New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-08-15
Now lot every other banker look 70 his stable
RLOCGING.

House of Refuge on Randall's Island was SO
severely whipped that he died in consequence.
MIR. Strong, President of the Society for the
Reformation of Juvenile Delinguents, has Off
cIally stated in these columns that the boy died
Of pleuro. pneumonia. We accept the explana-
ton. pending the examination into the case
which, we understand, is to be made. But
MFR. Strong adds: "The lad in question was
punished for repeated and willful failures to do
his allotted work, but not severely From this,
it appears that corporal chastisement forms on
established portion Of the discipline IN the
House of Refuge; and this fact, without suppos'
ing that the GoggingS are cruel or frequent,
requires attention.
Everybody remembers the time when it was
supposed to be impossible to force sailor to 10
his duty without occasionally making spread
eagle of his body, and scoring with q nne-tailed
cat upon his naked back lessons IN morality,
industry and obedience. Everybody remembers
the time when soldiers were whipped tor the
slightest ofrenses; and now and then, for MAJOR
crimes, they were whipped to death. Good
sense and decent humanity have abolished these
barbarous practices. Even in our prisons, the
whip has been discarded. From the crllnlnai
code of almost every civilized nation, the lash
has disappeared. The whipping-post has van
ished with the pillory and the stocks. They
still bastinado in Turkey and in China; but the
spectacle of woman dashed by the police in
our City Hall Park would probably breed a
riot.
There is still moro or less Aogging in our
schools, but the general opinion Of the most in
telligent friends ofeducation is against it. The
coarse brutality with which this discipline was
once administered would not now be tolerated
for day; and the master who should now
maui, bruise and torture his pupils in fashion
thought to be perfectly proper and necessary
half century ago, would soon find himself an
inmate of the nearest prison. In the public
schools of England, Aogging is getting day by
day into greater disrepute, and by some masters
it has been altogether given up, except III
the EXTREMIST cases. DIR. Arnold, at Rugby,
we believe, never logged except for the crime
of lying, and even in such cases preferred eY-
pulsion. 1t is a question whether that punish
ment which is universally allowed to be bad for
men. to be demoralizng, degrading and inner
emily unjust, can be good one Tor boys.
When the rod is literally used, the shame, OF
course, can never be counted on; if the whole
school is flogged, chastisement brings no moral
disgrace to any individual. Pupils are trans
formed into little Spartans, whose hearts and
cuticles have grown simultaneously hard, and
who take pride in receiving without howl
the smartest strokes of the cowhide or ferrlle.
Parents have grown extremely jealous OF
the administration Of any physical punishment
by the teacher; and, considering the abuses
to which it is liable, We do not think that this
sensitiveness is 10 be blamed. A teacher who
Aogs in passion-and schOOl-keepers almost
always fog III passon-is not to be trusted.
In moment ofrage, he may, BY blow inflicted
upon the head, make On idiot of the brightest Of
boys. Surely, in this age of general enlighten-
ment, and OF vast acquisitions in the science of
education, there must be some method nobler
than the infection of temporary physical pain Of
proving to the young nature the folly OF doing
wrong and the wisdom of doing right. five
have given up torture in the most desperate
cases of the most hardened Of adults, why
should we retain it for those of tender
years, still susceptible Of good moral impres-
sons, and with fresh and unhackneyed and gem
orally generous natures, to which the appeals
Of wisdom and Of affection may be addressed
To fog is PROFESSIONALLY the easiest, the short
est and the rcadieSt method Of executing pen
atty; but punishment for its own sake, with no
eye to reformation, is forbidden alike by COM
mon Justice and by tho prccepts of Christianity.
Equally repulsye is the fallacy of furnishing for
the sake of example. We have no right TO in.
hict pain upon one child in order that another
may be made better. Apart from its gross h.
Justice such mere terrorism excrts but q TEN
porary influence, and through repetition soon
ceases to exert any influence whatever.
We have made these remarks with 10 partic-
ular reference to the House Of Refuge; but We
cannot close them without reminding orr
readers that the unfortunate children there de-
tanned are bereft of their natural protectors, and
nave special claims upon our philanthrophy and
wisdom. We think every case Of corporal pun
shmeut in the institution should be reported,
luo record being kept Of the same. This GER
ainlv can be done. and this is little enough to
lSk.