The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1893-12-02
That HOary DcIusion A gain

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1t is encouraging to see West
Virginia School Journal getting out
of the clutches of that hoary delusion
that associates the OK goad, the clap
board, and the hickory withe with
the essential processes of education,
just as they do textbooks and other
paraphernalia of the school room.
West Virginia school people have
advanced slowly in this direction
but the light is breaking. 1t only
remains for the journals which di.
rectly reflect the sentiment of the
schools to get entirely out of the bog
themselves in order to bury this bar
barity.
The last number of the Public
School Mirror gives expression to
the following piquant declarations
which are indicative of the growing
sentiment:
Teachers whip manhood out of
nine boys where they whip it into
one. The same may be said of par
ents. Surprise the boy who expects
whipping and he will begin to
think. He may come to the conclu-
sion that he is not so mean as he
thought, or as he had been made be-
lIeye, and resolve to do better 1t
may seem like harsh criticism, but
we utter truth when we say many
boy has been ruined by the CAD.
We grant that some have been bene-
fitted by it, but 1t was administered
by Judicious hands, and with prop
er spirit Many teacher has warp
ed Solomon's saying
True, indeed, has SolonIon's say
ing been warped" 1t has been re,
sponsible for more child misery if
possible, than all the teachings of
the New Testament have been for
child happiness. All the heathenish
instincts of mankind seem to have
caught on" to this saying if they
got nothing else out of the Scrip
lures
"Spare the rod and spoil the child"
was formerly the one sacred iniunc-
ton, says an exchange, (which was
generally needed as an inspiration
from heaven. The switch was an
implement of family discipline which
was regarded as absolutely necessary
in every well-regulated household.
In the early days in New England a
fnnctionary of the church was armed
with 1t in order to keep the boys
quiet and respectful in the house of
worship. The parsons preached that
its use in domestic discipline was a
religious obligation. Pious fathers
made the trouncing of a boy such a
function, by offering up prayer before
giving the youngster the licking.
The theory, too, was that the pun
ishment should be inflicted early in
the life of the child, as means of
correcting his original depravity.
Hence babies were spanked soundly
when they seemed to cry from mere
cantankerousness. 1t was a pious
effort to whip the devil out of them,
and throughout their childhood the
ROD was kept handy for the purpose
of continuous assault on the old adj
versary. Instructive parental affec-
ton was as strong then as it is now.
Parents did not start out to whip
their children because they enjoyed
giving them pain, but because they
wanted to save their souls.
But the delusion Is vanishing like
witchcraft, and body penance, and
the memories of dark age.
That which remains of it as the
most indefensible and inexcusable
relic of barbarism is the notion that
the law sets the school teacher above
the parent and the latter must sur
render his authority and guardian
ship over his child to the former
when he enters a public school-that
the teacher can fay the back of an
other mans child at his sweet will
without the consent of the parent
and against his direction!
When will our School Journals
drive this outrageous and illegal as
sumption out of the schools of West
Virginia?