Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-06-08
.Altxau0rla 6ax&tte
FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE S, 1877
CORPORAL Punishment.

A slated meeting Of the Board OF Education
Of New York WAS held yesterday afternoon, at
which adverse reports on corporal punishment
Were read.
The first report read was signed by Commls
sloners West, Rcarlslrc and Baker, and is IN
favor oil allowing the lule which iorbids corro.
raj punishment to remain on the books Of the
Board. The gentlemen say that after eivtt.s:.
| the subject mature consideration they hnd that,
| the discipline Of the schools has improved un-
der the operation of article IS.
After ois!nissing the statistics, which occupy
but small portion Of tho report, the commit
| tee begin to gcnciaIiZe on the subject OF
corporal punishment. military comman
| Crs," continues The report, "hayc been shot
Gown on the field Of battle by their Own men
| on account Of cructics practised under the
cloak Of authority, while others, differently con
stitutcd by nature and habit, have led their
| men into the very jaws Of death without 6
| murmur and 10 victory.' A long argument
here follows TO provo that the child loves lis
| mother more than its father, on account Of her
tenderness. a irOthy paragraph from Mon
taigne finds place in the report, and is as tol
lows :-"Do but como In when youths arc
about their lessons, and you shall hear nothing
but the outcries Of boys under execution and
the thundcripgs Of rcdagOguca drunk with
fury" And again, "Ilow much more decent
would il be to sec their classes strcwcd with
leaves and flowers than with bloot!y stumpS Of
birch"
The sccoud report, Which is in favor Of the
use Of the rod, signed by Mcssrs. Stephen a.
Walker, William Wood and Leonard liazeltinc,
was also read. IL recommends that corporal
punishment be rcinstatcd in the public schools,
under certain restrictions, the consent OF the
parents being in all eases essential, the chill
to be told before being punished What he is To
be punished for. The signcrs say, speaking OF
the law prohibiting corporal punishment -
Wo bolcvc that legislation Of this character Is
illegal. II will not be controvertcd that every
citizen Of this city has right to have his chill
drcn educated in the schools OF tho city. we
mood not sto statutes or discussions IN iavor OF So
plain proposition. parent. whether tax
payer or not, has q ust claim upon tho State Tor
Tho full bontf.s and advantages Of common
school. Thcso advantages comprise caro-, ovor-
sight and discipline as Woll rs instruction. n
teacher in tho common school is by lmmemorlSi
usage md uniform Judicial decisions, in loco
parontis. Tho State has no right TO discharge
itself Of any portion ol this trust. No abandon
mont of duty is iustiiisblo Tho function OF tho
school system is to govern as well rs TO leach
Tho present bylaw Of tho Board is a plain eyh-
sion Of duty and Ill invasion OF plain legal rights
Tho plan proposed by Us VIII permit lho bnsrI
to resume It's neglected duties. Tho assent ol
the parents, which tho amended law cOntem-
plates is not 81 much M assent TO tho enforce
mont Of tho rules Of ordinary discipline rs 1t Is
q waiver on his part nI his Claim upon the state.
In reference 10 tho arguments and STATISTICS
which we anticipate will represented in mnothor
report on tho subject. wo have only Tow woods
to offer. Tho general subject Of corporal punish
ment in our school has born oaGuratey present
cd in two reports IT, this H"ar'' (lSIo and lHij)
and we beg loavn TO refer T." h"lh. Lilo Is nap
PLY too short TO permit Us 10 raheArsa All lhn
debates of our predecessors. il, however, II
shonld be contendcd rs we suppose 1t Will ho
that thore arO fewer eXpulsons ~ our schools lhAil
taero were prior 10 1870, We reply that pror to
that date OK oxpulsi0ns from school ,ineanl SIMPLY
SUSPENSION from npartIcular school ard not from
any school under the charge of tho Board, nrd
arpiiluGnt drawn from Statistics OF this character
is fallacous. II, again, IL should b" conlondod
that the snperntcndenLs reports since 1870 m
dicAte All improvement IN discipline, we reply
that no argument against tho measure proposed
can be thus Iu,Iuccd, for the reason That the
superintendent; reports upon mat1ora Of d'ici-
Dlino arc uiynSiS from tho Assistant snporihl"n-
dents reports raEur'InG the :.npeSranca and
conduct Observable IN annual or s"lnl -aiinusI
vi-itatons, which Arc Ii" i.lr te7t rcp:t,hS nh''y
oypcriencs-wc mHy add tho hourly lrIbulatt"hs
of tho assistant tasChor IN her class room
furthermore, those VINO compare relative as
ciDlino und tttcnIaIcc at different periods ana
seek to areuO thcrcirOm respecting either mo
| propri,hy or impropirety Of corporal puns H.
ment make the tremendous mistake OF supposlnS
| that corporal punishment has ever ceasot to DO
nrsctiscd There is no hjpcl upon which tho,e
who are not practical educators but VIII" arc
CHARGED with administrative dutlos respecting
oducstion. arc more likely to Incl themselves
competent TO Judge than tho one Of corporal
| punishment Instinct and not experience Is
daemcd u correct guide. Tho com!nittee believe
| il to be the duty OF tho hoard TO provide means
and authority to mcnt "Il cHs"S; to discIpil!'
and not 10 dismiss. and to limit by wise pror-
| sious tho possibility Of passion or cruelty having
any place in our public sch"'l.-N }. Hr'nfA.