Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-09-28
WHIPPING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

The case of violent whipping, terminating
in the death of a child, which occurred in one
ct the public schools OF Brooklyn some days
since, as noticed in the STAR, has naturally
created considerable excitement IN that commu
nifty The facts are substantially as follows -
A little girl, only eight years old, had fire.
quentIy been whipped by the lady principal.
sud in one instance recently, so severely that
The child swoOned. On Thursday, 18th INST,
for the trifiing offence OF having spilled ink,
she was taken into the ''whipping roCm'' and
severely logged, and came home pale, unweu,
and showing great nervousness and fear, which
continued until next morning when, upon her
mother requesting her TO prepare for school.
she entTeated that she might no: be sent there
stO be whipped so dreadfully," and her fright
lapsed into con vulsions. which terminated IA
tally on the same day. The child had been, for
some days, in a state Of high nervous excite
ment, caused by repeated whippings, which
predisposed her for the fits, which ultimately
ended in her death. She was attended by a
doctor, who assigned, as the cause Of her death,
commissions produced by fright; the fright
being traceable to no other cause than her
treatment At school.
The opponents of corporal punishment IN
the public schools, as might have been ex.
pec'ed, are making the most of this case, which
they grant is an extreme one, but they argue
that 1t needs nothing more to prove the evil
effects OF such barbarous system Of controIl-
ing children, than to show that even one such
death has been and therefore may be again
occasioned by it. The New York press is severe
on the system, on the School Commissioners,
and on the lady principals. OF these latter the
Commercial Advertiser, generally moderate in
its expressions Of opinion, says sit is high
time some check were placed upon the whip.
led of sol rip
are oourd to say, especially of lady principals
The severity of their treatment of children is a
matter Of loud complaint among the families:
and, TO say nothing of its positive cruelty, is
causing among children a dread OF school,
and q repugnance to education, which ma
terially interferes with their success. The
scandal should be promptly remedied.
The NeIrS says: "Imparting knowledge under
the lash has made our schools, and particularly
our public schools, a terror TO the young; and,
indeed, a system of teaching that requires a
Uhipping-rOom as part of the machinery of
educatIon-as is SAID to be the case in Brook.
lyr-is radically defective, and should be SUBJ
jected to thorough reformation" We have
noticed this case al length, not only because of
the attention it has attracted, but as a warning
to parents as well as teachers who have the
charge Of children of a tender age, particularly
those little ones so unfortunate as to have been
born with the nervous temperament. The
press are loudly calling for the punishment OF
the teacher in the above case. Unless she is
barbariZed by custom, her reflections on the re-
suit of the discharge OF what under the present
system Of management she no doubt considered
TO be only her duty, must De torture enough
We have no intention of discussing at this time
the question whether fiogging is the best pos
sible method OF controlling boys and girls; but
such case as the one above noted merits the
serious consideration Of all who are concerned
in the education or management OF children.