The Indianapolis journal., 1904-01-24

Il who has IN her cnarge boys OF all
ages from thirteen years upwards.
lSETayN has much occasion to study the
- cure Of souls The amount of
arithmetic and grammar she imparts is
ofen of slight Importance. in comparison
with the transformations of character and
of ideals and ambitions that she effects.
And unless she can make a considerable
portion of her boys over into new creatures,
she has thorny road before her. For there
will certainly be number of boys in the
class whose school ambitions have settled
down to these three points: To avoid learn
ing their lessons, to amuse themselves. TO
annoy the teacher Some boys may reap
distinction and honor by good rectations
and brilliant compositions; but these earn
the admiration of their fellows and the ap-
plause of the gang" by the ingenuity and
impudence they display in making trou-
bic for the teacher.
Miss AIarston is a young teacher of In
dianapolis who has unusual success in deal
ing with bad boys. An astute principal has
observed this, and adroitly manipulates
classes so as to assign her all the bad boys
that can be got into her grade; hence her
experience a tanner and transformer
of bad boys is wide and varied. Every
teacher in a graded school soon acquires
reputation among the pupils, so that they
know what to do when they get TO her
room. Such q teacher is an easy mark;
you can be as bad and noisy as you please
in her room. Such a teacher is awful
strict" you draw your very breath in fear
and trembling in her room. Miss Mars
tons reputation is peculiar. You have to
Ioe, ipcredihIx, gOod in her room
you must not whisper-really not at all;
you must not tap with your pencil; you
must not make any noise-but then you
have so much freedom and such a good
time. You may do almost anything that
does not disturb the quiet of the room
or prevent your learning your lessons-and
you have a brilliant woman to entertain
you all day long. 1t is odd but really les
sons are so interesting that you don't
have time to do anything else.
Into this happy little republic of stu
dents, twice year comes a new influx of
bad boys, each one determined to distin-
guish himself and show that Miss Mars
ton can't wind him around her finger. each
one with reputation for badness to main
tain. as proud of 1t any bad man" in
the traditional wild West"
And somehow, sooner or later, she tames
them ALL No boy ever tries being in
solent but once-the deadly, still, white
wrath in the teachers face. and in her low
level tone is enough; he doesn't care to be
struck by lightning twice. AS for the in
vention of some funny trick to do. and
make all the others laugh, when the teach
er's back is turned-the first boy who tries
that is object lesson enough for the rest.
Miss Marston has eyes in the back of her
head-all her pupils believe that-and she
catches him it. Then she affects the
deepest interest. 1t was so kind in him
to think of that to entertain and instruct
his classmates; will he please come up on
the platform. and show them just how it
is done? Sheepishly he goes to the plat
| form and Is required to do il over and
| over again till he Is heartily sick of it, to
a running accompaniment of ironical praise
and admiration.
| But these are mere prelminaries: the real
work is to get hold of the boys heart and
soul to make him over. Boys i'm Miss
| Marston's room actually acquire a sense
OF honor. Heretofore, to cheat teacher, or
| anybody else, has been their ideal of
achievement. Now they really learn to
| scorn to do things behind Miss Marston S
back that they would not do to her face;
| they actually learn to tell on themselves.
| when inquiry is made as to the author of
| some disturbance.
But the ways of getting hold of boy
| are various as the boys. one case is
that of Hugh Murphy Poor Hugh lost one
| leg when he was a boy OF nine ten.
Everybody has been sorry for him. His
crutches have plead for him to every
| teacher. and his misdemeanors have been
| overlooked. When he came to Miss Mars
| ton, he was a big, strong, hulking boy of
| fifteen or sixteen, who could outrun and
Outright all the other boys. With his great
| strength. his crutches seemed to give him
an actual advantage. And he fully ex-
| pected and intended to be insolent and dis
| orderly and mischievous from morn till
| dewey eve. But when the teachers disap-
| proving gaze was turned on him. he wrfthed
| and twisted If it burned him.. He fell
| under the spell. 1t was so we'll worth while
| to have Miss Marston smile when she looked
| at him, that il even worth being dill
| gent and orderly. Heretofore, truancy had
| been Hugh's speciality. and, If the truth
| were told, about the only mitigation and
| respite that his teachers enjoyed. Now he
came faithfully every day. and really tried
to learn. 1t was actually pathetic, Miss
| Marston said TO see big Hugh, who had
not mind adapted to book learning and
who had consistently learned nothing all
4 the through school. no w fry