Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-09-14
TUESDAY sEPTL MBER1 IL. 1886.
Corporal Punishment an school.


A table In the last annual report by
Su erintendent Harlan shows to what
extent corporal put ishment is used in
tn public schools Tne Boys High
S hool, the Girls High School, Girls
Grammar S ,hol NJ. /, Girls Grammar
School No. A, and Primary School No.
8. show that there have been no cases
o'c)rp)ral punishment IN those schools
during the whole year, while primary
school No. 81 reports only two casee;
primary school No. % three cases, and
primary school No. 8 had six cases.
The other schools run from ten up rs
high as eighty-nine cases, No. 10 hAy-
ing the latter number, No. IL having
seventy. mine, and No 10 having sixty
eight. The school that has two cases
has an average after d snce Of 40 ,ht lars,
the one that has three cases has "A
scholars, and the enc that has six
cases has 277 scholars. School No. Is
that has the highest nun, Q OF Gses OF
corporal punishment has an average
attendance OF 367 scholars, No. IL that
has 20 cases has an average attendance
of 23l and No. 10 that reports 68 cases
We refer thus infinitely to the table
that the subject may be thoroughly I'M
derstood. L; will be seen that in No.
IL corporal punishment Is ad-
miuistered to every - 20 scholars, In
No. 10 to every 3 80 6s scholars, and in
No. 10 to every 4 1879 scholars. Those
who while reading the foregoing and
stop and think moment will fad that
there is wonderful discrepancy in the
ittl ction OF CORPORAL punishment
Here Is No. 0 school at Z ghth aad
Wollaston streets with an average at
tendance OF 304 that has not bad
single case Of corporal punish ment dur
ing the year. while here 10 No. 10, ~
Third and Harris IN streets, that with
an average attendance OF 367 has had SO
cases during the year. Tne question nat
ural arises Why she d there be 40 n AIRY
cases In No. 10 and none III No. 8? Are
the scholars 30 ,h worse behaved In
No 10 than in No. % GA the other
hand, after corporal punishment Is in
flicted, are the scholars OF No. 10 better
behaved and more studious than the
scholars Of No. 92 If corporal punish
hAchs 10 bho WOW ~ FNo1A VI
disorderly scholars, then No. 10 should
be one Of the best schools In the city
Indeed 1. should be q model school. II
no corporal punishment makes better
school, then No. should show the
benefits OF T., This, however, Is a
question which should be studied into
by school com nit.ees, teachers and
uperintendents. Here arc two schools
managed differently, corporal panish
ment in one and not in the other. In
which is the hes. order, In which do
the scholars learn bes > This should
not be hard to determine. II the
scholars OF No. learn more and better
order Is preserved 10 that school than
in No. 10, then should corporal punish
ment be abolished, and No. Q be made
the model for government aud study.
If there Is better order in No. 10 and
the scholars more studious than in No.
s. the ergument will be on tho side of
CORPORAL punishment.
Personally in regard to corporal pun
ishDent we have decided vie VIZ against
IL. We believe that with teachers, pa
rents. superintendents and school COM
mt.;.es cooperating, there would be no
nsad whatever OF corporal punish Dent
III nools. II there are times when
punishment Is needed, it should in our
opinion he Inflicted by the parents al
home. Evidently AZ school is not the
place TO iLfl!c, 1t. One case u corporal
punishment Is enough to disturb ths
studies OF day. The teacher who in
tiicts it ID unhappy the balance of In,
day Tor having been compelled TO do so
ard in nine cases ont Of ten the pup
csstigated is more rebelIious than ever
That part OF Superintendent Harlan
report referring to this qaes ion will D
found In another column.