SCHOOL DISCIPLINE.

THE proper government of children is important to themselves and to society. Unused to self-government,—easily excited to cherish anger and all the passions to which human nature is subject,—alike ignorant of the means of safety and of the dangers which surround them,-devoid of experience, and liable to be misled, if left to themselves, few, very few, would survive the period of childhood and youth. And would not this small number be poorly prepared for the exigences of life, or the enjoyments proffered by our Creator? A child can experience scarcely a greater misfortune, therefore, than to be his own master,-to be left without restraint, while he is acquiring that experience which qualifies him to be the friend of himself and the friend of his race. The history of nearly every such person is the history of vice and of misery. The developments furnished by clans, tribes or nations, where only trifling restraint is imposed on the young, and that chiefly to protect them from immediate and positive destruction, are always a history of degradation and suffering, revolting to the philanthropist and the Christian. It is no wonder, then, that every nation, as it has advanced in civilization, refinement and virtue, has evinced more and more solicitude on the subject of proper modes of EDUCATION and GOVERNMENT; and that, in

the revelation God has made to man, these should be made so frequently the subject of instruction and precept. To us, as Christians and patriots, the proper government of children can hardly be ranked higher in importance than it merits, or be discussed with more interest than it ought to excite.

It is the duty of the parent, to exercise a due control over the offspring, of whose existence he has been the cause. Instinct ever confirms this, in the control which many of the lower orders of animals exert over their young, and in the ready obedience which such often manifest to the will of the parent, before they are capable of self-protection. How much more obviously does it devolve on parents, among our own species, whose young are more helpless, and whose infancy continues longer than those of any other race of animals!

Were this duty faithfully performed, by all who are entrusted with the care of offspring, the subject of this lecture would be greatly diminished in importance. But hourly observation too clearly shows, that family discipline comes very far short of securing the safety and happiness of children, parents or society. While some are ignorant of the weight of responsibility attached to the condition of being parents, others are reckless of it. While some are devoid of the requisite skill to restrain and to cultivate habits of submission to authority and law, others are too indolent to attempt either. While some allow business, pleasure, or the ambitious pursuit of power, to absorb every faculty and every wish, another very large class are, by their own conduct and example, leading their children to violate both the laws of God and man. And, beyond all this, multitudes of parents, who desire to train up their children in the way they should go, find all their efforts thwarted by the corrupting influence and example of those who have never been governed, and from whose influence they have no power to shield them.

It has been well said, that "to send an uneducated and ungoverned child into the world, is but little better than to

turn a mad dog into the street;" yet, without some means, other than parental discipline, many of the children of the land will be, must be, turned out on society, with no respect for the laws, and without habits of submission to them. From such as these it is, that our prisons receive their criminal inmates; to awe and restrain these, chiefly, our criminal code is formed, and our judiciary employed. And but for the authority delegated by public opinion and judicial decisions to the teachers of our primary and public schools, the apparatus of houses of correction, gaols and prisons, must have been indefinitely multiplied.

It will be my object, in this address,

I. To exhibit, concisely, some considerations, which show the importance of school discipline.

II. To advert to some things, which indicate erroneous or defective discipline; and,

III. To suggest a few things, as prerequisites to establishing that course of discipline which is healthful.

1. As the young are unfitted for self-government, owing to their ignorance and to the evil propensities generally,—may I not, with the exception of the Son of Bethlehem, say, always,— exhibited, it follows, of course, that they must be governed by some one, or be greatly injured by neglect.

It is a well known fact, as before implied, that many are not governed at home, by parents or guardians. A majority of those, in this part of the country, at least, are sent to school for a longer or shorter period during minority. If, therefore, they are governed at all, they must be governed at school; if brought under healthful discipline any where, it must be there; if taught to respect law, to yield to authority ever, they must take these lessons at school. The consequences, resulting from a failure to maintain the discipline demanded by the exigences of the school, must be too obvious to make it necessary to dwell on them.

2. Good discipline is essential to the acquisition of knowledge.

nature.

"Order is heaven's first law," stamped on the very face of It would be unphilosophical, therefore, to expect great intellectual acquisitions, where there is not order. This can be established only where, to its violation, some suitable penalty is attached.

Government implies law; and if laws exist, the right to enforce them must exist also. Where no such right is delegated to the teacher, it is impossible for him to render his instructions valuable. He cannot secure attention to them. Besides, the human mind is so constituted, that, without long training, it cannot avoid giving attention to the objects around, and, of course, cannot practise sufficient abstraction, to study in the midst of confusion and misrule.

Calm, patient and continued attention to the principles of science, and the application of those principles is requisite, to enable us to retain a knowledge of them. It is obviously impossible, for any one to give such attention, where his rights are not secured. On such security no one can depend, where, to the violation of law, no penalty is attached.

3. Judicious discipline is indispensable, in order to secure the great objects of education.

I use education here, in its broadest sense. These objects are, to develop all the faculties of the mind, invigorate the senses, cultivate and guide the affections, govern the passions, and lead the young to act under the moral sanctions of their being. Or, in other words, the great object of education is, to fit the young for duty, safety, usefulness and happiness, in all the exigences of their existence.

Without discipline, which of these ends can be secured? We have seen, that positive acquisition cannot be made in the midst of disorder. Disorder must prevail, where discipline is not maintained. It must be impossible, also, to expand and strengthen the powers of the mind, as this can be done only by calling them into vigorous exercise, and strengthening them by use. The memory, taste, judgment, imagination, are all to