Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-11-30
NUMBER AZ
g written for Moors's Rural New-Yorke-.II J
PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT.


| written for Moors's Rural New-yorkss.l
PHYSICAL PUNISHMENT.
Eds. Rural Ner- IIov1er: Your "Out
West " correspondent gives one "sug-
gestiom to yoa,ng teachers" " which, it
seems to me, needs examination. He
says, "1 never use it (the rod,) unless
in extreme cases. 1t is an old and
common idea among professional teach
ers, that extreme cases require violent
remedies. Even Mr.. Page, in his
Theory and practice, " remarks, after
admitting that ''kindness is the best
general means to maintain order; vet
in extreme cases, the rod must be used -
But, if extreme cases need the Lcs'
means, and if those are love and kind
ness, how can the rod, and implied in
ferior means, ever be a better ?-and if
the rod is the best in extreme, why not
in all cases? But if gentle frmness,
that never yields-if " kindness, :" that
never fails to inspire respect-and if pa
tisnce, that never flags, are essential
qualities of teacher, then, extreme
cases grow out of ineficlency of teach
ears as often as out of fault in a scholars
for the cause is but demand exceeding
the supply stock of such essentials.
Another idea often suggested to
young teachers, to command and en-
force respect, belongs to that class of
errors chargeable to common custom,
but not to common sense Respect is
the natural offspring of gentleness and
love, and fear is the offspring of violence,
and parent of hate; but it is the teacher,
not the pupil, who elects which shall
exist.
The inclination to force and violence
in rule, is purely animal, and proper
enough among brutes, where virtue is
not required--where merit lies in obe-
dience merely, and not in the motive
that prompts it. But man, with reason,
moral, mental, and intellectual qualities,
resembling Deity, given purposely for
dominion, bellies his superiority and
sinks to the brute level when he resorts
to brute force in order to prove his SUI
Ipremacy, even though it be not till pa
tience tires in waiting the natural results
of love and respect. Advocating the
rod, is admitting the supremacy of phys
ical over moral and mental foree-of
matter over mind--of the body over
the soul-of eril over eooa--as induce
ment to right, to order, and social har-
mony. l would ask, and let each one
answer for himself, every parent and
every teacher, if punishment with a rod
can possibly be inflicted without ex-
citing passion-to cause insanity, sufi-
cient, legally, to justify homicide, as
murder in self-defense-for who can
help resenting whatever brings them III
an i'll that comes purposely through
human agency A blow, purposely
given, is the greatest human outrage,
the most provoking insult in the knoHiisi
catalogue of human wrongs, melting
tired, and desires for revenge -
cause. not the effect, is justly accountas
BILE for the crime, or whatever else of !
evil might result.
Experience demons trates that govern
ment is the. most difficult part of educa-
tion, and the most onerous task in
school keeping. Why? Because the
science is not made branch of educa-
tion-because the law leaves the system
Of school government to old, time-hon-
ored custom, which is despotic, and be
cause an understanding Of the first prin-
ciples Of any specified system is not re-
quired as qualification of teacher
The character of a government by force
is arbitrary, that of coercion, granny
that of the rod, absolutism. Under
neither is it possible to develop virtue.
worth, and excellence But the divine
system of love and kindness, which re-
jeets transcendentalism and involves
equality is gospel liberty and christian
freedom, with which, it is possible for
humanity to demonstrate the Divine
Truth of the abstract, (and under all
other systems impractical, moral, social
teachings of Christ. That liberty is q.
prerequisite of virtue, which, also, is the
first essentials to the enjoyment Of free
don-libery to choose or refuse, for
themselves, good and evil, as therein
being responsible only to themselves
and accountable to God only, and free-
dom to work out their own destiny in
their way, and by their own light with
none to modest, make afraid, nor pur-
posely interfere, without their consent.
Eolly regards only present, superb.
eial appearances, while wisdom sees ef-
fects and results beyond and to the end
and because fear and the rod effect ap-.
parant submission, though all within il
rebellion, yet fully claims q victory.
which wisdom rejects as defeat, un-
less the aeiU assents God regards the
soul as the essential, and educates the
real person, which He only knows and
comprehends fully but man cares for
and cultiyates the ideal merely for ap--
pearances, which he understands but
partially. The Divine teachings of tho
apparant are true, because they always
accord with the real; but human teach
Ings based on the ideal only, may be
false, Outward appearances are reIix-
ole as true only when the ideal Is
founded en- the real within, and then ap-
oearance viii harmoniSe with Nature
md with Divine revelation of truth.
The teacher, faithful and true, that
lesires to deEelone the highest excel
ence of man, will seek to know the real
within himsclf-to learn the way to ap,
,roach the real within his pupils-or
Use his teachings can be but superficial,
ind for aPpearaEce oaiy.
& a. te S. GRAVES,
Woreetlns Falls, ~ y, 1860. H.,