Day 9 Authority

Snezhana Soosh

“A child cannot have a lasting sense of duty until he is brought into contact with a supreme Authority, who is the source of law, and the pleasing of whom converts duty into joy.”
 
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“It is brought home, too, to most of us who are set in authority, that we ourselves are acting under a higher, and finally, under the highest authority.”
 
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“'Thou art about my path and about my bed and spiest out all my ways,' should be a thought, not of fear, but of very great comfort to every child. This constant recognition of authority excites the twofold response of docility and of reverence. It is said that the children of our day are marked by wilfulness and a certain flippancy and want of reverence; if this is so, and in so far as it is so, it is because children are brought up without the consciousness of their relation to God, whom we are taught to call 'Our Father.' This divine name reminds us that authority is lodged in the Author of our being, and is tender, pitiful, preventive, strong to care for and wise to govern; as we see it feebly shown forth even in the best of human fathers.”

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“'Managing' People. ––There is also a special danger attending the love of power––a danger to others rather than to ourselves. If we are bent upon taking the lead, we do not allow others fair play or a fair chance. We cheat our fellows out of a part of their lives, out of that fair share of power which belongs to them. We grow strong at their expense, and they wax feeble in proportion as we wax great. Few characters are more ignoble than those who are always trying to manage others, always manoeuvring to get power into their own hands. The best way of watching against this evil is to wait always until we have 'greatness thrust upon us.' Let us not take the lead, but wait until it is given to us, and then let us lead for the advancement and help of others rather than for our own.”

 
Examen: How is my authority expressed in the classroom?  When do I find myself most at risk of managing people? 

p.s. Authority is a hard word for some of us, especially those who have had less than perfect childhoods.  Clicking on the image above reveals a beautiful depiction of what I think Mason has in mind -- " tender, pitiful, preventive, strong to care for and wise to govern." 

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 A child cannot: Charlotte M. Mason, School Education, 3:137.
It is brought home: 3:137.
 Thou art about: 3:138.
 Managing People:  Charlotte M. Mason, Ourselves, 4:72 Bk.I.
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Day 9 Authority meditation/100 Days copyright Laurie Bestvater 2025

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