as to be separated from them, the good of the boy
himself must not be forgotten. In fact, all through, school discipline
should be based on the good of the boys and not on the idea of saving
trouble to the teacher. The loving teacher does not mind the trouble.

Unintentional cruelty often comes from mere thoughtlessness, and the
teacher should be very careful not to be cruel in words or actions from
want of thought. Teachers often cause pain by hasty words uttered at a
time when they have been disturbed by some outside annoyance, or are
trying to attend to some important duty. The teacher may forget the
incident or pass it over as trivial, but in many such cases a sensitive
boy has been wounded, and he broods over the words and ends by imagining
all sorts of foolish exaggerations. In this way many misunderstandings
arise between teachers and boys, and though the boys must learn to be
patient and generous, and to realise that the teacher is anxious to help
all as much as he can, the teacher in his turn must always be on the
alert to watch his words, and to allow nothing but gentleness to shine
out from his speech and actions, however busy he may be.

If the teacher is always gentle to the boys, who are younger and weaker
than himself, it will be easy for him to teach them the important lesson
of kindness to little children, animals, birds and other living
creatures. The older boys, who themselves are gentle and tactful, should
be encouraged to observe the condition of the animals they see in the
streets, and if they see any act of cruelty, to beg the doer of it very
politely and gently, to treat the animal more kindly. The boys should
be taught that nothing which involves the hunting and killing of animals
should be called sport. That word ought to be kept for manly games and
exercises, and not used for the wounding and killing of animals. My
Master says: "The fate of the cruel must fall also upon all who go out
intentionally to kill God's creatures and call it sport."

I do not think that teachers realise the harm and the suffering caused
by gossip, which the Master calls a sin against love. Teachers should be
very careful not to make difficulties for their boys by gossiping about
them. No boy should ever be allowed to have a bad name in the school,
and it should be the rule that no one may speak ill of any other member
of the school whether teacher or boy.

My Master points out that by talking about a person's faults