Evening journal., 1901-03-14
LETTERS FROM THR PEOPLE
Teacher States His Case

To the Editor OF the Evening Journal.
Dear Sir: There appeared in last
Saturdays issue OF your paper ar ar
tic.e evidently inspired, II not written,
by Frank Stout, the agent OF the S. p.
9. G. AS the article in question is
grossly misleading and unfair, / ask
that in justice to the public and my
lself you will give equal publicity to
this letter
Had Shakespeare lived in America
instead OF England, his famous lines,
of which the following is an humble
parody, would probably read thus:
Sins of black men are blazon'd in the
sheets,
Their good deeds seldom sung on
streets.
Your article pictures me as an un-
merciful bully, who brutally abused
defenseless and inoffensive child. But
II you are not prejudiced and had been
at the trial you would no doubt have
come to a different conclusion.
In the first place, l want to deny
that ] was arrested and taken before
the magistrate. l have yet to be ar
rested the first time in my life. The
facts brought out for the defense in
cross-examination of the girl, Lola M.
Bailey, are, that she was reduced to a
lower class for inefflclency, that she
refused to go down, that the teacher
led her down to the class to which she
was assigned. that when her teacher
gave her another reader she threw it
down and stubbornly refused TO take it
iup, that she was whipped for her dis
obedience and stubbomness and not
for not knowing her lesson. as alleged.
that she began slapping and c.awing
at her teacher like a hyena-
These facts were cOrrobOratcd by
three eye-w.tncsses, who also testified
that Lola was one OF the worst charac-
lters In the school. that the instrument
used in punishment was not as large
as alleged and that she had not been
punished more than she deserved
But the magistrate showed from the
outset that he had been prejudiced and
had decided on the penalty before the
hearing. or course, il was the busl-
ness of Agent Stout TO make a noun
tain out OF a mole hill. So / found
myself in the same predicament with
the defenseless lamb. so graphically
pictured in fable, that stood before the
hungry wolf. ! was destined TO be
sacrificed. All the mitigating circum-
stances offered in extenuation were Of
no avail.
asked the magistrate, "What was
III to do. stand up and be whipped by
this girl and lose my prestige over my
SCHOOL, Send her home,' he re-
lplod.
But what good would it do to send
her home when the commissioners OF
the school would take her back? / ex-
lpeled her brother just two months
lago for drawing a knife on me. and a
few days after ! was requested BY the
school commissioners TO take him
back. The public can, therefore. ap-
prcc,ate my dilemma. I have not the
, power to chastise refractory pupils
, lcommensurately, nor can / expel them
, without being overruled. l have been
I a school teacher for nineteen years
and In my wide and varied experience
! having had under my care white, col.
/ lored. Indian and HindOO children,
J have never met such a bad child as
! Lola NJ. Bailey. She is as stubborn as
! q Kentucky mule. Her people know il
. and almost everybody In Lewes know.
D NJ. II Agent Stout is 80 anxious C
r earn his stipend or to add another
( feather to his cap. he could do no bet
3 ter than take charge OF Lola and pu
b lher in a reformatory.
= As regards the penalty. I have TO ad,
9 that the magistrate violated the eight
y amendment to the United States Con
stltutlcn when he imposed a fine ou
K lof al proportion to the offense. II,
u also violated the first amendment whel
= he denied me the right OF appeal
e Thanking You for space.
% EDGAR NJ. BLAND.
y Lewes. Del. March II. 1901.