[Sidenote: Cure for Bad Manners]
Miss Grasome stood aghast at the rude manners and selfishness of her
third grade pupils. She had tried many plans for improving the
situation, but with little success, for the children had the constant
example before them of rude manners in their homes. As the Christmas
season drew near she thought to herself, “I’ll try once more. We will
dramatize ‘The Birds’ Christmas Carol.’ Perhaps that beautiful story
will teach the children the lesson that I seem to have failed thus far
in clinching. I’ll use the rudest and most selfish girl I have for the
sick child’s part. She won’t play as well as some of the others, but if
she’ll only catch the lesson I want her to get, I won’t mind the
blunders.”
The proposition to have a play instead of a Christmas tree delighted the
children. The story interested them so much that when, toward the latter
part of their study, Miss Grasome proposed that they follow out the
thought of the story and make some needy or unfortunate person the
recipient of their gifts this year instead of making them to each other,
the children were quite ready for the sacrifice.
Of course committees must be appointed, and much coöperative work done
before all details could be arranged. But every child had a share in the
planning, and not many weeks had passed before a gentler and more
considerate spirit began to dominate the school-room. Miss Grasome
smiled and said to herself: “Coöperation works better than prohibiting
or forcing, even in such matters as the training of manners, it seems.”