danger of the second letter's degenerating into a colorless copy of what has already been written. The first sentence of the follow-up should refer briefly to the previous application letter and state exactly what position is being sought. The next few lines deal with why the follow-up is being written. It may be that the writer wishes to supplement the information given in his first letter; it may be that he is writing because he must secure work at once; and in some cases it will be because he is offered another position and must either accept or refuse it at once. In case it is for the last-mentioned reason, the writer must be quite specific about the alternative position that he is offered. Otherwise the prospective employer will consider it just a cheap subterfuge to secure action-and resent it accordingly. The tone of the follow-up is uniformly courteous. There must be no hint of reproach for the employer's negligence in not replying to the first letter. Neither must there be any attempt to explain away his not having written because of his having been too busy, etc. The employer has no need to explain why he hasn't evinced an interest. There will be few letters of this kind used, and for this reason the student's follow-up is almost certain to receive a hearing. The spirit which prompts the writing of such a letter will almost always meet with hearty approval, and often the letter will win its writer an interview. 8219 Dayton St. Johnson & Company Holman Ave. & Arthington Chicago, Illinois Gentlemen: Your advertisement in the Tribune this morning asks for a general office clerk. I would like to apply. I am sixteen years old and will soon be graduated from the four-year general course at Robert Waller High School. This last year I have taken typewriting and have cut stencils for Mr. R. H. Baker, who teaches Physics here. I have no other practical experience to offer. However, I am very willing to try whatever your position requires. My telephone number is Lincoln 7629. I would be so happy to hear from you. Yours very truly, Note.-Except for the names and dates, this letter is quoted verbatim. It was written by a girl and won for its writer an interview-and a job-at a time when thousands were jobless. Portrait of a Boy Struggling for life that hangs upon a thread, Won, by the parents' longing, back to health. Unhurt by times of sickness and of pain; Then came the silent adolescent years; Seeking for knowledge to explain his soul. Then, crash! and darkness falls across the sky! * And now, at twenty-three, where does he stand? But now, in darkness, light is breaking through; -EVELINA PORTER DOGGETI "I Teaching, A Respected Profession CARL P. BIRKELO, STATE TEACHERS COLLEGE, MAYVILLE, NORTH DAKOTA got the bestest teacher in the whole world," said the first grader to his schoolmates as he was returning home from his first day in school. These words expressed his faith and confidence in the one who became his leader and guide as he crossed the threshold of the public school for the first time. It occurred to the writer as he heard the child's utterance that it implied an idea which has an important bearing upon the success of the work of the public schools. Would the child have the good fortune of going through the school year still retaining this high regard for his teacher? Could all his teachers and instructors, as he passed up through the grades, high school and college, invite such faith and confidence, and, what would this mean to the child in his training, to society and to the citizenship of America? The public school is set up as the approved means by which this generation gives to the youths of America the contacts and associations essential for the growth and enrichment of life. These schools we require our boys and girls to attend and the taxpayers to support. Yes, we require by law that the children be associated with the teachers in these schools for a period of eight or ten years, and frequently for a longer period. In view of this fact it seems reasonable to expect that the leaders and guides of the children be competent, possessed with moral earnestness and a lasting devotion to the highest ideals of teaching. They ought to represent America's best womanhood and manhood. To the children these years ought to be fruitful in associations with teachers whose very per sonalities appeal to their highest motives. They ought to be privileged to be taught by individuals in whom they have confidence and who can invite their esteem and respect. Every profession assumes the responsibility of advancing its interests in the confidence of the general public and in the eyes of those who have intimate contact with it. No professional group can in the long run afford to fail to command this respect and faith, and least of all the teaching profession. Like other professions teaching has a motive of service to others, a consciousness of a social duty and a motive of self-expression,-calling forth the best in its membership and evincing a joy in service. It has a body of knowledge, a group of skills, institutions for training, standards of qualifications and conduct and a professional organization. It embodies all of these characteristics, but it possesses a few of them in a special and unique sort of a way. The essence of teaching is INFLUENCING, and teaching is a profession of personal contacts and personal influences. It makes demands upon the entire personality of the individual, so much so, in fact, that the very personality is an integral part of the profession itself. It is a profession of giving and sharing of self. The material with which it deals is of an unusual type. Plastic youth is a living and reacting material, sensitive to all impressions, and, therefore, requires special care in its shaping. The manner in which this human material is modeled and the influences which are brought to bear upon it have great significance to the youth himself and to the nation of which he is an important part. In this process of influencing and moulding an attitude of respect for the one who makes the impressions and exerts the influences is an essential condition for a favorable and wholesome reaction on the part of the one who is taught. For this reason, an important qualification for membership in the profession of teaching is an ability to build up an attitude of confidence and esteem in the minds of those who are taught. The teacher has a wider audience than the children whom he leads in and about the schoolroom. His light shines beyond the doors of the school building or campus. Quite unconsciously he makes some interpretation of life and life values to those about in his community. In order to be successful in his teaching service he has need of the confidence and respect of this larger community group. It is quite natural that the faith which the lay public have in education and the schools grows out of the respect they have for those who conduct and administer them. The public's faith is born of the competency, sincerity and the true worth evinced by those who instruct the children. To the parents and the public the word TEACHER denotes something which approaches an ideal and their attitude is determined by the manner in which the teachers measure up to the standards of this ideal. Teachers ought to fail neither the youths nor the parents and fall short of that which is expected of them. These are measures of worth set up for teachers, as for no other group, and they hold true for all teachers regardless of the level of instruction they represent. The teacher's standards of conduct and personal example in the ordinary social relations form a definite part of his teaching influence. In fact, herein lies an essential test of an individual's fitness to teach and lead the young. The words and deeds of the teacher in his community life reveal his inner qualities and are a confirmation of his moral sincerity, his idealism and the seriousness with which he regards his professional obligations. There are those who hold that the obligation of example in the community ought not be assumed by the teacher, that this is a non-professional matter, and, as such, is an infringement upon the teacher's personal freedom. This may seem true, and yet, who can regard himself as truly professional and still make it an object of no thought. Whether professional or non-professional, it is a matter which has a vital professional significance, because |