n't. I just said to the class:
'You saw what Jim Inglis did? You have to decide what is to be done
about it'."

"And they answered: 'Please, sir, give him the tawse'?" I said.

Mac laughed.

"That's exactly what they did say, but I told them that they were
governing themselves, and suggested that they elect a chairman and
decide by vote."

"Bad tactics," I commented. "You should have left them to settle their
own procedure. What happened then?"

"They appointed Mary Wilson as chairman, and then John Smith got up and
proposed that the prisoner get six scuds with the tawse from me. The
motion was carried unanimously."

"You refused of course?" I said.

"Man, I couldn't refuse. I was alarmed, because six scuds are far too
many for a little offence like chucking a pencil. I made them as light
as possible."

I groaned.

"What would you have done?" he asked.

"Taken the prisoner's side," I said promptly, "I should have chucked
every pencil in the room at the judge and jury. Then I should have
pointed out that I refused to do the dirty work of the community."

"But where does the self-government come in there?" he protested.
"Chucking things at the jury is anarchy, pure anarchy."

"I know," I said simply. "But then anarchy is necessary in your
school. You don't mean to say that the children thought that throwing
a pencil was a great crime? What happened was that they projected
themselves on to you; unconsciously they said: 'The Mester thinks this
a crime and he would punish it severely.' They were trying to please
you. I say that anarchy is necessary if these children are to get free
from their dependence on you and their fear of you. So long as you
refuse to alter your old values you can't expect the kids to alter
their old values. Unless you become as a little child you cannot enter
the kingdom of--er--self-government."

I know that Mac's experiment will fail, and for this reason; he wants
his children to run the school themselves, but to run it according to
his ideas of government.

* * * * *

I think of an incident that happened when I was teaching in a school in
London. I had a drawing lesson, and the children made so much noise
that the teacher in the adjoining room came in and protested that she
couldn't make her voice heard. The noise in my room seemed to
increase . . . and the lady came in again. The noise increased.

Next day I went to my class.

"Yo