Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-12-26
VERMONT EDUCATION.

School GGvERvMENr.--I!.

la my communication Of the 81 ST OF October,
instituted comparison between the efficacy
of force, and moral influence in school govern
ment. Among the moral influences specified
lore aud conGdeHce-of which have now some
thing 10 say more specifically.
Ey love, | mean the love of benevoence--
good wll,-expressed in act, by doing good, and
in manner, by kindness. 1t delights IL the hap
pluess Of its object, and manifests sOlictude to
promote it. To become efectual in school gov
ernment, h should enter into all the intercourse
between teach r and pupil both in and out Of
the school room. Its truest and most effectual
expression is in little ihings-a the thousand
nameess ways in which loving spirit may be
exhibited. Very signal and snowy demonslra-
tons of it arc apt TO excite suspicion that an eff
fort is made for effect, that does not spring spon
taneously from the heart anu when this Is mani
fest distru.t and contempt will be excited.
Spontaneous, disinterested, heartfelt love -
Who sufficiently considers and appreciates its
power? How strongly it appeals to the sensi-
bllitles. How it bsnishes Jealousy, subdues hos
tllity, disarms oppstion, enkindles affection, in-
spires confidence. A kind look, gentle word,
an unmistakabie sympathy in another's cares,
joys, sorrows, perplexities,-how they win tho
heart.
am reminded in this connection, Of an H.
lustration OF the power of love, brought out by
hlFS SIOWe III OuCle Sduli'
lopsy, an ignorant, abused, hardened negro
girl, had been purch Ased by St. Clar from some
one who sold her bee the lash had proved
Intellectual for anything but to make her worse.
She was put by her new master into the care,
aud under the special training, OF Miss Ophelia,
his cousin fIomaNew England, fair represen-
tative of the old race OF school mlstresses who,
in my boyhood, used to govern by rod and ferue
Miss o. was, soon, very much shocked with Top
sey'S wickedness and incorrigibleness, and after
considerable trial with her troublesome charge,
says, in an interview with ST. Clair,-
II don't know what to do. I've taught and
taught. I've talked till l am tired. I've whip
ped her. I've punished her in every way can
think of, and, still, she is just what she was at
the first"
Come here, Topsey, you monkey" said ST.
Clair, calling the child 10 him, "whai makes you
behave 50 Don't you see how much Miss
Opheia has done for you She says she has
done every thing she can think Of
"Lor yes, massa old missus used to say SO
too She whipped me heap harder, and used
to pull my hair, and knock my head against the
door but II didn't do no good. spects ifthey's
TO pull every har out O my head it would Mt do
no good neither-Ts so wicked.
"Well, shall have to give her up, said Miss
Ophelia | cant have that trouble any longer
Eva, the little daughter OF ST. Clair, after
standing silent spectator of this scene, conrlv-
ed to get Topsy into little glass room at the
corner of the veranda, when, soon afler the draw
ing of curtain by ST. Clair, disclosed the two
sitting on the floor and Eva-hcr eyes suiiused
with lears-thus addressing the abused, torsaken
one
What does make you so bad, Topsey? Why
won't you try to be good? Don't you love any
body, Topsey 7"
"Donno no'hng bout love. l loves candy,
and sich,-thats ALL
"Bu, Topsey, if you would only Try to be
good, you might"
Couldn't never be nothing but nigger if l
was ever so good"
"But people can love you, if you are black,
Topscy. bliss Ophea would love you, il you
were good. Don't you think so I"
mo, she can't bare me, cause I'm a niger.
There don't anybody love niggers."
40, TOpsey, poor child, love you" said Eva,
with sudden burst of feeling "and,P laying
her little thin white hand on Topsey's shoulder
II love you because you haven't had any faith
er or mother, or friends because you've been
a poor abused child. l love you, and | want
YOU 10 be good. 1t really grieves me to have
you so naughty. wish you would try TO be
good 70, my sake
The round keen eyes Of the black child were
overcast with tears; large drops rolled heavily
down, one by one, and fell on the little white
hand. Yes in that moment, ray of heavenly
love had penetrated her heather soul. She
laid her head down between her knees, and wept
and sobbed while the beautiful child bending
over her. looked like the picture Of some bright
angel STOPPING to reclaim sinner"
Poor Topsey," said Eva, don't you know that
Jesus loves all alikc9 He will help you to be
good
80 dear, Miss Eva" said the child, IL will try.
/ will try | never did care nothin' about it be-
FORE"
In subsequent scene between Miss Oph' LA
and Topsey, after the death of Eva, there most
touching description OF the grief Of the poor out
cast, upon the loss OF her friend III which upon
her saying, There is nobody left to love me-
Miss o. replied, "Topsey, you poor child. don't
give up. can love you. do; and I'll try to
help you grow up good christian girl"
Ii is added, ''Miss Ophelia's poice was more
than her words and more than that were the
honest tears that fell down her face. From that
hour she acquired an influence oper The mind Of
the destitute child, that she neUer lost.
No reader trust, will have been impatient
al the length Of these extracts, so truly and
touchingly do they illustrate the sofenng, win
ming, subdung power of love and kindness
Eva's kind words-the first that had probably
ever fallen ON the ears of poor Fopsey- touched
a chord that vibrated to the depths of her SOUL
and produced an instantaneous response of con-
fidence, hope and love.
And then, the "infuence she nerer lost" that
Miss Ophelia acquired over the child, when,
moved by the example of the kind hearted Eva,
she said, for the first time, ~ can love you-I
do" And we can easily conceive how her man
mel of saying this twas more than her words."-
Words are often a counterfeit expression, man
ner can seldom, il ever, deceive.
Let me pass from this fiction, so truthful to
nature, to great and sublime reality. The
power flove as exhibited in the person Of Christ.
The Gospel OF Christ is said to be "the p0rer
of God unio salvation" Now the power of the
Gospel is love- "God so loved the world
"Chrst, also, hath loved us and given himself
for u.s." Threatened evil indeed, has place
in the scheme of Divine mercy; and so it has.
as shall hereafter show, in every palernal gov
ernment; but without love, il can produce moth
ing but despair. No heather mind has ever been
moyed-no matter what tcrrors have alarmed it
until love has done its work. Never until
then, rs the heart melted and subdued. shall
have more 10 say on this and other topics before