His eyes must sweep restlessly over the class to
detect inattention, playfulness, attempted de-
ceit and a hundred other offenses. Admonish-
ing, reproving and punishing form a great part
of his daily work. Is it not therefore easy to
understand how the habit of correction and
censure gets into the blood of many teachers,
how the endless, everlasting, petty strife with
the malice and feebleness of their pupils make
them into suspicious, inquisitive policemen ?

This consequence of teaching is certainly un-
desirable. We should fight it with all our
strength, if we are not to be robbed of a blessed



86 The Way to the Heart of the Pupil

educational influence upon our children. I
have already stated my belief that a suspicious
teacher kills the confidence of the pupil, and
the so-called disciplinarian, always scolding and
punishing, creates only fear, — personal dread of
himself. But fear is the least educative of all
forces. From it never proceeds a free moral
act. Yet thereby we would educate our children !
We are not voicing here the opinion of all
teachers. Many of them and especially many
in actual school life, regard the implicit obedi-
ence of the child as indispensable and as be-
ing inconceivable if separated from fear of the
teacher. "Both," urges "Schmidt's Encyclo-
pedia of Education and Instruction," "must co-
operate In Education: Fear and Love. One
alone does not suffice. Fear without love embit-
ters and makes pupils bashful, reserved and out-
wardly obedient. On the contrary, where love
acts independently of fear, the constraint upon
the will is wanting; affection will be displaced
by wilfulness and defiance, and respect will be
lost," etc. That these words show a pitiable
lack of understanding of that of which educa-
tional power consists, namely, love, is putting
the matter mildly. I feel inclined charitably
to assume that the author of this article on



The Punishing Power of the Teacher 87

obedience is simply confusing love and good-
natured weakness. It is otherwise exceedingly
strange to find placed beside each other two
naturally exclusive sentiments, love for the
teacher and fear of the teacher, as related means
to perfection in obedience. How can these
feelings work together.'' Love unites, fear sep-
arates; love makes teacher and pupils friends,
fear makes the child the teacher's enemy.
