, 1866-02-17
ENGLISH FASHIONABLE e
SCHOOLS, H.
How the Daughters Of the Rrifish Arls.
tocrncy arc Disciplined by their Tu.

ever, by means of your columns, whether the
following ls usually. the punishment for Of
fences, either small or great, at boarding
schools for girls. Some time ago, In con
Timer, opened up negotiations with lady
who keeps large school in the vicinity Of
London, and which resulted In my placinEmy
daughter, now Just turned fifteen years Of age,
under her cure. My wife Informs me, that
since herrretnrn from school this Christmas,
the arst holiday since joining the school, that
my daughter has had to submit On one or two
occasions to the application OF the old-fash-
iopod birch. in the presence OF her schoolfel-
lows, and that, too, In not the most delicate
fashion. My wish Is to know whether this
custom stu obtains at other boarding schools
beside this one, and mp to what age the pu-
Rs haye 70 zap a t t9 tas ye ns Of sr
than my daughter have been whipped during
the past half rear. and that their friends.
many of them moving In the higher ranks of
life, arc cognizant OF the fact, and show DO
disapprovaL should be glad to know the
opinion Of some Of your readers
Yours, obedIent1y,
From the Queen, jan. aoJ
MADAM: As ! am writing anonymously,
have no objection to informing +" A. F. VIZ
thatcat great many ladies' boarding. schools
the birch Is very extensively used. Twas N.Y.
sclf for tour years at stnct boarding school
at Bath, until Was seventeen, and for certain
the mistress, but privately, IN her own room.
know several Of my friends who have been
nt other schools, ard have always heard that
whipping Is inflicted for some offences. I re-
member case Of girl over sixteen, who re-
fused to eub1nIs until her parent (mother) was
written to, but the end Of II was that she re-
ccived twelve most severe strokes. No one
eau conceive the strictness Of large board
Ing school and the tyranny Of the governess.
FLORENCE r.
From the Queen, Jan. ~
X.X. sends us an account, showing how
young indies who are guilty. Of grave offences
are punished II q certain school, name to us
unknown. "When an offence or sufficient
magnitude takes place, the culprit enters 1t
the lady superintendent, who whites under It
the amount Of punishment. For the frst Of.
fence the delinquent Is prepared for punish
ment, but generally paIdoned; for the sec
ond, she Is whipped privately; for all subse-
4nent dclinquencles the punishment takes
In addition to the pain Ii inflcts it costs In
money about L. In fees. This is the system !:
Firzt, abe proceeds to the. housekeeper,
to procure the rod-she pays I'd. for the
use Of 1t; secondly, she has to be partly un-
dressed by the maid, and this costs I'd third
ly, she has then to walk barefooted to another
part ofthe house. to be robed for punlshment
"a peculiar dressing used to add to the dis
grace. 1t IL long linen blouse, short cotton
socks, and slippers The young lady, thus
dressed, now proceeds to the draWfnE-rpom
to be exhibited TO the Indy superintendent.
Having been approved, she Is then conducted
to the schoolroom, when she has to pay Cd
A wooden horse, covered with soft leather is
the medium Of castigation. The delinquent
then thanks the goyerness, Kisses the rod, aud
retfrcs to her own room, to appear no more
until the next morning.
MADAM: Permit me to offer brief uarfa-
tive, which may serye to illustrate the subject
10 which your correspondents. have referred
ance has Just shown me your issue Of the 9th,
knowing my reason for being interested. Ny
sell educated at Eton. under Keate, Lave
never seen the slightest objection to 1u4Klng
as practised In that best Of schools; 1t. has
none of the obscenlty predicated Of It by
poor Coxper; It takea place in room called
the nhsu7y, bat Whers books are absent. The
only about az fnche. OF the person belov the
waistband, and Gets his ii sEish1ng'' ID tbont
two minutes A majority OF Etonians Would
certainly vote for its retention, u 1t wers put
to the suffrage Of the school.
But think the public exposure md pun.
51ment o. El1s paat tAe AeE u PuoeIkJ
should be legally prohibited. 4 whipping to
q child Of seven or eight ia ono thing such
castlgatiou as your correspondents deschbe ls
Quitc another. A few months ayo s1ould
Lave read their letters with Incredibly, but
my own reeant experience furnishes con1rma-
ton. ..--s
Nv niece Is now eighteen, and Is IS modest
and well conducted ybung 1ady IS know
anywhere. Up to last September she attended
a London ladies' college Of the FIRST rnn1, and
gave extreme satisfaction, and was at th. head
OF her classes In that month took resi-
dence at pleasant town on the Thames. Ny
niece, who is fond Of study, wished to sttend
certain classes ut h1ge school in the 1eigh.
borhood, and the arrangement was mnde BY
me with the lady principal. ..
One Saturday afternoon, In the commence
ment Of December, returned from London
Just before dinner, and was met with 1 yery
distressed face By my old housekeeper. Her
bnlf distracted state, and locked herself In
her room. The old servant had, however,
obtained admittance, and aseertained whal
There was class for Engllsh composition
at the school that morning, the teacher being
q visitor tutor. Leeturing rather elioly OF
English poetry, this person attributed tns
line y;
ave mortal millions live alooe,n
to Mr. Tennyson. As lam occupied In lite
rary pursuits, my niece has read. more thar
1nany girls Of her age; she at once corrected
him, snyfng that the line was Mr. Matthew
Arnold's. A goyeIness, who sat In the class
room, sharply told her not to contradiet, q
not to interrupt, and when the!ettufc conclu
ded, bad mark was entered against her Il
the register. It fs the custom Of the school
| mistress to infict corporal punishment Tor al
bad marks of certain magnitRie, aud 10,
1 niece had seen one or two Of The youuge
children whipped; but her attendance beinI
only on certain days, she did not know
10 her surprise, when about to leage afte
| her Lesson. she Wna ordered into the school
| room. To her amazement and indignation
| she was told that she 'waa to be birched 70
.simpudcnce to n teacher" She protested an
useless against force; she was held across
desk, the clothing WAS completely ramoTe
from the lower part Of her person, and th
lpdy principal gave her twelve sharp cut
with a birch. No Etoninn was ever 50 cruell
and indecently treated
lam IN Irishman, and you may Imagine N
Indignation at such an Outrage to mode.
f'married. Ny Fesolutionwas soon taken. Tbs
evening consulted tie wives OF three Of q
friends, who entirely approved Of 1t. Wit
much difficulty induced my neica to retur
10 school on Monday. Luckily, It was nt
long to Christina, and she escaped any fu
ther insult, except tho occasional 'cnafr
one or two younger girls. Early in Jsnna5 "a
| principal, asking her to lunch Mt my hous
and receive the amount due to her. She canl
and was shown into the library, where Il
three married ladies above mentioned nwalte
her. Causing her to- be seated, told her n
opinion Of her conduct observed thae for n
attendant on legal proceedings. and addf
that, With the approval Of ladies present,
should punish her as she had punished u
niece. OF course there was = tempestuo1
scene, but she submitted. I had ridden OF
to Eton and got good stout birch from u
man who makes them for colleges-it is
good appointment. It Is only necessary
in The matter Of apparel, md that gave b
twenty strokes, whose severity the state
her curicle plainly attested. She Was vi
able to bear them, being forty years old, u
married, tall, strong, stout wohlan.
niece declined TO be present at the punts
! ment, but I compelled the woman to apol
g1ze humbly to her Afterwards. I havc sin
heard a rumor that she intends TO give up b
school aud leave the neighborhood. B.
, that g A. F. VIZ has taken up tho very Ii
, portant subject OF youthful discipline, ans
trust shah not be intrusive If again
Tract the attention Of the readers Of this v
uable Journal to express my belief that fe
mime corporal punishment Is not general,
though read with regret It Is occasions
, and for the honor Of govelnesses II !. to
!; hoped that the foggtng Of young lady
+ fifteen is an exceptional case. The quesI
, proposed by the father Of the young lady y
! wns obliged to submit to 50 degrading q c.
t rcctfon, L both natural and gentlcmanly,
= equally expressive of disgust and forbearan
!, The peznlcious effects Of whipping and inst
). Ing terror by putting children into d.
s closets have already been ably and admiral
!, deprecated, and an astouished that any
i lightened person can be found to advoc
a either. It Ia, certainly a lamentable pr
o that We arc Jet, in the nineteenth c@tury,v
t ignorant, ior the end aud aim Of all educat
i is 10 prepare MS Tor future life. Are VIC
4 | fNyr& %N@ rohn1ttopN hr,y,crn RI rt,r hnys a