Connecticut western news., 1872-07-05
BARRING OUT THE sCHooLMAsTER.

r My early life was made miserable by one Mulberry Bangs, gentleman of the old school, who devoted himself to read ing and writing, and arithmetic, and the general use of a stick. Upon my head and hands, and other parts of my person he imprinted himself so positively that can see him now plainly, as if we had part ed but yesterday. He was stout man, who made in his figure, when seen in a profle,a Hogarth's line of beauty, being round shouldered and crooked in his legs. He was Q blonde. The hair of his head had that sunny tinge so much admired to-day, and when rubbed down with tallow candle, as was his wont of dress, it was SO smooth and straight that the boys believed that flies slipped down upon it and broke their legs. His eyes were dark and fierce, and hid under the cavsrnous recesses made by his bushy red eyebrows, seemed to watch like evil spirits over his precious nose. The nose was ruby nose, bottle in shape, and when Bangs was angry, which appeared to be all the time, it glow ed like the head light of locomotive. His mouth was finished without lips, and resembled slit in piece of sole leather. | 7, My early experience gave me disaster for the whip in schools. But I am far from siding with the sentimentalists of the present day who advocate kindness and moral suasion. The earlier teachings, !, not the best, but, in fact, the only ones, are those of the rod that give us Q realiz. ing sense of pain to the body, and drill us into patience and self denial.
 Boys are of two sorts-good little boys, who die young, and bully boys who can not be killed.
 As the last fiamed only live to be men, instead of being translated into angels, ii is well to discipline them through the only process known to animals, and that is the discipline of fear. The old adags is not far wrong that said: "When you meer a'boy whale him-forif he has not beer in, mischief he is going in.''
 What may have been my feelings, wheI suffering under the stick of old Bangs, my objection to him now rests not so much on the use of that instrument as the beast ly appearance and character of the man Later in life, was the scholar of ma1 who was as severe with the rod, almost as Bangs; but to my dying hour shall remember him as one of the nobles Iof men and the truest friend ever on countered. Alexander Kinmont lived an, died in the obscurity of select school with the generous impulses and large 7 healthy brain that ought to have secure' him high position among the teacher and leaders of men. From that schoo came boys so disciplined to study and & filled with the love of learning, that they . in making their mark in the world, live e to illustrate the beauty of this system.
 r. I did not, however, sit down to writ 2 of this, but give in brief some of my earlie experiences. It was understood through out the country that the boys were just fable in barring out the master, and
 successful, were not only entitled to %. weeks recess, but admiration and prais , of thelr parents. Old Bangs was famou for his powers of resistance, and boaste that no school of his had ever succeede in conquring in such attempts. On tn occasion to which l refer we had two bi
 boys in school named Bill Henning, an
 Bob Strong. They were knotty headed
 broad shouldered and hard listed fellow
 who worked through the summer for mear to attend school during the winter. Eacl
 in turn, had been unfnercifully whippe by the master, and it was understoc
 throughout the school that in the barrin
 out Master Bangs was to be punished an
 old scores settled. .s l.-, a5 s.
 The evening before the general engag
 Went, Bill and Bob, our noble leader
 with few confederates stole back to u Eschoolhouse, armed with hickory pole
 Breaking open the door, they whittled ol
 end of these tough saplings to point, ar
 then hardened the points in the fire. Tn, |placing these in corner ready for us !. with stout cord, they gave orders to tl ~ boys ready to take part in the fight to a
 semble at the schoolhouse before daylig the next morning. - -.-
 in At the time indicted, nearly all the la N were in attendance. Some were pale al trembling, others were noisy and boastfl but I observed that the real leaders al re reliable soldiers were quiet-so quiet, i
 deed, that one might doubt them. "M
 are but children of larger growth" Sc Dryden, and that solemn pump of DO, . Wordsworth, assures us that " the chi
 is father to the man." In the animal p1
 pensities and tastes that survive our bo
 hood this is undoubtedly true, and ma
 and mary time since, in hours of pei
 have seen re.euacted the same exhibit