#4. Enthusiasm.#--The teacher should be an _enthusiast_. I had the good fortune to hear Bishop Phillips Brooks speak to a great body of men in Boston. There was in his whole manner such sincerity and enthusiasm as to carry conviction to each one in his audience. He had a good thing. He believed in it with his whole heart. He was enthusiastic in its praise. He had tested it and found it good. He wanted others to share the same splendid good. His address left an impression that years cannot dim. His enthusiasm made him a great teacher. This does not mean that one should speak in a loud tone, in high-pitched voice, with vehement manner and gesture. These are marks of weakness, not of strength. But it does mean that one should be confident of the worth of his message and anxious to impress its worth upon others. Enthusiasm is born of sincere conviction in the correctness of the thing one aims to teach. #5. Directness.#--Much of all that is best in teaching is the result of a mastery of the theme in such way as to make all the statements and questions of the teacher _clear and direct_. One must consider his language carefully. To the child in the class words may mean quite a different thing from what they mean to the teacher. One must have the pupils' point of view, and then make all his teaching so pointed, so specific, that the meaning must be clear. #6. Alert Insight.#--The teacher must be _alert_ and _aggressive_, discerning the favorable moment to say great truths; with his thoughts more upon his pupils than upon his text. Otherwise his power to govern is weakened and the interest of his pupils is lessened if not wholly lost. To accomplish the best things one must know in advance the scope and purpose of the lesson, and watch for the moment when, with interest at its height, he will best succeed in reaching the deepest fountains of purpose in the soul of the pupil. This quality of insight in the teacher's equipment will put the class upon a basis of work. The pupils will quickly realize that the teacher is imbued with a purpose; that he proceeds in a business-like way to accomplish a result which is seen to be of value. The very directness of the teacher is an asset of great significance. This always appeals to young persons. They like a lesson that is full of snap and action. They will not long abide a dull and dreary dragging over a subject--be it ever so fruitful in guidance.