PRINCIPAL AND PRINCIPLES
Wayne’s opportunity to protest came earlier than he expected. When he
entered Bradley Hall in the middle of the forenoon to get his French
grammar he found an official-looking note in the mail box. It proved
to be from the principal and requested Wayne’s presence at the office
at noon. The latter made hard work of the French recitation, and took
no interest in the doings of Bonaparte in Egypt for thinking of the
approaching interview and strengthening the arguments which were to
confuse the principal and put the iniquitous school law to rout.
He found the principal’s secretary and two pupils, who assisted in the
work, occupying the outer office. Professor Wheeler was engaged, but
would see him in a moment. Wayne took a chair, resenting the delay
which required him to nurse the state of virtuous indignation into
which he had worked himself. The quiet of the room, disturbed only by
the scratching of the pens or the rustling of paper, presently exerted
a depressing effect, and he felt his courage oozing out of him. Then
the secretary arose and went into the inner room. When he returned
a moment later he left the door ajar and Wayne caught a glimpse of a
warm-toned apartment, a portion of a high bookcase, and the corner of a
broad mahogany desk. From within came a slight shuffling of uneasy feet
and the noise of a turned page. Then came the sound of a closing book,
and a voice, which Wayne recognized as belonging to the principal,
broke the silence:
“Now, my boy, I’ll speak with you. What is your name?”
“Carl Gray, sir,” answered a very boyish voice.
“Ah, yes; you’re in the lower middle class?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I have received a complaint from Porter, in the village. He informs me
that you have owed him a bill since last term and that he can not get
his money. Is that true?”
“Yes, sir.” The boy spoke in low tones, and Wayne, without seeing him,
knew the state of trepidation he was in and wondered if he would behave
so cravenly when his turn came.
“You knew the rule about such things?” asked the principal. “You knew
that pupils are not allowed to contract debts?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then why did you do it, Gray?”
“I--I wanted some things, and so-- Porter said that he would trust
me----”
“Let me see. You played on one of the nines last spring, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir; on the junior class nine.”
“Yes. Well, Gray, when you knock a good clean base hit what do you
do? Do you run over toward the grand stand and then back toward the
pitcher’s box and so on to first base, or do you go there as directly
and as speedily as you know how?” A moment of silence followed and
Wayne grinned.
“Directly, sir,” said the boy inside finally.
“Yes, I should think so. Well, now, when you start to make an
explanation apply the same rule, my lad: go just as directly and
quickly as you can to the point. As a matter of fact, you knew that you
were disobeying the rules of the Academy, and preferred to do that than
to go without some things that you wanted. Isn’t that so?”
“I-- No, sir, I didn’t----”
“That isn’t just the way you would put it, Gray, but isn’t it correct?”
“Yes, sir, I suppose so.”
“Do you have an allowance, Gray?”
“Yes, sir; fifty cents a week.”
“But you don’t find it large enough?”
“I wanted some baseball things and some clothes. We had to have
uniforms.”
“I see. Did you think when you had the things charged to you that you
could pay for them?”
“Yes, sir. I meant to pay a quarter every week, but somehow, sir----”
“The quarter wasn’t there when you wanted it; I see. Well, Porter must
be paid. He is not blameless in the affair; he knew what the rule is
about giving credit to the pupils, and I shall see that he gets no more
of the school trade. But that doesn’t alter the fact that you owe him
the sum of twelve dollars. Can you pay it?”
“No, sir, not right away. I will pay him fifty cents a week. I offered
to do so a week ago and he said he must have the whole amount, and I
was saving it up.”
“H’m! How much have you saved?”
“A--a dollar.”
“Slow work, Gray. Now, I shall settle this bill and send the account to
your parents. Have you anything to say about that?”
“Oh, sir, please don’t! I’ll pay it as soon as I can, sir; I will give
him every cent I get. Only please don’t send it home!”
“Your family is not well off, Gray?”
“No, sir. I have only a mother, and she couldn’t pay it without--without
missing the money dreadfully, sir. If only you will not let her know!”
“You should have thought of that before, Gray. I should like to spare
your mother as much, perhaps, as you; but the rules are strict and I
can’t see my way to making an exception in your case. I shall have to
send the bill to your mother, sir. Let it teach you a lesson. There
are lots of things in this world, Gray, that we think we must have, but
which we can do very well without if only we realize it. It is hard
sometimes to see others possess things that we want and can not have.
But luckily the world doesn’t judge us by our possessions, but by our
accomplishments. I don’t believe that the football clothes which you
got from Porter enabled you to play better ball or stand better in your
class, and it’s very unlikely that any of the boys thought you a finer
fellow for having them. In future live within your income--that is,
your allowance--and if you want to pay off the debt save your money
instead of spending it, and when the amount is saved return it to your
mother. That would be an honest and a manly act. That is all I have to
say to you, my boy.”
“I will, sir,” answered the culprit earnestly. “But won’t you--couldn’t
you please, sir, not send----”
“That can’t be altered, Gray,” answered the principal kindly. “I am
sorry. Good day.”
A slender and very white-faced boy passed out with averted eyes, and a
moment later Wayne found himself in the inner office. The principal was
leaning back in his big armchair thoughtfully polishing his glasses.
He did not look up at once, and Wayne had an opportunity to study the
man who for over twenty years had wisely directed the affairs of one
of the largest preparatory schools of the country, and who in that
time had gained the reverence and affection of thousands of boys.
Wayne saw a middle-aged, scholarly looking man, whose brown hair was
but lightly frosted about the temples, and whose upright and vigorous
figure indicated the possession of much physical strength. There was
an almost youthful set to the broad shoulders, and Wayne was certain
that the muscles won years before in his college crew were still firm
and strong. Indeed, those muscles, although Wayne did not know it, were
kept in perfect condition by as much bodily exercise as the principal
could crowd into a busy life, and his prowess with a golf club was a
matter of pride and admiration among the boys. There was a kindly look
in the brown eyes that were presently turned upon the waiting lad.
“Are you Wayne Gordon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re in the upper middle, aren’t you, and this is your first year at
Hillton?”
Wayne again assented.
“And I dare say you are not perfectly acquainted with the rules of the
Academy yet; I can understand that. It takes some time to learn them,
even though we try not to have very many. Professor Beck tells me,
Gordon, that you have been absent on three occasions from gymnasium
work and have failed to make any excuse. I presume you had some very
good reason for not attending on each occasion, did you not?” The tone
and manner were so kindly that Wayne found himself wishing that he had
some presentable excuse; but in the next moment he remembered his
purpose and answered uncompromisingly:
“I stayed away on three days, sir, because it was not convenient to
attend. I don’t consider that you--I mean the faculty--has any right to
compel a fellow to--to do gymnasium work unless he wishes to.”
“Indeed!” was the quiet reply. “And how do you arrive at that
conclusion?”
Whereupon Wayne very earnestly and at much length presented his views
on the subject, maintaining a respectful but undoubtedly rather
irritating tone of complacency. Once or twice the listener frowned,
once he smiled, as though in spite of himself, at some high-sounding
phrase from the boy. When Wayne had finished, a little breathless, the
principal spoke:
“Are you a member of the debating club, Gordon?”
“No, sir,” answered Wayne, surprised into an expression of ordinary
curiosity quite unbecoming a great reformer.
“You should join. I think you have the making of a very lucid and
convincing speaker.” The boy strove to detect an expression of irony
on the master’s face, but saw none. “Unfortunately, in the present
case you have selected a side in the debate that is not defensible.
And, also unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the inclination
to enter the lists with you. But I will say one or two things on the
subject. In the first place, it is a waste of your time to consider
whether or not the faculty has the right to make the rule regarding
physical training; the indisputable fact is that the faculty has
made the rule. For the sake of argument--although I said I would not
argue--let us assume that the faculty has not the right. What can you
do about it? The rules are not altered, after ten years, on the demand
of one scholar out of a school of some two hundred. If the pupil stands
firm and the faculty stands firm what is going to be the result? Why,
the two must part company. In other words, the pupil must leave. Do you
think it is worth it?”
“But it’s wrong, sir, and if I accept the--the arrangement I am
indorsing it, and I can’t do that.”
“But maybe it isn’t wrong; we only assumed it to be, you remember. You
don’t care for athletics?”
“Not much, sir; I like riding and shooting and fishing, but I don’t
see the good of fussing--I mean exercising--with dumb-bells and
chest weights and single sticks; and it tires me so that I can’t
do my lessons well.” The principal raised his eyebrows in genuine
astonishment.
“Are you certain of that? Maybe you have not given the thing a fair
trial. We believe here at Hillton that it is just as necessary to keep
a boy’s health good as his morals, and our plan has worked admirably
for many years. The rule regarding ‘compulsory physical education,’ as
you call it, is not peculiar to Hillton; it is to be found at every
preparatory school in the country, I feel sure. A capability for good
studying depends on a clear brain and a well body, and these, in turn,
depend on a proper attention to exercise and recreation. The first
of these we demand; the other we encourage and expect. Who is your
roommate?”
“Donald Cunningham, sir.”
“Indeed! And does he have very much trouble with his studies?”
“No, sir; but he has been at it for two years--the gymnasium work, I
mean. I’m not used to it, and I find the studies difficult, and if I am
tired I can’t do them.”
“If gymnasium work tires you it is undoubtedly because you have not
had enough of it. And it shows that you need it. Professor Beck is
very careful to require no more in that direction from a boy than
his condition should allow, and to render mistakes impossible the
physical examination of every pupil is made when he enters, and again
at intervals until he leaves school. Now, I will speak to Professor
Beck; maybe it will seem advisable to him to make your exercise a
little lighter for a while. But I expect you to report regularly at the
gymnasium, or, if you are feeling unfit, to tell me of the fact. We
won’t require any boy to do anything that might be of injury to him.
Will you promise to do this?”
“I can’t, sir. It is the principle of the thing that is wrong.”
“I can’t discuss that with you any longer, Gordon; I’ve done so at
greater length than I intended to already. You must obey the rules
while you are here. If you do not you must go elsewhere. When is your
next gymnasium day?”
“To-morrow, sir.”
“Very well; I shall expect you to be there. If you are not I shall
be obliged to put you on probation, which is a very uncomfortable
thing. If you still refuse you will be suspended. I tell you this now
so that you may labor under no illusions. I do not complain because
you hold the views which you do--they are surprising, but not against
discipline--but I must and do insist that you obey the rules. Think
it over, Gordon, and don’t do yourself an injury by taking the wrong
course. If you want to see me in the morning, after you have slept on
the matter, you will find me here. Good day.”
“Good day, sir, and thank you for your advice; only----”
“Well?”
“I don’t think I can do as you wish.”
“But,” answered the principal earnestly, “let us hope that you can.”