(This copy not corrected by Miss Dearborn yet.)
We find ourselves very puzzled in approaching this truly great and
national question though we have tried very ernestly to understand it,
so as to show how wisely and wonderfully our dear teacher guides the
youthful mind, it being her wish that our composition class shall long
be remembered in Riverboro Centre.
We would say first of all that punishment seems more benefercently
needed by boys than girls. Boys' sins are very violent, like stealing
fruit, profane language, playing truant, fighting, breaking windows, and
killing innocent little flies and bugs. If these were not taken out of
them early in life it would be impossible for them to become like our
martyred president, Abraham Lincoln.
Although we have asked everybody on our street, they think boys' sins
can only be whipped out of them with a switch or strap, which makes
us feel very sad, as boys when not sinning the dreadful sins mentioned
above seem just as good as girls, and never cry when switched, and say
it does not hurt much.
We now approach girls, which we know better, being one. Girls seem
better than boys because their sins are not so noisy and showy. They
can disobey their parents and aunts, whisper in silent hour, cheat in
lessons, say angry things to their schoolmates, tell lies, be sulky and
lazy, but all these can be conducted quite ladylike and genteel, and
nobody wants to strap girls because their skins are tender and get black
and blue very easily.
Punishments make one very unhappy and rewards very happy, and one would
think when one is happy one would behave the best. We were acquainted
with a girl who gave herself rewards every day for a week, and it seemed
to make her as lovely a character as one could wish; but perhaps if one
went on for years giving rewards to onesself one would become selfish.
One cannot tell, one can only fear.
If a dog kills a sheep we should whip him straight away, and on the very
spot where he can see the sheep, or he will not know what we mean, and
may forget and kill another. The same is true of the human race. We must
be firm and patient in punishing, no matter how much we love the one who
has done wrong, and how hungry she is. It does no good to whip a person
with one hand and offer her a pickled beet with the other. This confuses
her mind, and she may grow up not knowing right from wrong. (The
striking example of the pickled beet was removed from the essay by the
refined but ruthless Miss Dearborn, who strove patiently, but vainly, to
keep such vulgar images out of her pupils' literary efforts.)
We now respectfully approach the Holy Bible and the people in the Bible
were punished the whole time, and that would seem to make it right.
Everybody says Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth; but we think ourself,
that the Lord is a better punisher than we are, and knows better how and
when to do it having attended to it ever since the year B.C. while
the human race could not know about it till 1492 A.D., which is when
Columbus discovered America.
We do not believe we can find out all about this truly great and
national subject till we get to heaven, where the human race, strapped
and unstrapped, if any, can meet together and laying down their harps
discuss how they got there.
And we would gently advise boys to be more quiet and genteel in conduct
and try rewards to see how they would work. Rewards are not all like
the little rosebud merit cards we receive on Fridays, and which boys
sometimes tear up and fling scornfully to the breeze when they get
outside, but girls preserve carefully in an envelope.
Some rewards are great and glorious, for boys can get to be governor or
school trustee or road commissioner or president, while girls can only
be wife and mother. But all of us can have the ornament of a meek and
lowly spirit, especially girls, who have more use for it than boys.