Though happy for myself in my position, I could not help pitying some about whom he inquired of a teacher if they were of the middle or lower classes in society. The result was that the floggings were in this proportion, commencing with the lower class, as three, two, one. Though to be just I think the higher class, of which I was accidentally one, seldom got what we deserved. Thus the scripture is fulfilled, “To him that hath, shall be given even more than he hath,” so the lower classes, who have all the poverty, misery and wretchedness, have these abundantly increased, and besides get nearly all the stripes and curses. This class arrangement greatly puzzled me. Somewhere in one of the scripture lessons we read that “God created of one blood all nations of men,” but this we read according to rule, and probably meant nothing when it came to practice, as scripture often does, yet for the life of me, and I was very attentive whenever our rules compelled us to read our Bible lessons, I could never find out where it was said that God had created higher, middle and lower classes, and this is still one of the many things I have yet to learn. Why was I sent to this school? I often thought of that, for I was always putting in my whys and wherefores. This school was under the distinguished patronage of the Lord Bishop of Somewhere, the Supreme Head of the Church and next to God in authority, following the ecclesiastical rules. Accordingly, every mother’s son below him in rank followed him darja ba darja, as the natives say, step by step, as sheep follow a bell-wether. When he says “Thumbs up,” it is thumbs up, and when he says “Thumbs down,” what else can it be but that? I think it was on account of its prominent figure-head that Mr. Percy finally decided upon this school. The teachers, with one exception, were excellent men. They were good scholars, as I afterward came to know. They performed their work thoroughly and took delight in the advancement of their pupils. And better than all, they had a kind, genial manner that showed itself in various ways and won the affections of the boys. They were above pettiness, and acted as if they had once been boys themselves. Many men seem to forget and act as if they had come into the world full grown. The one teacher, my exception, seemed to be, I do not know what else to say, a freak of nature. I formed a dislike to him the first time I saw him. I could never get over this feeling, though I tried to do so. I was not alone in this, for during the four years I never heard a boy speak well of him. And boys can make up their minds about what they like or dislike as well as men. In fact, their judgment is often more correct, as it comes by instinct. Did you ever see a dog run around in a crowd and pick out just the man he wanted? A wide awake boy, as well as a dog, can tell who would be kind to him at the first glance.