Page 14 - 1921 VES Meteor

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to hard feeling~, nud breeds discontent. Frequently boys who at :first reahze that a demerit was justified, in their zeal to get it off, actually contrive to convince themsel>cs that they don't deserve it, and then when their efi'orts to accom- plisll its removal fail, they imagine that they haYo been treated very nnfair1y, and Yoicc their feelings to their com- panions. Thus the idea arises that tho auth01·itics are banded together against them, that counselors derh·e malicious pleas- ure ~rom imposing punishments, and that they are only showmg prope1· spirit in "getting by with" as much as they can.
Few of you 1mderstand clearly the difficulties which a c~u~so~or experiences in endeavoring not only to uphold the d1sC1phne of the school but also to be absolutcl.v impartial and honest in his decisions. Probably mistakes are made but they are unintentional and the right-minded person would make allowance for them. And so if you rccei>e a demerit whie? seems unwarrantably severe instead of persistently naggmg at the teacher or cotmselor who gaY<~ it, or sulkinO' about it and complaining to others, lay your case before th: Court of Appeal, which will do everything possible to see that justice is done.
In connection with this it might be well to mention another even greater danger which attends the disputing of demerits. Some students in their anxiety to escape punishment are rather lax in their statements of facts and attempt to evade. them by _quibbling. This is apt to lead to stretching the trut.h to a per1lous degree. Undoubtedly this is only carelessness but it is extremely important that it should cease, and we are confident that this reminder will be sufficient to check it effectively.