Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1885-10-09
Teachers. NJ. {.

The trite old saying ssOraer is He.vens
hrst law has lost no truth by frequent repeti.
ton. Order is fundamental law of success
IN all human effort, and especially SO in the
conduct of a school. Without the ability and
the disposition to enforce order, no teacher
can succeed in a common school.
Through intellectual training, energy, schol-
arship, graces of person and department,
kindly feeling, quick perception and delicate
senslbiities are all very desirable in a teacher
bat no possible combination of pertections that
does not include the fadulty Of maintaining
good order in school, can succeed. Unless
the teacher has both the power and the will
TO exact from every scholar implicit obedience.
ms ine graces of mind and person are largely
wasted upon the school, and make more mar
ked the chaotic wreck ofineyitabIe collapse.
With the power and the will to maintain
order, very successful schools are often TAUGHT
! by teachers Of moderate mental acouirements
Il good scholarship and varied accomplish.
ments can be united with the ability to keen
good order, they add much to the teachers
| eihcieney, but brilliant scholarship and fine
graces are never the first qualifications fora
successful common school teacher, and the
mistaken notion that they are so, (often in.
cuicatcd and fostered by older people whose
experience should have made them more sensi.
oie1 has been the Cause of bitter disappoint-
ment to many bright, scholarly young teach.
er, and the failure of numberless terms OF
school.
FROM these premises the methods of discs-
pine are naturally suggested There is no
cause to drift into long discussion of the old
question which Is the more successful in the
| government of schools, moral suasion or cor.
Poral punishment" for there is no eround for
| argument, the question has but one side.
Men never introduce any such question in the
| government Of criminals of mature wears.
They assume that the man who robs, steals
and murders must be imprisoned, and they do
1t. After the restraint of corporal punishment
| has had its effect, then men sometimes trv the
effect of moral suasion, but physical punish
1nent or restraint is first resorted to- Think
for moment hows supremely ridiculous it
/ would be instead of inaicting the penalty Of
the law to say to the murderer of the presi-
dent, its very naughty to kill Presidents. Il
deranges political affairs, interrupts business.
and hasa bad moral effect upon the vouno
ard IS rather blemish upon yoar own char
acter, and you ought not to do SO any moren
or TO the child murderer3it 1t is very wronp to-
murder children, It makes their parents feel
Dad, and makes you a nuisance in the ne;qh.
borhood, and if you keep on numbering inno.
cent children you will get bad name by and
by or say to the bank robber sSit isn't honest
to rob banks, and steal money, to stranple
bank watchlnen and shoot policemen. if Is nat
a good recommendation ior a man who v;sha.
to move in the highest circles Of society," this
hardly seems to meet all the requirements of
the case. 1t is not good logic to argue that
children whose moral powers are immature, are
more capable of making moral distinctions and
less needy of physical restraint, than men whose
moral faculties are matured and can see the
force OF moral reasons that children cannot an,
prehend.
1t IS safe to assert, that when school fultv
understands that the teacher will punish lift is
necessary. to do If to preserve order. there ;s
not much probability that he will have to use
force. Buff it is understood that teachers will
rely wholly on moral suasion to preserve order
there will eventually arise a necessity for pun.
ishment much more severe than would have
been required had it been understood at first
that It would be used when necessary. A little
experience in this matter is worth a great deal
OF theory. The writer once knew a teacher
who announced to his school that moral sua-
lsion would be wholly relied on for the govern
ment OF his school and later that school was
instanced as marked example of success in
governing without any use of force to compel
obedience. But careful inquiries to learn all
the facts only showed that while the scholars
were cunning enough to preserve decent de-
tcorum in presence of visitors at other times the
C lcol was pandemonium. Therewas no trou-
bic, because the scholars had their own way.
OF course such innocent recreation as boxing.
talking, throwing sticks, apples, pieces Of
chalk etc. around the room, gave no offence
TO the teacher, they were only the legitimate
and proper outhgrowth of ''moral suasion.
| The effects Of the success of moral suasion in
r such case will mar the usefulness of thai
school for ten years after, and then entail leg
acy Of riot and disorder upon any school thoss
pupils may enter. w.