The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-05-09
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT.

1t is an old adage that figures won't
lie. That may be true, but it is equally
true that they may be made to give an
entirely false impression.
In recent editorial, based upon an
article in the Christian Register, you
present what you characterize as start
ling disclosures in regard to corporal
punishment in che Boston schools.
have not the means at hand to verify
your figures, or rather those of the Reg
lister, but, assuming them to be correct,
you announce that the ratio of boys pun
ished in year is to the whole number
as II to 10. Let US turn this statement
round and examine 1t little more close
". There are about two hundred school
days in the year, then the ratio OF boys
punished in the grammar schools on any
given day is as II to 5000, or about one
third Of one per cent. That is to say,
that 90 90 per cent. of the boys attend
ing the grammar schools of Boston go to
school from day 10 day IN no danger OF
receiving corporal punishment.
This is not so startling statement as
the one you quote, but it more fairly
and truthfully represents the proportion
OF the non-punished to the punished in
the Boston grammar schools.
Again, your authority leads you to
compare Boston unfavorably with New
York, Philadelphia and Chicago. 1t is
to the great credit OF Boston that, by the
aid of an efficient truant force, she keeps
in school to a much greater extend than
one at least of the cities named the
rough and criminally inclined boys.
Not only keeping them in school, but in
subsection to wholesome authority, and
she brings many of them out Of school
to take honorable positions in society
and business.
1t is easy to turn such boys out upon
the street to grow up to swell the dan
gerous classes, but Boston does not be-
lieve it to be the best way.
1t is singular that in this matter, as in
all other discussions in regard to punish
ments in the State, the sympathy OF a
certain class of minds entirely spends
itself upon the wrongdoer.
A man commits an atrocious murder
the sufferings and sorrow OF his vic
TINS family are forgotten, and the
brute's cell is kept we'll supplied with
flowers and delicaces, and all that
money and influence can do is done to
cheat the gallows of its victim and to
turn lo,se upon society the criminal for
fresh atrocities.
So in school the 80 90 per cent. are
forgotten and their rights not considered
that the other one-third per cent. may
be coddled by the teacher and they left
rightfully to infer that they are the real
governing power.
Let me present scene, the original OF
which the writer has seen many times
in many schools. Here is class of nifty
six boys, in charge of wise, kind-heart-
ed, we'll qualified teacher. Fifty OF the
boys are good boys and DESTROYS of max
ing the most of their school advantages.
Five of them are not specially bad, but
idle and ready to follow any lead toward
what they call fun. One is boy vic
ious inclined, delights in wrongdoing,
his moral nature dormant, His seat ls
the storm-centre in the room. The
teacher studies the situation. She knows
that she has the moral power to hold the
boy in check, but she knows, also, that
it will take away very considerable
part of her nervous emery and that the
other fifty boys will thus suffer. She
also sees the admiration in which the
leader is held by the five idlers, and the
danger of his boldness coming to COM
mend him to the boys who wish to do
right, but whose moral purpose is still
weak. She finds she cannot reach the
boy through his moral nature, and that
he despises her for the effort. Three
courses are open to her. She can go on
letting the class suffer while she devotes
her energies to this unworthy unit, or
she can ask to have him cent away, or
she can punish him. She wisely chooses
the latter,
Kindly, firmly, wisely, she inficts a
punishment which she knows to be just,
which the class knows to be just, which
the offender knows to be just. What is
the result The boy goes to his seat re-
specting his teacher as he did not before,
and giving, at first, enforced attention
to his studies begins to like them and TO
study for the love of learning. His NOR
al nature is reused and the boy is saved.
The five boys who were disposed to fol
low their leader to the bad now follow
In the other direction, The good boys
are left to pursue their studies in peace,
and the teacher giving now her whole
thought to teaching the Work OF the
class goes on joyously and prosperously
and is grand success.
say again, this is no fancy sketch.
Scores of teachers IN Boston can dupli-
cate it.
There may be teachers who punish in
judiciously and wrongfully. If 80, the
remedy Is in the hands of the commit
tee. But let us, and let the public, cease
to render more difficult the work of
those who, dealing with these enforced
attendants upon our schools, are trying
not only to save them but to deal justly
and fairly by the great proportion of
those who have a right to the teachers
time, strength and efforts.-H. in Boston
Journal.