I wonder why there are two sides to this question of education? No one but a fool will contend that the birch rod is better than the Little Commonwealth. I think that ninety per cent. of the Macdonalds of Scotland would believe in the Little Commonwealth. Why then would they argue that their system of teaching is better than mine? Obviously coercion and authority make a child less individual than he might be. Ah! it all turns on our respective attitudes to life. "Boys are innately bad," they say, "whack 'em!" "Boys are innately good," I say, "I'll light my pipe and ask them how their rabbits are getting on."
* * *
Macdonald came hurrying up to me to-night.
"I quite forgot to ask you when you came down what you used to do about your desk. The lock's broken; how long has it been like that?"
"Since my first week in school," I said.
"Good gracious! Mean to tell me your desk was open for two years?"
I nodded, and smiled at his consternation.
"I've sent down to the joiner. The situation is intolerable. Why, do you know what I found in it to-day?"
"A packet of sweets," I hazarded ... "chocolates if you were lucky."
"How did you guess?" he cried in amazement.