Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-01-29
Educational.
VERMONT EDUCATION.

Committed
SCHOOL GOVERNMENT, III.
In our last we spoke Of the power of love
in reaching and moving the heart-its ten
dency being to beget love, the main spring of
obedience.
There is a conception of love which makes
Il very inefficient and unreliable instrument
Of government. IL is regarded as a mere
weakness soft, sickly, sentimental, yield
ing, aimless compassion inscnsibe to the
claims Of justice, and overlooking the dis
tinction between right and wrong. Whether
this is entitled to the name Of love, or not. it
is not what we mean when we use the term.
As suggested in our last, we use it. in con-
nexion with the subject in hand, as synono-
nous with bonevolence-good will Now
real beneyolence or good will. seeks the good
Of its object. by appropriate means. If that
object be a child or pupil. his highest good
involves the necessity. in an extreme case, of
corporal punishment, then such punishment
becomes an exercise of boncvolence. OF
course an assurance or threatening that such
punishment must be inflicted, when all other
means Of securing obedience fail, is also be-
nevolent. 1t would be doing the child or
pupil great injustice to allow him to suppose
that he can escape such infection, if fragrant
dlsOhedlcnce is persisted IN.
Here the question arise--How shall the
threatening and the infection be made to have
the highest effect? ] answor--whcn they are
seen TO spring from genuine good will If
they are manifestly the result of anger or i'll
will they will be sure to beget anger and i'll
will in return, and thus increase the dsobe-
dience they aim to suppress And then,
threatened infection in such temper, appeals
,lv 70 oh 81, i
never will, secure tue obedience, though it
may have the effect of suppressing open re-
bellion. But it is the rebellion of the heart
that the wise teacher will aim to subdue
That may be increased by the very means
used to suppress its outbreokings-lik cap
ping the crates of volcano, leaving unex-
tinguished the fires within and not only UNI
extnguished, but intensified by the vain at
tempt to suppress them
There is, in some children, and indeed in
most children who seem to need a strong
government, pugnacious disposition. Such
children may stand up very bravely, under
severe threatenings and bodily infections, by
the mere force of maddened courage and
proud contempt of danger and pain. And
they will be pretty sure to do it, under the
threatenings and infections of an arbitrary,
angry, tyranical government. But let it be
Enthusiastically apparent that severity is dictat-
ed by love, and what new character it will
wear. Anger may be met with anger,-wrath
with wrath but love in the rod who can
meet it with wrath or anger or resentment. or
meditated revenge. What n peculiar pang is
it calculated to send to the heart of the pun
ished, to know that his punishment is dictated
by love 1t would be a positive relief to
know that he is hated by the punisher
The punished should be made to know and
feel that their punishment is not inflicted
willingly, but of necessity; and should be
made to understand the ground of that nc
cesslty. 1t is great deal easier to "lay on ="
the rod, than camly and affcctionatly to give
reason for it, in such way as to make an
appeal to the conscience of the offender; vet
such appeal must be made, or the great pur-
pose of Northumberland sell
dom If ever be accomplished, When the
conscience shall approve the infection, and
pronounce it right, then, and not till then,
will the work be done. How much will the
manifested love of the teacher, acting upon
the sensibility, aid appeals to conscience in
obtaining its decision of approval
There is another element nearly allied TO
love, which claims attention in considering
the subject of school government 1t is Con-
fidence,-confdenc of the teacher in his
pupils, that is, manifested reliance upon
supposed right dispositions in them-the
giving them to understand that it is taken for
granted they will act honorably and upright
ly. This confidence is opposed to mstrust
and jealousy, that look suspiciously at the
pupil, and seem to say--"You are a rogue.
and need sharp watching, and stiff rein
When this feeling, and corresponding man
ner become prominent and unmistakable how
naturally will they beget, or intensity, the
very disposition suspected in the pupil. And
If there are in him good impulses-and in
what pupil are there not somehow naturally
will this treatment have the effect of sup
pressing them. If he has bad dispositions
he may, by right treatment, be made sensible
of them while the opposite treatment will
have strong tendency to blind him TO their
existence. And. besides, there is danger that
he will think he is suspected of faults he
does not possess, and thus, goaded by sense
of supposed injustice, will be reused to re-
sentiment and i'll will.
Right here there may, in the very outset
spring up feeling of antagonism between
teacher and pupil, of most pernicious and
fatal tendency. Jealousy and captious.
ness on one side, aud dislike, and disobedi
ence on the other Thus there is, often, oper
anu perpetual hosNlity between a teacher ant
his school, when, if he would begin right
there might be mutual confidence, respect
kindness and good will.
We do not say that the Love and Conf
dence we commend will always secure Low,
and confidence in return; but we think sucl
will be the almost universal effect. There
may be exceptions; but they win general,
be those Of children who have been spoiled
by domestic pOyernmeut in which love and
confidence had no place. The result of /
trial may show that such pupils are unworth,
OF confidence, and cannot be affected by il
but it will be time to withhold il, when it i,
clearly proved that II is not due. As to love