The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-02-22

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.
CONTINUED.

lSnmeht, SO aUIy portrayed IN the pass"
age just quoted, there is still another,
growing out of divisions and quarrels in
the district. 1t is by no means uncom-
mon, in our districts, owing to some To-
cal matter, or to some disunion in poll
ties or religion, for the people to be ar
rayed, the one part against the other
The inhabitants of the uppeT road arc
jealous of the dwellers on the Ioarer road;
the hill portion of the district is aggrieved
by the influence Of the ualley portion; the
least end" complains of the selfshness Of
the "west end" and so of the north and
south. Whenever school -hou Sc is to be
built, these different interests are aroused,
and o protracted and baleful quarrel is
the result. One party "carries the day"
by the force Of numbers, but the prosper
ity of the school is impaired for years.
At every district meeting there will be
the same strife for tho mastery. If one
division gains the power, the other bends
its energies to cripple the school, and to
annoy the teacher who may be employed
by the dominant party, however excel
lent or deserving he may be. awe will
see," say those who find themselves in
the minority, "we will see whether this
man can keep our school as we'll as it was
done last year by our master" This is
uttered in presence Of their children
perhaps their half grown sons, who will
be very ready to meet their new teacher
with prejudice and to act out the misgiv-
ings of their parents as to bis success
When the teacher first enters the school,
he is met by opposition, even before be
has time to make an impression for good;
opposition, which be can scarcely hope to
surmount as long as it is thus encouraged
at home. Now what shall be do! Shall
be yield the point, abandon the idea of
authority, and endeavor to live along
from day to day, in the hope of more
comfortable state of things by-and-by!-
He may be sure that matters will daily
grow worse. Shall he give up in despair,
and leave the school to some successorI--
This will only strengthen the opposition
and make it more violent when the suc-
cessor shall be appointed. 1t is but put
ting the difficulty one step farther Off
Besides, if the teacher does thus give up,
and leave the school |, he loses his own
reputation as man of energy, and, in
the eye of the world, who perhaps may
not know-or care to knoH--all the cir
cumstances, he is held ever after as in
competent for the Office.
| Now it would be very gratifying if the
teacher under any or all of these Difficult
ties, could possess the moral power to
quell them all by look or by the exer-
else of his ingenuity in interesting his pu-
pills in their studies. Undoubtedly there
are some men who could do it, and do it
most triumphantly, SO as to make their
most Jealous enemies in a few days their
warmest friends. But there are not many
who can work thus at disadvantage
What then shall be donel Shall the
school be injured by being disbanded and
the teacher be stigmatized for failure
when he has been employed in good faith!
| say NO. He has the right to establish
authority by corporal int7iction,' and thus
to save the school and also save himself.
And more than this;-if there is reason
BILE ground to believe that by such inAic-
J ton he can establish order, and thus
make himself useful, and save the time
aud the character of The school, be moi
only has the right, but he Is bound by duty
to use IL. The lovers of order in the dis.
trict have right to expect him to use it
Q unless by express stipulation beforehand
: they have exempted him from it. l re-
peat, then, that it is the teachers duty t.
, establish anttOrity.' "peaceably, indeed, i
he may,-forcily if he must"
: I ought in fairness here to add, us
!, have before limited, that not unfrequently
the necessity for corporal infiction exist
in the teacher himself, This is otter
proved by transfer of teachers. On
= man takes school, and can only surviv,
r his term by the exercise of whipping
It He is followed by another who secure
C good order and the love of the schoo
. without any resort to the rod. The frs
declared that whipping was necessary ii
bis case to secure good order, and truly
but the necessity resided in him and no
e in the school. So it often does AM
= WHllc tedCu6IS arc IGGlOuoly NOAShNiHS Va
rod, they should also feel the necessity o
. improving themselves as the most effect
: ual way to obviate its frequent use.
:. When authority is once established il
= school, it is mparatively easy to main
= tain it. There will of course be less nc
cessity for resorting to the rod after tn
teacher has obtained the ascendency, un
'e less it be in the event of taking some ne
?, pupil into the school who is disposed to b
q refractory, l have but little respect fc
:, the teacher who is daily obliged to fort
fy his authority by corporal inAiction.-
> Something must be fundamentally wron
s in the teacher whose machinery of gov
ID ernment, when once we'll in motion, need
g. to be SO often forcibly wound up
N From what has already been said,
will be seen that do not belong to tn
number who affirm that the rod OF cofrc'
tiou should nercr be used sn schools. No
BE am prepared to advise any teacher
paJfih 5eiorehand that he will not punis
I ,n;,L tho rod II would always be wise