Two boys, John and William, both about the age of twelve, had a
dispute over a game of ball, when John said that such action was
mean and dishonest, upon which William immediately called him a
liar, and they began to fight. They were not quarrelsome boys;
they were serious and studious, but were boys of spirit and held
high ideas of honor and uprightness. The teacher, who was a man
of strong character, and a sturdy disciplinarian, came promptly
upon the scene and separated the combatants, and sent both
boys to their seats. The breach of school discipline had been
flagrant, and all expected that severe punishment would be meted
out to the boys. But nothing was said until just before school
was dissmissed, when the teacher called the boys before him and
said, “Do you think you did right in engaging in this fight?”
To which both boys said they did, and that they would fight one
another again upon the first opportunity. After some reflection,
the teacher turned to John and said, “John, will you agree
never to mention this subject until William mentions it first?”
John replied, “Yes, but I will lick him good if he ever does.”
The teacher turned to William and asked the same question, to
which he replied, “I will not start it, but if John does I
will lick him.” The teacher then said, “I think you are both
honorable and trustworthy boys, and I am going to depend upon
you to keep your word of honor, and not renew this fight until
the other begins it. Now John, you take William by the hand,
and tell him that you will never mention this subject unless he
first speaks of it; but if he does, you will lick him.” The boys
joined hands, and John told it over to William, and then William
told it over to John. The solemnity with which the proceeding
was conducted all the way through made a deep impression on the
entire school, who felt it to be a very sacred thing between
the two boys, and that it should never be even hinted at. This
was a lesson in courage, self-respect, obedience, fidelity and
self-control to the whole school, and it resulted in a lifelong
friendship between the two boys.--JAMES T. WHITE,
“Character Lessons.”
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