How to Demoralize and Break up a Church-School
By H. M. Hiatt
I DESIRE to present this subject from the negative side of the question first, because of the abundant evidence obtainable from numerous incidents of the past that have helped to demoralize our earlier church-schools. By presenting it from a negative point of view the truths stand out with greater clearness. This, I trust, will result in a more sympathetic relation between our people generally and our church-schools. To ruin a school most successfully, begin with the State superintendent, and criticize all that he says and does. To do this it will not be necessary for you to know any of the facts in the case. Cast reflections upon everything the school board does; suggest that the very lowest wages shall be paid to the teacher, as the school is small, and she will have very little to do anyway. If any trouble comes up in school between your children and the teacher, promptly refuse to pay any more tuition into the school treasury until things go your way. From the beginning of the school, let your children know that you are not very well pleased with the teacher. They in turn will tell the other members of the school, and the whole community will soon know your sentiments. If this is done, your children will soon learn to disobey and oppose all the requirements of the teacher, and to spread the spirit of discontent among the other pupils. Satan successfully followed this plan in heaven. When the matter reaches the climax, do not investigate, but allow your children to bring you all the information you get. Believe all you hear, and decide at once that the teacher is incompetent, and express it as your candid opinion that she will never teach out the full term of school. Tell all your children so. Teach it diligently “when thou sittest down, and when thou risest up,” but tell them to keep it strictly to themselves. Next day, of course, the whole school will know all about it. If you receive a note from the teacher later on, stating that your son is believed to be guilty of a very serious offense, and soliciting your co-operation in bringing the young culprit to justice, doubt every word of it, for has not Plato said that doubt is the road to knowledge? When the school board investigates and finds him guilty of all that was claimed, and more too, pass over the evil lightly, and try to shield him by pointing to the children of Brother B or Sister A, who, you say, are just as bad. If, however, the Board remains firm, and demands punishment for his wickedness, offer to compromise the matter by allowing your son to be punished, provided the others are. This will help to ruin him as well as the school. Allow your children to go to school so untidy and unclean that they will be avoided by all the other pupils in school. Lay all the blame for this upon the teacher. When your children fail to get their lessons, and are held after school to make up for wasted time, they will come home with a pathetic tale of woe, telling how the teacher helps Amy Brown and Jennie Black, while they receive no assistance. Sympathize with them about this, assuring them that you can readily see they are learning nothing, and if any more trouble arises in this line, you will promptly take them out of school. Tell them you will pay no more tuition until you see that things go right. The next time you meet the teacher, treat her coldly. After this your children will know they have solid backing at home, and will be saucy and defiant at school. When trouble next arises, they will immediately rush home to receive your approbation and assurances of the promised blessing. Withdraw every child from school at once. Go out among your brethren and solicit their withdrawal also. Use as “helps” in this canvassing work all the untrue and inflated stories the children can furnish you. If, however, your brethren know you and your children too well to heed your story, and the teacher still holds the fort, write your State superintendent that “several are taking their children out of school,” that others intend to soon, that the teacher does not know as much as your thirteen-year-old daughter, that she can not control the school any longer, and you must have another teacher at once. Every one of these instructions given above has actually been put into practice, and has played its part in breaking up more than one church-school in the past. These suggestions, followed by others equally pernicious, may finally so discourage and dishearten your present teacher that she will give up in despair.