The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-04-09

a school, alt things must be framed
IN such way as to work out the
object rprofessed with thorough
truth and any want of truth, any,
thing that is false, will inevitably
find its way into the life OF the boys
and faint it. And no wonder: moth
! ing is detected so soon as inconsis.
tencys snd eyes looking upward see
sharply. Those who stand low ON
the ladder, observe the dirt on the
boots of those above them, and are
apt 10 care little for preachments
dropped down from aloft, telling them
TO keep clean and be good. Those
who look up ought to see no dirt
Truth is required to produce truth,
and when the machinery is right, and
all things are working truly, truth
may be fairly expected in return, and
boys may be trusted, and can be
trusted safely.
There is no more tendency in boys.
TO betray their friends than there is
IN men; nay, far less tendency. But
shen who are their friends ? The
WHOLE plan and practice of a school
imust convince the boys that they and
their governors truly form one body,
and that the government is their
friend. The boy-idea, too commonly,
has been that there are two rival
powers side by side, masters and
boys, with divided interests and
school-life therefore has resolved
itself into q match between the two
bodies, in sort of Spartan fashi n
power on the one side, endurance
and cunning on the other So the
fox has never left off preying on their
vitals as they stand with false ap
pearance of innocence before their
masters. And there is sham no
bility in this; if the masters are in
deed their enemies, in an enemy's
country all things are fair, and war
knows no nice distinctions. Suppos-
ing, however, that parents love their
children and send them to school
because rhey love them, and school
is therefore for time better place
than home, and masters are men who
do parents work better than they
can do it themselves, how absurd,
how pitifnl, this state of warfare is
this antagonism of the boys 10 those
whom their parents trust; an antae-
onism not OF personal dislike merely
(very often quite the contrary. but
of intention, systematic and overrul-
ing feeling: principle Of opposition.
he marvel is how this can be con-
sidered a training for true life when
honor comes to mean liberty to de
ceive any master, provided the Sc
cret society bond is held fast. The
oretically, the masters are training
boys to be true, whilst practically, to
be false to the tainters of truth be-
comes the recognized code of honor
among the boys who are to be train
ed /; and must do so, as long as there
are divided interests. Now there is
much excuse for this falsehood.-
Wherever teaching has got to mean
bringing forward the clever, and
training enforced obedience to some
rigid general laws that fall on all
alike, giving, as all general laws do,
great opportunity of license to the
bad who evade them, combined with
great hardship to the good who keep
mob-law of this kind is
raining, and pouring knowledge into
roughs is teaching, and other double
purposes exist, it seems right for a
10Y to stick to his flag. It is the
east of two evils for him to be true
o his companions at the expense, if
iced be, of the powers that deal 80
strangely with them. 4.
Nothing but truth in the main plan,
md thorough completeness in the
chool machinery, both in doors and
'ut, can. make boys feel that the
chool is "i.h body, one army; that
masters amt boys are united in one
lie, with ore standard round which
hey rally, one battle-cry-truth and
lonor for all one object-true prog
ess and true power. But let this
e the case, and then the boy-alle-
lance becomes due to the common
not to the traitor who be-
rays it: TO the good cause, not to
be mean coward who deserts it: to
be true friends and true men who
Tork with him, not to the tap-roum :
eroes whose ideal is tapster
hen tie boys will uphold amongst
themselves their laws, just as men
phold theirs, and think it no shame
o make thieves and traitors know
heir place. - ,
If there Is opposition between the
oys and their teachers, there will be
imilar opposition between work and
lay, though the two are equally
arts of education. No great pro
ress can be made until the convic-
on of oneness is stamped on the
chool heart and becomes its creed.
hen the antagonism between In
chool and out-of-school. between {
'ork and play, between body, intel
'ct, and heart, disappears, and all is
i harmony. For the young, learn
g to have faith in the old, believe
ith them that life is one piece, and G.
ach good helps every other good:
salth of body, health of intellect,
salth of heart, all uniting to form
e true man, and being the common
.ject OF teachers and taught.