Shortly thereafter, another youth applied. The director told him he could not maintain discipline. He said if he failed, it would cost the district nothing. Certificates to teach were then unknown. When the pupils assembled, they found him sitting at his desk reading. They looked him over, sized him up, thought him an easy mark and commenced pounding their desks and stamping their feet, and kept it up until nine o’clock. Then the new teacher laid aside his book, locked the door, put the key in his pocket and called school to order. The preliminaries having been unusual, silence was secured. He informed them they need not attempt to escape, for the windows were nailed down. Then, opening his carpet bag, he brought forth a revolver, a bowie knife and a blacksnake whip. Then after warning the pupils not to arise until their names were called, he summoned John Jones to the floor. With whip in one hand and revolver in the other, he proceeded to give private lessons. When through with John he called Bill Smith. He did not need to ask their names. After going some distance down his list, he told them they had probably learned more that day than they had ever learned in any one day in their lives, and perhaps as much as it was wise to attempt to learn in one day, adding: “When you come again, come expecting to obey the rules, attend to business and make no false motions. There will be no further exercises today.” They never knew whence he came nor where he went. He had performed his mission and wisely left future tasks to his successor. I did not inquire concerning the subsequent history of that school, but I understand human nature enough to know that if his successors were men without plan or purpose or policy of their own, and only sought to repeat the popular practices of their predecessor, they permanently ruined that school. There was but one wise course. Without apologizing for what had been done, or lowering the standard of discipline, there should have been a return to the ordinary tasks of the schoolroom without unnecessary delay, for I declare to you that corporal punishment is not the purpose for which schools are established, nor are criminal prosecutions the aim and end for which governments are instituted among men. Both are essential at times, but let us hope that captains of industry and business men generally have learned their lesson sufficiently so that it shall not be necessary to continue indefinitely what was so admirably done a decade or more ago.