The Red Cloud chief., 1881-02-03
SELF.GOvERNMEyT IN SCHOOLS.

I'oAAS ~ was ltftl
Taught in our schools, SO that no prac-
teal preparation whatsoever was made
for future citizenship, and very little
even of theoretical instruction given in
our gravest duties.
Having determined to try the expert
ment in my own school, | took advant.
age OF a recitation in geography one
morning TO ask:
What is the government of this
country we are speaking Off"
"A monarchy"
What is the government of our own
country"
"A republic"
What is the government of OUT
school?n
"A republic"
Mo-
What is it then, sir?'
"A limited monarchy"
why? We are not your subjects"
'Yes You are. Your parents have
delegated To me certain powers, and
you must obey my orders as long as
they see fit 10 leave you here"
We'll, sir. we don't like TO be any
ones subjects; we prefer to be repub-
licans."
do you think yourselves capable of
selfgovernment?"
Yes, sir"
"Wcll, | have no objection to trying
you; but we must do SO by degrees. /
shall try YOU for one hour first"
"Whal sir! Won't you mark us at all
for anything We do?"
Mo; always provided that you do not
disturb the business of the school, for
that must 90 on"
VERY well, sir"
We tried it for an hour, then for two
hours. thcn for a day, then for a week.
AT the end of the week L told them /
WAS very muck gratitied with their
powerof self government, and proposed,
rs a reward, that we should 90 on Tues
dav afternoon To a book-printing estab-
lishment; but alas, on Monday they re-
ccivcd two WARNINGS, and were told
that n third disturbance would cause
the downfall of their republic. The
warnings were not needed; a third
came-crash wentthc republic, and the
old monarchy rose upon its ruins.
The contrast was disagrecable. The
free republican of a moment ago, who
had been "a law unto HIMSELF" WITS
now a subjected, "cabined, cribbed,
confined" his incomings and his out
goings noted, and all his shortcomings
carefully marked. One bright, OPEN
faced youngster soon came up and
said:
"Mr. NJ, it isn't fair to expects so
much of us on Monday, becausei il comes
right after Saturday and SUNDAY, and it
takes us some time to get into the school
WAYS again"
Then You are not to be considered
as capable of self-government unless
you can resist the influences of Monday
as well as of all the other days"
Yes, sir"
VERY well, We will try it again"
They succeeded in governing them
selves for the rest of the week and the
Monday following. We went TO the
publishing establishment and enioyed
it. Then, however, graver questions
arose. If the boys were to govern
themselves entirely they must decide
about everything, but the lessons must
be learned and recited, order must be
kept. and the school work must 90 on.
To satisfy these different ideas ii was
agreed that the teachers should be lust
rs absolute as before; that the bows
should he marked for conduct and les
sons AS before; prompt obedience
should be required and no discussions
allowed during school time; but at re-
cess and after school anybody could
appeal from any of the teachers de-
clslons to a jury of three bows uhey
We're sometimes called judges), one
chosen by himself, one by the teacher
and athird by these two; and from the
decision of these Judges there should
be no appeal. This seemed a hazard
Gus experiment, and it was so. Their
virtue was not strong enough at first to
resist temptation. The troublesome
boys appealed to have their conduct
marks cancelled. and the lazy boys to
have their recitation marks increased.
Their comrades on the juries obeved
their fellow-feeling rather than their
sense OF justice. L protested against
many of the decisions as out
rageously unjust, and warned them that
continued injustice would necessarily
produce the downfall of their whole
system. / submitted, however, to all
the decisions of the juries, waiting pa
tiently for the tide TO turn; and ii did
so. l had previously prepared their
minds for this by conversations. the
drift of which they Lad not perceived.
Beside this their own consciences whis-
pered TO them of their Injustice TO one
who submitted while he protested. and
the industrious boys began TO see
that the lazy fellows were getting lust
as high marks as themselves, without
the trouble of working for them. NV
patient submission was rewarded. The
judges began TO decide now in nv IA
o and against the lazy ones. When
the latter grumbled / said to them. with
JUNCTION: Protest, if YOU choose. lint
YOU must submit as l did"
Our experiment succeeded, and for
more than twenty We: rs my school has
been thus governed. There is an
appeal from every teacher to the prin-
cipal, and an appeal from him to three
jurymen. oil judges, Is they are more
commonly called.
1t has proved an admirable method
of training boys judgments, and in all
cases where partiality is charged
against a teacher it has proved aspecif-
lie, for when a boy is also condemned by
his comrades, all such charges fall to
the ground.
Some very droll scenes have occurred
at these trials, and there have been
some very curious developments OF
character. One morning our janitress
reported that one of the boys had been
crying in the playroom on the previous
afternoon because some of the other
scholars had forciblv prevented him
from going home. She did not know
the boys name, but pointed him out to
me- On being asked he said that his
mother had told him to be at home by
a certain time, and some of the boys
mad prevented him. AS it was contra