Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-07-09
MoraIs and Manner. at scheoI.

The school laws of Verm ont require, in
addition to the common studies, instruction
also, in good behavior. Recognizing that re-
quirement of the law, the textbook commit
tees of the several towns in the county, when
met together in council last year, adopted
Cows Good Morals and Gentle Manners"
us a suitable textbook on the subject of good
behavior. Joseph Steen book seller in Brat
tleboro, concluded that 30 good book on
subject 30 necessary to be taught in the
schools at the present day would have good
demand, and sent for suitable number of
books for introduction. After the books re-
mained on the counter several weeks, expos
ed for sale and examination, he was forced
to return the same to the publishers because
there was no sale for such books. Mr..
Steen, in few words Of comment to an in
quirer said that "most parents, nowadays,
do not think their children need to be taught
manners at school, Children are all very
good Ask teachers and school officers of
experience, who keep their eyes and ears
open TO the evidence of good morals and
manners in the schools or elsewhere, whether
it be true or not that most boys and girls
show a disposition 10 become truly polite.
What say the families or persons of refine
ment who live in close proximity to the dis
trict school house? Docs the air ever re-
sound in your ears with the evidence Of un-
clean language and profane utterances eman-
ating from Juvenile lipsi In my school-boy
days we used to hear about the roughness
and uncivility of village and city boys but,
30 far as we are informed, the village and the
city juveniles are much more refined and civ
il than the common rustic school-boys are.
And the average Irish day -laboIer will an
swer you civilly when questioned, while the
~ At,a he ha
meath his notice. lady from the city, who
boarded few weeks last summer with fam
lily in this community, said she heard more
rough words and unclean language from the
neighboring boys Rt play near the house
in which she resided during her short stay in
this place, than she had heard in all the years
she had lived in a city. Most school boys
are rough in their treatment of each other
Woe TO the stranger boy who goes in among
them, unless he is able 10 fight his way. We
cite case from personal knowledge. A
peaceable school lad of our acquaintance,
whose circumstances caused him to be sent to
school where about thirty Indian boys and
girls were being educated on an Indian reser-
vation in the far West, said he received much
worse ill treatment from the boys here dur
ing one term of schooling than he ever expe-
rienced before. In fact, white boys are
worse than savages in the treatment OF theri
schoolmates. Not long since bright little
boy, five years old, was asked whether he at
tended the district school which was keeping
near his home. He said that be did not but
he knew what the children learned at school.
''They learned to sioedred." Sure enough
when he went to school for the first time this
summer, he was not long in acquiring n sup
ply of profane words. In a few days after
beginning school the father heard his boy
swear for the first time. He was exceeding
ly panied, for he had never used profane Ian
guage himself, and TO hear a child Of his
swear thus early in life was mortifying TO his
pride. The bad habit of his boy must be
broken up. Reproofs and threatenings of
punishment were unavRiling. After the child
was reproved he was careful not to swear in
his fathers presence. Still he continued the
habit of swearing when he thought his father
was not near enough to hear what was said.
He was determined that his Child must not
swear at all. Various punishments were re-
sorted to, such as shutting him up, putting
him in a barrel down cellar, whipping, &c,
but all in vain. At last happy expedient
occurred to him. Ills remembered that his
boy always disliked very much to have him
touch his face with the lather brush, which
he had sometime playfully done when shay
ing himself. The childs dislike TO it was
such as to put him almost in a state of fren-
~ whenever his face was lathered with a
brush. Therefore, when the father heard
the boy utter his next oath, he not only lath-
cred his face, but thoroughly swabbed out
his mouth with the brush. The remedy was
efIectual, and no more swearing has been
done by the boy to the fathers knowledge.
Moral If every parent would be thus per-
sistent in breaking up the very bad habit of
ehildren's swearing, morals in children at
school would be less impure, and the school
better place of instruction.
d. L. MANSFIELD, Sup't of Schools.
Dummerston, VT, July /, 1880.