Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-02-14

e EarQeG t1em as 6xnlDltlOns Oh utrln
e originality.
O | have always held that NOR
suasion is far better vehicle OF edl
a cation than the cane; but / doul
!. whether moral suasion is OF any ava
e where the moral sense is dormant c
) non-existent I believe that, just a
r nature has provided the auditor
a sense with an organ, the ear, and th
v olfactory sense with an organ, tn
nose, and the sense of sight with a
v organ, the eye, so she has fashioned a
8 organ for the reception OF moral i'm
{ pressions, connected by nerve wit
+ the BRAIN She has developed thi
Z organ into some prominence, no doub
| to show how primary and importan
the moral sense is. She has with
, drawn from it all arteries, and has in
/ vested it in delicate network o
! highly sensitive nerves, to make
serve much as the drum ..to the ear
The waves of sound beat on this latte
and resolve themselves into ideas il
the brain; so precisely the pulsation
, of the cane on this other organ is rap
idly transformed into a moral idea
and as such impresses itself on thu
mind.
tried very hard to do my duty.
tried to get these boys to study.
tried to lead them to look to higher
things than pig killing and rat hunt
ing / tried to infuse into them a
sense of honor. But found in them
none of the material of which the
Tommies are made.
I was drawing my salary and doing
nothing for it. had not got these
bows to say @horse" instead OF COS" or
to use pocket handkerchiefs instead oil
the, ,back of their hands. At length the
4 climax arrived. On the 9TH of No
vember these urchins made Guy
Fawkes, which was intended to bear
and did bear, striking resemblance
to myself. 1t could hardly do other,
clothes, not yet paid for. What with
the fireworks and the mud with which
Guy was pelted, and the general rough
usage it received, my best Sunday suit
of clothes was utterly ruined. ! told
Mr.. Clodd plainly that | would no
longer teach such unruly cubs as his
sons, and left the situation. AS man
of honor, / first paid the tailor for the
spoilt suit, and then found myself with
four shillings and threepence three
farthings in my pocket.
received no thanks for my pains,
no recognition that had done my ut
most. The blame was thrown on my
head. did not understand the tenn
perament of the boys; | made no
allowance for their exuberant vitality;
1 | was exacting, stiff and ungenial.
! felt that these wretched louts must
come to bad ends; they were the raw
CLAY out of which the villainous Har-
ries are moulded. have lived to see
them grow up. My predictions have
not been realized. They are now
rough sporting young men, with good
incomes, farming good estates, and
farming them well; and the gallows to
which | consigned them does not seem
destined to suspend them.
When l left Mr.. Clodd's reviewed
my conduct, and then I felt that had
acted throughout in the conscientious
spirit of Tommy. / had striven to do
good to these wretches, and / had
striven to do my duty, and to do it
thoroughly. The result was my dis
missal, with four shillings, and three
pence three farthings in my pocket.
Now, had been Harry, how different
| would have been my conduct, how
different my situation. | would have
winked at the boys misconduct, ex-
cused their mischievous pranks, al
lowed them to shirk lessons, praised
their gallant spirits to the father and
mother, assured them that genius
lurked behind all their exuberant play
of spirit, allowed them to go on in
their brutal pursuits unimproved,
without an effort to elevate them,
have reported their sallies of wit to
their parents; and / would have had
my salary raised, my position in the
house secured, and a future opened to
me among the married yoemen's
daughters who frequented tho place.
On leaving Mr.. Clodd's l was ap-
pointed master to the parochial
school, which was managed by board
or committee, 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, out of spite TO the Clodds,
and because | could be secured 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-conti-
dence had received rude shock in
the house of the Clodds. l had be-
lieved firmly hitherto in moral sua-
sion, and had dlsapproved OF corporal
punishment. My views on this point
were disturbed. You can make a
racer run with a word OF praise and
pat, but not donkey. l had had to
do with we'll bred youth-young De
Vaudville-and had managed him with
perfect success. | had tried the
Clodds, and had failed. Should | sue
oeed with the children of a still lower
class? Ny diffidence and my strong
Tommeian sense of honor, forced me
to accept the mastership conditionally.
NY tenure of the post was TO be ter
minable at the end of the quarter,
without notice ON either side. felt
that, should / fail, should be unable
to continue in the situation for three
months more with justice to the chill
dren, the committee and myself.
found the school in a 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 gossiping
in the class room, leaving the classes
under the charge of scholars. This |
stopped. The result was that | made
an enemy OF the pupil teacher, and he
went about among his friends and ac-
quaintances making complaints, and
stirring up party against me.
discovered that several OF the chill
dren did more scratching than scrib-
bling. Thereupon | laid in supply
of carbolic soap and fine tooth comb
and began operations with yigor.
What storm this raised The par
ents of the urchins | had combed and
carbolized came to me, livid with fury,
and dared me to touch their children's
heads again. Those with the dirtiest
brats were the most indignant. Why
were they to be combed and carbol-
ized 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 children were
Withdrawn from the school because OF
my efforts to make their heads clean.
/ aoxra kbn - ,anwf