Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-02-09
d School Ka'am's plaips,
From the Philadelphia Press.

- 49,
a school. had taught one term, and
had got along so well that they feIt
justified in giving me another. Ihaye
!ong since given up teaching, bot nv
recollection Of that trying winter is 50
vivid it seems but yesterday.
had read a great deal on the cor.
rect way OF governing schools, and thu
article / modelled after advised govern.
ing by love. l will say right here that
governing by love is a delusion and a
snare-a pitfall for the feet OF the IN.
wary; and the one ellinto was very
much overgrown.
The author OF this deiuding PAM
/ phlet claimed that where corporal
punishment only commanded outward
| obedience the conquor-by-loye sys.
tenn brought out all the native
,odliness, more or less OF which
substance lies dormant in eyerv
schoolboy's heart. 1t may be SO.
| would not for the world contradict
the illustrious author. But think
ifhe had analysed the s~choolboys Of
district he would have found very lit.
tie of the precious element in their
composition. But anyhow, the con.
auer by love system failed to- ~evelopit.
[ went to school the first morning
with a heart Overlooking with love
towards the forty-odd intended reclpi.
ents of that love. ] resolved to set a
good example before them by charity,
forbearance, patience and serenity
combined. II / had only mixed with
these irmness and a resolve to Judi.
clously apply hickory oil when coca.
sion demanded, | would probably
have got along better.
NY home was three miles away.
There was a path across the hi.
which had Travelled night and morn
ing. 1t was a long walk, but had the
comfort OF being at home. Theyoung
people in the neighborhood often gave
parties. / always a invited, but
never went. My school duties occu.
pied my entire day, and J wanted my
evenings to myself. This gave rise to
the D o that / thought myself
above the people.
One day one of my pupils, a little
girl of 11,came to me with the mforma-
ton that her sister was giving a lit
tie party that evening, and had an
especial reason for wishing me to come.
I declined for the reason that my
mother was in poor health, and was
expecting me home, and would be IN.
easy if | did not come. learned ait
srwards the lady's especial reason
was her brother. / had the pleasure
Of incurring the ~disp!easure of the
whole family by refusal.
One OF my rules was to have each
pupil who missed a word write it a
certain number OF times on his slate
or on the board. One day a pupil
fatty refused. Love fell fiat, and |
was Obliged to have recours to the
old-fashioned hickory wand. After he
had gwen in and completed his task
[ sent him to his seat. saw his lips
move, and form the word-it don't
matter what it was-under his breath.
gave him a second dose, even more
liberal than the-first, and he never
came to school another day. was
so glad. This caused a breach be
tween me and that family.
There We're two brothers who had q
rooted objection to looking at their
books. | kept one ofthem in one day
to learn his lesson, and at moo he
went home. Next morning ! told him
as he had gone home without asking
nv permission he could now make up
the halliday by staying in his inter-
missions and t~hree-fourths OF his
incoming. This made his folks very
angry. They sent me a note, threat
ening me with expulsion, but sent
for a director, who told ME to 20
ahead, and 'let 'em FIRE away" IL
is needless to state | "let 'em fire"
One OF my most unmanageable
tcholars was a boy, whose father
sold me one day to "knock hun
down wild the poker il ] could not
master him. / shall always hold
that old man in grateful remembrance.
He was a warm friend OF mine,
and his daughter my most advanced
pupil. [ believe she is preparing to
teach now, herself. | only hope she
| has profited by the many blunders
made that Winter, for want il I'M
derstood that do not hold myself
blanIeless by any mean No living
being is free from faults, and can as
sure you that schoolteachlng DOESN'T
send to decrease them.
One of the many faults they accus-
ed me of-of which | was not guilty
was partialIty. There was one little
girl, a cousin OF mine, to whom new
er had occasion TO speak severely,
and who always had her lessons.
They said ] never sColded Lizzie, no
matter what she did.
One old hypocrIte said my school.
house 'just put her in mind OF a the.
atre, it was so noisy" And she had
never been Inside OF my school-house,
much less a theatre. ! have often
wondered sihce what her idea OF a the
atre was to liken a school to 1t. IL
must have been something terrible,
to Judge by the construction OF her
words and the emphasis she placed
on them.
| nave no particular love yet Tor the
old lady. 1t may be that / have an
u~nfOrgiyin2 spirit.
After school closed | fell III, and she
had the hardihood to inquire alter
ME, and tell my father ''how sorry
she was" She did not dream that
the same illness was to n great ex.
tent, brou,ht on by worry caused by
a babel OF uncharitable wagglns
tongues. Oh, no. And had, morning
after morning, during the bitter cold
weather, taken off her little daughters
shoes, and held her feet in my nands
until they were thawed out.
never would advise anyone pos.
sessed of q conscience to teach |
could neither cat, sleep nor enjoy my.
self in any way that Winter. But my
experience was OF value to me. !
Taught successfully afterwards, but
established my own practice.
There Is nothing in the wide world
so trying TO the nerves, so Gispiritins.
as teachers work. What one gains
today one loses tomorrow. II one
had only the children to deal with it
would be Il small matter to govern
them. but when the parents are con
stantiy finding fault with o teachers
methods of conquerinc children who
run wild al home, and who expect her
to govern fifty children without strict
measures, when the same parents can
no. govern three or four with strict
measuses, it is rather a trying task.
Let him who disbelieves try, and see.
One OF the contributors of the Help
ing Hand recently charged a teacher
With using language to a little cir,
winch was unseemly in the extreme. !
90 not doubt the la1y's statement,
but, like che teacher VINO answered i,
I II s-N -