was pulling it, to make a noise to disturb us."

The scholars all looked astonished, and then began to turn round towards
one another to see who the offender could be. The culprit began to
tremble.

"He did it several times yesterday, and would have gone on doing it, had
I not spoken about it to-day. Do you think this was wrong or not?"

"Yes sir;" "wrong;" "wrong;" are the replies.

"What harm does it do?"

"It interrupts the school."

"Yes. Is there any other harm?"

The boys hesitate.

"It gives me trouble and pain. Should you not suppose it would?"

"Yes sir."

"Have I ever treated any boy or girl in this school unjustly or
unkindly?"

"No sir;" "No sir."

"Then why should any boy or girl wish to give me trouble or pain?"

There was a pause. The guilty individual expected that the next thing
would be to call him out for punishment.

"Now what do you think I ought to do with such a boy?"

No answer.

"Perhaps I ought to punish him, but I am very unwilling to do that. I
concluded to try another plan, to treat him with kindness and
forbearance. So I called your attention to it this afternoon, to let him
know that I was observing it, and to give him an opportunity to remove
the string. And he did. He went in the recess and cut off the string. I
shall not tell you his name, for I do not wish to injure his character.
All I want is to have him a good boy."

A pause.

"I think I shall try this plan; for he must have some feelings of honor
and gratitude, and if he has, he certainly will not try to give me pain
or trouble win after this. And now I shall say no more about it, nor
think any more about it; only, to prove that it is all as I say, if you
look there under that window, after school, you will see the lath with
the end of the string round it, and by pulling it, you can make it
snap."

* * * * *

Another case, a little more serious in its character, is the following.

A teacher having had some trouble with a rude and savage-looking boy,
made some inquiry respecting him out of school, and incidentally learned
that he had once or twice before openly rebelled against the authority
of the school, and that he was now, in the recesses, actually preparing
a club with which he was threatening to defend himself, if the teacher
should attempt to punish him.

The next day, soon after the boys had gone out, he took his hat and
followed them, and turning round a corner of