The mood of the speaker could be either. On the one hand, we can say that the speaker wants to talk about the qualities of the schoolmaster in a reverential manner. Even when he says that the schoolmaster is stern, he is quick to add that he is stern to view. The phrase ‘to view’ could be a suggestion that he is not really stern, but pretends to be stem.

In other words, the phrase could be an indicator to the goodness of heart of the schoolmaster. If we take the intention of the speaker to be this, we take the poem as a serious one. However, there are a few lines which make us wonder whether the poet is poking gentle fun at the schoolmaster.

For example, he says that the children traced the day’s disasters in the school master’s morning face. The poet also says that the village schoolmaster, even though vanquished, could argue still. If these qualities of the schoolmaster are considered, then the tone can be taken as humorous. Ultimately, as readers, we can only say Goldsmith allows the readers to take the final stand.