IV. Good Conduct ... 95

1. Self-control as to the mind 95
2. Self-control in action . 117
3. Tolerance 135
4. Cheerfulness .... 143
5. One-pointedness . . . 149
6. Confidence . . • . . 156
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EDUCATION AS SERVICE.
THE TEACHER
In At the Feet of the Master I have written down the instructions given to me by my Master in pre- paring me to learn how best to be useful to those around me. All who have read the book will know how inspiring the Master's words are, and how they make each per- son who reads them long to train himself for the service of others.
I know myself how much I have 21
EDUCATION AS SEKVICE
been helped by the loving care of those to whom I look for guidance, and I am eager to pass on to others the help I have obtained from them. It seems to me that the Master's instructions can be universally ap- plied. They are useful not only to those who are definitely trying to tread the path which leads to Ini- tiation, but also to all who, while still doing the ordinary work of the world, are anxious to do their duty earnestly and unselfishly. On of the noblest forms of work is that of the teacher ; let us see what light is thrown upon it by the words of the Master.
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EDUCATION AS SERVICE
I will take the four Qualifications which have been given in At the Feet of the Master, and will try to show how they can be applied to the life of the teacher and of the students, and to the relations which should exist between them.
The most important Qualification in education is Love, and I will take that first.
It is sad that in modern days the office of a teacher has not been regarded as on a level with other learned professions. Any one has been thought good enough to be a teacher, and as a result little hon- our has been paid to him. Natu-
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EDUCATION AS SERVICE
rally, therefore, the cleverest boys are not drawn towards that profes- sion. But really the office of the teacher is the most sacred and the most important to the nation, because it builds the characters of the boys and girls who will be its future citizens. In olden days this office was thought so holy that on- ly priests were teachers and the school was a part of the temple. In India the trust in the teacher was so great that the parents gave over their sons completely to him for many years, and teacher and students lived together as a family. Because this happy relation should
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EDUCATION AS SERVICE
be brought back again, I put Love first among the Qualifications which a teacher ought to have. If India is to become again the great nation which we all hope to see, this old happy relation must be re-estab- lished.
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