Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: OBEDIENCE THE PLACE OF MILITARY DISCIPLINE IN EDUCATION "Obedience for its own sake is the worst of vices."—Headmaster at the Headmasters' Conference FOR a most amusing description of disobedient children no better reference can be found than Acton Bell's novel, Agnes Grey, and more especially the following graphic scene, when the heroine was a sorely-tried governess in Mr. Bloomfield's family:— " I particularly remember one wild snowy afternoon after my return in January; the children had all come up from dinner, loudly declaring that they meant ' to be naughty', and they had well kept their resolution, though I had talked myself hoarse and wearied every muscle in my throat in the vain attempt to reason them out of it. I had got Tom pinned up in a corner, whence I told him he should not escape till he had done his appointed task. Meantime Fanny had possessed herself of my work-bag and was rifling its contents—and spitting into it besides. I told her to let it alone, but to no purpose, of course. 'Burn it, Fanny,' cried Tom; and this command she hastened to obey. I sprang to snatch it from the fire, and Tom darted to the door. ' Mary Ann,throw her desk out of the window,' cried he: and my precious desk containing my letters and papers, my small amount of cash, and all my valuables, was about to be precipitated from the three-storey window. I flew to rescue it. Meanwhile Tom had left the room and was rushing down the stairs, followed by Fanny. Having secured my desk I ran to catch them, and Mary Ann came scampering after. All three escaped me and ran out of the house into the garden, where they plunged about in the snow, shouting and screaming in exultant glee. While I stood just without the door, trying by grim looks and angry words to awe them into subjection, I heard... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.