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

HE OCHOOLhAOIE En- - CON-
QUEST
Branson Alcott, Of Boston, once told
Joseph Cook, and Joseph Cook told
everybody he met, that he made it 0
regulation in his school that if pupil
violated rule, "the master should
substitute his own voluntary sacriicial
chastlsement for that pupils punish
ment; and this regulation almost chris
tanned the school.v "Onc day. Mr.
Alcott said, 81 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 countenanco. A new set ol
shuttles seemed TO be weaving q new
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
sfeer was the most dociIe fellow in ,h1
school, tbougb he baJ at first been III,
rndestp
Now, this is very affecting and rea
sonable and striking. No one car
read the incident ard very readily for
net il. and il contains a lesson ,ha,
everv school teacher 90 y cor,a;nly r.a,
with nrofit Tho ;nc;dent came 10 m,
knowIedoe of willis X Stoddard whr
for some years mast has been teacbino
a district school in Flint River towp
shin Iowa. He read this extract from
one Of Josepb Cooks lectures AND
never forgot the great moral il con
vcyed. And, indeed, he privately in
formed clergyman who called upor
him during a critical period in his CO
reer and with whom he was very init
mate, that he didn't think he would
forget il. Young Mr.. Stoddard haC
some pretty hard boys in his school
iney "e,9 p'g' NOISY, rougn anu tur
he had expostulated he had begged
and wept He had whipped them un
til bis arms ached, and the Director
hau threatened 10 dismiss MN Tor un
necessary severity ana absolute cruel
w anu tho ooys grew worse aho
worse every aay' but whcn ne wa'
a. ms wis eno, ana was seriously
ln'ns'ng Si running away ana losing
M n's pacS salary, rather lhah stay a
tno scnool anolner gay, ne read thi
lnolucn. anu ~ gave ms troubled min'
new m hgn.' ne treasured IL up' ah'
lhCugn' IL n'gnt help nim'
lie had treasured IT up probably
halt a day when, one bright June at
ternoon, Samuel Johnson, the bigges
and strongest and worst of all the biz
bad boys, violated all the rules Of thu
school, one after another, as fast as hi
could think of them, and wound up b.
tearing seven leaves out of bis geogra
ply. These he crammed into hil
mouth, and, when he had chcwed then
into a pulp, he took the "wad" int
his hand, and propelled the whole
mass with great violence into the en-
OF Ellis Haskell, who, although alst
big and bad-a little bad-was no
possessed OF sufficient presence OF minC
to look calm and unconscious unde
this avalanche merely because the ey,
OF his teacher was upon HIM, and h'
accordingly signified his very natura
dismay and astonishment by q tire
mendous howl
And oil the school howled in respon
slve chorus; not only because th'
scholars were delighted to see Eli
haskell with his larboard ear full o
paper mdche, as though he were goinl
TO take cast OF 1t for the pbysiolog,
class, but also because they knew th'
teacher would promptly, and withou
q q D.. uauas -. ..