THE SCHOOLBOY AND THE ROD.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11167, 30 January 1904, Page 4

THE SCHOOLBOY AND THE ROD.

So long as the schools are in charge of men and women who do not understand a boy, and who liave no intelligent sympathy for the child. nature, there 'will be periodical and insistent appeals for' a return to the rod. These' appeals' are generally voiced by teachers who have had sorry experiences with refractory boys whom they have. tried to whip into respect for constituted- authoriy. As' for the parents, they never join in the appeal At a meeting of the School Principals' Club in New 1 York ' \, recently Dr Nichplaja/: Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, . evoked hearty demonstrations of approval by advocating a return, 'to corporal punishment in the schools. -He offered himself "in evidence" as one "of the fruits of continuous, systematic., spanking, daily administered, by. the principal of a school in'Pa'terson, N.J. { After commenting on the good results attained by a vigorous weilding •of the birch, she said: — "I hope that, some day our largehearted, goodnatured friends will give-*ns a chance to get back at, the boy in the only way he understands." Commenting on this an American exchange says:—^-It is. interesting to note in connection with the exhibit which Dr Butler offered "in evidence," the fact which was' brought, out in a rejoinder by Superintendent Maxwell, that the principal in Patterson wj&o birched him daily was discharged tor' brutality, and that his successor, who fitted Dr. Butler for college, never, struck a boy in his life. It is plainly obvious from this bit of personal history- that Dr Butler was .not flogged into the presidency of Columbia University. He had no right in face to exhibit" himself as one. of the' finished products of the birch method training youngsters. Flogging ib b.rut#iising and degrading. The rod was thrown out of most public- schools because Sts use as a teacher is cruel, illpgigal, and unnatural. The teacher has .no right to whip another ' person's child, and Ao amount of declaration about "dißcitilini^' will give him that fight. T>e' 'responsibility for the severe discipline of. a cmlH - belongs to the parents. Just what, form " ' it may take is for the parent to decide. If his responsibility is not ineif; ' firmly* patiently, and humanely, the parent -win -suffer the consequences. It cannot be thrown entirely upon the teacher in '* schools. The tendency in most pities 'in fact is to keep the pupil in the schools ■ fewer hours, leaving the ' question *of discipline more and more to the parents.-