ABSENCE OF AN IDEA

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 72, 18 December 1937, Page 22

ABSENCE OF AN IDEA

Two small boys in their first year of school had gone off the playground to play. There was a tempting spot of green, in a neighbour’s yard, and some smooth, round stones to throw’ at the green apples in the neighbour’s tree; so the boys forgot the strict rules which forbade leaving the school grounds during school sessions. The ’ teacher on the playground the boys and hurried to the road to call them back. Both boys obeyed the call, but. with apparent reluctance.

“Didn’t you boys know the rules?" asked the teacher kindly. “It wasn’t my fault,” spoke up one. “Johnny asked me to go pcross the road, it was all his Idea.” “You had the idea first,” returned the other. “You had the idea to go across, and you said we wouldn’t gel caught.” The teacher started to speak several times, but the battle of words continued ; meanwhile she was seeking the right thing to say that would convince both lads that no one is ever to blame for our wrong doing. But before she had started to speak an older boy, who had heard the argument, spoke up: “You two fellows better stop arguing about whose idea it was. because it wasn't an idea at all. Ideas don’t make us do something wrong; we do wrong when we forget to have ideas.” The boys stopped arguing and looked at the lady in amazement. The teacher said nothing; she decided that the boy had said all that was necessary.