The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-04-08
DAILY PRESS.
Friday Morning, April 8, 1870.
Chas,ising Children
PORTLAND

Chas,ising Children.
THE RESTORATION OF THE RoD"-Hov
YOUNG LADIES ARE BIRCHED IN
ENGLAND.
[From the En9ishwur.a.,s nor,.s,,. ,,..,,
"A Rejoicer in the Restoration or ,,,, po.,
says:-l call myself by this title because dc
most hrmly believe that great many of the
acknowledged evils of the present age-un.
dutiful children, and reckless, needless youno
men and wOmen-arise from so mapy parent.
and teachers having of late years neglected :
most essential duty in not using sufficient and
proper corporal cbastisement. But from all
hear great reaction is taking place in tbi.
respect. And though there may be many
loving mothers, like Tiny, who shrink from it
yet l rejoice that true love is being more
shown in duty triumphing over sentiment
and that the rod-the tirch rods regainlnp
its old plac" both among boys and girls; Sc
much SO, that believe it is a very rare thing
to lind preparatory school for boys-espec.
iallv those conducted by ladies-Wbere the
rod is not more or less used. -
A relative of mine during last autumn ad :
vertjsed for a school in which to place her
daughter, who was both "headstrong and IN :
ruly," and she stated in the advertisement,
"a school where corporal punishment is pru-
ucutiy dumluiSItTeu pIeicricu. III reply sue
had letters from very many principles Of la
dies schools, of whom twenty four stated that
they were in the habit OF usfug corporal pun
ishment for all graver faults some used it al
SO for school work and of these seventeen of
them specified "the birch rod in the old FASH
ioned way" as the instrument and mode of
punishment. know several public institu-
tions for girls where the birch rod IS used, and
several more where it would be used II the
managers had their way in the matter. l
know one very expensive school for yoang
ladies in Kensinston, where for certain Of
fences, whatever their age the young ladies
are bifcheG as foIlows'-HavinS retired and
put On the dress tor the purpose. at an ap-
kiocks at the door of the boudoir of The lady
who, after serious conversation
with her, and sometimes prayer, makes her
enter her offence always a grave one) in
book kept for the purpose, which she does
The lady principle then rings the bell,
and the matrOn of the establishment is
sent I0r, to whom the lady princi-
pal hands the book in which the
young lady had Just entered her offence, and
below which the lady principal has inserted
the punishment. As she hands the book she
says, "Mrs. -, will you be good enough to
give Miss -, SO many strokes manning the
1umDer) WIFI Tue UlTCus poiutiuS Will uer
inger to the entry in the book. The matrCn
takes the book and retires. Presently maid
servant enters and says, "Mrs. - 1.-THE mat
ron) is ready Tor Miss" The lady princi-
pal saying, "I hope this will not occur again."
bows the young lady out; and the said young
lady, her heart sinking within her, knocks at
The next door, the room where the matron
expects her. On entering she is told by the
natron to lie across narrow ottoman which
occupies the middle of the room. Miss -
as rule there is no refusal) does as she is
directed, and the matron then buckles a
strap, which, passing across the culprits
waist, fastens her to the ottoman. She then,
without word, removes the loose dress from
below her waist, selects rod from stand OF
.ods, and slowly administers on Miss IS
bare person the prescribed number OF strokes,
counting each as she gives it.
WHEN THE WHIPPING IS OVER,
the matron relapses her, signs the punish
which the birched young lady
takes again to the principals bOudoir, who
takes the book rom her, speaks kindly 70 her,
sometimes kisses her, always shakes her by
the hand. She then goes to her own room,
her own clothes, aud, when she is
enough. takes her usual place in
the school, and nothing more is said. As
am sure these particulars will interest very
many OF your reaoers, shall be greatly oblig-
ed it you will give these somewhat leng hen
ed remarks place in your magazine; and l
am quite sure, also, that the more this sub
iect is fully discussed the more will the ad-
vantage OF generally introducing the birch rod
be allowed; and not only I, but society at
large, will have cause to rejoice in such res
tOration.
WHIP EARLY AND WHIP OFTEN.
The mother of two boys and six girls the
youngest now tweury-avv}, w.ieos. "Ie soesas
to me all your correspondents omit the first
principle of the usefulness OF punishment
by whipping - namely, that you cannot
begin too early. Permit me to state my
method, as it fully answered. As babes in
arm my children were never allowed what
they screamed for, and at the age of one year
I began to chastIse them, that is to say, at
first to give perhaps two strokes with small
biz ch twlg, increasing the punishment with
their age. With the various dispositions
cipline required. Two OF the children were
never whipped after four years old; they were
the two which required almost inces SAINT pun
ishment between one and three. Two boys
and two girls were never whipped much alter
seven, or perhaps seven and halt My eldest
girl escaped from the rod at ten, but my third,
who was subject to fits of wilfulness, did not
receive her last whipping till some months
past fourteen. At the beginning, before the
child can reason, the slightest fault should
never pass ncorrected-eertainty Of the pun
ishment is even more important than severi-
ly, though I think one severe whipping more
useful than three slight ones. A bad fit of Oh
stinacy is one of the most trying naughtiness
es, such as suddenly refusing to say letter OF
word perfectly known. As the fit must be
subdued, 1 used to inflict a whipping at inter.
walls of ten minutes till the word was said.-
Sometime the fit would last an hour or even
longer. For lying, as the most deadly OF all
childish sins. the most severe punishment wa
reserved. Whatever the time OF day, the cul-
prit was sent upstairs to prepare for bed, and
when ready was brought to me. had in the
meantime told their father of the occurrence,
and on the chill's appear .nce led it to the
study door, leaving it to enter alone.
THE BIBLE AND THE BIRCH.
After pointing out to the child the fearful
nature of its fault, and praying that it might
never again fall into such sin, my husband,
saying, "All liars shall have their POI ton in
the lake that burneth with fire and brim-
stone" inflicted an invariably extremely Sc
we're whipping, proportionate to the age Of the
delinquent, who was then sent 10 bed. One
unanswerable argument in favor of my sys-
tenn is that my dear children, who are all mar
ried, have adopted it in every detail with their
own little ones. Depend upon it, children
chastised Systematically from year old will
seldom require the rod aften ten.
FLoRENcE's FLoGGINas.
Florence Oakley square) thus narrates her
experience Both my brother and myself
my mother spoiled my brother. How
ever, when 1 about was fourteen years
of age my parents were compelled to
90 abroad for mammals health, and 1 was
left under the guardianship of a maiden
aunt, who quickly decided that strict school
was the best place for me. To a school in
Herttordshire l was accordingly sent, the
mistress having been previously informed
that l was "a child Of wayward disposition"
/ had not been there week before "the spirit
of opposition which pervaded me-" as my
aunt used to term it, got me into hot water,
and l was ordered to bed. dad not been
un1ressed many minutes when Miss Marga,
ret, one of the principals, came into the bed
room, and after well lecturing me on my con-
duct. told me she was going 10 whip me. She
then rang the bell, and one of the maids
brought birch rod, and was told to pre-
pare, which fatty refused to do.
HUNG ON THE PEG.
As / was rebellious, the maid tied INV
hands together with towel, the end Of
which she fastened to peg high up on
the wall, 50 that could only Just reach
the floor with the tips of my toes. Miss
Margaret then gave me asevere foeg,ng. Find
ing was obstinate, after a minute or two she
desisted, and left the room leaving me with
the maid. tried hard to get off the peg,
but could not. When Miss Margaret return, D.
ed she asked me whether was sorry. mo
shouted. "Then l must whip you again,
she eo;a ,,,;.;,,r ,Lo ,o+;ou IN the aOrd. This