Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1874-10-22

To 1ie Editor Of lie Commercial
Last evening, heard a sermon on the an
nounced subject " The Lash or Love, or Corpor. |
al Punishment in our Public Schools l have |
great respect for the preacher a. q man and al |
60 as a candid and entertaining speaker, but |
cannot agree with his views on this subject. |
That the question should be decided from tie
high point of Christian love; that love is the full
filing of the law - that Glove worketh no i'll to
its neighbor, and that it is not safe for us to
put ourselves outside OF the principle OF love -
fully agree But the admission Of these truths
does not settle the question against corporal
punishment II corporal punishment ia ever
right it is because it is demanded by the welfare
of the pupil, or OF society or Of both II it is so
demanded it IL right, aud il right benevolent,
and can be administered in love.
We believe that corporal punishment in the
public schools is sometimes necessary viz some
pupils cannot be brought to obedience or 10 study
without it. II this is 10, the teacher need
not put herself outside of the principle of love
to inflict it. The love which fulflls the Law de-
zacnds that in snch cases, she shall infiict 1t.
and 30 infiieting it she worketh NO i'll but good
to the child. The assumption therefore that
corporal punishment cannot be inflicted in love,
il, think untrue and unfair. Even in the char
acter Of God, there il severity as well as good
| nese. God brings the discipline OF pain and suf-
fering upon offenders, and so seeks to lead them
to repentance and reformation. Said the Psalm
ist Before l was afflicted | went aatray but
now have kept thy word"
Ii Is the duty OF the teacher to be firm and
Just well as kind, and kindness often requires
discipline. The teacher who fails to enforce the
discipline which is necessary TO secure obedi-
ence il not kind but cruel.
With few teachers is it a pleasure to punish.
| Many who feel compelled to use the rod would
rather receive the chAstisement than infict it.
1t is easier to spare the rod and spoil the child
than 1t is to use 1t and bring him to obedience.
Ii il easier to dismiss the unruly and get rid OF
| their annoyance than it Is TO change their con-
duct by discipline, and the teacher who for lone
10 The child, takes the course which is hardest for
| herself deserves honor and not blame, help and
not hindrance.
We do not think frequent use OF the rod il
| necessary but, with some pupils, it is training
| with the rod or no training at all The question
| is, "Shall the pupil be kept in school and trained
to obedience, or shall lac be turned loose to grow
up In ignorance and Iawlessnees, unhappy him
self and 3 pest i'll society Z. When we have
/ proper discipline for Children at home and in the
| pubic schools, We shall not need the whipping
| post for adults At New Castle.
The great question Of to-day is-how shall pu-
pills be kept in school how shall system be
| provided which shall secure the attendance Of
/ all at school, 70 that none shall grow up ig-
porantly; IL answer to this question some States
| are passing laws compelling school attendance
To compel the worst pupils to attend school,
and at the same time, to withhold from the
the teacherz the right to the use OF corporal
punishment would be 70 destroy all order in the
school Take from the public school teacher
both the right Of punishment and the right OF
dismissal, and you open the way to rlnious dis
order
But the preacher asks-''Was ever a child
| made better by the rod = | answer unhesitat-
ingly, yes, Thousand times. The proper and
etfectudl application Of the rod awakena a new
E feeling and thus removes obstinacy, amin Jsit,
4 and bitterness, changes the pupil ! mind ant
Z conduct, lends him to abandon habits of dis
Z | obedience and idleness and to begin and conhn
ue in a course Of steady diligence and improve
ment. Every teacher OF long experience Ia
observed such results. and they are, too, jus
such results as from the nature of the huma
mind, are to be expected. The worst and MOI
troublesome boy once really s,tbd,ted often be
comes the most obedient and attentive.
But the preacher says the body is too sacre
to be touched. Admit the sacredness of the be
dy but is the body any more sacred than til
mind or soul? To train a really bad boy 20
must make him suffer there is no other wa.
Is it more cruel to cause bodily than mental SUI
=. fering
n Some Of the modern substitutes for corpor
punishment are more cruel and degrading tina
q, the rod Mental anguish is worse than bodl
We pain.
rk ''1he stroke of the whip maketh marks in IL
lie flesh, but the stroke of the tongue breaketh Il
bones'
But there is some good in the worst which mi
be reached by kindness.
Yes but the teacher who has from three SEQ
to three hundred to control cannot spend hou
in missionary work with each ugly schoa
There are some scholars 80 bad that the awakiI
Of their good angel requires a great deal
attention and time more than the teacher CO
possibly give. Parents sometimes spend yea
Of love and prayer and patience over sing
how, then, can yon expect a teach
to take a hundred to give them
Instruction END training and, at tue san
time, 10 bring 70 bear upon the half dozen
dozen incorrlgible ones enough special To-
and persuasion 10 melt them over into "a
gels Y No, You expect too much of the teac
err Yon would put upon her burden to whit
one human soul is not equal. III
best preachers, with all the appliances Of lo'
and power which the Gospel and the church Fl
., nsh, often labor a life-time for the conversion
N a single person. Why should teacher be {
ar pected 10 convert dozen bad boys into go
ones in single day. The demand is too u
reasonable to be entertained. Good teasie
are not always angels. IL they were tn
could not do 10 much. The general adm
istratlon Of the school may be ever
Just and loving yet 1t may fail to reach I
worst cases. The teacher has but little sp
ial time to give to offenders. What can she d
She must either punish them, or dismiss the
The former is kinder to the pupil q
more just to the State. Every You
person should be trained to obedience
ave- rot trained at home; it is all the more nee
sary that they shall be trained in school.
boy who has not been taught to respect author
in the school will not be Likely to respect
authority of law in the State. Every boy VIII,
Nd turned out of school, on h,e admission NAT
cannot be controlled, takes lesson in lawle
~. ness, and if allowed TO grow up without di
" w pline lac becomes Il candidate for the penii
To- tiary or the gallows.
md. The State cannot afford to withhold from
fock public school teacher the means Of secur
thorough and reasonable discipline, Nett
should the burden be allowed to fall upon
teacher. Eoery member of the school conn,i
should BE- held equally responsible.
'os- 1t is not for them, if they are manly men,
require of the teacher alone 30 difficult W.
, and then to visit her with fierce condemna
NJ and criticism, should she happen to max
KIM mistake. TRUTl
WILMINGTON, October 10.
1.-THE foregoing was handed in for Mond
paper, but until now could not be given pl
-ED COMMERCIAL
On. At I.andenberg yesterday the freight trail