The New York herald., 1873-12-04
ROD OR NO ROD
Shall the BoyS In the Public Schools Bs
Whipped Into Obedience "A Momsntcus
Question for tho Scholars and the Board
Of Education-The Report in Favor Of
the Rod Laid Over for the Present


the Rod Laid Over for the Present
The Board OF Education held regular meetna
yesterday afternoon, Mr.. Nelson, the President OF
the Board, In the chair. There was quite largo
attendance OF teachers in the lobby, who had evil
IDENTITY been attracted TO the meeting by the knowl-
edge that the question OF corporal punishment In
the schools would be made part o the days pro-
ceedings The report Of the committee favortng
corporal punishment in the male departments, is
will be remembered, was published in the HERALD
short time ago, and created at the time greas
deal OF excitement among those parents who do
not believe that physical force has greater innu-
ence upon the n1durCis st9ets OF a school than
moral suason. communication from the trus
tees oil the school in the Twentieth ward wai
read shortly after the Board was called to ORDER
10 stoutly advocated the nogging system, anu
gave the reasons, why and wherefore, OF the trus.
tees ar great length. Another communication oil
quite different character was read shortly after
the Twentieth ward birch advocates had been duly
and properly disposed or 1t was from parent,
and lie assumed to speak for al those parents who
are not willing that the principals in the schools
should be empowered even with restrictions to
wALLoP THE UNRULY PORTION or THE RISING GEN.
ERArioN
who are nowadays sent to the public schools. The
Slgner OF the paper denounced III mObl DitIer
terms the idea OF using the rod, and claimed that
the request on the part OF the teachers for the Tres
toration OF the rod was an indication, pure and
simple, OF want or that patience and perseverance
on the part OF the teachers themselves which are so
essential to the proper supervision OF scholars.
WANTS THE BOYS WHIPPED.
This communication once read, Mr.. HALsTEAD
rose and moved that the report OF the committee
be adopted. He did not think that 1t was neces1
sary SO make any extensive argument on the sub
Ject. The necessity for corporal punishment was
plain to evory fair-rninded woman. The
special pleading in the communication just read,
he remarked, was all very nice in its way, but II
really offered no solid arguments wnereon to base
the assumptions OF its author.
Commissioner FARR was opposed to the report.
In the first place he claimed that If 1t should be
adopted the boys in u mixed school could not ba
punished He then made q motion to recommie
the report to the committee, with Instructions to
strike out the word "mae.v This motion was
voted down by vote OF 10 to Z.
Commissioner JENKINS said that he had voted
| against the motion because he wanted the subject
disposed OF right then and there He believed
FLoGGING TO BE RELIC OF BARBARIsM.
The teacher who couldn't get along with his pupils
| without using the rod showed that there was
| something lacking in the man as teacher-some.
| thing wanting IN his mental training. He in tho
conduct OF his own business anars had always
! found that he could get along with his employees
the use OF violence The question at issue was
| simply question whether chld could be gov.
report virtually told those teachers who were
| too kndhearted TO use the rod that neglect TO do
SO would cost them them y tner situations. THIS was
the devil into the hearts OF men who abhorred
cruelty In every form.
Commissioner WEST declared that he, also, was
opposed to the report. He did not believe that the
children in the schools were going to the dogs for
want OF ioggng. He then quoted from the an.
nual report OF the superintendent to show that
| the statistics on older" and ''dscipne" show
against the report especially so as 1t was stated
in the report that the male departments, the very
ones which were to be dealt with according to the
report, ranked the highest OF all. He said that IN
1850, when he was member OF the Board, when II
ton TO abolish corporal punishment in the primary
Schools and was unable to get any one to second
| the motion. Since then
THE WORLD HAD PROGRESSED,
and he felt certain that twenty years from the
Who would be fortunate enough to i've that length
| OF time and who now votet for corporal punish
| was on the record In favor OF the barbarity.
| Commissioner TOWNSEND was in iav0riof the re.
port in o modified form. The object OF the punish.
| ment OF child was not to make ii suffer simply,
but to deter 1t from the repetition OF bad act. In
! almost every school unruly scholars were to be
found, who cannot be managed otherwise than by
an occasional thrashing-not a cruel one, but
satisfactory one, for all that. At pres
ent when boy became unmanageable
out OF the school into the streets in fact as sort
OF outlaw. boy ike that was In danger OF going
astray and fetching up finally in a court charged
with murder or some other heinous crime Punish
ment could be inflicted upon child to teach il
seli-restraint from bad acts and general mlscon-
duct without dealing with IL cruelty. He himself
had been
wALLoPED WHEN A BOY AT SCHOOL
| and wailoped too at home wnen his fond parents
deemed it necessary, and he believed to-day that
I the walopings had done him good.
| Commissioner MATHEwsoE believed in the use Of
the rod, but he was not prepared to vote nte
IN the virtue OF the rod so strongly that he felt
convinced that he owed the position he now holds
IN the Board 70 the way It had been used upon him.
lie advocated postponement OF the subject in
deference to the wishes OF the very large number
OF friends OF the schools who had expressed them
selves in opposition to nogging being adopted.
FAIR PROPOSITION.
! Commissioner BEARpsLkE was in favor OF post
ponement OF consideration on the report, and
thought that time should be specified when all
those in favor or against the objects OF the report
could be heard.
Commissioner HALsrED objected to any post
ponement IN the matter, or any recommittal OF
the report TO the committee. IL had been given
| ull consideration for three MONTHS and II was
high time that something was done with the re-
port. He then gave several incidents OF insubor-
sdination III the schools TO show that IL corporal
punishment was not revived many OF the schools
would be injured
whether President Hunter, of the Normal College,
had been invited by the committee 70 give his
views on corporal punishment
THE TEACHERS NEARLY ALL BIRCH ADVOCATES.
Commissioner HALSTED SAID Mr.. Hunter had not
been invited lie had learned that he Qnunter)
was great moral suasonlst, and had he tHalsted)
known OF IL in time he would have Invited Mr..
Hunter to testify. lie would state, however, that
there u remarkable unanimity among the
teachers examined in favor OF corporal punish
ment. and the committee had endeavored to get
beiore them many teachers they could who
were known TO be opposed to the idea.
Commissioners BROWN remarked that the COM
mttee wanted to be dealt fairly with by their fellow
commissioners. The committee was opposed To
corporal punishment, as it was known IN gone by
years. The members OF 1t were really
MORAL sUAsIoNIsTs
Mr.. BROWN then read from the Superintendent,S
annual report to show that the favorable statistics
as to order and discipline which Mr.. West had read
had been secured by extra exertons OF the teach
ers which. IS the superintendent remarked in the
report, materially interlered with valuable time
which should have been employed In giving In
struction. He then proceeded to show tnat Mr..
VESTS quotation OF figures on discipline and Tder
were not wel founded
Commissioning sELIGMAN argued In favor OF cor