The way in which the principle of substitution was made to assist in
settling class difficulties is illustrated in the following story.
[Sidenote: Class Flag]
Mr. Hatch was principal of the East High School in a small city in
Missouri. His splendid executive ability and marked insight into the
life of the school had made his name highly reverenced in the community.
It had long been the custom in the school to have class distinctions.
Mr. Hatch heartily sanctioned the custom, as one which would promote
class unity and wholesome rivalry for leadership in the affairs of the
school. It drew the pupils of one year into closer relationship and
instilled in them a desire to make their class stand out in the
estimation of the others.
It was October. The usual class spirit was in the air. Mr. Hatch
announced at the morning assembly that class meetings would be held that
afternoon for the election of officers and the choosing of the class
flag.
About seven o’clock the following morning, Mr. Hatch was surprised by a
telephone call from the school janitor:
[Sidenote: Flag Torn Down]
“Last night a bunch of rowdy schoolboys broke into the school, went up
into the tower, and tore down the school flag. When I came to work this
morning I saw a piece of blue and white cloth up instead.”
Before Mr. Hatch arrived at school he heard from another source of the
hand to hand fight between the freshmen and sophomores in the school
yard the previous evening. And the torn up turf stood as evidence in the
case.
“That is only natural,” thought Mr. Hatch. “I’ll have to give that
surplus energy another outlet.”
He sent a notice to the teachers to say nothing about the class fight
that day. A faculty meeting would be held in the afternoon to decide
upon a course of action.
Through his suggestion, the motion was carried to have two class games
of field hockey; one, between the first and second years; the other,
between the third and fourth years; the dates to be arranged by the
athletic board. The victors of the first day would be honored by having
their class flag put up with the school flag the day following the game.
In the same way, the victors of the second day were to be designated. A
final game was to take place between the two successful teams; the
winners would receive a trophy.
In order to lodge this idea, not as an order but as a suggestion, Mr.
Hatch privately conferred with the athletic board, submitting only a
bare outline of procedure and leaving the details of the program to be
worked out as each class saw fit. This action on the principal’s part
transferred any responsibility which he had assumed to the body of
pupils.
When the classes took up the suggestion in their subsequent meetings, it
came, not as a ruling of the faculty, but as an original idea on the
part of the athletic board.
So an antagonistic school spirit was turned into a wholesome channel.
The class spirit was not crushed, the pupils were satisfied to turn
their class loyalty to the support of a contest sanctioned by the
school, and a custom was established which was handed down from year to
year, a heritage of good sportsmanship instead of a barbarous practice
of giving vent to ill-will.