The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-04-05
Card from ]. g. Stevenson.

To the Editors of the Standard:
I ask permission to defend myself
through the Standard, in answer to
certain willful falsehoods which John
Wesley Johnson has published recent
ly in the Educational Column Of the
Jackson Journal.
The first, published about three
weeks ago, is as follows:
''In a certain school in the country,
the boys, it is said, climb out OF the
window when they wish to pay a Wis
te truant comrade, have good time,
and climb in again. Government in
that school must be on liberal plan"
Editors, lawyers, politicians and
others, have noticed, that when a liar
is moved by that malice which is the
dictate of a groveling, malignant
heart-that malice which springs from
corrupt motive, attended by circum-
stances, indicating heart regardless
Of social duty, and bent on mischief,
generally begins his evil work with
some such vague expression as "they
say" ION certain time, " 'in certain
place" or sit is said" ]. W. J. ex-
hibits those ear-marks in the para
graph quoted above, as well as in the
snaky insinuations of his second par
agraph, published more recently. 1t
is as follows:
How many teachers in Jackson
County are willing to believe that
their pupils, in time Of school, could
with seeming impunity, climb out of
the windows and hand in fence-rails
to their fellows? And this too appa-
rently without the teachers knowl-
edge.
Every school teacher in Jackson
County knows that one of the uses Of
the present tense is to express gen.
eral truth, or what is habitual or Gus
tomary. J. W. J. knew the force of
his language. He says ''boys," not "a
boy" using the present tense. In the
second paragraph he says pupils" !"
not "a pupil, windows" not "a win
dow" "fence-rails," not "a fence-rail," I"
and fellows" not "a fellow" John
has made his lie so big-so stretched
as to be transparently thin. Strain
ing at a gnat, he has swallowed cam
ell.
Now for the facts: K. L., youth
of seventeen years, has lived in Tope
School District, Liberty Township, all
his life. He is active, nimble and mis-
chievous; and has the faculty for be-
ing quite comical and droll. He was
one of Johns pupils few years ago,
and played his pranks then, 'appar-
emily without the teachers knowl-
edge," as freely as he ever has done
since. When detected in his mischief,
K. L., with manly frankness, admits
all the facts, and does not resort to
evasion and falsehood as do some of
Johns few intriguers in Tope Dis
trict. K. L. is the only pupil who
has jumped out Of the window during
my school. He did it twice, only
twice, both times being on the last
day he came as a pupil to my school.
1t was a warm day, and some Of the
windows were raised. He told some
of the boys that he had to quit to be-
gin farm-work-it was his last day,
and he must have some fun. The
first time jumped out, | did not detect
him. At that time the Rev. Evans,
Presbyterian, was conducting series
of religious meetings at Buckeye
School House, two and one-half miles
south of Tope. K. says he saw Dan.
Nunley passing the School House.
He wanted to ask Dan. if there would
be meeting at Buckeye that evening,
jumped out through the window, got
the information he wanted, and i'm
mediately returned through the same
window.
Dan. Nunley was not truant. He
had not been a pupil Of the school for
weeks.
The second time was just after re,
cess, and before all the pupils were in
the house. When he went out
! throuoh the window 7 noticed the