Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-09-29
SECOND edition,
- O'CLOCK r. m
aovkRNMENr sEcuRlrlES.
scHooL puNIsHMrNrs

ELSEWHERE We g1vf, asftrcaehes us by our re-
porter, the statement IF cass yiere teacher In
orr public schools wssealtsd up before a mag
istrate to answer 10 The charge or CT Jelly heat
il a pupil. The evidence failed to sustain the
c'.aree of crIeiiy, though It was in eviden 90
that the child was severely beaten and consid-
ersbly bruised. 1t was shown that the school
had been disoroeriy one, and that in order to
restore discipline the pretent teacher was put
in charges and Instructed by the trustees to use
corporal Punishment when necessary. The
charge was dismissed, ana the mari strate-
Justice Thompson, who has had much expert
cnce as teaeber-in doing SO. remarked upon
the necessity of maintaining proper school dts
cipline, and its value as shown in the improved
order in the lchool IN question. ...,.f,, .-,l
We cutie agree with the magistrate as to the
necessity of maintaining discipline in the
schools, but are inclined to believe that il
would be best effected by the prompt dismissal
OF refractory sholars. Bad boys az school
are generally those who have been spoiled at
homo, and We do not belle We it is the mission
of the busy teacher. who has some sixty pupils
10 deal with mentally, TO undertake to sub0ue
in:q rig ule boys, that the parents are upahle
To Manage at home. However, we do not pre-
pc TO enter upon the discussion of the aues
ton, but to refer TO another matter Of
school punishment, demanding, we think
serious attention. We mean the pra.;.e
adopted in some schools of keeping the
whole school,or division or the school, in after
hours as punishment for the fanlt of sucb ot
the pupils as have been noisy or restless. and
who cannot be IeaSfly identified as the ruiltv
parties. We hear that in some SCHOOLS il js p
Common practice to keep the pupil. in for ON.
or two hours after the regular time of d..
missaI, seriously to the prejudice of the heaIt,
OF the pupils. Six hours is the utmost len eli,
OF time that pupils, especially of a tender are.
"ould De confined in sitting position, ana
Oh DO consideration should the teacher ba
permitted to keep them in Longer 1t wouIj
he better, even, If a portion of the re-
ufar schoof hours were occupied IN some
caiistLenic exercises, calculated 10 exarei o
the bodies OF the pupils, and relieve them from
the fatigue and listnesses Of q constrained Do.
siuon.F Physicfaus trace much of the, preya-
lent disease of the bladder and Kidneys, to saw
nothing OF the national habit OF indigestion, to
inJudicious sedentary habits enforced a.
school. We accord proper motives t, The
young teachers who practice this mole
Of punishment, knowing them TO be faith "a g
earnest teachers, who have simply erred "a
judgment. Another form OF Punishment Z
6rem Objectionable is that of requiring s,,e
lnspl, when kept in, IS above stated to re-
W.. 70 single word many hundred tim as
Snch practice is most tai guing TO the III -,
ones, and vitlates the handwriting ute
making the pupil careless aud listlese. We
simply throw out these suggestions for rso
consideration of the trustees. Our scpoo,
"s.chsrs are so Jealous, so sincerely anxious 10
do their work judiciously and well, that we
are sure that any and all of them will welcome
a little friendly criticism. &C