Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-19
EDUCATIONAL.



-rr Corporal Punishment.
/ Would space permit, we would gladly trans
fer to our pages the excellent Report adopted by
the Boston School Committee upon this subject
We must content ourselves with a few extracts ]
] Z" The petition Of certain citizens, that cor
pOrl1 punishment may be abolished IN our schools,
7 was some weeks since referred T. the Committee
on Rules and Regulations
@ In Recommending that the petition De placed
on file, and that the Beard continue in tn fu-
ture As IN the past to justify the occasional and
juiici1us use Of corporal punishment in is
schools. respect for the Board and for the peti-
tioners, as well as our sense Of duty, demands
that Ee should give our reasons for the course
which We recommend. .-... ...
"lt is certainly tie part Of vision not to
adopt new measure, or 70 abrogAte oil one,
without dTst iHguiriHs what tAe ultimate eds-ts
will prybabiy be, and il they promise only IN
fortunate and disastrous results, it would Of
course be worse. than foly 70 intrljuce any
change II IS, therefore, salF.y awise precau-
t-1n 10 take tA4- prospective view IL tie present
case. Il We abolish cnrPos-l punishment en- re-
} iiOg4 Oug lh0Jis, We take fronour teachers the
power to e5,forcs obelienoe. They may colnsel
aud reason, heseech and imPloEe-i they may en-
ploy every minor penalty, bat wbea these have
failed, there IS ~ pGWer 70 command o5-diluee,
or TO justify the brokea law Nhen il Is defsl,
and make ,t repaeteiby she-oaenlcr, and hou-
ralle in the estimation Of the school,
50 The pupils IA our schools are aot AZ. saslpbs
they represent every u,riety Of human nature,
unieveioped it is true, and i0T that rss.son il Is
important that the. should be wisely educated
and judici05Isiy, hEguiy governed Caaing Is
they 10 from widely different haIue influences,
wigh various tsHperameTts and dispositions. it
is essential that the teaohsr should use those
means to govern each child which acaTeial study
of iis character has ied him to believe b. be best.
To u this sacCessfIify, it is Necessary O. leave
the exercise VI al proper and lsg1l means OF
restraint and goveruHent to the ,ascreiioa q. tAe
instructor. Oh
'' The teacher stands ia the place os suo pa
rent Tor the time beiRg, bat his authority s de-
rived u0t from tAe CONCESSIONS oi the PaTeut, bul
from the character Of he office ~ one apPoiHtei
by Boart Whioh as ths creature CT the Law, lie
i- IN a measure a public officer, sni bsun3 %
discharge IA AL respects ths iuties Which the
-aw ana r-.e regulations Of the School Con- nit
tee place upon hin.
81 Toe purpose OF the State in assuming ihe
chsrgeo Of ile education Of is ehiiireB s, that
they nay ali be 50 trained, as- to .bsc5ns good
and useful cinzens. The elueation re,trire.l ID
not simply intellectual culture, ioF ihis is com
pletely oyershadowed by the eaInestness with
which instruction IN virtue, mol aiity, ,ul the
daties Of gced citizenship is eIloiscd. The irsi
duty Of good eiiiAH to yield cheerful obu-
dieuee 60 tht possrs that be Is it elgcaUuEa a
boy IA this duty % allow AIN e1Hsssnily 90 viz
late wholesome regulations, and DEFY the aath0r-
ity lawfully placed over hlm ia the seAe,l-fs0mg
Or if icy is persisteajiy proiane, 0bseeae.yi-
cious or untrethful, is "a teacher doing bis duty
whg does not use every iHstruIaeujelity which
the law justfes, 70 commsul oheiieuoe, AMI
break up wicked and degrading prletcesl Cor
psral punishment Is one of these instrumentdi-
ties. sanetionei by the be-i authorities, and Jas
tiaed by the DECISIONS oi tiie Courts
Our argument syiiegized IA ths CORPORAL
punishment Is an authorized instrumehtality for
thecovernment aud oontroi 6f papiis IA oar
schools no teacher does ak whole day y ho
does not use every auti0rized instFunisu tiiity
When necessary for tire government o3 the T,upiis
under hts care therefore, no teacher does his
whole duty to his popils who does. not lise- cor
peral Punishment. when il IL necessary 70 Gu
force obedience. or break up vicious and hurtfal-
practices. If the teachers Authority IS teiied,
he has Dot done his duty tih he has brought the
refractory pupil into subjeetion by che use 0f
AL authorized means, and eurpofai pHIIishmeais
Is one of them. -1-- -- ~-.--- t.- r-r ~ ri
= The Board in Compliance with the Statules-
enions upon its teachers to that ,certain reg
uiations are enforced, and TO suppress lying,
profanity, ohseenity and theft There art some
pupils in our schools upon whom every kindly
influence and every moderate punishment is
tried, ami yet they viii not comply with these
requirements corporal punishment alone i pO-
tent enough to bring them into subjection. Ii
We withhold from teachers this last resort, just
- 80 A.
DO what we deny them the most efficient means
Of doing in extreme cases, and eouspel them
'' to make bricks without straw bat We prac-
tieally say to bad pupils, Go on in your VIC
latiOn Of the regulatioRs IN your wicked praeti-
ees, we do not choose to have the proper, legal
and necessary means used TO- prevent such con-
duct, and to deter you from becoming nnnoFal
men and unworthy oitIens.'. a, sii ,-'f a- I
e"-We'now come to the inquiry, kat Is 20 be 4
done, and what viii be the resdlt If corporal
punishment be abolishedl Mhat y to be the
course adopted with these pupils with whom all
kind, friendly and persuasive influences hnye
failed, and who from iil-temPer, seli-will, or
natural vIciousness. persist in disobedience or in
evil practices 2 The alternative which is pre-
senel is this, either to retain the papi m school.
with the fearful eject of his influence as one
who has Obtained a complete victory over law .
and right. associated with the daily miasna Of .
his tnGhecked evil practices; the other is to ex-
pei him freTn scheol, and send, him into the
stree ts to grow up inignOranee and vice
g 1t would be most dangerous to the public
welfare, rs well as that Of the unruly pupil, that
lust Mt the time when he had started on a wrong
course, and most needed all the restraining and
influence which could be thrown
around him, he should be left, in defiance Of
authority and right, to, take a course dictated
- Il 4