The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1907-09-21
SCHOOL cHlLDREN's TALES.

Prof. r. S. Bailey, in well-written
article in last weeks Echo admonishes
parents and guardians against listening
to the tales of the pupils as they are as
sembIed around the table. This is
splendid advice and will, if followed out
by parents, rebound not only to the
good of the school in generul, but also
to the future welfare of the children.
The writer, through an experience OF
twenty years spent in the school room,
recalls to mind many experiences and
unpleasantnesses caused by the over
fond parent or guardian listening to
the report, brought home by little
Johnny or little Mary, of some great
evil inflicted or some great reproach
heaped upon them by the school teacher,
when, if the report were Investigated, it
would all have evaporated in thin air,
as do reports among older persons. One
girl went home once with report that
there was an unearthly odor in the main
study hall of the school, so that all the
children were always sick at school.
The father took all the children from
the school, treasured his malice against
the school and refused to speak to the
principal. The children would not
speak to him and would turn up their
noses at him when he went abroad. The
matter of the children's report through
roundabout way reached the authori-
ties, and the whole thing was fabrica-
ton from start to finish and only origl-
mated in the mind of the girl who wanted
to quit school and used this as a means.
On another occasion one girl said the
teacher had "bull-ragged' her before
the class, whatever that would mean
we confess we did not and do not now.
The report, however, got rife around d
town, and the irate aunt-guardian-red-
headed and rough-handed-immediately
repaired to the school house to inves I'll
gate. She asked some of Mays com :
panions if sae had been bull-ragged.
She said yes she had. The teacher was
asked in whose room the occult Grim e
had been committed. The teacher said
Mr.. -, meaning the principal had
only corrected May for not being more
studious with regard to her algebra les
sons. On another occasion the teacher
was accused of some direful dishonesty
on the part of some, who were jealous,
perhaps, of his success, and great re-
ports were circulated here and there;
but when the trustees Investigated the
reports, they found that the teacher,
through kindness of spirit, had sacri-
fficed his time and money to assist those
who had been his life time friends, and,
instead of being blamed therefor, he
was praised.
The Echo could cite many other cases
where the teacher has not had the right
to be heard in his or her own defense,
bnt we will always believe, as long as
we live under the free American flag,
that every one, even a school teacher,
accused by pupil of anything, ought
to he heard in her own defense, and that
no parent ought to unqualifiedly listen
to all that a child has to say about the
teacher without either discountenancing
| the same, OF, what is still better, inves-
tigating the matter to his satisfaction
and giving the teacher a chance that
our country gives the meanest criminal
in the land, namely: a right to be hear'
in her own defense.
0cnooi --..cners are human and are
liable to make mistakes, but our expert
ence is that, on an average, they are a.
fair minded people, if not more so, al
those of any other profession, and th'
writer can not call to mind any instance
of personal knowledge where any Chile
has been grossly mistreated by any as
sistant that he has ever been associated
with, or where every child has not hae
fair treatment, and be it said to th'
credit of the teachers in our public
schools now in this city that all who
attend school will be treated with prope
consideration and will be scientificali!
taught.
The man of tomorrow will be the edu
Gated man, and the one who is kept a
home will be the laggard in the rae
and, when grown, will be totally unfitte
to take up the great burden OF life, hi
powers atrophied, mind stunted aud tn
remaining years a struggle and old ag
a regret.
Old people tell of their experiences
| school; how they used to be flogged
locked up in closets, made to stand u
in a corner for hours and wear the dune
cap, and subjected to all forms OF humi
liation, and now the same, who are par
ents, in many instances, if their chill
dren are corrected in any way, want I
take UP the cudgel against the teache
and if they do not do that, they will loi
! the great throng possibly in vilifyin
,b;n, to the f3etriment of the SchO oil an