The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-12-30
BANK OF BROOKHAVEN, BROOkHAYgn, MISS, s
to inquire into the matter and

to inquire into the matter and
bring about, if possible, a revo-
luton along this line? For every
cause there is a corresponding
effect. We have the effect, now
let us look back for the causes;
for l think there are many to
which we might attribute this la
mentable fact. First let us go
back to the first school and look
into the conditions there. We
examine the home and I'VE find
the parents lacking in interest
and appreciation of the school
and the development of their
boys. Like begets like, and the
boys become negligent Of their
own future welfare. No teacher
can overcome the inertia of disin-
terested parents, it matters not
what he may do. So we find it
necessary, in the first place, to
educate the parents of our child
rem, in a great measure, and the
influence of the parents will reach
the boys directly. Let Us not
confine our school to the little
house on the hill, but rather make
the whole community our school.
Enlist the parents in the work
and the boys will take care of
themselves. =
Secondly: Parental control, to
the detriment of our boys, and
l might say girls also, has fallen
to very low state in this day
and time. A boy who is not con-
trolled at home, can hardly be
controlled at school. The boys
are allowed to grow. up, with
scarcely no restraint and conse-
quently wander from the parental
roof and school very early. Again,
l say, we need to teach the par
ents, not only that we may inter-
est them in our work, but the i'm
portance of controlling the boys
at home; and when he comes I'M
der our direction the way will
have been made straight and
smooth for us. ~ !
Third: We, as teachers, too of
ten make the school a burden and
a drudgery to the boy. We make
school life a task, when it should
be made a pleasure. Er.-s !
Who cannot say that school
days are the happiest? Every
lesson should be made a pleasure,
and every attraction should be
given to the active life of boy,
for his comfort and happiness,
making the search for the great
facts of science and history fas-
cinating rather than irksome.
Fourth: The boys are allured
into bad company and the paths
thereof, if followed, lead away
from school into the abyss of
wreck and ruin. Can we not
make the school a nucleus of
moral culture and training, around
which the homes are collected,
standing for the same principles?
We can never oyerestimate the
good and lasting effects of moral
stories in the school room. Teach
the boys, and the girls too, the
sure and lasting effects of bad
company. .~ ... =
Fifth: And one of the great
est, if not the greatest, is the
desire on the part of the boys to
put forth their vigorous strength
in combat with the battles of life
before they have secured the
necessary weapons for warfare.
What boy is there, who has not
had looming up before his vision
castles and mansions in some
land, not far away, and desire
to 60 out into the world to win
fortune before the years of ma
turity have begun to dawn? In
my experience l believe | have
found this to be the most formid-
able foe to the school life of a
boy. 1t was the foe to fight in
my personal life. Many have
been the boys who imagined that
the world was badly in need of
their talents, and afterwards
found themselves troddcn down
because they could not withstand
the foes and overcome the diff
culties which every voyager must
inevitably meet on the sea of life.
We must impress indelibly on
the minds of our boys the results
of going into the battle unpre-
pared. If we can picture defeat
to him in all Of its horrors and
victory in all of its charms and
beauties we have won the victory