The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-11-13
BILL ARP ON RAISING BOYS,
"SPARE THE ROD AND SPOIL
THE CHILD.n

Solomon Was TOO Big a Foo
About Women to Direct Fami1
7 Affairs.
J In recent letter l took tho part q
the bad boys and said they must not b
given up. That letter has provoke,
most intelligent comm ont from
western school teacher, who has beer
teaching boys for twenty years. III,
says that hls so-callcd bad boys almos
invariably turned out to be his bcs
Doys, best scholars, and best men, ant
nc never punished one with the rod
Ills IL dstratlons arc very apt, enter
tanning and instructive, for he is nc
ordinary teacher, but is Il highly cul
turcd gentleman, and writes a bcauti
iul letter. His letter contained eevcra
pages and was eagerly pcruscd. lie
says am believer in the rod, but il
has been my lot to have to use ii most.
~, but lightly, on mammals pcts-thc
Sood boys who never did anything
wrong. He does not believe in moral
turpitudc or total depravity, but that
all natural instincts are good, and that
evil IS only an abuse or misuse Of tho
good, and he has never seen a human
being who would not at times perform
some kind Office for another, mover eX-
pcctlng reward. Once upon a time,
the story goes, a little girl was watch
ing sculptor as he put the finishing
touches upon an angel that he had
chiselcd from block of marble, and
she exclaimed: con, what a beauti-
ful angel you have made |" "No,"
said the sculptor, the angel was al
ready in the marble. l have only
Clipped away the rough stone that hid
it," SO it is with every man-thcrc is
an angel there, though too often hidden
ny the stony covering. The skillful
sculptor could find 1T.
This reminds me of an incident that
happened many years ago in Rome
while lived there. II was on Sunday
while great frcshct was inuiiittiting !;
portion of the town. A poor boy, the
son OF widow, had rowcd his little
boat out in an eddy TO catch some wood
that was floating down. BY some mis-
chance his hoaL was caught by the cur
rent and he was carried rapidly down
the stream. His mother haG sCou i.
all and ran down the bank screaming
for help. Many people ran along with
her, but could do nothing. 1t was
near Il quarter of mile to the junction
where scores of men and boys were
watching the surging waters. AS the
little boat nearcd the bridge pillar it
capsizod and The boy disappeared with
~, :, a
surface again and the boy was seen
ciinging to the chain at it's end. "Save
that boy, somebody" Said ono, "I'l
give IS TO save that boy" Said anoth-
cr. "I'll give So" "rll give $2O,n
said another, but nobody dared to ven
ture. The mother cried in agony.
" Won't somebody save my boy"
just then young man was seen rush
ing wildly down, throwing Off his coat
and shoes as he came and passing the
crowd, he ran down into the water and
struck out boldly for the boy. He got
him, and claspng one arm around his
waist swan with the other and laid
him at his mothers feet. lie was
limp and specchless, but alive. Putting
on his shoes and coat the young man
walked quickly away. But he was
known to most of those present. He
was barkeeper and his moral stand
ing was not good, for he was profanc
in speech and his associates were the
sports and drinking men of the town.
He was under tho ban, but there was
an angel i'll him somewhere. lie knew
tho poor widow and he knew tho boy
and he scorncd to accept any reward.
have often ruminatcd over that heroic
deed and wondered.
My school teacher friend says that
the difference between bad boy and
a good one is that the stono is harder
to chip from the former, but gives
finer and more durable polish when
the rough outside.is chisclcd away, but
the good boys angel is found in chalk,
and SOON crumbles or decays. He tells
of Bob, the worst boy ever taught. 1t
was far out in Western Texas, and
when the school was made up it was
predicted that Bob and the teacher
would have fight in less than week.
He was fully appriscd that Bob was
wicked and cursed like sailor and
would fight at the drop of a hat and
drop it himself. Bob's father was
dead and his mother an invalid and
very poor, but Bob loved her and was
kind and good to her and cooked tho
breakfast before he went to school
which was 2 miles away. lie always
hurried home after school to chop tht
wood and bring water and help he
with the supper.
The teachers punishment of hi
pupils, when it had TO be given, wa
keeping them after school and rcuuir
ing them to get their lessons. Bol
very respectfully asked to be allowc,
I to go home to wait upon his mother
He behaved very we'll for week, bu
his bad day came and he did not stud
at all. He seemed to be ready for
row. The teacher told him mildly bu
firmly, that he must stay in until h
got his lesson. He gave look of de
liance and shut up his book. M
friend says: "It was one Of the trial
of my life. l pretended to be readin
a book, but l was only thinking. 4
| nalf an hour Bob opened his book, bu
+ saw tears IN his eyes. After whil