The Duty of American Women to Their Country — John Shaqi
The Duty of American Women to Their CountryBeecher, Catharine Esther
History
The Duty of American Women to Their Country
Beecher, Catharine Esther
Education; Education -- United States; Women teachers -- United States
The teachers should keep a strict watch over the children, and whenever
any conduct or disposition appears, that violates these rules, they
should be pointedly applied. _A precept from the Bible_ should be
employed to counteract whatever bad disposition or bad conduct is
observed.
For example, if a child complains that a companion has defaced his
booklet the faulty child be called up, and made to repeat the command
of God which he has violated: such as, “Whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them.” If a child has taken a pen
from his companion without leave, take occasion, on reprimanding him, to
set before the school the evil and danger of pilfering. Enlarge on the
nobleness of strict honesty and uprightness. Show that the evil is not so
much the loss of property by the owner as the _bad habit_ induced in the
pilferer, which may lead at last to the dungeon and the gallows.
Again, if a child is found to be _prevaricating_, or using _any kind_ of
deceit, require him to repeat the commands of God, “Thou shalt not bear
false witness.” “Lie not at all.” “Lying lips are an abomination to the
Lord, but they that deal truly are his delight.”
Then set forth lying before the school, as what should be held in
universal abhorrence; show the importance of _truth_, as indispensable
to the existence of society and the happiness of all beings; show how
any kind of attempts at deceit weakens the habit of truthfulness, and
certainly will lead, at last, to lying.
When it is needful to punish, endeavour to select a penalty that will
have a good effect on the school, instead of one that will awaken
sympathy for the offender. When a child is _whipped_, in many cases, his
cries excite pity and sympathy, and often indignation at the teacher.
But if, when a child has broken the laws of God, the teacher sets forth
the evil of the sin, and then takes some such precept as this, “Withdraw
thyself from every brother that walketh disorderly,” as his directory in
requiring all the school to be separate from him, shutting him out from
the play-ground, and depriving him of the usual period of recess until
the delinquent appears penitent and anxious to do well; then the teacher
appears to the school as acting by Divine authority, and for the good of
the whole.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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