The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-19
Discipline Ia School.
4 The Tlmes-Dlspatch:!

Y
55-- ~
Discipline Ii School.
Editor OF Tho Times Dispatch:
sIr,-1n regard to your editorial on the
Reuben Pitt shooting affair." wish to
say that in all avocations OF life there
are ideal conditions-so In the. teachers
profession. There Is the Utopian idea
OF school, constituted OF pupils well
trained at home. who attend school reg
ularly behave, study hard and respect
and reverence the exalted. controlling
principles OF honor and right, and the
tho pupil by showing hm the right, guild
Ing him by appealing to the principles OF
TRUTH manllness and honor. 3s6
tits fact, though, that In many places
the conditions are sadly out Of harmony,
with this ideal. Here Is where the trou-
bic comes n. There s 20 growing senti-3
1nent against any Kind OF corporal pun
ishment In the school-room; this senti-
nlent has It's birth In the disposition In
parents to consider what their children
ought to be, not what they are. The
ideals of the people are sadly impractici-}
BILE: they will tell lis what the school
should be, how 1t shou.u be controlled
tctc., but lectures on gunpowder do no;
good In time OF war. People have a beau
tiful conception Of the ideal school, where
no sort Of Fundamentals necessary. DO
they ever stop to consider whether or not
they, by proper discipline in the home.
furnish the ideal pupil, without which
the ideal school Is impossible? sHSJE
We all with pleasure look to that huppy
day when the ideal pupil and tho ideal
teacher meet in the school arena. Butts
1t not a fact THAT the popular Idea OF u
model school is about half a century
ahead OF the time and existing condl-
tons? I believe It was Holmes who said
Tho proper time to begin to train d
child Is hundred years before 1t is
born. The homo Is the great school.
which every child attends: the father and
the mother arc the teachers.teIf THE child
Is trained right in the first school there
will be little or no trouble In the school
proper. which 1t later attends. Let the
parents do well their part IN the school
OF which thoy arc the principals. and 1t
will be easy for the teacher employed by
tho State to approach more nearly to tho
popular ideal school. Sfas 49,
"A large majority OF the children are
so we'll trained at home that they can
be controlled without punishment in the
school-room. but what would you do with
tho minority7 What would you do WITH
the boy who Is absolutely irresponsible
to your best influences and to your efforts
TO control by moral suason 2? Who, when
called up for reproof,. Drandtshes a knife?
Who, when the teacher attempts to pun
ish him for this conduct. cuts at him
with the knife !? What would you do with
the boy who carries a pistol to school?
You say talk to him: appeal to his rea-
son and higher princp les s. II you fall
what next? Tho boy Is. say, ten years
old. Would you stop him from school
and let him go to the pententinry, or
would you try. even by whipping. q to COR
rect him, II other methods fail? Or would
fyn mr. n COB n flirr.A -
deaperado? What would you do With
such boy, during tho interval he Is be-
yond the influence OF moral suasion q
AS to the so-caled large boys, how arc
they to be treated2 Are they to be meas
ured by feet and pounds. as, YOU would
measure pork or lumber, or their size
to be estimated rather by their motives
and their deeds? If. e. man allows him
self to DO n worm. need no complain {.
he is trodden on? Is n boy over too large
to be whipped. II he is little enough to
need II or to deservet7 Treat tho large
boys rs ifSthey are gentlemen.o OF course,
and II they mishehnYe-then what? Let
such fellows turn the school into reg
ular pandeInonium7 demoralize the better
pupils and impair their prospects for
good II the teacher falls to discipline
the physical man. how can he hope to
discipline the intangible. spiritual part,
the mind7 s55, an
Now. In case such runlans B come 10
school,, what Is to be done? The State
grants them the privilege OF coming; they
have right to come The State places
the teacher in loco PARENTS. and author
ICES him to- employ such means OF discI-i
ipllne as will control the pupil, Has tho
teacher n right to dismiss the pupil with
tout employing the means with which no
is vested by the State for tho pupils con-
shall he resort to whlpplng7 There is
some good argument In favor OF tho rod,
II weight attaches itself to tho opinion
OF Lord Byron or Of Solomon;
"ohI ye. who teach tn Ingenious youth
OF nations Z. B
Holland, France, England Gcrmany,or
Spain tF 4l M
I pray you fog them upon all occaslons:
{ It mends their morals; never mind the
pain"
"a whip for the horse, bride for the
ass, and a rod for the FOOLS back
And In case the teacher undertakes 10
whip something in the shape OF a man,
weight say two hundred pounds and
height SIX xd feet ns ana this, ths sosaed
this size Jump on the teacher, must he
offer up himself a willing sacrifice on the
altar OF such Molicks2 i there Is ever
case where It would be the teachers
duty to whip q so-called large boy, sup
pose this that case Would a man In any
other occupation or profession be CEN
sured II he should XIII one or two OF four
men who assault him In the discharge OF
his dhy7 Has a school teacher no right
to breathe this vital airY Does the Con-
stItution really mean ''all men are ere
ated free and equal" or Is the school
teacher an 5excepton2
Please do not understand that ap-
prove OF teachers carrying guns to
school any. more than approve Of tho
school that has In 1t suoh rufians as
make 1t necessary for him to carry a
gun for self-proteotIon, II there are such
schools and II they have to have a
teacher, who would Willingly BIO the mar
tyr2 II a minister can. preach from the
pulpit with n gun In each hand, why not
give sohbol teacher lie right to teach |
with a gun in his hand, II i should be
or the various things chill
that every person has rights and that J