The Donaldsonville chief., 1877-12-22
Written for the CHIEF.
Education.
A Guide for Parents and Teachers
BY REV. DIR. soPHAR.


taught BY wrong treatment? For my
part, | am sure of it. Suppose you
punish every looseness, every rash
ness, every mistake of your pupil most
severely, what do you teach him p
Falsehood. 1t is necessary to his
youthful nature to be sometimes u
little petulant, to act a little thought
lessly, to commit frequent errors !.
now, if he knows that you resent all
of this with bitterness, what will he
doY He will try to conceal his blum
ders, he will deny every thing; he
will become deceitful. If you abuse
the confidence your pupil placed in
you; if you tell his confessions he
made to you as to his friend; if you
publicly leproach him with them and
you make him ashamed, what do YOU
teach him ?-Reserve. Can you really
expect the young man to trust you
with his secrets if you do not know
how to keep them? Or that he should
show confident candor if you should
charge it to him as u crime? Only
slmpleton will do it. A boy who feels
himself and who can judge the irregu-
larlty of your conduct, will withdraw
from you his confidence and give it to
persons with whom his secrets are
better preserved.
1t you do not try to ratify the pu-
pills impulses of activity if yon do
not give him anything else but books
and pens to occupy him, what do you
teach him IA great number of faults
and bad habits, a detailed list of
which | do not feel inclined to give.
This impulse of activity exists and is
a benevolent gift of wise Creator.
1t is the patent steel-spring he placed
in the young machine.
Books and pens are insufficient to
satisfy 1t, because to make use of these
implements, one must reflect. Refec-
ton belongs to the cork O treason. ,Chich
is still i~ the state Of Development IN a
boys And though books may be
used with reflection, still the constant
use of them is too monotonous for
boys that love change. Consequently
boys that are constantly fettered to
their books and desks, find the time
hang heavy.
Should We succeed in causing some
)f them to become accustomed to this
cage life, their impulse of activity is
,lloked and they become lazy and idle.
+ we do not prosper, as it happens in
most cases, the hemmed impulse
Freaks the arbitrary chains and is
apsed into digressions, of which gem
rally the secret sins seem to be the
irst. Who taught these faults Y-The
utor, wise ard infallible in his eyes.
numerous are the ways aud means
Dy which IL would-be teacher NAV
each faults to the precious treasure {
which as,been committed to his es-
'eclal cale--to our rising generation.
Finally, the teacher becomes guilty
f the faults of his pupils by imputing
'ad habits where they do not really
xist. If one listens to the descrip-
ions which many tutor makes
+ his boys, one may be Mortified at it
nd lose all pleasure in dedicating i,
ime anu pains to the beneficent oc- ,
upation of educating youth. "There
J not the least impulse to do any l
hing useful. There is disgusting idle Z
ess, thonghtlessness. incompatibility,
ricks, malice. 1t is Il mere band of /
nde, uncouth boys, of whom you can t
lake nothing" A well informed
edagonge laughs at these complaints, |
)r he perceives that most of the men T
oned faults only exist in the brain
the ,Cise tutor, who calls effects of
Onthful nature faults of youth. '
What would you think of "a father
ho scolds his baby because it can
OF take care of itself; or of gardi- K
er who complains in spring of find. |
Ig on his trees not IL single fruit, but
My blossoms Would we not most
laugh at these oddi :.
esY Still. many II teacher does not !,
It more wisely. He charges it to the
Dy as crime, if the boy acts as nature
ictdtes boys to acti he desires from o
i'm conduct which is II product of II
ell developed reason only. But the
ower Of reflection is still aceak IN youtt.
ear professor, you look for frults in $
le time of spring; but by suffering il
om this mistake you forfeit your o
aim to belong to the Young men
I, |