Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-27

tional. His subject was The Philoso-
| ply of Correction
MIR. Crane opened his address by
reference To the history of correction
which often seemed synonymous with
punishment. From the time when 5000
| Christians were martyrea in the ROM
an arena, until recent times. he idea
has been rather one of punishment of
the apparent wrong doer and not one
tending toward the correction OF the
wrong doing.
Instead of trying TO retaliate on the
body for wrong deeds these
ought TO b. the noble inspiration of
ihetterng and improving The heart of
the supposed criminal. ! doubt the
value of the idea of hell-it fails of the
right ainl-~and has only the idea of
punishment and retaliation. The his
tory of punishment in the schools has
been similar 10 the history of the Span
ish lnauistion--there has been the
wrong tendency from the beginning
the reform idea has been absent.
have seen all sorts of punishments
saw any that resulted In good which
failed TO have some idea of correction
in future of past faults.
Among some of the humiliating
punishinents praetised in thousands of
school rooms are these, using sarcas-
tie remarks, ferruling the hands, max
ing the child hold his finger on GER
tain spot IN the blackboard. making
a girl sit with a boy putting Il Ounce
cap on a Child. tho boxing of ears by
which many a child's ear drum has
been broken. This class of punsh-
ments went on for years and years
until after while teachers began 10
see that all this was doing no good
that instead of correcting the child's
faults and wrong tendencies this man
ner of punishment was making the
children more sullen, driving them
further and further away from the
teacher and making them hate her more
and more
The effect of all these wrong pun
ishments is .he creating of fear and
want to say here that fear is the cause
OF more wrong doing. more evil than
anything else. The creation of fear in
children can never produce trust and
confidence or growth. All growth. all
Advancement and progress comes OF
desire and punishrnents never viii put
desire In the heart of child. The idea
of correction is to make children see
for themselves that good conduct
brings happiness and that bad con-
duct brings unhappiness. The pur-
pose of correction is to make children
high minded and self-gorerning. to
make them strong to resist the wrong
no matter what the temptation.
II remember seeing the good Horace
Mann monument in Antioch. o., where
this nohlcst educator made his memoir
able addrs ss in which he said;
IL is not the north wind that brings
out the yiolets. not the teachers frown
that brings out the sunshine.
He also said in that speech: BE
ashamed 10 die until you have done
something to bless mankind. Is it not
true. teachers that 100 often we can
imagine we can bring out the yiolets.
the sweet, gentle things IN child ma
.ura, by a north wind method OF pro-
csdure2 We ought TO take lessons
from the horticulturlst, who, instead of
getting wraihy with the broken twis
or the sick plant. props II UP tennerly
and cares for 1t more diligently than
for the strong. healthy limbs Of the
plant.
There Is another sort of inspiration
that produces the wrong sort of action
IN. 5i.tefi I; is the habit that many
teachers employ-the ,habi, OF watch
ing, watching, always as If expos sting
the children to do soms mean deed.
1t is an example of mental therapeu-
tics, by suspectInS the children con-
stan,ly of always intending to do
wrong things. by and by the children
really do what Is anticipated OF them.
ITO Accomplish real corrective re-
suits, the teacher must have the
RICH, desire to make the best OF the
material In the child, to lead. not
drive the struggler.
Yin conclusion Superintendent Crane
read Cardinal Newman's sublime hymn
Lead kindly Light, which he made SO
full of meaning by the inspiration OF
his voice that 1t seemed like mess
age directed to his rapt audience OF
teachers
coEcIAI BARGAINS