Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-11-20
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ny rHKopoEEs. FAY.
Reformation is the order oil the dav ::
and among the manifold modern inn
provcmcnts, Mr.. Strap, the school
master has his.
~ instruct" said Mr.. Strap, son an
entirely new system"
"You do ?" said old Mrs. Gosling.
II do" said Mr.. Strap, oracularly.
"Now do TELL" said Mrs. Gosling.
"Madam,r said Mr.. Strap, !" the
world Is six thousand years old"
claw y said Mrs. Gosling. admir-
"And IL has been all that time
wrong on the subject Of education of
youth"
Mrs. Gosling opened her eyes and
cars. She knew Mr.. Strap was one
of the wisest of men. lie saw she
liked to hear him talk, and went on.
"Madam, children should never be
whipped"
"No?" said Mrs. Gosling, interoga-
lively, and with a guilty look. She
had flaggellated her little sou, Jim,
every day OF his life, once, at least
on an average. II she had omitted
one day, from absence, illness, or any
other accident, she made up the de-
ficiency by flogging him twice the day
after. Jim was ten years old. Ten
times three hundred and sixty-fiye
make three thousand six hundred and
fifty. This seems pretty hard; but l
solemnly believe that James Gosling
had received the rod at least that num-
ber of times Mrs. Gosling generally
made these inflictions with her own
hand she looked, therefore, rather
c0nfounded at this opinion of Mr..
Strap, who was her oracle, and, who,
somehow or other, she had imagined,
by his name, lad her view Of the SUBJ
ject.
"Children," said Mr.. Strap. "should
never be whipped"
ssNevcr? ?" said Mrs. Gosling.
"Neyer," said Mr.. Strap.
Elbow would you govern them,
then p asked Mrs. G., with simplici-
ty.
"Kindness, madam, said Mr.. Strap.
"But when kindness will not an
swer2s
"Reason! madam" rejoined Mr..
Strap, with magisterial wave Of the
hand.
"Reason may do well enough for
some" said Mrs. Gosling, shaking her
head donbtfally.
"It will do for all, madam, if prop
erly applied. We are all created with
reason. We are not brutcs. We are
we are that is"
Certainly said Mrs. Gosling.
II shall hereafter conduct my school
on an entirely new SYSTEM said Mr..
Strap. at shant have a rod in it.
I shall make my boys love mere
spect my kind intentions-bow to
reason, and obey me for their own
good"
"What do you charge year?" ask.
ed Mrs. Gosling.
1.-TWO hundred dollars: and each
boy to bring silver spoon, two suits
of clothes, and two pairs OF Shirts"
said Mr.. Strap.
sI'ye been thinking" said Mrs.
Gosline, "whether my son Jim is
not old enough to hcpni under your
care."
"What is his age? r" asked Mr.. Strap.
"Ten, last June"
aCertainly," said Mr.. Strap; "Ill
take him with pleasure"
IL -aaasL tall l--S.a>a.---fsankly. said
Mrs. G., "tkat have had trouble with
him."
"I'll take him, madam" said Mr..
/ strap.
"He's very Wild" said Mrs. G..
"No matter, madam" reiterated Mr..
Strap, with smile Of seif-confldence.
"Ill take him."
"He's a boy Of good parts,' said
Mrs. g.; but he's beyocd my manage
ment."
"I think I understand his case.
madam said Mr.. Strap. smiling
again.
s1And you never hogl"
"Never, madam. When shall he
come? ?"
"When you please"
'Send him tomorrow.
"I will,' said Mrs. G.
"And come you aud see him this
day four weeks"
The next day Master James Cos
ling, with two suits Of clothes. a silver
spoon, and two pairs of shirts, ar
rived at Mr.. Straps boarding school
| In the country, not far from the town
where he had hitherto resided. lie
was q little, red.headed boy, with
short, sandy hair, standing straight
ont like shoe-brush-a forehead half
an inch high-a little pug nosc-an
enormous mouth--no eyebrows and a
pair of small'cyes, which looked green
in the morning and red at night. Four
of his front teeth had been knocked
out by fighting. lie bit his nails half
way down. 40 that you could not look
at them without setting your teeth on
edge. His hands were covered with
warts, and he had q shrill, cracked
voice. Jim was a sad fellow; and,
one would think, from the number OF
whippings he had received, must have
led but q sad life Of it. 1t appeared,
however, that he had accommodated
himself to his situation, and that he
lived amid his multfarious faggella-
tions almost unhurt, like salamander
In the fire. He had been literally
whipped through lite, and had become
hardened to it, soul and body, as q
camel's knees are to the sand and,
though he screamed and kicked from
mere habit, you might see him two
minutes after one Of these skin -flayinR
Operations, with smile Of unclouded
comfort on his face, or careless mirth,
eating q piece of bread and butter, OF
lplaying marbles, or mumble-th peg,
with the first scaramonch he met. He