The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-28

ers punishment or bis pupils, when e
had 10 be given, was keeping them af-
ter school and requiring them TO get
their lessons Bob very respectfully
asked to be allowed to 30 nome TO wait
upon his mother He behaved very
we'll for a week, but his bad day came
and he did not study at all. He seem
ed to be ready for a fow. 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. / pretend
ed to be reading a book, but / was only
thinking. In half an hour Bob opened
his book. but saw tears in his eyes
After a while no said, I 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 won't be bad any more
Well, / 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.
verify believe that If | had whipped
him he would have been ruined by 1t.
After MS mothers death ne enlisted
In the army and won his straps, and he
writes me occasionally, and always
thanks me for the kindness I showed
him at school"
| believe that the use of the rod in
our public schools has been generally
abandoned. The punishment of refrac-
tory pupils is now just what it is in
our colleges. Expulsion, suspension,
monthly reports of conduct and prog
ress. Patrons seem satisfied with this
and the general verdict is that Solo
mon was Joking. My friend Fort was
as hostile to whipping children as is
Dr. Holderby. of Atlanta, and when
quoted Solomon, who said, "He that
spareth the rod hateth his son." he
said, We'll Solomon was mad when
he wrote that. With all of those wives
he must have had three or four hun
dred children, and the little rascals
were always tagging after him and
begging for candy or knife or a doll,
OF 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 every
thing for granted that 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 chastised
you with with whips, but I will chas-
tise you with scorpions That's the
kind Of 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 unCOV-
cred by his mothers love. Some moth
VI > SCuu lAlClI 1lCJlG CullOl Gu W oGLlOOl
as to a nursery, to get them out of the
way or because they cannot manage
them at home, while others put up tor
them nice lunch and kiss them a
sweet goodbye and fondly watch for
their return. Our children had to go
more than a 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 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 go
ing to leave us-going to WiEnsbOro,
Carolina, to live, where her husband
has found profitable employment. They
have five children, some of whom
were our daily visitors and made us
happy when they came. What shall
we do now? We thought that this exc
dus of our children was over. My
wife and l are grol g old, and it
grieves us to lose children and
grandchildren. But rs is the com
mon lot There is nothing true but
heaven.-BILL ARP, in Atlanta Consti-
tuition.