Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-12-03
THE SCHOOLMASTERS CON
QUEST.

THE SCHOOLMASTERS CON.
QUEST.
Branson Alcott, of Boston, once told
Joseph Cook, and Joseph Cook told
everybody he met that be made it a
regulation in his school that if pupil
violated q rule, "the master should
substitute his own voluntary sacrifcial
chastisement for that pupils punish
ment; and this regulation almost chris.
tanned the school.v "Onc day. Mr..
Alcott said, al called up before me q
pupil who had violated an important
rule. All the school was looking on,
aud knew the rule and the penalty.
put the ruler into the offenders hand !;
! extended my own hand; | told him
to strike. Instantly saw struggle
begin in his face. A new light sprang
up in his countenancc. A new set Of
shuttles seemed TO be weaving now
nature within him. kept my hand
extended, and the school was in tears.
He seemed to be in hath of fire
which was giving him q new nature.
He seemed transformed by the idea
! should suffer chastisement, and ever
after was the most docile fellow in the
school, though he had at first been the
rudest"
Now, this is very affecting and rea-
sonable and striking. No one can
read the incident ard very readily for
get it; and it contains a lesson that
every school olteacher can certainly read
with profit. The incident came to the
knowledge OF Willis X. Stoddard, who
for some years past has been teaching
a district school in Flint River town
ship, Iowa. He read this extract from
pno oi sosupn eook S,'isctures, ana
% nosol iosso, .ne g'ea. moral !, CON
Wy yeu. A'u' lnuecu, hc private'y IN
,o.l'9u y o''rsy nian wno caiieu upon
l.n ,nn. ua'i"g or,''c'' Perlou IN nus Ca
~ "uu "'.n "noli, ..S, no was very ln,l'
, n".o 'na' W u'un 'nsnh nc woulu
,o,so. ~; ioulg mr' 'o'ouuaru haa
SUno Th ppos'y naru ooys IN MS sehool'
Iney were plg, NOISY, rough and tnr-
oulent' lie had reasoned with them
~ No nau @ eAPUs'I'ascu ne nau begged
I .n "eP.. n9 npi nao w1'pPcu % rne'n un-
W. 1,I s a. a.S aoneu' anu 'ue directors
had threatened 10 dismiss him Tor un.
necessary severity aad absolute cruel,
W. ana inc ooys grew worse and
worse every day But when he was
~ nus WIS end, ana was seriously
tninking ei running away ana losing
ali MS pack salary rather than stay at
tne scnool another oay, he read this
lncloent anu u gave his troubled mind
new ignt ne treasured 1t up, and
lhougnt IL might help him.
He had treasured il up probably
halt a day when, one bright June al.
ternoon, Samuel johnson, the biggest
and strongest, and worst of all the big
bad boys, violated all the rules of the
school, one after another as fast as he
could think Of them, and wound up by
tearing seven leaves out of his geogra.
ply. These he crammed into his
mouth, and, when he had chewed them
into pulp, he took the "wad" into
his hand, and propelled the whole
mass with great violence into the ear
OF Ellis HASKELL who, although also
big and bad-a little bad-was not
possessed Of sufficient presence Of mind
TO look calm and unconscious under
this avalanche merely because the eye
OF his teacher was upon hlm, and he
accordingly siguifcd his very natural
dismay and astonishment by tire.
mendous howl.
And all the school howled In respon.
sive chorus; not only because the
scholars were delighted to sec Ellis
Haskell with his larboard ear full of
PAPER mdche, as though he were going
to take a cast OF it for the physiology
class, but also because they knew the