7.  Insincere Confession.—­An assistant in a school informed the principal that she had some difficulty in preserving order in a certain class composed of small children.  The principal accordingly went into the class, and something like the following dialogue ensued: 

“Your teacher informs me,” said the principal, “that there is not perfect order in the class.  Now if you are satisfied that there has not been order, and wish to help me discover and correct the fault, we can do it very easily.  If, on the other hand, you do not wish to co-operate with me, it will be a little more difficult for me to correct it, and I must take a different course.  Now I wish to know, at the outset, whether you do or do not wish to help me?”

A faint “Yes, sir,” was murmured through the class.

“I do not wish you to assist me unless you really and honestly desire it yourselves; and if you undertake to do it, you must do it honestly.  The first thing which will be necessary will be an open and thorough exposure of all which has been wrong, and this, you know, will be unpleasant.  But I will put the question to vote by asking how many are willing that I should know, entirely and fully, all that they have done in this class that has been wrong?”

Very nearly all the hands were raised at once, promptly, and the others were gradually brought up, though with more or less of hesitation.

“Are you willing not only to tell me yourselves what you have done, but also, in case any one has forgotten something which she has done, that others should tell me of it?”

The hands were all raised.

After obtaining thus from the class a distinct and universal expression of willingness that all the facts should be made known, the principal called upon all those who had any thing to state to raise their hands, and those who raised them had opportunity to say what they wished.  A great number of very trifling incidents were mentioned, such as could not have produced any difficulty in the class, and, consequently, could not have been the real instances of disorder alluded to.  Or at least it was evident, if they were, that in the statement they must have been so palliated and softened that a really honest confession had not been made.  This result might, in such a case, have been expected.  Such is human nature, that in nine cases out of ten, unless such a result had been particularly guarded against, it would have inevitably followed.

Not only will such a result follow in individual cases like this, but, unless the teacher watches and guards against it, it will grow into a habit.  I mean, boys will get a sort of an idea that it is a fine thing to confess their faults, and by a show of humility and frankness will deceive their teacher, and perhaps themselves, by a sort of acknowledgment, which in fact exposes nothing of the guilt which the transgressor professes to expose.  A great many cases occur