5. A teacher must possess the ability to teach. Ability includes a natural fitness as well as scholastic preparation.
6. The first and greatest requisite of the teacher is morality. Its simplest definition shows that it deals with the rightness or wrongness of any action. Those actions are immoral that are followed by evil or demoralizing results. A partial list of these follow and should be labeled, “Don’ts for the Teacher.”
(a) Intoxication, fighting, gambling, visiting places of doubtful character, associating with persons whose characters are suspected, violating the laws, breaking the Sabbath, swearing, blaspheming, cheating, falsifying and lewd conduct are immoral acts about which there can be no question.
(b) The use of tobacco in any form is immoral. This is true, because only evil results follow in many cases.
(c) Gossiping and loafing are evils for anyone. The teacher should avoid them.
(d) The street-corner gang or the low-minded crowd are not fit for the teacher’s company. He should avoid them.
(e) The so-called social gatherings are often hotbeds for gossip. When they are such, men and women teachers do well to avoid them.
(f) “Smutty” stories, vicious “yarns” and senseless stories as well as slang are objectionable. The teacher should avoid them.
(g) Attempts at humor at the expense of an auditor should be avoided.
(h) Tell no falsehood; act no falsehood.