The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1884-12-04

salary raised, my position in the house
secured, and a future opened to ME
among the married yeomen's daugh-
ters who frequented the place.
On leaving Mr.. Clodd's I was ap-
pointed master Ito the parochial
schoo which was managed by :, board
or commit tee, and supported by a vol
untary rate. Some OF the farmers on
the board took my part against the
Clodds, of whom they were envious;
and so, ont Of spite to the Clodds, and
because | could be secured quite cheap,
gave me the vacant situation.
When offered the school, | hesitated
about accepting it. 1t was not that
my pride suffered: it was that | mis-
doubted my powers. My self-eonf-
dence had received rude shock in the
house Of the Clodds. | had believed
firmly hitherto in moral suasion, and
had disapproved Of corporal punish
ment. My views on this point were
disturbed. You can make racer run
with word Of pr ise or a pat, but not
a donkey | had had to do with a
well bred youth-yoGng De VAUDEVILLE
and had managed him with perfect
success. | had tried the Ciodds, and
had failed. Should I succeed with
children Of still lower class? My
difidence, and my strong Tommeian
sense Of honor, forced me to accept
the position conditionally. My ten
ure of the post was to be terminable
at the end of the quarter, without no.
tice on either side. | felt that,
should I fail, | would be unable to
continue in the situation three months
more with justice to the committee.
the children, and myself.
I found the school i'll neglected
and utterly unsatisfactory condition.
The pupil-teacher and the late master
had played into each others hands,
giving each other half-holidays alter
nately on market-days, coming un-
punctually in the mornings. and cut
ting the hours short in the afternoons,
spending their time together gossip
ing in the classroom, leaving the
classes under the charge Of scholars,
This | stopped. The result was, that
l made an enemy of the pupil teacher,
and he went about among his friends
and acquaintances making complaints,
and stirring up a party against me:
| discovered that several of the chill
dren did more scratching than scrib
bling Thereupon I laid in a supply
Of carbolie soap, at my own expense,
and fne-tooth comb, and began op-
erations with vigor. What a storm
this raised! The parents Of the ur-
chins I had combed and carbollzed
came to me, livid with fury, aud dared
me to touch their children's heads
again. Those with the dirtiest brats
were the most indignant. Never be-
fore had it been insinuated that their
little ones We're not so clean that you
might have made meal off them.
Why were they to'be combed and car
bolized, while the sons and daughters
Of farmers were left unmolested?
They were as good as Others, and as
clean as those who stuck themselves
up to be their betters. Several chill
dren were withdrawn from the school
because Of my efforts to make their
heads clean. Cleanliness, says the
proyerb. is next to godliness. At all
events, if I might not make the chill
dren clean, [ might make them godly,
so | thought. So turned my atten-
tiou in that direction.
I was panied to hear the ribald Ian
guage used in the playground by the
boys. Nor was the ribaldrv confined
to words I caught some Of the worst
offenders, and gave them solemn lee
ture before the entire school on the
use of unseemly language, and the OBJ
legations they lay under Of refraining
their tongues from the use of words
improper and profane. Several par
ents took this up. They complained
to the board that | gave religious in
struction out Of the half-hour limited
to such teaching by the rules hung
up in the schoolroom, and [ was rath-
er sharply taken to task by the farm
ers for rywhat had done, as the school
was strictly unsectarian in its teach
ing. So [ was not allowed to make
the pupils committed to me either
cIeanly or godly. I would try to teach
them the strictly secular learning
thoroughly.
| soon found that there was rot
ten system of copy-book writing in
vogne. Each child was required to
make copy Of his best writing every
week. and show it to the parents; but
these copies were in reality done for
them by the master, assisted by the
and monitors. insist
ed on the children writing their own
copies; whether bad or good. the ex-
ample of penmanship should be gen.
uine. Soon after, | heard from mem
bers Of the board. that general COM
plant had been made of the falling
off In the writing Of the scholars. 1t
was evident that in this respect the
standard Of excellence was deteriorat-
ing, and it was conjectured that in
other respects the pupils were likewise
going back. | was requested to de-
vote myself particularly to the i'm
provement Of the writing of the
school
It is well known that the scale of
5he Government grant to a school is
to large extent by at
;endances. I was therefore most scru-
oulous to mark these and the absences
n accordance with fact. Indeed one
,r two of the board were detailed to
,all occasionally and check my en-
ries. I found that my scrupulous-
less gave dissatisfaction. If child
lttended half a day, I might safely
tretch point and make it whole
attendance When the weather was
,ad, some allowance must be made
or that, and the children not be de-
,rived Of mark when it is practical
y impossible to attend; besides-and
Iere lay the sting-I was adding a
'enny to the rates by my nicely in
his matter, and was not considering
ither the pockets of the ratepayers or
ny own, as half the grant would be
llowed to the master
now resolved to devote myself to
ho fulfil llmnnt nf tha edna nat tiona al do