es; and if you undertake to do it, you must do it honestly. The
first thing which will be necessary will be an open and thorough
exposure of all which has been wrong, and this, you know, will be
unpleasant. But I will put the question to vote by asking how many are
willing that I should know, entirely and fully, all that they have done
in this class that has been wrong?"

Very nearly all the hands were raised at once, promptly, and the others
were gradually brought up, though with more or less of hesitation.

"Are you willing not only to tell me yourselves what you have done, but
also, in case any one has forgotten something which she has done, that
others should tell me of it?"

The hands were all raised.

After obtaining thus from the class a distinct and universal expression
of willingness that all the facts should be made known, the principal
called upon all those who had any thing to state to raise their hands,
and those who raised them had opportunity to say what they wished. A
great number of very trifling incidents were mentioned, such as could
not have produced any difficulty in the class, and, consequently, could
not have been the real instances of disorder alluded to. Or at least it
was evident, if they were, that in the statement they must have been so
palliated and softened that a really honest confession had not been
made. This result might, in such a case, have been expected. Such is
human nature, that in nine cases out of ten, unless such a result had
been particularly guarded against, it would have inevitably followed.

Not only will such a result follow in individual cases like this, but,
unless the teacher watches and guards against it, it will grow into a
habit. I mean, boys will get a sort of an idea that it is a fine thing
to confess their faults, and by a show of humility and frankness will
deceive their teacher, and perhaps themselves, by a sort of
acknowledgment, which in fact exposes nothing of the guilt which the
transgressor professes to expose. A great many cases occur where
teachers are pleased with the confession of faults, and scholars
perceive it, and the latter get into the habit of coming to the teacher
when they have done something which they think may get them into
difficulty, and make a sort of half confession, which, by bringing
forward every palliating circumstance, and suppressing every thing of
different character, keeps entirely out of view all the real guilt of
the transg