The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-09-26
Mary Peek.
THE POWER OE UNIFORM KINDNEs
AND DECISION IN TRAINING
rJTTnREN

THE POWER oE UNIFORM KINDNESS
AND DECISION IN TRAINING
CHILDREN
She says: "About twenty-five
years ago taught kind of mission
school near Utica, New York. All
my pupils were small and ungoverned,
mostly Dutch, many of then unable
to speak a word of English. Among
them all, Mary Peek was the worst.
All her teachers had had great trouble
with her.
"rhe first day she came, her mother
came with her and said to me. Mary
is bad girl. I want you to lick her;
that is what she wants; she wont mind
without it.
II looked at the little girl. She was
about ten years old. She was running
and jumping upon the desks, and
seemed perfectly wild. said to my.
self, she is Topsy, and [ believe she
has had nothing but beating all her
life. One day after she had given me
a great deal of trouble, I went to her
and laid my hand kindly on her head,
intending to say something to make
her better girl. l have never struck
her, and did not mean even to punish
her that way, as l was sure she had al
ready had too much 'lickin, as her
mother called it.
"sQuick as a cat she seized my hand
and bit it, her teeth meeting in the
thin part of my hand, between the
thumb and finger. She shook it as a
dog would. 1t hurt and startled me so
that could not suppress scream.
Then she sprang upon her desk, and
and skipped from desk to desk, she al
most flew three or four times around
the room, upsetting ink and knocking
off books and states. was SO surpris-
ed by the suddenness of the whole
thing that 1 could only look to see
what next. When she saw that she
was not pursued, as she expected, then
she came up to me and said:
"'Now lick me-"
~ said, Il do not wish to whip you,
Mary But I took her by the hand and
led her into closet and locked her in.
All was still for a few minutes, then
she began to kick and pound the door,
Finding this accomplished nothing,
then this little girl only ten years old
began to swer in the most dreadful
manner, saying ~ will kill you, I
will kill you," still kicking and pound
ing the door and screaming at the top
of her voice. l took no notice. An
hour and half later I dismissed the
school, and then remained silent.
She gradually made less noise. Iwait-
ed half an hour after she became quiet
then looked in. I shall never for
get how she looked. She sat on the
floor, and as opened the door she
raised her great brown eyes-they were
beautiful eyes-but otherwise she did
not move. Something in her eyes
touched my heart. I think she must
have seen it, for when I went to hel
and said, Come with me, Mary, and
let us have little talk she got ur
without word. I had wound my
handkerchief around my hand where
she bitten it; she seized it and kissed
it, and began to cry, and said, Did il
hurt you very much"
"'Not half so much, Mary, as il
hurts my heart to have you naughty
girl She kissed my hand over anG
over again, and cried and said, why
didn't you lick me? Mother told you
to; heard her.
IT did not wish to whip you, Mary,
said -; Il think you have whipping
enough. Whipping will not make
you good girl. Nobody can do that
for you you must do that for your
self. We must all do that for our
selves
II talked with her until nearly
dark, trying to make her see how much
better It would be for her to be~good
how much more everybody would love
her.
want to lick me"
"'Yes, I would love you, and do
not wish to whip you, Mary. I only
wish you to be a good and happy
girl
"The next day she came to school as
quiet and subdued as could wish.
"After school had begun, she came
to me and said.
Teacher, may come aud sit by
you?"
II said, eff you recite your lessons
well.' She went to her seat, and when
her class was called she spelled every
word cOrrprtly