Part 7 (1/2)

There was no harm in that, I am sure; but then, this teacher used to keep the clock a little slower than town ti bells and bells atas tardy any one who got into the building any tio off until some minutes after it should have done; and then there was the back way of written excuses, by which a fellow could sneak up in the rear and rub out a ainst him, and not have it count on the board down in the hall; and absences of a certain character were not counted either So, take it all in all, ”Dodd” saw clearly that the shown record and the real record were not the sa way, but that it was the forlory with the patrons of the school, and before the board of education So it was that Mr Sharp watered what Mr Sliman planted, and ”Dodd” had to stand it all

And then there was Miss Slack, and Miss Trotter, and Mr Skimpole (a lineal descendant of the urbane Harold), and Mr Looseley, and Mr

Rattler, and Striker, and Bluffer, and S out the character of ”Dodd” Weaver, and there are s upon him to this day

One year he fell into the hands of old Mrs Heighten She was a ho had been rich, but was now poor, and who had a place in the schools because she needed it She was so much like all the rest of this sort that she need not be further described, and were it not for one characteristic she should remain in oblivion, so far as this record is concerned But for this I ar of public charity, yet she was of such genteel and lofty birth and bearing that teaching was a bore to her She really despised and hated her pupils, and they returned these sentiments with interest There was always rebellion in her room, and to suppress it she resorted to all sorts of penalties and punishments

She used to make pupils stand on the floor and extend an arm on a level with the shoulder, and so hold a book till it seemed as if the arm would break off She herself stood by with a pin in her hand, ht distance below the extended ar one if the aching in to exhaust the possibilities of outrageous punishhten could give you several points that you never dreaenuity very enius of this respectable old beldae of bankruptcy She tried device after device upon the boy, till at last it got to be a kind of race between the two as to which should win The old lady had no genuine interest in the welfare of her pupil He annoyed her and she wanted to rid herself of the annoyance

That is a simple statehted in tor a snake To be sure there was danger in the sport, but boys are fond of danger, especially if it promises fun

So the days wore on, till at last the case became unbearable, and ”Dodd” was ”suspended” Oh! but that was hard on the boy! It hurt hi of the winter was the very best, and ”Dodd” skated the vacation away, and felt, Oh, so badly about being out of school!

When the week of suspension was over he cale forenoon didin a month He was fourteen now, a stout chunk of a boy, aard, defiant, and reckless He stayed in school two days this tiain suspended He came back once more after that and was then expelled He left school with a whoop and was on the streets most of the time thereafter It was then that his reputation as a bad boy began to grow rapidly He frequented the depot of the town and was on speaking terms with the railroad ereatHe had plans for going on the road as a brakeman when he became a year or two older Every day he sunk lower and people shook their heads and said, ”How his hten drew her 55 a hter Amanda, who never did an honest day's work in all her life, but lived in idleness, supported by the aforesaid 55--she was the pride of the town She went to church every Sunday and sang in the choir, and at charity fairs she always stood behind the prettiest table, dressed in the prettiest clothes, and smiled and blushed and seeabout her, and Airl!” And her htas he was rich and could keep Ao and live on his bounty and quit the school room that she hated and have a rosewood coffin and plenty of carriages at her funeral

But until all these things were accomplished the old lady ”had to have a place,” and Amanda lolled about in idleness

Meantime ”Dodd” ”waxed worse and worse”

Do you see any relation between ”Dodd” and Aood folks? If you do, remember that this boy was only one of scores of pupils that had to suffer, substantially as he did, that the poor and proud Mrs Heighten and her lazy daughter Aht continue to keep up appearances, and still have a chance to sponge a living off soe to call e

Out upon such proud and lazy frauds, every one of them, whose worthless lives are sustained by the destruction of the characters of children like ”Dodd” Weaver, and all the rest who fall under such tuition!

CHAPTER X

So it was that ”Dodd” got into the street and achieved the reputation of being a boy that no teacher could do anything with In the year or two that followed he made several starts at school, but his reputation always preceded hiain--one or two suspensions, then ”expelled”

So time went on till ”Dodd” was nearly seventeen He was alar felloho ate his meals at home and slept there, usually, but further than that lived apart froretted that ever he had been born

You all know this boy, don't you, beloved? He is in every town that I know of, and there are duplicates and triplicates, not to say centiplicates, of hier cities I wonder if it is worth while to try to do anything with these boys, or for them? The machine has dropped thereat educational o to the bad, and it seeers, is to let theo As there is a God in heaven, they ought not to

But the s, either for the boys or for the Personage just h to teach the children that it should always be written with a capital letter, but further than that do not trouble themselves much about it The machine is built on the theory that the pupils are made for the schools, rather than the schools for the pupils, and that the order of the grades raded What is it to this greatas the rinders can hold their places at the crank; so long as they can draw their pay, escape public censure, dodge behind a stack of examination papers when individual complaints appear, shi+eld themselves from responsibilities by records and raduate a class a year in good clothes and with pretty speeches, see each of those who have been ground through go out into the great world armed with a diplo as theany attention to ”Dodd” Weaver and such incorrigibles as he, who refuse to go into the round?

What, indeed?

However, you know the story of ”the ninety-and-nine” At least you ought to know it It has an application in these premises

But Elder Weaver shi+fted his base of operations once ot so far down on the ladder of his descent that he was counted alerous His father feared him, and he was even the terror of his brothers and sisters In a word, he was a hard case

It was the town of E in which the parson was stationed this tih the West, places that start out with a boo municipalities of at least 500,000 inhabitants in a few years; whose founders lay out into town lots all the land that joins them and sell these at fabulous prices to those who are credulous enough to buy; and which finally settles down to a quiet village of about 2,500 souls, with a depot, stores, seven churches, and a school requiring about ten teachers to take care of its pupils

Mr Charles Bright was principal of the Ee of the Methodist Episcopal church at that place He was 30 years of age, a nervous, sensitive man, both of which characteristics had been intensified by severe work in the school rooht and thin in flesh, the scale bea at 120 when he stood on the platforht His face was thin and his beard scattered, but his large black eyes were as keen as a lance, and they always seee of vision He was fairly educated, but in no sense a great scholar His patrons called him ”Professor,” but he made no claim to the title, and it was offensive in his ears when applied to himself He was characterized with excellent common sense, and, best of all, was a man of resources He was an excellent classrooh esteem by his fellow-teachers and his pupils Above all, he was a man whose personality impressed itself upon those ho and wholeso itself felt upon his pupils continuously