Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1845-10-10

AAhON IloRTON, a. W., was the tedcner OF
our school, and a good old man he was. He
was not, it is true. wise above other men,
not very clear headed, excepting in Latin aud
Greek, and Mathematics. He did not seem
to know much beyond his vocation-that OF
teaching the young idea how to shoot into
Grammars and Lexicons. He wrote most
classically and beautifully, and his pronuuci-
alton was without a fault-that must be con-
fessed. He never dreamed-the good old
man-that any thing was needed for boys ex-
cepting what he was accustomed to teach;
and as for their behaving better, he would
say, "Don't they now behave as well as boys
did when | was a boy?" 1t was a pattern
SCHOOL, None of the modern f~ollies, rash ex-
periments, and financial notions had crept in
to it. The good master had a holy horror of
all innovations; he loved a quiet life, good
living, the prompt pay of the quarter bills;
and he was never disturbed or troubled ex-
cept when the boys happened to behave very
much worse, or very much better than was
their wont.
OF course he was sadly perplexed one day,
when he was told that one of the boys, John
Webster, had struck another, Charles Ed
wards, and Charles had not returned the blow.
He could comprehend how it happened that
one boy struck another, for that was not un-
common; he had done so himself when at
school, and been flogged for it by his master;
that was all straight. But the forbearance of
Charles-this to him was a mystery,
81 must look into it," says he, "CharIes
is no coward, | see that by his looks. There
is something out of rule in this; don't recol-
lect such a case; | never ever read of such a
thing, except among the Quakers, and it
can't be that such folly has crept into my
school. 1t would be most disgraceful! Why
couldn't these boys have fought it out like
men, and kept the whole from my ears!-
Now, what to do, puzzles me. shall have
to give the school my notions of what self
defence demands of US; after whipping the boy
that fought"
The next morning the school assembled as
usual. Every boy was in his place. In
walked Master Horton with more than usual
dignity. He assembled the desk, opened the
Bible, read a chapter, and then prayed, in ex-
actly the same words he had used for his
whole school life, finishing with the Lords
prayer, asking forgiveness as we forgive 9TH
ers.
Prayer concluded, he called before him the
culprits. John, knowing that all defense was
vain, plead guilty in the hope of some miti-
CATION ofthe punishment: 81 thought Charles
pushed me, and | struck him, for l was very
angry"
'sYou have done exceedingly wrong" OK.
claimed Master Horton, ''you have broken
the law of the school; being angry is no ex.
cuse; one wrong does not excuse another
Growing eloquent, he raised his voice, placed
himself in an oratorical attitude, and contin.
ued: "You know that l have forbidden al
quarreling and fighting among my scholars;
and as long as | am at the head of the school
| will punish ever boy who strikes another
no matter for what! What is the use oflaw,
which you can break when you please! Pre-
pare for punishment! Some boy there hanC
me the rod"
Here, Charles Edwards, who up to thi,
time had stood by camly and TRANQUILITY, burs
out, "Please forgive him, sir! he did not hur
Inc; do forgive him!"
"Be silent" replied the Master; 81 have
reckoning with you too, sir"
Johns punishment was more severe thai
usual, for Master Horton wal very much ex
cited; but poor John bore it without win
cling.
1t is supposed by some that a man ma
become so much accustomed to using the rod
as to be able to use it without being angry
and without getting angry in the process, AM
may strike with perfect equanimlty of TEN
per. Not so, on this occasion at least, witt