Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-12-07

res OF davis truancy, while numbers la
nent in tears the loss Of attendance, even
Then caused by sickness and confidently
rrairt, and subject only to. the general re-
uirement neither by neglect of duty nor
al conduct to bring disgrace upon them
elves or discredit to their teacher.
Il is true that there are some who cannot
-et approach this standard, but they consti-
nte a gradually decreasing minority, and as
diminishes from year to year, the pressure
will become more and more intense, forcing
hem TO reform or to withdraw. Already
he punishable offenScS are confined to COM
,strsatively a very small number in each
chool, and are repeated by them again ana
gain, until, becoming hardened delih-
luents, they will finally either DRIFT out, or
1e excluded as incorrigible. Such result,
hougb inevitable, is greatly TO be regretted
md should be avoided by every means that
an be applied consistently with the Well
Parents, too, must bear their share in the /
Of their caFeless or refractory |
N mt by listening exclusively 10 their self |
partial statements visit the /
schools, acquaint themselves with the exact |
facts, and cooperate with the teachers in |
every right effort made TO correct their 1rreg- |
uIarities.
When, in defiance of both home and |
school influences, pupil becomes hope |
less Ounce, or a chronic law-breaker, II not
withdrawn upon notice given, he should be
excluded by the Board.
1t is a suicidal policy TO temporize with
such cases. Transferring them from one
school to another only gives them enlarged
for demoralizing and corrupting
others, and they are themselves seldom, If
ever, even temporarily made better. II is an
old dodge with them and their parents 10
make personal issue with the teacher, and
charge 10 his assumed prejudice and inJuS-
tice all of their troubles, excusing their idle
and covert disorderly con-
duct, and open defiance OF law under the
thin special plea that they "dont ike the
teacher" This, though no palliation for
their offenses, is invariably true; they never
Ike them, but go On hating one after an
dawns upon the minds of their parents that
possibly the fault lies at their own doors.
They don't love anybody who tries to teach
speet for authority; hence, IT is not remark
able that, c0nrerSo, they very OFTEN mani"
fest strong parental love, although wanting
In every other redeemtng trait.
The false ideas which the Super
intendentis here contending against
are the identical errors which, when
largely participated in and allowed
to control our educational institu-
tions, produce state of things typ
ically representedin our report from
Breathitt county. Self-contrOl, self
denial and submission to law are
things which can't be learned in
adult life; their rudiments must be
learned in childhood, or they are
not learned at all.
Now, there arc far too many
people in this world who practi-
cally act on the principle that their
children must not be crossed in any,
thing. If they take a dislike to a
study, they must quit it; if they
don't like their teacher, they must
be taken away and placed with an
other, and, If there is any trouble
between teacher and child, the fault
is always with the teacher and never
with the child, and, above all, no
stroke of corporal punishment is to
be inflicted on him. Argue with
such a person and show him that TO
comply with such conditions is to
make the scholar the master of the
school and teacher too, and that one
bold, unruly boy can, if so treated,
defeat and nullify the discipline oil
a whole school. They hold up their
hands in astonished incredulity, and
they will say, "Why, if there are
such young savages in the school as
that, they should be removed at
once, but my young paragOn-he is
not of such nature, he is not that
sort of a boy. Expel the savages
and let my darling associate with
gentlemen" In all probability the
paragon and darling is exactly the
savage described, but where we
join issue is in denouncing expul'
sion as the very worst alternative
that can be adopted; the worst fol
the teacher, the parents, the school
and, above all, the worst for the
child. We lay down the principle
us q fundamental one that the boy
who is disposed to be unruIy and
TebelliOus in school is the one who
is more likely than any other tC
make a man of mark, a leader in
society and benefactOr of if, pro
vided he be handled right, but he
must be handled wi h a hand o.
iron. Let there be a velvet glove
over it, if you will, but the iron
must be there, and he must be made
to feel it. The lesson that he need,
to learn there is self-cOntrol, self
denial and recogniti, of law
With this he may become a strong
man in society, ruling and directing
it for its good; without it he be
comes even as the Freemans, Al
lens and Titles, the heroes of the
Breathitt county deviltry. Now
do you say when such boy set'
himself against the authority of {
school, don't punish him, but let hin
be taken away and sent to another
school. 1t will be the utter ruin o
him. He will go to another school
he is sure to try the same game
there, for he is encouraged in it
His removal has been no punish
ment to him; it has simply satisfied
him that he can defy law and au
thority without having to submit
and so he viii go from school with
out learning anything, and espe
cially without learning that mos
essential lesson of all, which We
now describe for the third time tht
lesson of self-control, self-denial anC
conformity with law.
We are inclined to think thai
public schools in Breathitt county
are either nOn-existent or, if there
tina, they are in a very blighted anC
stunted condition. We should ex
pect to find there feeble and bull
dozed teachers, trying to ply theil
trade On the sufferance and by the
permission of rough and rowdy
young DULLES who think it as glOri
Gus a thing to stick a knife into d
teacher as their fathers think it tC
shoot down a judge if he is not the
man they voted for. No such
schools and no such school boys dc
| we need in GAINESVILLE: those we