Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-05-20
familp Gmtle,
The Old schoolmaster s Story.


Rhode Island Schoolmaster
When | taught a district school, said
he, | adopted it as a principle to give as
few rules to my scholars as possible. |
had, however, one standing rule, which
was, Strive under all circumstance to do
right and the text of right under all cir.
cumstances, was the Golden Rule. All
things whatsoever ye would that men
should do into you, do ye even so unto
them
If an offence was committed, it was an
invariable practice to ask, Was it right
Was it as you would be done BY 2"
All my experience and observation
have convinced me that no act Of a pupil
ought to be regarded as an offence, unless
it be + easured by the standard OF the
Golden Rule. During the last year OF
my teaching, the only test l ever applied
to an act ef which it was necessary to
Judge, were those Of the above questions.
By this course | gained many important
advantages.
In th@frst place the plea, " You have
not made any rule against it." which
for a long time was a terrible burden to
me. lost all its power.
In the second place, by keeping con-
%stantly before the scholars, as q standard
Of action, the single text of right and
wrong, as one which they were to apply
for themselves, ] was enabled to cult
vate in them a deep feeling of personal
responsibility.
In the third place, I got a stronger
hold on their feelings, and acquired a new
power of cultivatiug and directing them.
In the fourth place, l had the s~atisfac-
ton of seeing them becomeImore truth
full, honest, trustworthy and manly in
their intercourse with me, with their
friends and with each other.
Once, however, | was SADLY puzzled
in the application of the principle by one
of my scholars, George Jones. a large
boy, who partly through a feeling of stub,
borness, refused to give me some informa-
ton. The circumstances were these.
A scholar had played some trick which
interrupted the exercise. AS was my
custom l called Oh the one who had done
the mischief, to come forward. AS no
one started, | repeated the request but
with no success. Finding that the cul-
prit would not confess his guilt, | asked
George if he knew who had committed
the offence.
did not do it." was the reply.
"But do you know who did ?"
"Yes, sir"
Who was it ?"
At do not wish to tell"
But you must tell ; it is my duty to
ask, and yours to answer me-"
Il cannot do it." said George firmly.
"Then you must stop with me after
school"
He stepped as requested, but nothing
which | could argue would induce him to
reveal anything. At last, out of patience
with what l believed to be the obstinacy
of the boy, I said
"Well, George, | have born with you
as long as | can, and you must either tell
me or be punished"
With triumphant leok as though CON-
scious that he had cornered me by an APP
plication of my f%avorite rule, he replied /:
I can't tell you, because it would not
be right the boy would not like to have
me tell Of him and I'll do as I'd be done
by"
After a little pause, | said "Well
George | do no wish you to do anything
which is wrong, Or which conflicts with
your Golden Rule. We will leave this
this for to night, and perhaps you will
alter your mind before tomorrow.
| saw him privately before school, and
found him more firm in his refusal than
ever. After the devotional exercises of
the morning, l began to question the
scholars (as was my WON'T Of various
points of duty and gradually led the con-
versation to the Golden Rule.
A few years earlier, | should have
deemed a reply thus given an insult and
should have resented it accordingly but
experience and reflection had taught me
the folly Of this, and that one of the most
important applications of my oft quoted
rule was, to judge of the nature Of others
as | would wish to have them Judge of
mine. Yet for the moment, | was stag
gered. His plea was plausible; he might
be honest in making it | did not see in
what respect it was fallacious. | felt
that 1t would not do to retreat from my
position and suffer the offender to escape,
and yet, that should do a great injus-
tice BY compelling a boy to do a thing if
he really believed it to be wrong.
Who'll asked, are the persons to
whom as members of this school, yoa
ought to do as you should be done by 2
Your parents who support and send you
here ? your school mates who are engag-
ed in the same work with themselves 2
the citizens Of the town, who, by taxing
themselves, raise money TO pay the expen-
ses of this school ? the school committee,
who takes so great an interest in your
welfare ? your teacher, or the scholar who
carelessly or willfully commits some of
fence against good order ?"
Then addressing George, | said :" Yes
terday | asked you who had committed a
certain offence? You refused to tell me
because you thought it would not be do
ing as would like to be done by. | wish
you to remember the subject. On one
side are your parents, your schoolmates,
the citizens Of the town, the school COM
mittee, and your teacher, all deeply in
terested in everything affecting the pros.
perity Of this school. On the other side is
the boy, who by this act, has shown him
self ready to injure all these. To which
party will you do as you should be done
by2
After a moments pause he said, " To
the first II was William Brown who did