[Sidenote: Anarchy]
Trygve Andreasen, the first teacher, was threatened with being “taken
outside and shown a thing or two” by a hulky young man who persisted in
talking in an undertone during school hours. Trygve believed in moral
suasion, and tried it:
“Yes, Olaf,” he said, “I suppose you could take me outside and show me
to a good licking if it happened that way. But suppose you did? Would
you be any better for it? It wouldn’t teach you one word or make you one
bit better educated. Here you are, nineteen years old, and only in the
Sixth Reader. It’s education that makes a man powerful, and you need it.
Brute force is an animal’s way of gaining his ends. Besides, I like you
and want to help you make the most of yourself. Let’s be friends—won’t
you?” Olaf listened with a grin to this touching appeal.
“So you don’t be too smart, I’ll be friends,” he replied; and turned
with a murmured sneer to the girl behind him, in whose eyes awe and
admiration were mingled.
Trygve sighed, but comforted himself with the idea that he had shown a
Christian spirit toward his unruly pupil. He tried to help him with his
lessons, in which Olaf took small interest; but Olaf received all his
advances with amused tolerance and slight response. In the hope of
finally winning him by patience and kindness, Trygve put up with much
annoyance and much interruption of work. In the spring Olaf, still
unconverted, left school to go to work.