HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1921-04-21, Page 3,r
J4—
CURING THE COWARD
Teacher Engaged hi Real Character - Making When
She Taught William to Fight His Battles
In response to a summons, Johnny
and William stood in the office of the
school principal.
Johnny was a fighter.
In-
dian and Canadian blood
veins and he was the ad;
a Greek. This eoanbina
and environment could s
duce a tame temperament.
Johnny' loved the thump'
and the rolling of his antagonist
himself in the'dirt.
Russian,
flowed in
opted so
tion of
careely
So
l'
ing of
bagonist
• William was not even a self -def
er. When attacked at school he w
ally ran to shelter under his teach
authority; when not in echelon, to
convenient protection_ Pure Swed
blood coursed through Willie
arterial system, .but any Augns
Adolphus instincts which were his'
rightful racial inheritance were be
crushed out by the discipline of
unduly pious father.
Johnny, undersized, alert, faced
sebool principal with the assuia.
that coarses from fighting foe self
life's struggles, William, overgrow
phlegmatic, stood in the attitude
one accustomed to dodging bl
rather than to parrying thein or •str
Mg back.
Miss Farrar set Looking at the
concrete factors in a problem whi
had been troubling• her for some tim
She had thought out a solution bas
on a theory which she believed sou
and which she also believed wou
give a true result that would be la
ing. An event, in which the two' bo
were the principal actors, seen by'h
at the noon recess, had given her th
conditions for testing her solution.
"William,"
a
.,11e
apo-strophized mien
tally, "you have always been a bab
but you are getting the look of
coward. I don't like the change in yo-
eyes and your hands have sneaking
movements. You will be striking in
the back next.
. "Johnny, you are a funny 1itt1
bully! You are becoming insolent. '
fear you are even gett' g brutal Ya
Tri-
his
n of
rsi.ee
pro=
vola
fists
and
end-
511-
er's
any
ish
Willie
tus
by
ing
an
his
hoe
in
n,
of
hie
ik-
two
tali
e.
ed
ndI
Id�'t
st- N
ys s
er a
e h
_ h
Ih
y
yet
e
I
in u
need to be conquered by one of your
own victims. What you need, Wil-
liani�, you baby elephant, is to be
taught that God helps him who 'helps
himself. And it seems to be up to
n ie to give' you both what you need,"
The principal stood up and 'gave the
little boys a long look. _ _Mies:, Farrar's
Loan looks
hada
r
%utati n
0 am'1'"
ep o Elie'
y$'
pupils in the school. "Come with me,"
she said quietly.
Johnny went with a swagger, wink-
ing knowingly at ,shuffling William
but the silent ordeal in the office had
been trying. William'e tears were
ready to trickle down hes freckled
face and even Johnny's dark cheeks
showed red.
Entering an empty recitation room
Miss Farrar said suddenly, "Who
licked in the scrap to -clay?"
"Me," piPed Johnny stinking a
. bantam -cock attitude
"Is that so, William?" asked Miss
Farrar, turning to the lad.
"Yes, Miss Farrar," blubbered Wil-
liam. " I never touched him and I told
hien it was on the school grounds and
he must not fight but he hit like as
he always is."
"Why didn't you pitch in and lick
hint? You are bigger than he is,'.
Said the principal.
"Why," stammered the astonished
:W
boys
fa
pro
let
you
Pr,
"M
the
Wh
say
a
can
`Yo
live
ten
me
\Rias
ben
insane "niy father he says lie will
lie hie awful if I fight. He always'
says that it is only bad and wicked
dike Johnny as fights." !
Pride illumined Johnny's little dark
five at this tribute to his fame and
wens.
'Then yeti are going to keep on
ting Johnny tease you and, knock'
around, are you?" queried the
ineipal.
0 Mies Farrar!" sniffed William.'
y father he all time says do like
Bible says about soft'answers.
,M Johnny calls ' eve cry baby, I
soft, `Go chase yourself up.around
tree once.' And to -day when he;
me `Swede,' I say soft to him,
u're one by -gosh Indian like what
s down on the beach and eats rot-
fish.' Then Johnny runs after
and swats me."
Did he hit back, Johnny?" asked!
s Farrar,
Naw," answered Johnny. "He jest)
ered, `I'll tell teacher!' "
"Johnny, you stand. on this side of
the line •and William on that side."
Johnny, eager for a fray, the
lock of hair out of his left eye with a
toss of his head, stepped into the
"ring" and assumed an attitude both
offensive and defensive.
Willison, fear in les •eyes, ' shrank
back. "0 Miss Farrar!" he boobeoed.
"My father the all time says do-----"
"Stop!" said tine principal sternly.
"Your father has nothing to do 'with
this." .
Miss Farrar's blue eyes grew steely.
"William," she 'said, "you are a. big
baby! Por two years your teachers
and I have taken your part against
other boys smaller than you. We will
do this n'o longer. You must learn to
take your own part, fight your own
battles. Stop drying. If you do not
know hew to fight,- I'll show you how.
"Brace up. Be a nvan. Take your
place. Inn going to make special
rules for this fight. One is, Johnny,
you are not to hit William until he
hits you a pretty hard blow. Then you
can pitch in. Neither of you must hit
below the belt or on the face. All
ready. Your first blow, William."
"I ean't!" bawled W�illtiam.
The fighting blood ef y5 oottish an-
cestors s
began to revolt in the grin
cipad's heart. Conquering a desire to
shake the coward, she said:
"Shut your fists this way. No,
ighrt. It'•s your knuckles that hurt.
ow think that you are driving a
take in the ground or splitting wood
red draw back and hit Johnny as
and as you can an the dhes't."
William
wiped away ay the tears on
is left coat sleeve and holding out
is right arm limply, approached
Army as though he were a sleeping,
unclog or a stick of dynamite and'
touched him on the chest with the
back of his ham!d.
Johnny giggled.
"Good!" exclaimed the self-appoint-
ed pugilist trainer. "But keep your
up and hit herd—
like this." The principal struck a
sample blow on William's broad diest.
"Just to - stir him up," she thought.
It worked. With a last gasping sob,
William adjusted his fist and warily
approached the ' defferent
fist doubled very ver
Johnny and planted somethina us
g like
(blow on the smell: -- -r �t-, fiohte
sateete nre young i 1
LL.lit taken
ak
y em
g
P �
surprise, staggered.
This was first blood to brawny
Baan. His eye brightened, his b
hulking shoulders straightened,
primal man began to waken. Th
the battle was on. Fists flew o
with more rapidity than skill. Jobnn
the experienced, kept his head, us
.his eyes and made his blows
William, drunk with the joy of hi
new found power, struck blindly b
each blow inereased in force. Per
s'plration instead of tears soo
streamed down his face.
At the end of eight minutes ju
as Johnny seemed to be getting ti
worst of it, the umpire called, "Time!
"Rest a few minutes," she said.
• William., now a young animal, with
something of the man's sense of
power of defence and offence awaken-
ed, was restive under the enforced in-
terruption. Johnny looked with some
fear and eoneiderable respect at the
aroused Swede, but as yet his thin
dark face showed no sign of yielding
"I'm willing to lay a stake of
month's ,salary that nay solution wi
turn out to be correct," thought tin
principal as she noted the changes i
the two human factors in her problem
"Well, William," she said, "you ca
ght for yourself."
"Yea, Miss Farrar, I tank I can lick
hien if T try once again." William al-
most grinned.
The next round was a battle royal.
top by step the Swede backed the
uissiiran-Indii�•in into a corner until at
est he panted, "Let';s step!" His eyes
old the story.
"Time!" culled the umpire.
"Are you beaten, Johnny?" she
eked.
"Well, William, he has learned to
ght some and I'ni kind of tired," he
gasped.
His backward trail across the room
was inarked by drops of blood from his
mored knuckles,
The umpire ached to bind up the
W
tit
w'.
14 er
1 °z'K 4 rx41
OLE
to
AR e
is
You carer afford to negicc l= fertilizers this year
I
Here
, _ their .
e Fertilizers: A
Al (1) payyeurmone `back'writb `4) hesten
w y 1 e ripening. "�,
big interest. (5) eliminate la
a large es• '� It
ge , (2) increase' yields, ' tent crop failures, ►`
04 (3) improve quality..;