Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-09
Whipping in the Old Time School.


A public school fifty years ago was q
very different affair from what it is now
adays.
Upon my word, when I think of the
whipping that went ON day after dav in
the old Mayhem School, am astonished
at it. Yet with the variety of corporal
punishment so freely bestowed, there was
mingledasort Observation-Disclosures,
grim humor which didnot always COM
mend itself to the perception ofhim who
received the flagellation. Amerry con-
celt, for instance, was that of Master
Clough.
That ingenious person would direct a
culprit to stand upon the platform. near
the desk, and without bendingthe knees.
touch the floor with his fingers. Then
a flourish of the rattan and sudden
blow would cause the unhappy youth to
lnvoluntarily resume an upright position
with diverting rapidity. 1t was really
very amusing Ito Master Cloueh).
Sometimes an offender would be asked
by one OF the masters which instrument
OF torture ne would choose. the riding
whip, the ruler or the rattan. Which
ever he seemed to prefer was not the
one used, but one of the others would
make him smart. This little change
would have healthful moral influence
upon the scholar, teaching patience and
resignation under disappointment. A
pleasant illustration (to the teacher) of
the irony of fate was shown in another
way. When the stock of rattans ran low
land that was not seldom) some victim
in disgrace would be dispatched for a
fresh supply, knowing that on his return
he would feel the first stroke of the rod.
With what ingenious refinement of tor
ture the victim was thus made to find
the weapon that should wound him.
There was another clever diversion of
our kind-hearted master which in sum-
mer, when the days were long, occasion
ally broke the monotory of schoolboy
life. Sometimes, of sultry July after.
noon, tired scholar, overcome by the
heat, would find the sound of voices in
the room grow fainter and fainter, his
head would droop and finally sink upon
his desk, and he would be in the land of
dreams. Then it was that the master,
Selling the rattan and stealthily, yet
ioyfully, striding across of desks, would
give the sleeping wretch such rous-
ing whack as to astonish and confound
as well as suddenly awake him.
I confess that these diversions of the
pedagogue were not without their attract
ion for us who looked on and saw the
comical contortions of the boys whose
fortune it was at the moment to be under
discipline. The fact that our turn might
come did not prevent us from finding
what entertainment we might in what
our masters evidently enjoyed. None
of us had yet read the maxims of the
cynical Rochefoucauld, but we realized
that under certain circumstances there
is something in the misfourtunes of our
friends that give us {, certain sort OF
satisfaction.
Those were indeed days when foggirg
was administered in no homeopathic
doses, but with most heroic fullness of
practice. I once made a careful esti-
mate of my own experience in that way,
and came to the conclusion that had
averaged about a whipping and half q
day during my connection with the May
hew School. Of course webecame some
what Injured to this rough treatment.
1t was considered the proper thing to
suffer with Spartan irmess, and he vino
while laid across the masters knee could
calmly make comical and derisive faces
from his ignominous position for the
entertainment of his associates without
having his attention diverted to other
parts of his body, was accounted a brave
fellow. Then there was a superstitious
belief that by laying ones eyel@h in
the hand that was about to be feruled,
the accursed wood was sure to be shat
tered on coming in contact with the
magic hair. But never saw one shat.
tered.