The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-03-05

would cit on 1t, he would have an un'
contfollable tendency to rise.
But, by and by the scene was
changed, and at the age of Is, l found
myself the "royal master with many
followers, and the same great pointer
but not the long beard (for.I shaved
vice weekly gave my orders with
all the dignity that my lofty and royal
position required. / saw before me
dirty faced, laughing, happy little
boy on the lett, on the right was the
neat sweet little girl, and just behind
them the larger sweeter girls, and
near them the larger boys.
My first idea was to correct in the
minds OF those smaller pupils the err
roneens ideas of school as l had con-
ceived 1t at their tender age, TO have
them feel that school was not place
for torture and beating, and all sorts
of display of masculine force, but that
it was pleasant place, place to be
happy, to learn something and advance
in the world. Many amusing Incl
dents happen in the public schools.
1 will tell you of Willie Brown,
Willie was just six years old, fine face
prominent forehead. large eyes that
had habit of charging them when
in the least alarmed. Willie marched
in school the first morning very much
scared, holding tight to his a-b-c book
After a brief examination of other
pupils called Willie, who trembling
ly handed me the book, placed my
finger Oh several letters to see il
Willie was familiar with them, and
each of them he called, but called Dy
the wrong name. Then thought OF
the little story of X falling down cellar
l recited it to Willie and asked him
what was that, that looked like it was
broken. He quickly responded"that it
q you). l told Willie he was wrong,
but he was near right.
Again when Willie became more
familiar, he grew very noisiy. l re-
solved to stop it, so during one of his
Noisy ways, suddenly turned to his
neighbors Tom and Sam, and very
fiercely asked if they had caused the
noise. They meekly answered no.
then demanded of Willie if he were
the cause, TO which he answered no. l
suddenly changed my demeanor and
as sweetly as it was possible for me,
asked again, to which he answered
alphabetically this II swear to God it
wasn't me Mr.. Coons." / inquired of
The little man if he had ever heard of
God; if he knew who or what God
was. Had any one ever told him of
right or wrong, OF Heaven or hell and
learned from the little man that he
knew not God but to damn him.
My friends the boy OF the present is
the man of the future, the present son
of the father is the future father of the
son. "a boy is better unborn tnan
untaught." Were / asked to state the
most potent power to porpetuate our
government, to keep us before the
world as the first nation on the globe
to foster christianity and suppress
crime, would unhesitatingly answer
the"public schools, the schools where.
in the poorest and humblest citizen has
equal opportunities for as reasonable al
education as the richest citizen of the
land, such an education as will enable
every man to live virtuous, happy
life, to honor his government and be
an honor to the land that produced
him. The public school is the hot bed
wherein with vice or virtue is
sprouted, the world wherein the mind
aud life are shapen out again to be
changed in Immortality.
Crime cannot be eliminated by the
strong, yet cold and heartless hand OF
the law, but few ideas branded as
promises to the tender mind will be
taken as true not to be questioned
In government like our own, where
the will of the people is law, where
the voice and vote of the poor is OF
equal right, with that of the rich
where the ignorant are equal in gov.
eminent to the learned, it is mete
that knowledge should be diffused
generally among all the people. But
there is yet more noble, a grander
reason for the education of the people
than good government and good
citizenship. A man cannot worship
God beyond his conception of the
power of God. In the public schools