Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1857-04-08

! from his notebook or from memory, with the
date of the offence, some of which the chill
| dren no doubt thought the teacher had no
knowledge of, and of others that he had for
! gotten. Appeal to the childrens own good
sense of what is right or wrong make no
promises of'punishment, but rather let them
know they are not to receive any at thrs time.
The sautary effects of this process have often
been realized. am fully aware that there are
vastly too many teachers in our country from
whose mouth an appeal to the children's good
sense of propriety, would be wholly in vain
| it would literally be like firing popgun a
| gainst the heights of Abraham. The man who
is accustomed to scold and storm. and use the
terms bl0ckhead, scoundrcl. Ounce, numskull,
or, il you do that again I'll knock your head
| off, without doing any such thing or ever in
tending to do it--with many other degrading
names and threats-and all this because chill
dren do not completely comprehend the thing
| that has never perhaps been clearly explained
to them, or who magnifies trivial faults into
great offences, and then Furnishes the offender
while under the influence of irritation or
ger. | say such teacher must not expect to
win over his pupils to have conf ence in him,
the contrary an appeal will not be lost when it
comes from a man whose daily and habitual
| practice is laudable and excellent and cores
ponds with his profession. Hence we may see
the indispensable necessity of employing teach
ers of pure morality and fervent piety, as the
| instructors of our children and youth.
Children ought to have plenty TO do in
school. To this end | would furnish ever
child, large and small, with slate and pencil,
or paper and crayon, that they might make
letters, write, draw, scribblc or do any thing
to which their inclination would lead them.
When the small children are through their
lessons, if in summer, LET them out into the
open air to amuse and exercise themselves as
they may sec proper, until the time arrives for
the next lesson. Here VIC may see the great
necessity of shade trees near school house.
The writer knows by considerable experience
the salutary effect this practice has upon small
children.
| Children should not DC permitted to whisper
and leave their seats during study hours; and
in order to alleviate the monotony of this
rule, permission might DC given at the end Of
every hour, to whisper, leave seats for special
period of three or four minutes; but nothing
should be done at this time to interrupt the
studies of those who do not wish to participate
in this privilege.
| There are teachers who seem to think before
they go into their schools what sort of living
things boys and giIs are, and any common
case of youthful misdecds docs not surprise
them-they look for such things and prepare
J themselves accordingly.
There is another class, and perhaps far the
most numerous, who seem to make it a
part Of their calculation that their pupils will
do wrong-forget that they themselves once
were young-and when any misconduct
ours, they become unsettled and irritated, and
look and act as if something terrible had bro
ken in upon ''the spirit of their dreams.''
Much has been said and written in latter
times on the subject of aboishng corporal
punishment in schools and there has been
within my recollection a very perceptible a.
batement, as far as my knowledge extends, of
that kind of punishment called flogging, put
ting split stick upon the nose and standing
the offender upon the stove Notwithstanding
on one foot'and holding up one end Of bench,
and all that sort of thing. When the writer
commenced going TO school, say about the be-
ginning of this, the 10Th century, the above
kinds of punishment, and many equally Curl
Gus could mention, seemed to be large part
of the discipline of our schools. The teach
ers were foreigners-but they could teach.
Had l and my contemporaries had the advanta-
ges in school books and other things in those
days that children have now, it is uncertain
where our learning would have found bounds
But to return-there are some children so per-
verse and ill-disposed that there seems TO be
no way 10 reach their moral perceptions or
nerves OF sensation, but through the pores of
the skin. If this is the fact, it does seem that
the 'sthrcshing machine" ought not to be to-
tally abolished at this time.
In order to avoid corporal punishment as
much as possible, in cases where otherwise it
would appear to be needfu, my advice is,
when children happen to be in a iretful hu-
NOR, any unpleasant command that is not in
dispensable ought TO be avoided. for it is best
to prevent collision at n time when children
seem disposed or determined to disobey.
Finally, never represent TO children any
thing that is not strictly in accordance with
truth-ncver make promise that is not in
: tended to be performed-never threaten pun
ishment that is not intended to be executed
uy-Tho man who knowingly circulates a
lie, may have to pay the truth for il, and be
punished besides.
UIngratitude is a homeless dor which
lives upon all and defends nons.