The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-06
The Great spanking question.

who enjoy the confidence of the veters.
The Great Spanking Question.
The New York World a couple of
Years ago, started a crusade against the
practice OF spanking the nsubordinate
and unprogressive young criminals who
are committed to the New York State
R-eformatory at Elmira. After a pro-
traeted struggle. in which it exhausted
every effort of INSCRIPTIONS sensational
ism. and in the course of which two or
three quasi-judicial inquiries were held.
defeat. Superintendent Brockway was
not removed. no alteration was made in
legislation affecting the institution, all the
best Informed public opinion of the coun-
try endorsed the discipline there, includ-
ing its occasional severity, and the
World" itself allowed its crusade to
taper off into a semi-occasional whine.
But now it has taken up another anti
spanking crusade. There is an institu-
ton in Westchester county for the pro-
lection of poor children. orphaned. semi
charity. The institution is supported by
some OF the most benevolent people in
New York. The World has itself fur
nished any amount of evidence to show
that it must be an admirable institu-
ton, for it has brought7to light numerous
men and women, who, having been
brought up in it, are now respectable,
se-lf-supporting, self-respecting members
Of society, many of them being colonized
around the neighborhood of the Home as
prospecting men or happy wives.
The World" however, discovered, some
months ago, thai when the children in
the Home were bad-and sometimes, it is
conceded, they are very bad-they We're
spanked by Superintendent Pierce, who is
at the head of the establishment. The
World" raised a tremendous cry at the
time about this shocking inhumanity. and
since, it appears, another punishment has
been substituted in the shape of a light
chain attached to the legs of insubordi-
nate inmates and somewhat impeding
their movements. This method of punish
ment has just accidentally come to light,
and the World" is fairly in paroxysms
over it.
Now, We object to the chain ourselves.
though it is accompanied by not even the
slightest physical pain. There is some
thing revolving to ones sense of child
hoods rights N the idea of placing the
badge Of felony or slavery upon the
limbs of boys or girls. But the position
taken by the "Wor,d' appears to render
all disciplinary methods impossible. and
if public institutions are to be safe from
its attacks. the only policy they can pur-
sue is that of letting the inmates do pre-
cisely as they please. IN it's Elnlira sem
sation, the dark cell came in for almost
as as terrible a condemnation as the pad
die. AS a matter of fact the dark cell
is an Infinitely more injurious and peril
lous form of punishment than any ordin-
L ~ WI PO1al Ilti1CilOl1. <1SSAA III F II
should never be applied to- children. The
objections to bread and water diet are
obvious. The menus of public institu-
ions hardly render depriyal of pudding
an available form of chastisement, and
youths and girls of the class generally
found in asylums are not likely to be
much influenced by foo,scaps or stand
ing in the corner. So what is to come of
it all?
Not long ago the city of Chicago was
conyulsed by the revolt Ell masse of the
inmates of a girls reformatory. They
beat the matrons, broke the furniture,
wrecked the building. gathered huge
crowds about the place and generally be-
hayed like a gang of young fiends just let
of humane reform had just put a stop to
all the forms of punishment by which
these girls-all of whom. though in their
teens, We're of the most abandoned class
had been kept within the limits of order
and decency. They had previously been
occasionally corporally chastised and oc-
casionally put in straight jackets when
their conduct was extremely bad. The
revolt followed promptly Upon the aboli-
ton of these punishments, and it was in
no degree checked by threats to send the
participants to State Prison; indeed, one of
the objects of the ringleaders was to get
themselves sent to jail in preference to
continuing the struggle for amendment in
the reformatory. TIN end of this notable
event was the abolition of the refornatory
and the release Of all its inmates upon
the streets. because it was ound impos-
sible to restore order or discipline in It.
The fact is there is no public institution
where some form of severity is not prac-
tised. One reads from time to time of
cutting off girls hair as q punishment,
putting boys in cages is not unheard of,
extra hard or dirty work is imposed else
where, dark cells, straight jackets. cold
clsower baths and the paddle or rod all
have their advocates. In some places,
W