The Red Cloud chief., 1881-02-03

Wis ~ hyA ul
their hands. Six of them promptly did
SO. When asked why, they replied tina,
II was their turn TO have their "inn-
ings at the game they were playing.
and that il was not fair for him to go.
decided that this was not a sufficient
reason for their preventing him from
obeying his mothers commands. and
condemned them all to one weeks ex-
clusion from the playroom. As this
was a tine large twenty-five feet
wide. eighty feet long aud thirteen feot
high, large enough for a good game Of
football between two strong sides or
for a quicter game Of "old cat the
penalty seemed rather severe. and they
appealed. When the time for trial
came the three judges sat on one settec.
and the culprits opposite. was called
away for a moment, and on returning,
as WAS near the judges, whose backs
were TO ne. | heard one Of them. A
chunky, spunky little fellow, and one
OF the best boys in the school. say to
his neighbor, 81 saw, Billy. do YOU
think we can lick those fellows il we
decide against them?n
Never mind, Gard" said /, I'm
back YOU"
He laughed, and the trial went on.
They did convict them. and imposed
the same penalty or dose that | had.
ought perhaps TO explain that / have
tried 10 get out Of the habit of using
such terms Is punishment. or pen
atty" and TO substitute for them the
words dose or medicine" a boy
who is punished naturally exci,cs
the sympathy of his fellows and is apt
To be looked upon by them as n martyr
who Is suffering from the same tyranny
TO which they are all subject, but 2
sick boy is rather an object Of CON
tempt, and the more rugged and robust
the boy the greater is usually his con-
tempt for all sickness. The effect uDOn
the culprit himself also seems better,
and rs ! usually consult my patients "a
10 what is the best medicine for them,
this. too, may be made a means of self
government.
In these trials on some occasions a
small boy has chosen a big boy as his
counsel" and the sitting of evidence
and cro>s-examination of witnesses has
been done at times with considerable
skill by embryo lawyers.
One of the first lessons that seems to
be required is that negative proof is no
proof at all.
A boy recently said. when three had
testified that they had seen him do
something. "Wcll, sir, | can bring
plenty more that didn't see me-"
He appeared quite surprised when |
informed hs,, tI.t rnpII HAM, ,.,
thousand that had not seen him do it.
As some were still dissatisfied after
tho judges had decided. a second ap-
peal was allowed, which. however, was
to be attended to on Friday (our day
for odds and ends), and in case of a
reversal a third; but this has happened
only about &c i'm ten years.
Some years ago a son of mine be-
came big enough TO 90 to my school.
He had been there but a short time
when he questioned the justice of one
of my decisions. | explained to him
very carefully how just it was. but did
not succeed in convincing him, and was
decidedly startled at hearing him say. |
Papa, can | appeal?" Ibid not think
he knew anything about that part of
our machinery or could appreciate it. |
OF course | could not shirk the issue, so
! told him TO ''pick out his man." and
/ picked out mine. Those two chose q
third, and father and son thus stood on
a footing of perfect equality before this
~improvised tribunal. They decided i'm
my favor on that occasion, but Phil. has
since then been sometimes more sue
ccssfuL,
Some OF these decisions have seemed
to me so strange that | have afterward
inquired how the judges could possibly
come to any such conclusion, and have
in this way ascertained that they had
sources of information that were in I
accessible to teachers, and which
changed entirely the nature of the
case.
Sometimes a boy has concluded to be
the champion of his fellows, and has
his conscience to win their
by always deciding against the
teachers, but a little quiet observation
will usually bring sufficient evidence to
authorize N to decline having him
for Judge, and he may be entirely de-
barred from holding that honorable po-
1t is a very desirable thing to have a
boy exposed to these various tempra-
while he is young, and in such a
restricted sphere, where detection and
its consequentmedicine will. if he should
yield to temptation, pretty surely cure
him, so as to prevent his attempting
any such thing in the larger school out
side.
There is another part of machin-
cry forself-government that has worked
very well. 1t is what we call our Stand
ing Committee.
All who teach are obliged to meet the.
question what is to be done in cases
Of 'hazing'?" After considerable OBJ
servation and thought, it seemed best
to intrust the cure of this to the boys
They were requested to
vote for three of their number who
take charge of all such cases. If
4 boy complains to a teacher he is
called a tell-tale. and is disgraced. Per-
he isthrashed or sent to Coventry.
If he complains to another boy no such
consequences follow. The
thus chosen are usually among the
oldest and strongest in the school, and
therefore able to bring to reason any
refractory subject.
Sometimes nothing is known by the
about these cases until he is
'equested by the Committee to direct
hat a certain pupil shall be detained
school for a certain time. or ex-
from the play-room, or medi-
in some other way. If at any
lime a boy does not care to submit to
he decision of the Committee he always
has his right of appeal, which of course
makes the whole affair public. If, also.
my boy should object to our entire
plan of self-government he can at any
lime dispense with it and become an
ordinary schoolboy and be treated as
'uch. This, however, almost never
happens.
Sometimes symptoms of bullying are
perceived by the teacher, and the at
entiOn of the Standing Committee
allied to them. An investigation then
axes place altogether apart from the
eacher, and the affair is usually soon
of.
AMONG the Grave caSaS inraSt;rotad