The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-12-20


Condemned.
From the Boston Advertiser, November 81
The municipal caucus Of the Repub-
licans of Cam bridge met in the City Hall,
last evening, according to adjournment
/ DIR. Morrill, Wyman offered the follow
ing resolution:
Resolved, That it is the opinion of this
meeting that corporeai punishment OF
girls should be abolished in each and
every public school in this city. ~
DR.. Wyman advocated his resolution
in speech of considerable length, ex-
amining and answering the arguments
! of the Investigating Committee Of the
School Board, in their report sustaining
the action of the teachers engaged in
the recent whipping Of school girl
He observed that, until last April, he
was not aware that q rule existed which
authorized the infection of corporal
punishment upon girls in the public
schools of Cambridge. In Prussia, such
punishment had been abolished for a
| quarter Of a century, and in many of our
cities it had so long been unemployed
that it was no longer a mooted question.
The remarks Of DIR. Wyman were heartily
applauded.
His Honor Mayor Merrill opposed the
resolution, and defended the action of the
school committee, maintaining that some
classes Of girls needed corporeal pun
ishment, and arguing that it would be
cruel and unjust to the community to
adopt the resolution. He remarked that
there never was matter so grossly ex
aggerated and misrepresented as the
whipping case in the Allston school had
been. It was generally believed that
the girl was whipped for Whispering
The fact was, she was whipped for per-
sistent, general insubordination. The
whipping might have been injudicious,
and he believed it was; but it would not
do to discharge every city officer for the
commission of one injudicious act
Mayor Merrill maintained that corporeal
punishment could not be safely abolished
until all the pupils were subjected to
proper discipline at home; and when it
was prohibited for girls, it should be
prohibited for boys. He thought it would
be a very great mistake to turn out the
entire board of school committee.
Mr.. Charles Foster, father of the
whipped girl. was the next speaker. He
charged the school committee with de-
s;yn TO cover up the action OF the teach
ers of the Allston school by conducting
| the Investigation secretly.
Mr.. John N. Barber opposed the reso-
luton, and declared that the censure be-
slowed upon the teachers and the School
Board vas already producing insubor
dination in the schools.
Professor Agassiz now took the plat
form, amid great applause. He remark
ed that he came forward with great re
luctance. For twenty years he had not
taken part in public meeting, but while
matters so important were under discus
sion, he could not reconcile it to his duty
as an American citizen to sit still. He
would not attempt to argue this case, for
he could only repeat what DR.. Wyman
had so beautifully uttered. For forty
years he had been a teacher-beginning
when he was fourteen years old-and he
had never vet laid his hand on a child
Applause He believed that when it
became necessary to infict corporeal
| punishment, it was an evidence that the
teacher had lost his self control He
paid high compliment to the teachers
of Cambridge, and remarked that many
of them had too large q number of pupils
under their charge, and the number of
teachers should, therefore, be increased.
He knew how much the public schools
had done for the freedom of the Repub.
lie; but they were susceptible of i'm
provement, and he knew Of no better
I place to begin that improvement than in
Cambridge. The number of students in
the public schools should be SO increased
as to tit the scholars for entrance into
the universities. Thus might Cambridge
be made the intellectual head of the com
| munity.
Professor Washburne said he would
add word or two to what had been SO
eioquently said by the gentleman who
opened the discussion. He would have
in the schools the authority of the good
man over the child-not maintained by
tue cudgel or by paralyzing terror, but
by affection, and by inspiring pupils with
confidence in their teachers. Discipline
should be regarded as cans, not as an
end, and trifing violations Of school
rules, originating in the natural activity
and exhuberant spirits of youth, should
not be visited with severe punishment.
There was no necessity Of whipping girls
to secure order in school. Where the
teacher excites proper interest in the
minds Of his pupils for their studies,
| ahers was no need Of chastisement-
Kindness and affection in the teacher
would be reciprocated by the pupils
| If in any school there was q girl whom
kindness would NOT reform, it was the
! duty af the committee to remove her
from the school
Continuing his remarks, Professor
Washburne declared his conviction that
| the application of corporeal punishment
was prolific of evil. 1t could not be used
on young children without bunting their
sensibilities, and lessening their conf
dence in their teachers, and every one
else; and no girl Of ten years old, or
upward, could be whipped without hard
ening or breaking her heart Joshua
Coffin of Newburyport, immortalized by
w Whittier, and 3 school teacher for forty
years, was rough i'll exterior and course
in manner, but he had q heart as soft as
. girls, and clear head. The speaker
remembered him At teachers meeting.
where the subject of corporeai punish
ment was under discussion. Many of
the teachers had advocated FREQUENT
exercise of it Mr. Coffin rose. and in
about ten minutes ended the debate, and
taA Yad H.