Page:Historical and biographical sketches.djvu/120

116 occurs and is apparent, and afterward the scholar lies purposely, the punishment for the transgression is divided into two parts, and the lie is punished first and hardest. For the lie no bail will be received, for the transgression itself the punishment may be lessened through bail, or without bail upon a promise to be careful in the future. After the infliction of the punishment, the punishment threatened for such misdeeds in the Scriptures is repeated to them.

The disposition to steal shows itself early in some children, and when they are caught at it they generally make use of lies and say that this or that person gave the thing to them, or traded with them for it, or that they found it, and these things are often so confused and twisted together that one has trouble to get them straightened out. To protect against it I have made an order that no child at school, or on the road, or at home without my knowledge, and that of their parents, shall give away or trade anything; also that whenever they find anything in school, or on the road, or wherever it may be, they must show it to me. What they find belongs not to them for themselves, but to him who lost it; but if after it has been made known a long; time he cannot be discovered, it belongs to him who found it. Through these means it has been brought about, praise God! that there is little necessity for punishment on this account.

Ambition appears among children, but not at all in proportion to that which shows itself among the mature and the old, who often, for a bare seat of honor and title, bring about much war and shedding of blood. Not only among persons of high position but among men of little standing it appears. Yes, even the little word thou ofttimes causes contention and fighting. But among children this evil is much more easy to overcome. If a child is