straightforward, honorable, and truthful. I shall not expect to
find that all are capable of making equal progress; there are clever
boys and stupid boys, just as there are clever men and stupid men,
and it would be unjust to expect that one can keep up to the other;
but I do look to each doing his best according to his ability.
On my part I shall do my best to advance you in your studies, to
correct your faults, and to make useful men of you.

"One word as to punishments. I do not believe that knowledge is to
be thrashed into boys, or that fear is the best teacher. I shall
expect you to learn, partly because you feel that as your parents
have paid for you to learn it is your duty to learn, partly because
you wish to please me. I hope that the cane will seldom be used
in this school. It will be used if any boy tells me a lie, if any
boy does anything which is mean and dishonorable, if any boy is
obstinately idle, and when it is used it will be used to a purpose,
but I trust that the occasion for it will be rare.

"I shall treat you as friends whom it is my duty to instruct. You
will treat me, I hope, as a friend whose duty it is to instruct
you, and who has a warm interest in your welfare; if we really bear
these relations to each other there should be seldom any occasion
for punishment. And now as a beginning today, boys, let each come
up to my desk, one at a time, with his books. I shall examine you
separately, and see what each knows and is capable of doing. I
see by the report here that there are six boys in the first class.
As these will occupy me all the morning the rest can go into the
playground. The second class will be taken this afternoon."

The boys had listened with astonished silence to this address, and