The Tupelo journal., 1902-11-21

Texas. and when the school was made
up it was predicted that Bob and tho
teacher would have a fight in less than
a week. He was fully appraised that
Bob was wicked and cursed like q
sailor and would fight at the drop Of
a hat and drop it himself. Bob's ia
Their was dead and his mother an in
valid and very poor. but Bob loved her
and was kind and good to her and
cooked the breakfast before he went
to school, which was two miles away.
He always hurried home after school
to chop the woodland bring water and
help her with the supper. The teach
er's punishment of his pupils, when it
had to be given, was keeping them
after school and requiring them to get
their lessons. Bob very respectfully
asked to be allowed to go home to wait
upon his mother. He behaved very
well for a week, but his bad day came
and he did not study at all. He seemed
to be ready for a row The teacher
told him mildly but firmly that he
must stay in until he got his lesson.
He gave a look of defiance and shut
up his book. My friend says: 1T was
one of the trials of my life. Ipretend-
ed to be reading a book, but l was only
thinking. In half an hour Bob opened
his book, but l saw tears in his eyes.
After awhile he said: L can't study
now. Please, sir, let me go home. It's
getting dark and mother will be
scared. She's all alone and sick.
Please, sir, L will get this lesson to-
morrow, and l won't be bad any more
Wen, l was just overcome, and / took
him in my arms and we wept together.
Never did Bob give me any more trou-
BILE and all the neighbors wondered.
l verify believe that if l had whipped
him he would have been ruined by it..
After his mothers death he enlisted
in the army and won his straps, and he
writes me occasionally, and always
thanks me for the kindness / showed
him at school,"
l believe that the use of the rod in
our public schools has been generally
abandoned. The punishment Of re-
fractory pupils is now just what it is
in our colleges. Expulsion, suspen-
sion, monthly reports of conduct and
progress. Patrons seem satisfied with
this and the general verdict is that
Solomon was joking. My friend Fort
was as hostile to whipping children as
is DR.. HolGerby, of Atlanta, and when
| quoted Solomon, who said: He that
spareth the rod hateth his son." he
said: well, Solomon was mad when
he wrote that. With all of those wives
dred children, and the little rascals
were always tagging after him and
begging for candy, or a knife or a doll,
or something, and they climbed up
his legs and felt in his pockets and
pulled his hair, and it was pappy this
and daddy that, until he got desperate
and wrote that verse. | don't take
everything for granted hat Solomon
says, nohow. A man who was as big
a fool about women as he was, needn't
tell me about whipping children. He
didn't know how to raise Rehoboam,
who succeeded him, for he said to the
children of Israel: My father chas-
tised you with whips, but l will chas-
tise you with scorpions That's the
kind of a boy he raised with his rod"
But after all and before all it is the
home influence that moulds the child,
for that is constant and enduring.
The angel that was within Bob was UNI
covered by his mothers love. Some
mothers send their little children to
school as to a nursery to get them
out of the wa or because they cannot
manage them at home. While others
put up for them a nice lunch and kiss
them a sweet good-by and fondly
watch for their return. Our children
had to go more than & mile to school
when we lived on the farm. They had
to cross the creek on a foot log and
then through a field up a long hill and
then down the hill until out of sight.
1t was my daily pleasure to watch
them go and come, and feel that they
were safe.
And now our eldest daughter is 60
ing to leave us-going to Winnsboro,
Carolina, to live, where her husband
has found profitable employment.
They have five children, some of whom
were u daily visitors and made us
happy when they came. What shall
we do now? We thought hat this
exodus of our children was over. My
wife and l are growing old and it
grieves us to lose u children and
grandchildren. But this is the com
mon lot. There is nothing true but
Heaven.-Bill Arp, in Atlanta Consti-
tuition.