The New York herald., 1873-12-22
THE RULE OF RATTAN.
The Proposition to Reintroduce Whipping
in the Public SchoOIs for Boys.
The Case as It Stands Before the
Board of Public Instruction.


he Necessity Of Punishments as well as Re-
wards-l,2O0 Male and Female Teachers
Favor It-shall II Be Adoptedi
In 1870, by especial provision OF the Board OF
aducation OF THIS city, bylaw was enacted abol-
shng the punishment OF whipping In all the
public schools OF this city, and the rule remains In
orce at the present time. The system has been
sxperimented on for three years. and the result OF
that experience is such that very powerful cnort
Is now being made TO have the prohibition re-
pealed and a system OF modifea, limited and well
Judged corporal punishment re-estabshed. The
question has been already brought prominently be-
tore tho Board OF Public Instruction, and II is prob
able that at the session OF the Board which takes
place on the first Tuesday Of January next the |
movement win be disposed OF one way or the other,
though to judge from present indications, Il is
likely that the Board viii restore the rattan 10 is
place in the somewhat rebeIii0us minds
OF the world OF juvenile refractories.
On the 22d of January last the Board adopted
series OF resolutions requiring the Committee on
Teachers to inquire into and report upon the char
acter OF discipline practised In the public schools
submitting such recommendations al they might
deem advisable. In order 10 arrive az their con-
illusions they we're instructed to confer with the
City Superintendent OF Public Schools and the
more experienced of the principals and teachers.
In accordance herewith the committee, consist
ing OF Commissioners Halsted, Brown, Dowd and
fraud, examined rs OF the principals OF male
Grammar schools, Primary Departments and Pri-
mary Schools portion Of these witnesses was
selected by lot and the remainder were selected
on the ground Of experience, some OF the latter
being persons who mad dispensed with corporal
punishment In the schools under their control be-
fore its abolition by the Board.
THE SENTIMENT OF THESE TEACHERS
was unanimous in favor Of the restoration OF the
corporal penalty on the 5th Of November last the
committee submitted their report, in which they
say
The main points brought cut BY our investigations are
obedience to ordinary com%anas relating to the
and exact the time the chers being wasted while
the of .Ssr
d.oDedience In matters calling for selfdenia or
Of the pSp win to rs oe s doS ssfshs
Troublesome intercession Of the parent and sometimes
" Tasrd-wilful and denans disobedence is much more
common than heretofore and manifestations OF i'll tenn
great falling on in the general tone Of the pupils man
TSur-insoien behavior and saucy sneering looks
and remarks and indnerense and dsrespsct toward all
enf FSsH~Truancy is more frequent
Eirt-Personal cleanliness also the proper care OF
books and other school property are not easily
SeSe~Gross disoDedence all q matters such
ssSse the ought eyes pupils
sssSSs asasnss .n,as.y especially
RsSe the
Ssa9Pups n the higher classes less docIe than
our TcS 0ans an
habit Of overlooking offences committed BY boys known
Sslf disspins ,Ss injury s.s pspiIs
are a% der hSt n. = os s oS. Of school
ana Trsinsspess Of gross and consnasd neglect Of
y
H. hs ao msn a e ae cs q s ws hss
Of the children in given time has been much
men are Ssn sompsl!lsa to yIs. the
and loss Of days WORK. ana
make cause Of complaint against The public schools
npon eT sSos and thus Of The
and most important uses of school punshmeutis null
TSusee.reaehers resort to questionable expedients
sSer Glasses cannot Be brought up 70 grade
Ssvc Scs e sSo ana
corporal punishment thus proving directly evil nhu-
Ssssssn-x large number Of bad children, who might
Su S b ns %.ss nSS @ out and put
y sPssn
se'p practcs e Which has adopted Schools
dispensing with the use 9f the roo aosether we feel
SDd %os and out Of our public
resulted the hans but R the
much evil had been occasoned by It The effect Of un.
class Of ITSELF sucsnt 70 demoIaize the whole Glass
IS
s.paon which G result. 1. IN turning bad
change in the pupil but S no., all chances Of his
s Ss na o oss S IN @
gay been placed there simply because their parents by
they ought now to be weud scarcely be fair e
out some the existence Of another report
s csS nc IN S
&
matter on the condition OF Things as we find them IN our
years. experiment Of Ii. system of exclusive moral sus
liz the nssS
1' GOOD READING FOR BOYS
The committee concluded their report as fol.
lows:-- 14c~-s ls~- -
Your committee therefore recommend that section 4
OF article IA be amended SO as 20 read as foows;-
&c nG
Of seh00 Any %e
ctng bodily pain Of any kind shall be deemed corporal
punishment.
Corporal punishment In the male departments OF the
grammar schools, or Of male pupils OF the primary de
parmens and schools, shall be inflicted only by the
principal. in his by che vice principal,
proof OF fagrant and persistent misconduct after all
reasonable efforts reform the offender shall have been
made.
The offence for which corporal punishment shall be
inflicted shall be distinctly stated to the pupil, and II
shall be the duty the pncipalt keep record suct
punishment and Of all and any corporal punishment in
hcted In the school OF teacher stating the name
the teschcr and the pupil the offence committed the
evidence such ertained by personal In
vestgation by such principal vice principal and the
and extent OF such punishmens; and said prnc
pal shall forward Transcript OF such record monthly
before the 81 of the month succeeding, the
city superintendent of Schools, who shall Keep tn,
same for the inspection Of tho Board Of Education
the Sch ool Inspectors and the School Trustees;