Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-01-05
why Discipline?

The first condition OF enecClVe
discipline is respect for those in
authority. If children have this
respect the greatest problem is
solved. But to allow children to
grow up constantly disrespecting
authority is to allow them to lose
respect for all whom they come in
contact with. Rightful respons-
ibility must always be equalized
with rightful authority. and right
full authority must always be
checked by responsibility.
Some one has called children, at
certain ages, s'the widest of wild
animals" and, in the training of
wild animals, the loss of "nerVe"
is fatal to the trainers success. I
consider absolute fearlessness the
first necessity for the teacher. By
fearlessness, do not mean phys
ical fearlessness, but rather moral
courage daring the sometimes GER
tain interference of parents and
others, and in being firm in ones
convictions, even though the COM
munity may not approve. One
must not even hesitate TO incur the
dislike of one's pupils, temporar-
lily at least, for the responsibility
of our duty should be far more
precious to US than popularity
with pupils or parents, or fear OF
being considered failure. Think
of the noble army Of failures.
Socrates was failure, doomed to
poison by the city in whose crown
of fame he is the brightest star.
Joan of Arc was failure, her
young body burned before the fat
eyes of comfortable bishops.
Michael Angelo called himself a
failure. Burns and Poe we're fail
ures. And Jesus of Nazareth was
a failure, deserted by his friends,
bounded by the populance, cruci-
fed between two thieves. But it is
such failures that make "Jhe choir
invisible whose music is the glad
ness of the world" Only in oul
weakest moments do we care for
what men. call success, and we
know that 1t is not always that We
want the foam and glitter.
Before the recent Franco-Prus-
sian war, an officer of the army
was deputed to report upon the
state of opinion and morals in
Prussia as compared with France
In the course of his remarks he
says, discipline in the army, de-
pends on the discipline of society
land private families. The young
mon in Prussia are trained to gen.
eral obedience, to respect author
Iity, and above all, to do their duty.
But how can this discipline exis
lin the French army, when it does
mot exist in French families? Their
look beyond the family circle, a
llyceums, schools and colleges-is
anything done to develop among
the children respect for their par.
ents, regard for duty, obedience
| to authority and the law? Nothing
or next to nothing! The conse'
Iquence is, that every year we in
troduce into the army contingen
of young men who, for the mos
part, are entirely devoid of relig
ious principles, and sound moral
lity, and who, from their child
4 hood, have been used to obey nj
one, to discuss everything, and t.
respect nothing. And yet ther'
are people who pretend that all a
once we can, as soon as they ge
into the army, inure to discipline
these undisciplined and unprinci
pied youths. These people do no
suspect that discipline in the arm.
lis snothing but discipline in pri
vate life that is, sense Of duty
obedience to appointed superiors
respect for the principles Of au
thority and established institu
tions."
Pope said, "Order is heaven
first law;" and unless we, as teach
ers, place order before all things
we cannot obtain the desired re
suits. Someone else has said
"Childhood shows the man a
morning shows the day A beau
tiful dawn will sometimes deceiv
us. but when we awake to find
storm raging in all its fury, we d
mot expect glorious sunset
What can we expect ola child VIII
has had no moral training, or ha
not been disciplined as he shoul'
have been?
Go to the penitenturies, in'
some guilty of the darkest crimes
and if they we're sane when the,
committed the crimes, inquire 9
their past lives and you will fin
that the majority are from home