The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1847-11-20
Vol. II, No, IS, Whole No. 53S.

/ from their acknowledged champion, aud one
who had generally acted MS rngleader in
their former outbreaks against their tenchers,
not little dampenod the ardor of the advo-
Gates ofrebelion. And after few idle
threats aud expressions of Defiance thrown
out by the why ofwnrding off any imputa-
tons which might be thrown on their cour-
age for reirenting from their position, they
finally rclinquished their designs on the mns-
ter, aud concluded to submit TO his authority,
nj least till he became the aggressor, in those
acts of tyranny that they expected he would
ere long exhibit towards them. The move
menls of the latter, therefore, were watched
| pth no less silent suspicion Ivy the larger,
than with fear by the smaller pupils during
the first week Of his school. Perceivlng all
this, he very wisely shaped his course for es-
tnblishng his authority on more permanent
! foundation than can ever be raised in feelings
where fear alone is the governing principle.
! While dignity and decipion of manner mark
ed his conduct in enforcing good order in
school, he yet made Kindness and courtesy
to characterize his general demeanor towards
all his scholars. This course he adopted no
less from the suggestions of his own mind,
drawn from the remembrance Of the effect
which kindness and respect in teacher al
ways produced OH his feelings when he him
self was pupil, than from the Recommended
ton Of Bunker, ito treat his scholars like men
and women"
And such was the effect of the kind and
judicious manner which Locke displayed
among the rough and uncuturcd pupils hc
had undertaken to control. When they saw,
! that, instead of turning out the cruel and Gu
PRECIOUS tyrant they had expected, he wanted
nothing of them but what their own con
sciences told them was just and reasonable,
and especially when they found themselves
uniformly treated with such respectful conr-
tcsy, when their behavior was not exception
able, all the mingled feelings ofhauCd, fear,
and suspicion, with which they had armed
themselves in anticipation of an opposite
treatment, rapidly melted into an uffGc,iona'c
reverence, that not only destroyed, in most
ofthem, all inclination for insubordinatc con
duct, but made them anxious to gain his APP
prohibitions; the more particularly so, doubtless
from the beliefthey still entertained, that his
displeasurc would he attended with fearful
consequences L. themselves.
The first object of our Instructor that of
gaining willing ears for what he wished to
impart, was now, TO IL good degree, accom-
plishcd. And no sooner had he made sure
Of this important point, tlan he began to re-
double his cNertions to rouse their minds from
that cold and istuss intellectual condition IN
which they were unconsciously sunk, and
which caused them TO look upon learning
and all attempts at mental excellence us u
mere matter OF secondary concern. This he
did, not so much ny general eNhortaticn tor
he well knew that scholars generally hate
preaching masters, us by what logiciuns call
arguments cd homiRcm, addressing the self
love ofone, the vanity of anohcr, the curios-
ity ola third, and 80 on; the dispositions of
cnch having been previously studied for the
purpose. In fine, he adopted almost as man
y cEPedients rs he had pupils, in melting
them To push forward ~ their particular stud
les, and IN awakening III their bOsOms love
of learning. And in doing This, lie also Ia
bored necessarily, with argument, ridicuIe,
aud such familiar Illustrations MS they could
best understand and appreciate in showing
them the superiority OF mind over matter, or
mere physical powers: and in setting up the
true standard OF excellence among them, in-
stead ofi;llsc one, to attain To which seemed
hitherto to have been the only Object of their
emulation. The happy results OF these we'll
/ directed cXcrtiOns were soon apparent.--
The exploits oftho wrestling ring, the leap
ing match, aud other OF the rough athletics,
in which ii had been their chief pride 10 eX-
eel, were no longer the main topic of CONVEX
satou; and the teats Of huliius and hectorug
blades, exercised upon sChCul-masters, mill
listers, aud deacons, were no longer Consid-
cred matter ofhoasting. The keen interest
formerly manifested on all these subjects, i'll
deed, had so sensibIy declined that they
We're now seldom mentioned. But in their
place were heard, both during the intermis-
sons ofschool and the evenings spent at
home, almost nothing but talk of studies, an
ecdotes ofihe scIIuul, the discussion Of
The arithmetcHl puzzles, and the various in
teresting and curious questions relative to
the phenomena of nature, which the teacher
was i'll the habit of putting out, with which
to exercise the minds of his pupils. Tho pa
rents ofthe district Witnessed this change in
their children with no less pleasure, and won
dered by what magic il could have been ci-
lected. Bunker, the committeeman, daily
grew proud of his selection Of teacher, and
declared he had already done more towards
making good thinkers of his scholars than
any ofIhcir former instructors had done in Il
whole winter. In short before two weeks
had elapsed, the whole orn-ofthe-Moon
was ringing with praises of The new MASTER
But aithuu II young Amsden's school was
fast becoming what he had so sedulously la
bored to make it, and although his pupils had
generally, since the expiration of the first
half week of their attendance, so far shown
themselves disposed to obedience and pro-
priety of behavior, as led him to believe that
no attemp: would now be made to resist his
) orders, yet it was not long before he found
he should not be permitted TO avoid the test
to which n masters firmness and discretion
are almost invariably put IN MAINTAINING nus
authority, at some period or other of his
, school.
This period which forms sort Of crisis i'll
5 the teachers government, resulting either in
it's overthrow, or in its establishment on a
permanent basis, generally occurs about the
, third week of the school. After the first few
days of the school, during which the re-
: straints which scholars feel under new mas
ter, or the fears they may entertain of his yet