The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-24
BILL ARP.
He Comes Home Unexp ctedly
at Midnight.
AND WAKES UP THE HOUSEHOLD

at home, for Mrs. Arp has confidence in me.
She calls me her bulwark--hor tower Of
strength. But when ] am gone she locks and
bars the doors and fastens the windows, and
dreams Of Charley Ross and Tom Voolfolk.
She knows my football upon the piazza, but
tiptoed this time and tapped gently at the door
"Who is that" said she. ITS me-" said ] (;
"your bulwarl-your tower" 81 don't believe
| it, said she '1t's some tramp--you said you
were not coming till tomorrow night" 81
| couldn't stay away from you that long said !.
] She lighted q candle--she always keeps one at
| the head OF her bed--and before she opened the
door said, "Now, William, are you sure it's
| you? was IN hopes 1t was Ralph He hasent
| been home for two months nor written a line
! for three weeks, and I'm afraid the poor boy Is
| sick" (You see IN no kin to her, but Ralph
| is) "Open the door, if you please" said
/; "it is cold out here" She
| stirred around awhile, and walked up
Carl and Jessie, and they all came running
| to the door together and we embraced and
kissed and were happy again. When / am
| away, Mrs. Arp says it nearly kills her to get
| up out Of warm bed at eaybreak and unlock
| the door for Ned to come in and make fire;
and so | have had an iron latch made and
fastened a cord to one end, and the cord goes
through pulley in the ceiling over the door,
and another pulley right over the head OF her
bed, and comes down to tho pillow where the
angel is sleeping, and now, when Ned knocks
at a, tn the door OIL she won DOM vt to haHe
and exchanged all the news, and / learned
that the wood was getting low and the COW
wasn't doing well, and the milk wouldn't turn
in the churn, and somebody had broken the
peafowls leg. "What about the school?' said
] to the children. How do you like the new
teacher" ooh, VIC like him." said Jesse.
HE is just as nice as he can be. believe he
IS rs good as Mr.. Mobley was" How do you
like him, Carl" said l. Papa, he has given
me two marks already" said Carl, "and
1t just for talking a little, and he says
when a boy gets ten marks he whips him
and then rubs out the slate and begins again.
Papa, do yOu reckon he means it2" "Why,
of course, said L. "You know the rules and
you must not break them" But Mr. Mob
Icy let us talk little" said he. "Well my
boy, if was a teacher the boys would have to
conform to my rules or quit the school. The
teachers rules are all for your good. You
don't think he Just naturally wants to whip
YOU, do your" NO sir" said he. 81 like
him He is a good teacher and treats us all
alike, but thought he might let us whisper a
little sometimes-it Just looks like can't help
it," And the boy Struggled up to me in the
bed and put his arm around me like he didn't
have another friend in the wide world.
What world OF memories 1t awakened. |
used to get whippings at school and they hurt
hurt awful badfor whippings in those days
were in earnest. They meant business and
reform. My mother could tell when had
been punished tell by my subdued look, and
one time when she thought ! was asleep she
uncovered me and looked at the red marks on
my legs and she leaned over and kissed me and
] felt tear drop upon my cheek But my IA
Their had been a school teacher and he said it
was right. One time | had big boil some
where on the suburbs and begged the teacher
not to whip me on my "bile," but | reckon he
didn't believe l had one for he bursted it with
a center shot and liked to have killed me. lie
was sorry for me and honeyed me up, bur !
went homo and my mother cried and father
looked sad and solemn and asked
what he whipped mo for. ! told
him that / Iung the bell before the
teacher got there, and another boy told on me.
Long afterwards, | learned Thar my father was
mad, and talked to the teacher, shut he never
let me know it, nor stopped me from school.
When there is no meanness in boys mis-
chief | think the whipping should be light.
Come down heavy like you was killing him,
but slack up just before you get there. One
morning early Jim Wilson aud | got on a
table and broke of the nail wherein Mr. Nor
ton always hung his hat He was tall man,
and tho nail was as high as he could reach
When he came we were all in our places, and as
he looked round aud said, order" we bent to
our books with tho usual alacrity. Then he APP
preached tho wall, and with great dignity
hung his hat upon tie accustomed nail. lie
thought he did, but IL fell to the floor and |
said ''to-he," and the other boys snickered a
1t with his red bandana and once moro hung
it upon the nail and down il came again. lie
never wore Spectaclcs except 10 mend the pens
or set u copy, and without them 1t looked like
the nail was there. AS the hat struck the floor
and rolled around, Jim Wilson said 'te-he
te-he, and was holding my mouth, but it eX-
ploded Hike n squirt gun. The teacher took
out his spectacle case and put ON his pecks,
and rs he tip-toed and gazed at the broken
! nail Jim and | were choking back the cachi-
! nation with n strain. Selling his hickory ho
/ came towering over MS as he exclaimed: You
/ are the very rlScals that broke that nail" /
/ thought he was going to cut us in two and
! shrnnk upsmall, hut he come down just rs light
/ and goutloraS Il sucking dove. | saw merry
/ twinkle in his eye rs he said, NOW l reckon
/ you will let my hat nail alone after this" And
/ VIC did, and loved him all The better for his
! tenderness
But the teachers must he sustained, and nino
| times out of ten they are right. l knew a case
where a bad hoy fought II teacher
and in the tight the boy got bruised
| up and went homo and Went to bed
and q doctor was sent for and big
| fuss raised Court was in session, and the
father went 60 the grand jury and got true
| bill, and the teacher was arrested and tried
| right ON the excitement and was convicted
| and fined. lie was one Of the best teachers
! the town ever had, and il mortified him SO he
| moved away, | learned afterward that the
| boy was i'll MAJOR orchard stealing peaches
! the next day after he got the whipping.
! There is a power of original sin and
| acquired CuSscdneSs in some bows
ana nothing but corporal punishment will
| bring il out. 1t is like measles if it strikes in
! and stays there the boy is ruined Better
bring il TO the surface by little gentle irrita-
ton of the eutclc, and thereby save the boy
/ life. As general rule, parents are perfectly
| willing Tor other peoples children 10 be
/ whipped. You never hear q sehoolboy say
that the teacher did wrong in whipping
some other boy. Teachers and preach
ers are the preseryers Of the public
| morals, Ii takes both 10 keep the
world ont of JAIL and l am on their
! side always and everywhere. Take the teachers
| and preachers out Of CarterSville and would
move away quick. / feel their good influence
over my children. But teacher should teach
something more than books. He should teach
! morality, obedience TO parents honesty, truth
/ and kindness, lie can inculcate these virtues
! every day without losing any time, and the
children will never forget it. My obiec-
ton 10 public free shoots is their
! frigdity--their lack of heart. They
! teach nothing but books and hence IL is
that crime increases at the north in proportion
! TO education Ten bad boys in public school
| will oontaminate n hundred. unless the teacher
I IL bx h,,tt hale I,o