Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-11-30
Does II Spoil the Child?

The Boston Sunday Globe has con
ferred general favor by publishing a
symposium which, if it does nothing
else, gives information on the real origin
of that lying old saw, Spare the rod
and spoil the child" Mr.. John Knee
land, scholarly member Of the Boston
school board. says it appears in a line
from Hudibras Most people think it Is
in the Bible.
1t is encouraging to find that none OF
the writers who contribute to the col
lection is in favor of whipping children
as punishment. All Of them except
one are members Of the Boston school
board, and this one is Mr. Edwin +.
Seaver, superintendent Of the public
schools there. Mr.. Seaver tells us that
it is within the memory Of living per-
sons when school regulations began to
be promulgated forbidding the whip
ping Of girls. Before that it was by no
means uncommon to see girl OF mar
riageable age receive corporal punish
ment at the hands of a man not many
years older than herself. If girls have
not been spoiled since the practice OF
switching them in school was abandoned,
then perhaps boys would not be either.
Mr.. R. q. Metcalf speaks of the incor-
rigible boys who are too often got rid OF
by dismissing them from the schools and
letting them run the street, whence ID
time they graduate finished criminals:
They should not be dismissed. They
should be put in school to themselves,
where the wisest. strongest and most
experienced teachers will have the task
of retaining them and making men OF
: them. This suggestion ought to be put
into practice in all cities. In school
. by themselves such boys could not cor
. .rupt other pupils, and they would b
forced to behave themselves. If thes'
4 BOYS were taken out of the general pub
e lie school for its own well being ant
S theirs, then in the Judgment Of Mr.
: Metcalf corporal punishment might b
e abolished at once.
! Mrs. Louisa P. Hopkins, another mem
u Der of the board, calls attention to on
/" significant fact In the schools wher
- foreign children are taught English b
n the speaking and object lesson metho
q there is never any need of whipping. III
q children are so interested in their lessor
that they do not think Of misbehavint
s. In the manual training departments I'll
t. same is true. Children who are occ'
i; pied with productive work which int
s. ests them and develops their faculti'
o have no temptation 10 mischief, and Il
W relations between teacher and pupil al
!. so natural and sympathetic thst dis
~ bedience is anthought Of" Here is
ba volume in one sentence. II the cour
ly of study is such as TO interest the pup
er then the pupil is never unruly, Give Il
p, worst boy in a city something to do tn
be he likes as well as mischief, and he w
b. become gentle and tractable. This
40 the kindergarten idea, and the true id
e, Of education Mr.. Seaver says, I'm t
u kindergarten the rod is never used, al
- never will be so long as teachers
faithful to the doctrine of their gre
,c- leader, Froebel.'
IDS The right way seems to be to let
er, children understand that the rod can
it'll used when necessary, and then ne'
IDS use it. The right kind Of teacher
find methods of punishment that
INC better than the brutalizing process
'us whipping She can gradually so int
.ou est her pupils minds that no punt
- ment at all will be necessary. Whetl
,av parents can bring mp their children WI
II" out whipping depends on the amount
re brains and intelligence possessed by
des parents. The more brains, the
rip whipping; plenty Of brains then nj
ug, at all.
get