Then there is the doctrine that children should be good to please their parents and teachers.  This doctrine is akin to that of rewards.  It sets up something of a false ideal, though of course it is a splendid thing to teach appreciation of those who help us.  Much can be defended which seeks to inculcate in the minds of children reverence for their elders.  The chief difficulty lies in the fact that this doctrine may not continue to appeal as fundamentally sound.

A third method for securing discipline is to compel it.  This is to resort to the law of things.  A certain amount of law should characterize both the home and the classroom.  Obedience and order are the first laws of heaven and are essential to good social environment.  But the law should be so administered that the obedience exacted rests upon an intelligent understanding of the purpose behind the law.  Otherwise there comes a time when mere authority fails to control.  It is a good thing to train children to abide by regulations out of a sense of duty.  If duty and love can be coupled, the combination makes for permanent law-abiding.  Arbitrary authority and blind obedience have produced Germany.  Strong leadership coupled with democratic co-operation and loyalty have produced America.

Still another doctrine of discipline rests upon a social appeal.  Members of a group agree that in the interest of everyone’s welfare each individual will subscribe to certain conditions regardless of their application to him.  This principle, fundamental in all democracies, can safely be trusted to secure desired results in groups mature enough to assure sound judgment.  The sense of justice in the human soul is a safe guarantee of both liberty and good order.  Many of our classes no doubt could be improved noticeably if we could enlist the co-operation of the members to the extent that they would assume to govern themselves.

Finally there is the doctrine of interest as a means of maintaining discipline.  This doctrine implies that a teacher should get his class so interested in doing what he wants it to do that it hasn’t any inclination to do what it ought not to do.  This doctrine is not the pernicious doctrine hinted at earlier in this chapter of cheapening everything into “easiness.”  Genuine interest may lead not only to effort, but to sacrifice.  The boy who plays football does not play because of the ease of the game—­he is fascinated by his interest in the struggle.  Ample preparation and a complete understanding of pupils will make possible an interest that disciplines without any evidence of discipline.  Surely this is the modern doctrine of discipline, though with it should be coupled that wholesome respect for authority that prompts citizens to abide by the law.

No discussion of discipline would be complete which did not mention at least the significance of attitude on the part of one who disciplines.  In so many cases when a boy is corrected he complains of the teacher,