[Sidenote: Gambling]
Thomas Mallory was principal of a high school in a suburban town where
practically all the citizens were well-to-do people. In November of his
first year, he noticed that at noons the students who in fine weather
walked or played tennis after eating luncheon, on stormy days were
playing cards. This in itself was not serious, but a little observation
showed him that gambling in a small way was being carried on. He did not
pretend to be greatly shocked by these discoveries, for he knew that
most of the students had taken a hand in card games in their own homes
without restraint, and that many of them knew that their fathers played
for small sums at their clubs and that their mothers won valuable prizes
at bridge parties. To most of them, the staking of their pin money but
lent a pleasurable zest to a game of cards.
But Mr. Mallory had a horror of gambling. After much thought upon the
matter, and several interviews with boys and girls who liked to make
bets, he decided to submit the problem to the parents themselves. He
sent out with the November report of each pupil a mimeographed and
signed note to the parent or guardian, explaining the situation and
saying that he thought that, owing to the abuses that young people were
liable to make of the privilege of playing cards, they would better not
be allowed to play at all, especially as it was impracticable for
teachers to oversee personally the conduct of each group during the noon
recess, even if such espionage were wise. He called attention to the
importance of the formation of right habits during adolescence, and
asked each parent if a prohibition of card-playing in the high school
would not meet with his approval.
The response was everything that could have been wished. Even those
parents who were themselves gamblers in one way or another, did not want
their children to gamble even in a small way at school. Having, then,
the practically undivided support of his patronage (a few parents were
not sufficiently interested to reply, but none opposed his measure) Mr.
Mallory made a rule that no card-playing was to take place upon the
school premises, and without any trouble more wholesome recreations took
its place.