San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-10
SHORT STOPS .
What The People Are Saying.

What The People Are Saying.
Whipping in our public schools is an
outrage, disgrace, a shame, a crime
that should be abated, and will be, If
the writer of Short Stops has anything
to say about the manner in which our
public institutions shall be conducted
for the next two years.
In making this announcement l know
that 1 must run counter to the ideas
of many well intentioned people, but
a fair discussion of this question will
bring the truth home to every mother
and father with hearts in their breasts
AS a rule it is only the children of
the poor and uninfiuential who are
fiogged, beaten and outraged by the
public school teacher. They submit
to having their little ones punished
rather than suffer expulsion.
The teacher who is unable to govern
a school room without the fear of the
lash is unfit to teach children.
Whipping begets brutality, is the or
igin of lying and the very foundation
of crime. The trembling child can
think of no other escape but to lie.
There are some whose Spartan forti-
tude enables them to tell the truth
even under the lash, but there are few
who will not resort to lying to save
pain and disgrace.
Teach a child to lie and other Of
lenses are likely to follow.
1t is the lash, the blow from the fist,
the angry words, the temper, that ac-
companies whipping, that drives our
boys into mischief, our girls into the
streets.
Put a premium upon truth even If
it appears to be at the expense of dis
cipline.
There is too much repression, too
much overseeing, too much of the
slave drivers methods in our public
schools-no teacher is fit to stand be-
fore class of girls and boys who can
not command their love and admira-
ton.
Let parents who are so inconsiderate
as to turn their children over to the
public school teacher to be whipped,
that the public money can
not be used for such barbarity, and
that our teachers are not paid to WELD
the lash upon the backs of our boys
and girls.
Before me is a telegram in the morn
ing paper headed: Whipped todeath."
boy dies from the chastisement of
woman teacher. The item reads:
Des Moines, Ia, Jan. S.-Harry Oil
yer, aged II years, the son of bust
ness man of Detroit, was whipped by
Miss Florence Mills, a teacher in the
Grant Park school, which the boy at
tended and half an hour later, died. I
The boy had heart disease and the
whipping induced fatal stroke. The
will take steps to force oflcial
inquiry.
An instance of the absurd rules that
prevail in public schools has come to
my notice. A county school on the
I,avernia road is presided over by
lady, She insisted upon whipping
couple of young ladies. the daughters
Of a well known farmer. The girls
are up in their teens and Of the most
excellent character; the teacher was
physically no match for either one OF
them: they refused to be whipped;
the father. who was also trustee OF
the school, visited the school marin
and demonstrated, but was met by
to carry out the "disci-
pline" of the school; the girls were
aiken out of school.the father resigned
his trusteeship and the teacher ap-
oealed to the county Superintendent
who decided that it was legal to fog
he pupils.
Our legislators should promptly de- |
inc whining of a child in any public |
school of the state as aggravated as
'ault and battery.
The Iowa woman has committed !
homicide at least. and every teacher |
Who strikes a child is liable TO 10 the |
;ame.
Abolish the lash as a part Of our |
,uhHc education, can he added by the
,rieht Young man of the Express, to
ny platform,
There win be a fuH onorum nj the |
III - Ha.Ha