Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-10-11

4
by compelling boy 10 do thing, il he believ-
cd 1t to wrong.
Amer little pause said "Well, George,
do no. wish you to do any thing which is
wrong or which conflicts with our Golden Rule.
We will leave this for tonight and perhaps
you will alter your mind before tomorrow
saw him privately before school, and found
him more firm in his refusal than ever. Aher
the devotional exercise of the morning, began
10 question the scholars (as was my woni) on
various points Of duty, and generally led the
conversation 10 the Golden Rule.
"Who,' asked, "are the persons 10 whom,
as members Of this school, you ought to do as
you would be done by Your parents, who
support you and send yon here your school
mates, who are engaged in the same work with
yourselves the citizens Of the town, who, by
taxing themselves raise money to pay the ex-
penses of this school the school committee.
who takes so great an interest in your wclfarel
your teacher or the scholar who carelessly or
willfully commits some oifense against good
order 30
A hearty "Yes," was responded to every
question.
Then addressing George, I said, Yesterday
! asked you who bad committed certain Of
Tense You refused To tell me, because you
thought it would not be doing as you would be
done by. now wish you TO reconsider the
subject On one side are your parents, your
schoolmatcs, the citizens Of this town the school
committee, and your teachcr, al deeply inter
esied in every thing affecting the prosperity Of
this school On the other side s the boy who.
by his act, has shown himself ready to injure
all these. To which party will you do as you
would be done by 2"
Aiier a moments pause he ,ad. TO the first.
1t Was William Brown who did it,"
My triumph, or rather the triumph of tie
principle was complete. and the lesson was as
deeply felt by tho other member of the school
as by him for whom it was especially designed,
While we heartily commend the spirit offor-
bearance and justice shown by the old school.
master, We are decidedly of the opinion that
boys, as a rule, should neither be required nor
permitted to tell" of one another. Not one
honorable boy in a thousand can be made TO feel
that il is right to do so while every sneak de-
lights 10 the opportunity Of making himself Of
consequence by telling tales. Beiier lie, an Of
iense go undeiecied then to permit boy to de-
mean himself by becomng an informer. We
hyae much respect for the instructive feelings Of
human nature; they render an informer odious
everywhere.
The truth Of little story told in the Con
neciieuI fommoH Seiooi journal by ". N.
Wells, will be appreciated BY all good teachers.
"a pupil" says Mr.. Wells, "had became dis
eousaged over difficult question. lie had gone
through the solution again and again, but could
not obtain the answer sought. Awaiting him
self Of favorable opportunity, the teacher re-
qnesIed the pupil to go through the work slow
ly and carefully in his presence. As the pu-
pll proceeded, the teacher required him to eI-
plain each step Of the process and when he
reached the point where his previous error oc-
Cured, as the teacher asked him to give his
reason, the pupils eye flashed with delight, and
he exclaimed, Il see my error. Without
further assistance he soon reached correct re-
suit. The teacher had not furnished the slight
est hin. in respect to the solution of,he problem.
lie had only fakH measures rhich brought The
pupils oun strength 10 bear upon it"
A passage quoted from an unknown source by
writer in the Ohio Journal of Education, re-
minds US Of an article that we have been going
to wriie for many a month. How many aui-
ces never get beyond the memorandum bouk
We we're going 10 inculnie the idea, in that
projected article. that he who would be a good
parent or truly successful teacher. must reflect
much and earnestly upon his own childhood
Ihn 81 k,,, h. -
following
At one period of my life when instructing
two or three young people to write, ! found
them, as thought, unusually stupid hap
pened abou, this time TO look over the contents
Of an old-coPy book, written by me when was
a boy. The thick up-strOkes, the crooked down
strokes, the awkward joining of the letters, and
the bluls in the books. made me completely
ashamed of myself and could, at that moment
have burned the book in the FIRE. The worse.
however, thought Of myselfihe better though,
Of my backward scholars; ! was cured of my
unreasonable expectations, and became in future
doubly patient and forbeariug Ia teaching
youth, remember that yeu once were young, and
in reProving their youthful errors, endeavor to
call TO mind your own.
That is gardeu paragraph. Preserve it,
Think upon it.
The editor of the Michigan Journal Of Edu-
cation thinks highly Of gymnastic exercise for
boys. lie says:
A well-furnished gymnasium should be con-
necied with, at least, every union school, That
school district should be presented by the grand
jury, which collects together from 300 to 500
children in the same building and subjects them
to six hours daily confinement at study with
out any provisions for the heallhful exercise Of
the physical powers. Such number ofchild-
ren can not get sufficient exercise in the time
usually devoted 10 that purpose, in the ordinary
playground Twelve or twenty boys would
complete game before this large number had
begun to play besides, the more active play
ers will monopolze the games in large school
and the vast majority will sluggishly look on
I'LL the bell recalls them, all unrefreshed, to
study. Could one of the six hours of school
time be spent in gymnastic exercise under a
cnmnetent instrnctnr in nh hvsical aduoat;nn ,rhc