Untitled - Electric Scotland

142 LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP TAIT [CH. v.
School, and it reacted in many cases injuriously on the
character of these boy-masters, making them self-important
and unnatural. This condition of things Tait (whether
intentionally or not I cannot tell)
did much to alter. In
the first place, he regulated the authority of the Sixth,
fixing limits to their power of inflicting punishment, and
giving a right of appeal to any lower boy who felt himself
aggrieved. Secondly, he did away with certain old
customs, thought by the Sixth privileges, which did no
good, but only caused friction and annoyance in the
School. And lastly, while impressing upon the Sixth
their duties and responsibilities with weighty, and often
eloquent words, he never failed also to make them see
that there was a right and a wrong way of doing
things, and that it was quite possible
to be strict and firm
without being high-flown and aggravating. And so
gradually, without in any way injuring discipline, he intro
duced a more easy and natural relation between the Sixth
and School, which was good for all. And his triumph
was, that, while thus relaxing the strain of the old
system, necessary at its first establishment, he preserved
all that was really vital in it, and led the way to that
simpler working of monitorial authority now so general in
all our great schools.
"
Again, I think he had something of the same object
before him both in his pulpit teaching and in school
lessons. More than once he protested in his sermons
against introducing boys prematurely to political and
and in School, whenever questions
religious controversies ;
of a speculative character forced themselves upon his
notice, he would endeavour to lead us to more practical
considerations by throwing the burden of proof on im-
pugners of received opinions, or bidding
us wait till rival
controversialists had settled their difficulties, geological or