THE CANE IN SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19607, 8 April 1927, Page 14

THE CANE IN SCHOOLS.

Sir, —1 read with great interest the letter re the above subject by "Dominie." i It is perfectly true that ail the corporal i punishment brought on is entirely the parents' own fault, because they do not | teach their children the position a teacher i holds, and that is one of authority; and j also not to tell tales. I have been asso- I ciated with schools for a good many years j and have had many complaints from parents because their children are pun- I ished. Now, if they could only see how I some children will not obey, they would j have a little less to say about the matter, j I myself have heard little children say, j "Mother says, 'Don't you do as you are ] told, I won't have you caned at school.' " j This is not right, for there must be a i head, or one in authority, and until i parents stop listening to tales and teach j their, the meaning of obedience j there will always be trouble. If a child j disobeys, ho must bo punished in some j way. Mangatangi. ! Sir, —Many 'of your correspondents j under the above heading "(as is so often j the case when the human animal is under discussion) argue as if teachers and | scholars respectively ware of the same mental and moral make-up, and subject to the same influences. Last night I .was set wondering what the luck %vould be of a little schoolboy that I bumped into on the kerbstone. Alighting from a bus, about ,3 o'clock last night in one of Auckland's suburbs, I nearly trod on this little chaj), sitting on a milk can with his head in his hands at the foot of an' electric light pole. The sight pulled me up and prompted me to have a word with him. Asked if he had not yet finished his day's work, and was he tired, he said as he turned a clean-cut and clean kept, intelligent face up to me, " No, not yet, I don't never get done till after nine o'clock every night. "Ses, I'm a bit tired, but not much, I don't mind." His " I don't mind" hit me in a soft place. Asked as to his age he replied " Ten and a bit, nearly 'leven." To my further questioning he informed me that .he started soon after 4 o'clock in the morning till breakfast time, then school and lessons, and then out on. his run again at 6.30 p.m. till after 9 o'clock. My heartstrings got somehow tangled up with my throat when the poor little chap said from away deep down, " And I didn't see nothing of the beaches last Christmas neither, cause I was working in a store all the holidays and doing my milk round as well." I wondar what would happen to that lad if his homework was not properly done or if through sleepiness he appeared to be inattentive. I have this lad's name and address and intend to remember it. I hope I was able to put a little sand and sunshine into the soul of this game little beggar. We parted good cobbers" anyway, but I'm still wondering if he ever gets the cane at school. W.F.Y.S.