hinking that he has not been honest; that he has been trying to conceal
his faults, and thus to obtain a credit which he did not justly deserve.
Always be honest, let the consequence be what it may."

The reader will understand that the object of such measures is, simply
_to secure as large a majority as possible_, to make _voluntary_ efforts
to observe the rule. I do not expect that by such measures, _universal_
obedience can be exacted. The teacher must follow up the plan, after a
few days, by other measures, for those who will not yield to such
inducements as these. Upon this subject, however, I shall speak more
particularly at a future time.

In my own school, it required two or three weeks to exclude whispering
and communication by signs. The period necessary to effect the
revolution will be longer or shorter, according to the circumstances of
the school, and the dexterity of the teacher; and, after all, the
teacher must not hope _entirely_ to exclude it. Approximation to
excellence is all that we can expect; for unprincipled and deceiving
characters will perhaps always be found, and no system whatever can
prevent their existence. Proper treatment may indeed be the means of
their reformation, but before this process has arrived at a successful
result, others similar in character will have entered, so that the
teacher can never expect perfection in the operation of any of his
plans.

I found so much relief from the change which this plan introduced, that
I soon took measures for rendering it permanent; and though I am not
much in favor of efforts to bring all teachers and all schools to the
same plans, this principle of _whispering at limited and prescribed
times alone_, seems to me well suited to universal adoption.

The following simple apparatus has been used in several schools where
this principle has been adopted. A drawing and description of it is
inserted here, as by this means, some teachers, who may like to try the
course here recommended, may be saved the time and trouble of contriving
something of the kind themselves.

The figure _a a a a_ is a board, about 18 inches by 12, to which the
parts are to be attached, and which is to be nailed against the wall, at
the height of about 8 feet, _b c d c_ is a plate of tin or brass, 8
inches by 12, of the form represented in the drawing. At _c c_, the
lower extremities of the parts at the sides, the metal is bent round, so
as to clasp a wire which runs from _c