The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1866-12-11
.sWhatever is is Right .

OF Inspector OF Common Schools in q
town not thousand miles from the head
of Cayuga Lake. In the discharge Of
my official duties I was once visiting a
school in the center of the town, said to
be superior to all others in my jurisdic-
tion, when, bestowing my attention upon
the specimens of penmanship submitted
to me, saw one the copy ofwhich was
this: faus 1900 I.
"Whatever is is right. says the Pope"
Writing was taught in those days by
the teacher writing in fair hand and
with his best grace some short sentence
like the above, excepting the last three
words. This short sentence was called
the copy, and this the pupil was to imi-
tate or write after, to the best of his
ability How often has my writing book
had "Many men of many minds or
l"Command you may your mind from
play" or some other profound PROPOSE
tion, with each werd arrayed upon page
in martial order, and in exact rank and
file arrangement, as copies!
Well, in this instance, anxious to do
my duty, I whispered to the man with the
birch and ferule my profound conviction
that the copy was calculated to implant
in the mind of the hopeful young scholar
an untruth not warranted in history, and
the idea thence shooting forth would be
erroneous, and perhaps an exposition of
Ignorance damaging both him and his
teacher, for, whatever might be the;opin-
ion OF the world in regard to the ethics
of the question, I doubted that the Pope
had ever said anything of the kind.
"What, Mr.. Inspector, ,du you go for tu
say the Pope-him as burnt John Rogers
at the stake-didE' say thatiarel"
eyes, say it"
"Wa'al, now, I can prove tito your
eyes,
"Do So"
I saw victory and triumph in every fea-
ture.
aNow, Mr., Inspector, you jest be gene
erous and just. You wouldn't give me
certifkit to teach this ere school last
fall cause | miss'd a single question; now
if I am right in this ere, and can prove
it in book, will you give me one?"
II will, indeed .3
"Honor bright?"
"Honor bright"
"Malvina Ann Terry, GENE right here
tu onst and bring yer English Reader
with ye. | s'pose the English Reader is
good enough, aip't it?'
s.Any book will do.' : = So.
Malvina Ann Terry was duly informed
of the dispute,and hidden to open it at an
extract from Popes Essay on Man, and
there 1 read: .
ain spite of pride. in erring reasons spite
One truth is clear, whatever is is right"
PopE.
"Will ye give it up now-will ye give
it up now, Mr.. Inspector? Hal hal hal
Oh, I was sartin I had We. You college
larnt folks don't know everything yet
I'll jest drop in to-night.and you be sure
to have my certi6kit ready; and jest look
here, l say; don't you tel! l couldn't git
C0IIiuhit VI y0,duu WOu tclA SluSlc
word nor nothin' else about your mistake
here to-day. Nor Malvina Ann won't tell
neither, cause she's little sweet on me,
and I'm little mite sweet on her. You
are rising young doctor, and I'm ris
ing young schoolmaster, and SO, you see,
we can be friends"
What could I do but say nothing2
Nine-tenths of that. community would
have believed me vanquished BY the
schoolmaster. By-the-by, / found before
a day had passed that Malvina Ann Terry
was ve,y "sweet" on the schoolmaster, for
I heard her telling~her mother q had a
room at her father's) that the schoolmas-
ter had proved to her entire satisfaction,
out of her English Reader, that the Doc
tor was very ignorant, pretentious per-
son-in fact, no better than he should
be,