The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-01-12

: n lad he came home one day from school
D with lfs books, at an hour earlier tha,
, usual asked him the reason. He sal,
that he had had a difficulty with the teach
er, and was not going TO school to hin
J any more.
: 'ihat was many years ago, and m,
IDEAS OF duty and obedience ON the par
ol my children were very strict and
stern in those days. at once told my
: son that he dad done wrong, and that he
must 30 back ami apologize to the teach
er. But father, said he, Ict me tell
you how Ii was, and you will see that |
have done nothing wrong, | let him
ten his story, which was substantially
this:
The teacher had accused him of viola.
ting a rule Of the school and called him
up for punishment. My son denied
having done the thing of which he was
accused, and protested against being pun
Ished. But the teacher insisted that he
was right, and told my son to hold out
ms hand, which he refused to do. The
teacher then attempted to punisn Lin
my son, though but a child, resisted. and
Il conflict cnsucd; my sons hand was
badly bruised, and 50 were his head and
shoulders. bu. he succeeded at last in
Wrcnching the ruler from the teacher,
and had then taken his books and come
home.
Il was shocked that a son Of mine
should have been guilty of what seemed
10 me an act Of gross disobedicncc, and
chid2d him severely for it. He pleaded
ea;ncstly and pathcticaly that he was
right in what he had donc. / turned a
deaf ear to his remonstrancos, and pcrcmp,
torily insisted that he, should 90 back to
school and make an apology to the teach,
or, Accordingly, the next morning
compelled him to take his books and 90
to the scoho-housc, he all tn, way rcmoa.
stratmg against The course which forced
him to adopt. Ga entering the vestibulc
OF ihe s'hool.hausc he Stopped Short and
said;
Feather, 1 cannot enter that school
room, ,roqd die inst
i turned and looked al him. and see.
in. something in his face which warned
m That / must not crowd him tol far.
paused to think. This gave my son an
opportunity to say that there were several
boys in The -chool Ginning thcm) who
sax the whoi' mllter from b,ainnns to
cnl, ant that ii would 20 in and tell
teacher to ask those hoyi to tell me about
It could learn the exact truth.
i acted upon this suggestion, and went
in and spoke 10 the teacher about it. He
called up the boys named, and questioned
them in my presence, Their testimony
satisfied me, and The teacher also. tliat he
had been wholly in the wrong, and that
ny son was in the right, The teacher
at once went ont to my son, brought him
IN, anl in n frauk AMI manly way set
him AMI the whole matter right before
the school lie dill it 50 hanlsomly that
my son never afterwards felt any bitter,
ness towards him, bat have been con.
sciou' that from that day 10 the present
hour, my SON has never felt towards me
rs he had felt before 80 cruolly faile(
him
4 have never had it in my heart tl
; blame my son for the result in hi. owf
breast II, when he came hom, 50 sore
hearted, | had only all TO him, in kind
fathcrly tones,
My son | will see about this; hop
there is now mistake on your part a
any rate, wall not lllow you to b.
$ wroaeidlly treated, bat viii have justice
lone, he would have been satisfied an,
n the soreness would have been taken gu
II OF his heart. Bat | made mistake
II which has been a source Of unhappincs
eyer since.
We afterwards spoke to the son. VIII
i is now one Of our most cherished friends
on the subject, and he said hi, father wa
right.
$ 4 of course feel no i'll will towards m
= father, he said, but in that bitter hon
> something went of my heart which
J. have never been able to get back, thougl
IS | have sought it with prayers AMI wit
G tears.
y Oar doctrine on this point requires nci
IT thcr proof nor illustration, except what
C furnished by ones own experience. Their
II is not human being on earth, with
l. nature superior to that of an oyster, bu
what knows it to be true-although lher
d may be some woll~meanng persons VIII
G will feel bound to deny it in uttcranc
even while admitting it in thought.
u Very good people, who try to win an
C keep the confidence of their children, ofte
Is fail TO do so from ignorance of human m
n turc, lack of judgment, lack of forbcaI
= ance, lack Of patience, and an excess c
7 b;goiry,intolenanccanI and tyranny, We hay
9 case that came within our cxpcricnc
u which is directly in point.
" A friend of ours. learned, but piou.
y and man Of varied experience, hayiu
y a son sixteen years old, who gave hin
~ much anxiety onaccount Of a growing di;
, position to set the religion cf his fa,hc
- at naught, asked us what he houll Il
= = with the boy We gave him our opinio
y on the subject. 1t struck him so lavora
= ! bly, that he resolved to begin to put it int
= practice at once, and invited rs home {
tea with him, that we might be present 9
= the initial effort. After tea, the faihC