“They don’t get on well together—I wonder what the matter is with these fellows,” Mr. Frank remarked. CONSTRUCTIVE TREATMENT Accept the invitation to play. As a player, take only a player’s part. No pedagogical authority need be used; but as a private person exercise a control that will give tone to the whole performance. See that something like justice is done to all and that the foolish delays are eliminated. COMMENTS Boys little by little acquire a sense of order and often become deeply offended at the unruly procedure of their comrades. They welcome the presence of an older hand that steadies affairs and prevents one or two reckless boys or girls from spoiling the fun of all the rest. An occasional participation may be all that is needed to institute a noticeable improvement. Such aid should be given heartily as it is due to the children in every school. ILLUSTRATION (FIFTH GRADE) [Sidenote: Boy’s Letter] How a child looks upon this matter is seen in the following extract taken from a boy’s letter: “We’re having a bully time at school. At recess time teacher plays with us and after school, too, sometimes. “We play baseball, and he says we can have a match game if we practice hard. I’m second baseman. Teacher made the boys let in the little fellows if they can keep up. “I hain’t going to miss school nary a day if I can help it. Play’s lots of fun. We don’t play much in school because we have work to do. “Hope you’re all well. SAM.” CASE 94 (SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADES) The Cloverdale Grammar School gave much attention to athletics and especially tried to encourage the baseball team which had been organized from the seventh and eighth grades. Mr. Tilden, the principal, was sincere in his desire that his pupils should engage in the sport, but having given his verbal encouragement and assistance, it did not occur to him that his personal presence on the playground was in any degree necessary to the welfare of the school. He interpolated but on restriction into the fun: “In order to safeguard our school buildings,” he said to the boys, “I am going to make one ruling, namely, that you must not send the balls toward the school building. Any boy who does that, accidentally or otherwise, must drop out of the game.” All went well for a few days. The less aggressive among the boys adhered to the rule strictly. But one day one of the leading boys, Reginald Coleman, happened to hit the stone foundation of the school building. In this particular instance the stone foundation was surmounted by brick walls up to about one-third or one-half the height of the building, then finished off for the remainder of the distance with wood. Reginald argued with much boyish eloquence that “the foundation was not a part of the building, no possible harm would result from hitting it with the ball, hence it could not be that Mr. Tilden intended to include that in his prohibition.”