With the start of school upon us, I thought you might enjoy reading the following.

Rules and Regulations for Teachers in 1872

• Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys, and trim wicks.

• Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and scuttle of coal for the day’s sessions.

• Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of pupils.

• Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.

• After 10 hours in school, the teachers spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.

• Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.

• Each teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.

• Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or get shaved in a barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intentions, integrity and honesty.

• The teacher who performs his labors faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of 25 cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

“Be faithful until death...”

    I thought about several directions to go with today’s message. I thought about writing about our frequent desire for the “good old days”. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we look back to Egypt thinking things were so much better then, forgetting the difficulties.

    But I was intrigued by the wording of #9 above. It sounded somehow familiar to me. It dawned on me that there is a similarity to what Jesus had to say to the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2 and 3. The biggest difference, though, is that the reward Jesus promises is a little better than 25 cents for every five years of service (and oh, how I’m thankful for that!) —

“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10b)

“You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” (Rev. 3:4-5)

    May God bless you in your efforts to “live faithfully” for Him. The reward will be more than worth any hardship involved.

© 2001, Alan Smith. Used by permission. This devotional was reprinted from Thought for the Day.

Title: "The Reward for Faithfulness"
Author: Alan Smith
Publication Date: September 7, 2001

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