The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-05-12
SAM JONES.
Mr.. tones Favors The Rods In Schools.
atlanta Journal.

atlanta Journal.
I see it has been a matter of much
newspaper discussion, pro and con, or
the question of corporal punishment
in the public schools.
First-I am unalterably opposed tc
such public schools as we have.
Secondly am everlastingly in IA
yor of licking the kids when they need
it.
I think if the public has got to ed.
ucate Tom, Dick and Harry's children
the public teachers ought to have the
privilege of thrashing them when they
don't come to time, A boy has only
four things that you can appeal to as
a last resort: First, his sense of hon
or; second, his pride; third, his con.
science, and fourth, his hide.
Some boys, like some men, are ut
terly devoid of the first three, and il
you shut the teachers in the public
schools off from appealing to theil
hides, the question of discipline is a
farce and anarchy will rule in the
schools. I repeat it, some boys seem
to be devoid of the sense of honor.
Their sense Of right and wrong is so
obtunled and so utterly lacking that
you had as well talk to a b~illy-goat as
to them. They lie like a dog trot-
ting about anything, and when you
knock the bottom out of the boys. OF
mans integrity, the lash, the jail OF
the hangman's rope is the onl7 means
left ty which you can reach him.
Some boys have no pride of character;
they are like their daddies. If their
daddies were not so old I would be in
favor Of licking them. But you can't
make An old horse pull by thrashing
him; he will balk, rear up and kick.
You can whip a colt along when it takes
| the studs.
A boy who is devoid of pride is de.
void Of ambition. He has no ambi.
ton to be anything or anybody. His
sense of manhood is as utterly lacking
as his integrity. I know some horses
won't no along without a thrashing.
know some boys who are worse than
horses. They are like mules, and like
the old negro's mule at that, when he
said he tried to lead him and tried to
toll him, but finally had to "take a
stick and 'suade him along"
Again, some boys have no con-
science. A pang Of conscience is
something they are strangers to. They
never think or care, but, like a hog in
a pen, eating and sleeping is a big
thing with them. The young bucks
that loll and lay around the billiard
rooms and baseball grounds, and bet
on Corbett and F%itzsimmons, and Cos
| sip about the virtue of women, and
carry a pistol around in the hip peck.
ets-they have no consciences. I'D
as soon preach right and wrong to an
old government mule and expect re.
suits. Then, if a boy has no sense OF
honor, aor pride, ncr conscience, the
only thing left that you can work on
is his hide. Burns was right when he
said:
The fear of hell Is a hangmans whip
To baud the wretch in order;
But where you feel your honor grip.
Let that aye be your border.
But a boy with a fine sense Of hon
or needs peach~tree sprout. A boy Of
pride may be shamed into right living
and studious habits, and a boy with q
conscience that makes him live up tc
his sense Of right and wrong needs nc
shaming. I have some hopes of him.
But + repeat it, some boys ought to be
thrashed, and, l expect, some girls,
too. I have said it repeatedly, and
stick to my proposition-if you want
to raise a boy well you have got to
raise him often.
We have children in our home that
we had to lick, and have licked them
and never gave them enough. Other
children in our home never needed
licking and they never got it.
I repeat what I have said before Oft
times, the sense of manhood is dying
out in this country. ]. received long
letter to-day from an old educator Of
prominence in this State. He said in
his letter that he would have to retire
from the field of education in this
State; that it was now a question more
of politics than proficiency, as an edu'
Gator has to hold a position of public
school teacher. I believe that the
most gigantic trust or combination
that-will ever be formed in this world
will be the public school teachers ir
the next few years. They will com
bine and elect their own members t.
the Legislature, and servants of such
men must do their bidding. and the
treasures of every State in this Unior
will be Quilted to pay their enormous
ly increased salaries and furnish pla'
ces for additional %pap-suckers on thai
line. I don't want any office and J
don't want any school to teach, but
speak my honest sentiments.
I know it is true that in the last
Legislature of Georgia these public
functionaries were there lobbying more
intensely than railroads or anything
else ever lobbied in this State to gel
their appropriations through and the
real lobbyists Of the future will be the
public school teachers. And as long
as men love office more than honor anc
public school teachers see that it is tt
their interest to combine and put such
men in the legislative halls Of the
State as will feed their greed and fur
nish them additional pap to suck, ther
then the thing will inevitably grow
worse instead Of better.
If I had said out publicly ten year!
ago that Georgia would be now appro'
priating nearly $1,000, 900 annually t.
public schools I would have been call
ed a liar in public print. But we are
getting there with both feet now. ]
don't see how a sense of manhood car
be maintained in this country if the
trend Of things keeps n Instead Of
a sovereign State standing for the ad'
ministration of law and the protection
of rights it has turned into a sort Of
mutual benefit association, a kind Of
communistic mob, a kind of secular
agananism, and thus it goes. W.
have seer the beginning, but We have
not seen the end, and many men wht
think hardly of what ] say to-day vii
later along rise I'D and say Sam Jone!