Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-20
Using THE RoD.


The following paragraph is drifting
about in the newspapers of the day, and
is ascribed to Henry Ward Beecher:
81 know that superficial moralists are,
nowadays, shocked at the idea of any
physical punishment / am not of them.
/ heartily believe in judicious hagellation.
The rod should not be promiscuous 1t
is choice dainty, and like kissing, should
be used rarely, and then heartily laid on.
A good drubbing, well-deserv"d and we'll
bestowed, is as good as course of medi-
cine. Meanness, cruelty, and persistent
lying are always good for whipping"
If he mean the converse of what he
says, that whipping is good for meanness,
cruelty, and lying, we dissent from his
proposition. Willyou elevates mean child,
asks the Philadelphia Age, by treating
him or her like a dog; or correct cruelty
by crueltya As to lying, beating has
made more liars than it ever cured.
Though Mr.. Beecher lays down his doc
trine very generally, of course, he
means to make his usual exception, as
to color. We know that if anybody were
to beat Uncle Tom or Topsy, all the
Beechers would be up in arms, and deem
the overthrow of States and the destruc-
ton of free civil government, but slight
retribution for the blow that struck an
African. Lately an elected member of
the House of Representatives presented
himself from Texas. He Lad been a
Union soldier; had commanded negro
regiment; no claim to kind reception
seemed wanting-when Ben. Butler inter-
posed an objection that he had once
whipped a negro-therefore was disquali-
fed to sit in Congress To have whipped
white man would never have been sug-
gested as an objection. The most liable
to abuse are the capricious beatings which
are prompted and measured by the pas
sion of the inflictor. The brutal school
master, the petty tyrant who took habitu-
al delight in children's woe is we hope ex-
tinct. We spit upon his tomb. Yetwhip-
ping is still resorted to in some schools in
this country; and in the papers we read
of instances of irregular violence, often
by female teachers, in which the child is
thrown down stairs or knocked against
the stovel After such an incident, the
judgment of the school authorities should
always reach the teacher: 'Be no more
officer of mine" We know there is the
usual question about substitute for the
rod. The answer is, 'sTrain up child IN
the way he should CO." and he will
not need beating. 1t can never be made
a substitute for training. The parent who
has a physical contest with his child,
shows that he has never obtained the
moral control of his child, and has failed
in his parental duty. He cannot make up
for his long neglect by brief scene of
violence. The New York clergyman who
beat his child to death because he would
not say his prayers, showed that he had
not taught his child bis duty to his earthly
or his Heavenly Father With the growth
of child's intelligence should grow his
amenability to proper discipline. If, by
the fault of the parent or the child, this is
delayed, it will be tedious and difficult
to make up the loss. There is no
summary mode. A child, in fact,
is but the product of the nature
and the education his parents have
given TO him-they have no right to be
harsh to his failings or his faults. Nor
would we give to the teacher, as such, any
right to resort to the old brutal method of
beating the pupils he has failed to instruct.
The old Doctors of Divinity and learned
professors, of the English type, who spent
the livelong day in scourging the unhappy
children committed to their care, would
not in our time, pass unchecked by the
law that now shields even dumb animals
from cruelty. To the teacher, as any one
else in authority, we accord the right to
assert it, by force if necessary, within its
legitimate limits. Going beyond them ne
becomes himself a trespasser; and for
children, as for men and women, there
are many matters in which their own will
is the sole, rightful arbiter. We object
therefore, to the theory and practice of
the American fagellants. Let Beecher
whip himself if he thinks he deserves it;
we viii not contradict him; but let him |
not set brutal and passionate people to |
beating the young and helpless.