Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/133

Rh silence. And the little organ, the tongue, is not easily tamed, nor can one punish it with the rod, as other organs. And the mischief done by words is done through the tongue, according to the constitution of the heart (Matth. xii, 25). Although often the talking done among children is not due to evil intention, nothing can be accomplished unless talking and silence each have their time. I have devised several means, all of which worked for a time, but not permanently, so that something new had to be tried. My method is as follows:

First, when the lesson is assigned, they learn it, after the custom of this country and England, by repeating aloud. To keep them all at work I move among them until I think they have had time enough to learn the lesson. Then I rap with the rod on the blackboard and there is silence. I now ask the first to recite; meanwhile a monitor, who has been detailed to this duty, stands on a bench or other high place where he can see all and reports the Christian and surname of each one who talks, studies aloud or does anything else that is forbidden. He also writes the name down. As some use partiality in this work, those who have been proven to be untruthful are discharged from the work unless they apply, and promise to be honest. Also those who have been on the punishment seat for lying are not allowed to be monitors, unless they prove truthful through a period of time. Thus provided with a monitor, one can hear the lesson or go on with something else that is instructive, without interruption. When the work is over this may be forgotten. But if it is