The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-10-14
School Government.

All that we can write or say upon this
subject has been written and said thou
sand times before. But, as young and in.
experienced teachers are constantly COM
ing into the field, and as the governing OF
school is not only the first, but the great
est and most difficult problem they have
to meet,-we deem it highly proper to
refer to this matter again. +.
The first point we wish to make is this:
the teacher must govern himself. If he
possess a weak, vacillating, fretful or un-
controllably passionate disposition, he
may possibly meet with moderate success
ae farmer or tradesman, but he has no
business in the school room, other than
that of visitor. AS teacher, he must
and 1iU fail. The moral support of
parents, school-board and superintendent
combined, can avail him nothing. A fail
ure is inevitable.
To succeed, the teacher must be careful,
thoughtful, considerable, unimpassioned
and just. His word must be law, and the
law must be enforced. But in saying this
we are far from claiming that he must be
severe. Severity is ordinarily as much
out of place in the school-room as is pas
sion. As general rule, exhibitions or
kindness and affection tempered with
gentle but infexible frmness, are the best
means of keeping children in the paths
of obedience Harshness, unkindness
and violence excite like emotions and ac.
tlons in retnrn, and lay no foundation for
that moral and spiritual training, and
those habits of self government on the part
of the child, which, after all, are the only
things that can be relied upon to work
any permanent good to children in this
regard Where a child is governed BY
mere impression, either by begging or the
fear of chastisement, the moment the re-
pressing influence is removed, the child
is freed from all restraint and left without
any compass or chart of selfgovernment
by which to steer, and hence is at the
mercy of any storm of passion that may
assail him." The main thing therefore is
to build up a principle or system of self
government, founded upon love of right
and justice, and hatred of wrong and OPP
preston, -.aa .s.s 5a5 /.
But it must be remembered that boys
and girls are not men and women. Moth
ing but years can make them SO, unless it
be sorrow and disease, Too much must
not be expected of them. Too much must
not be asked. .ru 8aea# 4lf -
Let them be taught to lope order, prompt
ness and precision, and they will take.
pride in an orderly prompt and precise
school. Thus they may be able to triumph
over all the temptations that assail them
and the solution of the problem of school
government, if not wholly accomplished,
is at least robbed of its greatest difficulty.
s' 1t is not improbable that the reader,
judging from the tenor ofthis article, will
ask the question: care you opposed to
corporeal punishment? We reply--in
general, yes. but we can conceive of in
stances in which it Is unavoidable. We
repeat, the teachers word must be law,
and the law @aust be enforced But public
opinion sets strongly against corporal
punishment; and due regard for public
opinion is a matter of necessity with the
successful teacher. Nor is this all. We
have observed that in our most orderly
and best disciplined schools, government,
or at least punishment, is almost un-
known, From these premises, let us draw
cur own conclusions, and proceed in ac-
cordance Herewith p. B, p.
The State Superintendent has appoint
cd J. FL. Colt, of Wilmot, County Supera
intendent, to fill the vacancy, caused by