[Sidenote: Enlisting Coöperation]
Mr. Middleton, instructor in physics in the Rensselaer Academy, had the
freest, man-to-man attitude toward his pupils of any teacher in the
school.
“How do you do it, Middleton?” one instructor asked.
“I don’t do it. They do it.”
Here is the explanation. When Mr. Middleton entered the laboratory one
morning he found that the little steam engine which he had taken such
pains to fix up had been taken entirely to pieces.
“Well, the fellow who couldn’t see how that engine worked without
pulling it to pieces was pretty dumb. I worked a good long time in
getting the materials collected for it, and I expect to see it together
when I enter the room tomorrow morning.” This remark was made in the
presence of a number of his pupils. He made no further allusion to the
subject, depending on the morale of his department to work out the
desired result. He was not disappointed.