Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-09-05
ROD AND WHIPPING. Posr.
Tlageilation as Il Means OF Puntshmes.
in the United States.

ROD AND WHIPPING. POST.
Flageilation as H Means OF puntshme..t
i'll the United States.
HE that spareth the rod hateth the
son, but he that ioveth him chastises
him betimes," said Solomon. The
pedagogue OF the old school was, there
fore, man after the heart Of the wise
Israelite The 'birch' held as import
ant place in the curriculum of some of
the old-time schools as Latin and Greek,
so much so, that when our English
grandfathers used to call to memory
their schoolboy days they did not say
when was at school," but ssWhen /
was under the rod The schoolboys
of the present have not the slightest
idea OF the punishments undergone by
their ancestors. Flagellation is now
out Of date, except in one small corner
of our country, and the birch" of to-
day is only ghost of what it was a
century ago.
Whipping has been far more severe
in English schools than in American.
The English schoolboy, 100 years ago,
either had Greek pounded into him or
life pounded out of him. One old fash
toned schoolmaster boosted that in the
course of fifty years he had given $780,
600 canings and 1914 proper floggings.
Another record shows that during fifty
one years in alarge London school there
were administered GIL. 500 canings,
121,000 foggings, 100000 custodoes,
10000 tips with ruler, 10000 boxes
on the ears, and 227, 900 tasks learned
by heart. besides hundreds of thousands
Of ear pinches. During that time in
the same school 5000 boys were made
to kneel on sharp edge Of wood, 700
to stand on peas, and 5000 to wear the
FOOLS cap. These severe punishments
frequently had comical side, when the
culprit, being the superior in size,
turned the tables upon'the worthy peda-
gogue, giving him practical taste of
his own idea of compulsory education.
The first whipping in school on this
side of the Atlantic was done by the old
schoolmasters of New Amsterdam.
Dutch youngsters used to cut frequent
hookies and it was customary for the
parents to turn their children over to
the "schul-meister" for discipline.
Flogging in colonial days was not COM
mon in the schools, though with other
English customs came that Of using
the 'birch." The first person publicly
whipped in America was Quakeress
name Mary Clark, who, was given
twenty stripes for preaching in Boston
in 1867. The next to suffer in this
manner were Christopher Holder and
John Copeland, both fogged on account
of their religious belief by the Puritans
in Boston, and within the next year
twelve persons were publicly whipped
because they were Quakers.
The following account of o whipping
which took place in Boston in 1874, is
taken from an old newspaper published
in IVA:
"Capt. ST. Leo, commander of war
ship then in Boston Harbor, being APP
pretended for walking on the Lords
day, was sentenced by Justice of the
peace to pay fine. and on refusing to
pay had to sit in the stocks an hour
during the day. While in the stocks
the good people supplied him with
much good advice as to his conduct on
the Sabbath day. After he was re-
leased the Captain expressed great re-
greet for his past transgressions, and
declared to them that he was in the fu-
tnre resolved to lead new life. The
saints of Boston were of course de-
lighted at his sudden reformation, and
in order that the Captain might still
further profit by their good counsel,
many Of them invited him to dinner.
The Captain proved to be q most zeal
Gus and genuine convert. He attended
prayer meeting and showed every out
ward mark OF grace. At length he
was obliged to put to sea. but before
the day of departure invited many of
his spiritual advisors to dinner aboard
the vessel. which lay ready in Nam
tasket Roads.
"A capital dinner was provided, at
which many bottles were drained to
the Captains health. When the after
dinner harmony was at it's height, a
body of sailors burst into the cabin
and seized the guests. They were
dragged on deck, tied to grating, and
the boatswain and his assistants adj
ministered the law of Moses ina most
energetic manner. the Captain mean
time assuring them that the mortifica-
ton of the flesh tended to the saving of
the soul. They were bundled into
their boat and the Captain Immediately
set SAIL"
The only place in the United States
where the old idea that whipping is
means of edifcation is still chung to is
in Delaware. In that State there are
whipping-posts, one at Dover, one at
Georgetown and another at New Castle.
NelU York Times.
American GalIantry.
The swinish propensities of the hui
man race are confined to no nationality.
sect OF color. [ have met with them in
England, France and Germany quite as
often as in America. Indeed, I am not
far from sure that, take him with all
his faults, the American has not alarger