrounding  neighbourhood or district4 
,happy and harmonious thought-forms     
should  radiate from it1 lighting up the
 duller atmosphere outside1 pouring     
streams of hope and strength into all   
within its sphere of influence4  ,the   
poor should be happier1 the sick more   
comfortable1 the aged more  respected1  
because of the school in their midst4   
,if the teacher often speaks on these   
subjects to his boys1 and from time  to 
time places some clear thought before   
them1 which they all think  about       
together1 much good may be done4 ,for   
thought is a very real and  powerful    
force1 especially when many join        
together with some common  thought in   
their minds4 ,if any great disaster has 
happened1 causing  misery to numbers of 
people1 the teacher might take advantage
 of the  religious service to draw      
attention to the need1 and ask the boys 
to  join with him in sending thoughts of
 love and courage to the sufferers4     
,the last point mentioned by the ,master

 is pride3 ,hold back your mind  from   
pride1 ,he says1 for pride comes only   
from ignorance4 ,we must not  confuse   
pride with the happiness felt when a    
piece of work is well done2  pride grows
 out of the feeling of separateness3 ,i 
have done better  than others4          
,happiness in good work should grow out 
of the feeling of  unity3 ,i am glad to 
have done this to help us all4 ,pride   
separates a  person from others1 and    
makes him think himself superior to     
those around  him2 but the pleasure in  
some piece of work well done is helpful 
and  stimulating1 and encourages the    
doer to take up some more difficult     
work4 ,when we share with others any    
knowledge we have gained1 we lose  all  
feeling of pride1 and the wish to help  
more1 instead of the wish to  excel     
others1 becomes the motive for study4   
#b4 ,self-control in action4 ,the       
,master points out that while there     
must be no laziness1 but constant       
activity in good work 444 it must be    

your own duty that you do--not another  
man's1 unless with his  permission and  
by way of helping him4 ,the teacher has1
 however1 a  special duty in this       
connection2 for while he must offer to  
his boys  every opportunity for         
development along their own lines1 and  
must be  careful not to check their     
growth or to force it in an unsuitable  
direction1 he is bound to guide them    
very carefully1 to watch them very      
closely1 and1 as ,master has said1 to   
tell them gently of their faults4  ,the 
teacher is in charge of his boys while  
they are in school1 and must1  while    
they are there1 take the place of their 
parents4    ,his special lesson of      
self-control is to learn to adapt his   
own methods  to the stage through which 
his boys are passing4 ,while contenting 
himself with watching and encouraging   
them when their activity is  running    
along right lines1 he must be ready to  
step in--with as little  disturbance as 
possible--to modify the activity if it  

becomes excessive1  to stimulate it if  
it becomes dull1 and to turn it into new
 channels if  it has taken a wrong      
course4 ,in any necessary interposition 
he should  try to make the boys feel    
that he is helping them to find the way 
they  have missed but really wished to  
go1 rather than forcing them to go his  
way4 ,many boys have failed to develop  
the necessary strength of  character1   
because the teacher1 by constant        
interference1 has imposed on  them his  
own knowledge as to right action1       
instead of trying to awaken  their      
judgment and intuition4 ,the boys become
 accustomed to depend  entirely on him1 
instead of learning gradually to walk   
alone4    ,the teacher must be very     
careful not to allow outside interests  
to take  him away from his duties in the
 school4 ,many teachers do not seem to  
realise that the school should occupy as
 much time as they can possibly  give to
 it outside their home duties4 ,they    
sometimes do the bare amount  of work   

necessary1 and then rush away to some   
other occupation which  they find more  
interesting4 ,no teacher can be really  
successful in his  profession unless it 
is the thing he cares for most1 unless  
he is eager  to devote all the time he  
can to his boys1 and feels that he is   
happiest when he is working with them or
 for them4    ,we are always told that  
enthusiasm and devotion to their work   
mark the  successful business man1 the  
successful official1 the successful     
statesman2 they are equally necessary   
for the successful teacher4 ,anyone  who
 desires to rise high in the profession 
of teaching must bring to his  work1 not
 only ability1 but similar enthusiasm   
and devotion4 ,surely even  more        
enthusiasm and devotion should be       
brought to the moulding of many         
hundreds of young lives than to the     
gaining of money or power4 ,every       
moment that the teacher is with his boys
 he can help them1 for1 as has  always  
been taught in ,india1 being near a good

 man helps one's  evolution4 ,away from 
the school he should be thinking of them
 and  planning for them1 and this he    
cannot do if his whole mind1 out of     
school1 is taken up with other          
interests4 ,on this1 again1 ,i may quote
  ,mr4 ,arundale3 ,when ,i get up in the
 morning my first thought is what has   
to be done during the day generally and 
as regards my own work in  particular4  
,a rapid mental survey of the ,school   
and ,college enables me  to see whether 
any student seems to stand out as       
needing particular  help4 ,i make a note
 of any such student in my note book1 so
 that ,i may  call him during the day4  
,then before ,college hours1 before ,i  
take up any  extraneous work1 ,i look   
through my own lectures to see that ,i  
am ready  for them4 ,by this time       
students are continually dropping in    
with  questions1 with their hopes and   
aspirations1 with difficulties and with 
troubles1 some with slight ailments they
 want cured4 ,i have a special  little  

place in which to see those young men1  
so that the atmosphere  may be pure and 
harmonious1 and upon each one ,i        
endeavour to concentrate  my whole      
attention1 shutting everything else     
completely off1 and ,i am  not satisfied
 unless each boy leaves me with a smile 
upon his face4    ,unless a teacher     
works in this spirit1 he does not       
understand how sacred  and solemn a     
trust is placed in his hands4 ,no       
teacher is worthy of the  name who does 
not realise that he serves ,god most    
truly and his country  most faithfully  
when he lives and works with his boys4  
,his  self-sacrificing life1 lived      
amongst them1 inspires them to perform  
their duties well1 as they see him      
performing his1 and thus they grow in   
reverence and patriotism4 ,these boys   
are ,god's children entrusted to his    
care2 they are the hope of the nation   
placed in his hands4 ,how shall he      
answer to ,god and the nation1 when the 
trust passes out of his hands1 if  he   

has not consecrated his whole time and  
thought to discharge it  faithfully1 but
 has allowed the boys to go out into the
 world with out  love to ,god1 and      
without the wish and power to serve     
their country8    ,boys1 as well as     
teachers1 must learn self-control in    
action4 ,they must  not so engage in    
other activities as to neglect their    
ordinary school  duties4 ,my ,master    
says to those who wish to serve ,him3   
,you must do  ordinary work better than 
others1 not worse4 ,a boy's first duty  
in  school is to learn well1 and nothing
 should lead him to neglect his  regular
 school work4 ,outside this--as it is   
best that his activities  should be kept
 within the school--the wise teacher    
will provide within  the school         
organisation all the activities in which
 his boys can  usefully take part4 ,if  
there should be any national            
organisation to  which he thinks it     
useful that they should belong1 he will 
himself  organise a branch of it within 

the school and he himself and the other 
teachers will take part in it4 ,for     
example the ,boy-,scout movement and    
the ,sons of ,india are both national   
organisations1 but branches of them     
should be formed in the separate        
schools4 ,teachers should train their   
boys to realise that just as the home is
 the centre of activity for the  child1 
so is the school the centre of activity 
for the youth4 ,as the  child draws his 
life and energy from the home1 so the   
youth should draw  his from the school4 
,the most useful work should be done in 
connection  with the school so that it  
may form part of the general education  
of the  boy1 and be in harmony with the 
rest of his growth4 ,there should be in 
the school debating societies1 in which 
the rules of debate are  carefully      
observed1 so that the boys may learn    
self-control in argument2  dramatic     
clubs in which they may learn control of
 expression2 athletic  clubs in which   
control of mind and action are both     

acquired2 literary  societies for boys  
specially interested in certain studies2
 societies  for helping the poorer      
students4    ,it is also very important 
to give the boys an opportunity of      
understanding the conditions under which
 their country is growing1 so  that in  
the school they may practice patriotism 
apart from politics4 ,it  is very       
unfortunate that in ,india students are 
often taught by  unscrupulous agitators 
that love of their country should be    
shown by  hatred of other countries2 the
 boys would never believe this1 if their
  own school provided patriotic services
 for its boys1 so as to give a  proper  
outlet for the enthusiasm they rightly  
feel4 ,they only seek an  outlet away   
from the school because none is provided
 for them within it4    ,groups of      
students should be formed for various   
kinds of social service  according to   
the capacities of the boys1 and the     
needs of their  surroundings3 for the   
protection of animals1 for rendering    

first aid to  the injured1 for the      
education of the depressed classes1 for 
service in  connection with national and
 religious festivals1 and so on4 ,boys1 
for  whom such forms of service are     
provided in their schools1 will not want
  to carry them on separately4    ,boys 
have a special opportunity of practising
 self-control in action  when they play 
games4 ,the boys come from the more     
formal discipline of  the class-room    
into conditions in which there is a     
sudden cessation of  external authority2
 unless they have learned to replace    
this with  self-control1 we shall see in
 the play-ground brutality in the       
stronger  followed by fear in the       
weaker4 ,the playing fields have a      
special value  in arousing the power of 
self-discipline1 and if teachers are    
there who  set the example of submitting
 to the authority of the captain1 of    
showing gentleness and honour1 and      
playing for the side rather than for    
themselves1 they will much help the boys

 in gaining self-control4    ,the boys  
also will see the teacher in a new      
light2 he is no longer  imposing his    
authority upon them as a teacher1 but he
 is ruling himself  from within and     
subordinating his own action to the     
rules of the game1  and to the interests
 of those who are playing with him4 ,the
 boy who  enters the field with no other
 idea than that of enjoying himself as  
much as he can1 even at the expense of  
his fellow-students1 will learn  from   
his teacher's example that he is        
happiest when playing for others1  not  
for himself alone1 and that he plays    
best when the object of the  game is the
 honour of the school and not his own   
advantage4 ,he also  learns that the    
best player is the boy who practises his
 strokes  carefully1 and uses science to
 direct strength4 ,desiring to be a good
  player himself1 he begins to train his
 body to do as he wishes1 thus  gaining 
self-control in action2 through this    
self-control he learns the  great       

lesson1 that self-control increases     
happiness and leads to  success4        
,another thing learned in the           
play-ground is control of temper1 for a 
boy  who loses his temper always plays  
badly4 ,he learns not to be hasty and   
impatient1 and to control his speech    
even when he is losing1 and not to  show
 vanity when he wins4 ,thus he is making
 a character1 strong and  well-balanced1
 which will be very useful to him when  
he comes to be a  man4 ,all this is     
really learned better in the play-ground
 than in the  class-room4    #c4        
,tolerance4 ,most of my ,master's       
directions under this head are  intended
 mainly for disciples1 but still their  
spirit may be applied to  those who are 
living the ordinary life4 ,tolerance is 
a virtue which is  very necessary in    
schools1 especially when the scholars   
are of different  faiths4 ,you must     
feel1 says my ,master1 perfect tolerance
 for all1 and  a hearty interest in the 
beliefs of those of another religion1   

just as  much as in your own4 ,for their
 religion is a path to the highest just 
as yours is4 ,and to help all you must  
understand all4 ,it is the duty of  the 
teacher to be the first in setting an   
example along these lines4    ,many     
teachers1 however1 make the mistake of  
thinking that the views and  rules to   
which they are themselves accustomed are
 universal principles  which everybody  
ought to accept4 ,they are therefore    
anxious to destroy  the students' own   
convictions and customs1 in order to    
replace them by  others which they think
 better4 ,this is especially the case in
 countries  like ,india1 where the boys 
are of many religions4 ,unless the      
teacher  studies sympathetically the    
religions of his pupils1 and understands
  that the faith of another is as dear  
to him as his own is to himself1 he  is 
likely to make his boys unbelievers in  
all religion4 ,he should take  special  
care to speak with reverence of the     
religions to which his boys  belong1    

strengthening each in the great         
principles of his own creed1 and        
showing the unity of all religions by   
apt illustrations taken from the        
various sacred books4 ,much can be done 
in this direction during the  religious 
service which precedes the ordinary work
 of the day1 if this  be carried out on 
lines common to all2 while each boy     
should be taught  the doctrines of his  
own religion1 it would be well if he    
were reminded  once in the day of the   
unity of all religions1 for1 as the     
,master said1  every religion is a path 
to the highest4    ,an example would    
thus be set in the school of members of 
different  religions living happily side
 by side1 and showing respect to each   
other's opinions4 ,i feel that this is  
one of the special functions of  the    
school in the life of the nation4 ,at   
home the boy is always with  those who  
hold the same opinions as himself1 and  
he has no opportunity  of coming into   
touch with other beliefs and other      

customs4 ,at school he  should have the 
opportunity of meeting other ways of    
believing1 and the  teacher should lead 
him to understand these1 and to see the 
unity  underneath them4 ,the teacher    
must never make a boy discontented with 
his  own faith by speaking              
contemptuously of it1 or by distorting  
it through  his own ignorance4 ,such    
conduct on his part leads a boy to      
despise all  religion4    ,then again   
there are many different customs which  
belong to the  different parts of the   
country4 ,people often exaggerate these 
and look  on them as essential parts of 
religion instead of only as marks of the
  part of the country in which they were
 born4 ,hence they look with  contempt  
or disapproval on those whose customs   
differ from their own1  and they keep   
themselves proudly separate4 ,i do not  
know how far this is  a difficulty in   
western countries1 but in ,india ,i     
think that customs  separate us much    
more than physical distance or religious

 differences4  ,each part of the country
 has its own peculiarities as to dress1 
as to  the manner of taking food1 as to 
the way of wearing the hair1 school     
boys are apt at first to look down upon 
those of their schoolfellows  whose     
appearance or habits differ from their  
own4 ,teachers should help  boys to get 
over these trivial differences and to   
think instead of the  one ,motherland to
 which they all belong4    ,we have     
already said that patriotism should be  
taught without race  hatred1 and we may 
add that understanding and loving other 
nations is  part of the great virtue of 
tolerance4 ,boys are obliged to learn   
the  history of their own and of other  
nations2 and history1 as it is taught1  
is full of wars and conquests4 ,the     
teacher should point out how much       
terrible suffering has been caused by   
these1 and that though1 in spite  of    
them1 evolution has made its way and has
 even utilised them1 far more  can be   
gained by peace and good will than by   

hatred4 ,if care is taken to  train     
children to look on different ways of   
living with interest and  sympathy      
instead of with distrust and dislike1   
they will grow up into  men who will    
show to all nations respect and         
tolerance4    #d4 ,cheerfulness4 ,no    
teacher who really loves his students   
can be  anything but cheerful during    
school hours4 ,no brave man will allow  
himself to be depressed1 but depression 
is particularly harmful in a  teacher1  
for he is daily in contact with many    
boys1 and he spreads among  them the    
condition of his own mind4 ,if the      
teacher is depressed the boys  cannot   
long be cheerful and happy2 and unless  
they are cheerful and  happy they cannot
 learn well4 ,if teachers and boys      
associate  cheerfulness with their      
school life1 they will not only find the
 work  easier than it would otherwise   
be1 but they will turn to the school as 
to a place in which they can for the    
time live free from all cares and       

troubles4    ,the teacher should train  
himself to turn away from all worrying  
and  depressing thoughts the moment he  
enters the school gate1 for his         
contribution to the school atmosphere1  
in which the boys must live and  grow1  
must be cheerfulness and energy4 ,the   
best way to get rid of  depression is to
 occupy the mind with something bright  
and interesting1  and this should not be
 difficult when he is going to his boys4
 ,thoughts  die when no attention is    
paid to them so it is better to turn    
away from  depressing thoughts than to  
fight them4 ,cheerfulness literally     
increases  life1 while depression       
diminishes it1 and by getting rid of    
depression  the teacher increases his   
energy4 ,it is often indeed very        
difficult for  the teacher1 who has the 
cares of family life upon him1 to keep  
free  from anxiety1 but still he must   
try not to bring it into the school4    
,mr4 ,arundale tells me that he has made
 a habit of becoming cheerful the       

moment he enters the ,college gates1    
however worried he may have been        
beforehand1 because1 he writes3 ,i want 
my contribution to the school  day to be
 happiness and interest1 and by a daily 
process of making  myself pretend to be 
cheerful when the ,college gates are    
entered1 ,i have  finally succeeded in  
becoming so4 ,if1 as ,i pass through the
 grounds to  my office1 ,i see any      
student looking dull and gloomy1 ,i make
 a point of  going up to him in order to
 exert my cheerfulness against his      
gloom1 and  the gloom soon passes away4 
,then comes the religious service1 and  
when ,i  take my seat upon the platform 
with the religious instructor1 ,i try to
  ask the ,master's blessing on all the 
dear young faces ,i see before me1  and 
,i look slowly around upon each member  
of the audience1 trying to  send out a  
continual stream of affection and       
sympathy4    ,i have already said that  
boys watch their teachers' faces to see 
if they  are in a good or a bad mood4   

,if the teacher is always cheerful and  
loving1 the boys will no longer watch   
him1 for they will have learned to      
trust him1 and all anxiety and strain   
will disappear4 ,if the teacher         
displays constant cheerfulness1 he sends
 out among his boys streams of  energy  
and good will1 new life pours into them1
 their attention is  stimulated1 and the
 sympathy of the teacher conquers the   
carelessness of  the boy4    ,just as a 
boy learns control of action on the     
play-ground1 so he may  learn there this
 virtue of cheerfulness4 ,to be cheerful
 in defeat makes  the character strong1 
and the boy who can be cheerful and     
good-tempered  in the face of the team  
which has just defeated him is well on  
the way  to true manliness4    #e4      
,one-pointedness4 ,one-pointedness1 the 
concentration of attention  on each     
piece of work as it is being done1 so   
that it may be done as  well as         
possible1 largely depends upon interest4
 ,unless the teacher is  interested in  

his work1 and loves it beyond all other 
work1 he will not  be able to be really 
one-pointed4 ,he must be so absorbed in 
his school  duties that his mind is     
continually occupied in planning for his
 boys1  and looks upon everything in the
 light of its possible application to   
his own particular work4                
,one-pointedness means enthusiasm1 but  
enthusiasm is impossible without        
ideals4 ,so the teacher who desires to  
be one-pointed must be full of  ideals  
to which he is eager to lead his school4
 ,these ideals will  sharpen his        
attention1 and make him able to         
concentrate it even upon  quite trivial 
details4 ,he will have the ideal school 
in his mind1 and  will always be trying 
to bring the real school nearer to it4  
,to be  one-pointed1 therefore1 the     
teacher must not be contented with      
things as  they are1 but must be        
continually on the alert to take        
advantage of  every opportunity of      
improvement4    ,the teacher's ideal    

will of course be modified as he learns 
more of his  students' capacities and of
 the needs of the nation4 ,in this way1 
as the  years pass1 the teacher may find
 himself far from the early ideals that 
at first gave him one-pointedness4      
,ideals will still guide him1 but they  
will be more practical1 and so his      
one-pointedness will be much keener  and
 will produce larger results4    ,the   
,master quotes two sayings which seem to
 me to show very clearly the  lines     
along which one-pointedness should work3
 ,whatsoever thy hand  findeth to do1 do
 it with thy might2 and3 ,whatsoever ye 
do1 do it  heartily1 as to the ,lord and
 not unto men4 ,it must be done as to   
the  ,lord4 ,the ,master says3 ,every   
piece of work must be done              
religiously--done with the feeling that 
it is a sacred offering to be  laid on  
the altar of the ,lord4 ',this do ,i1 ,o
 ,lord1 in ,thy name and for  ,thee4'   
,thinking this1 can ,i offer to ,him    
anything but my very best8 ,can  ,i let 

any piece of my work be done carelessly 
or inattentively1 when ,i  know that it 
is being done expressly for ,him8 ,think
 how you would do  your work if you knew
 that the ,lord ,himself were coming    
directly to see  it2 and then realise   
that ,he does see it1 for all is taking 
place  within ,his consciousness4 ,so   
will you do your duty 'as unto the ,lord
 and  not as unto men'4    ,the work    
must be done1 too1 according to the     
teacher's knowledge of the  principles  
of evolution1 and not merely out of     
regard to small and  fleeting interests4
 ,the teacher must therefore gradually  
learn his own  place in evolution1 so   
that he may become one-pointed as to    
himself2  unless he practises           
one-pointedness with regard to his own  
ideal for  himself1 he will not be able 
to bring it to bear on his surroundings4
  ,he must try to be in miniature the   
ideal towards which he hopes to lead    
his boys1 and the application of the    
ideal to himself will enable him to  see

 in it details which otherwise would    
escape his notice1 or which he  might   
neglect as unimportant4    ,the         
practical application1 then1 of         
one-pointedness lies in the  endeavour  
to keep before the mind some dominant   
central ideal towards  which the whole  
of the teachers' and boys' daily routine
 shall be  directed1 so that the small  
life may be vitalised by the larger1 and
  all may become conscious parts of one 
great whole4 ,the ideal of service1  for
 instance1 may be made so vivid that the
 whole of daily life shall be  lived in 
the effort to serve4    #f4 ,confidence4
 ,first among the qualifications for the
 teacher has been  placed ,love1 and it 
is fitting that this little book should 
end with  another qualification of      
almost equal importance--,confidence4   
,unless the  teacher has confidence in  
his power to attain his goal1 he will   
not be  able to inspire a similar       
confidence in his boys1 and             
self-confidence is  an indispensable    

attribute for success in all departments
 of human  activity4 ,the ,master has   
beautifully explained why we have the   
right to  be confident4    ,you must    
trust yourself4 ,you say you know       
yourself too well8 ,if you  feel so1 you
 do not know yourself2 you know only the
 weak outer husk1  which has fallen     
often into the mire4 ,but you--the real 
you--you are a  spark of ,god's own     
fire1 and ,god1 ,who is almighty1 is in 
you1 and  because of that there is      
nothing that you cannot do if you will4 
,the teacher must feel that he has the  
power to teach his boys and to  train   
them for their future work in the world4
 ,this power is born of his  love for   
them and his desire to help them1 and is
 drawn from the one  spiritual life of  
which all partake4 ,it is because the   
teacher and his  boys are one in        
essence1 make one little flame in ,god's
 own fire1 that  the teacher has the    
right to be confident that every effort 
to help1  growing out of his own share  

in the one life1 will reach and         
stimulate  that same life in the boys4  
,he will not always be able to see at   
once the effect he is producing4        
,indeed1 the most important influence   
the teacher has shows itself in  the    
growing characters of the boys4 ,no     
success in examinations1 in  reports1 in
 inspections can satisfy the real       
teacher as to the effect of  his work4  
,but when he feels that his own higher  
nature is strengthened  and purified by 
his eagerness to serve his boys1 when he
 has the joy of  watching the divine    
life in them shining out in answer to   
that in  himself1 then his happiness is 
indeed great4 ,then he has the peace of 
knowing that he has awakened in his boys
 the knowledge of their own  divinity1  
which1 sooner or later1 will bring them 
to perfection4    ,the teacher is       
justified in feeling confident because  
the divine life  is in him and his boys1
 and they turn to him for inspiration   
and  strength4 ,let him but send out to 

them all that is highest in himself1    
and he may be quite sure that there will
 not be one boy who will not to  some   
extent respond in his own higher ,self1 
however little the response  may be seen
 by the teacher4    ,this constant      
interplay of the one life between       
teacher and students  will draw them    
ever nearer to each other4 ,they learn  
in the school to  live together as elder
 and younger brothers of the one school 
family4  ,by living a life of           
brotherhood within the small area of the
 school1  they will be trained to live  
that life in the larger area of the     
nation4  ,then they will gradually learn
 that there is but one great brotherhood
  in all the world1 one divine life in  
all4 ,this life each separate member  of
 the brotherhood is trying to express1  
consciously or unconsciously4  ,the     
teacher is indeed happy who knows his   
own divinity2 that knowledge  of the    
divinity in man is the highest lesson it
 will ever be his  privilege to teach4