The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-31
THE TRUTH OF HISTORY.
The Indiana Law ON Corporal Pun
ishmeIlt i'm Schools.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal.
A more absurd hoax was never attempt
ed than that which purports to be an old
Indiana law relating to corporal punish
ment in the schools of early times. The in
ventor Of the so-called Blue laws of Con-
nectcut had infinitely more to authorize
his caricature than this Indiana fraud ever
had. Look at it, 1t begins by saying: In
corrigible pupils may be punished If their
parents consent" Consent? Parents were
never consulted They were presumed to
consent by subscribing to the article of
agreement, for every school was Sub
scription school, the proposed master"
carrying articles of agreement in which the
party of the first part bound himself to
teach and govern the school, and the party
of the second part agreed to pay the stlp-
ulated compensation. The party of the first
part was quite likely to be stranger, with
no credentials, and ten times as much in
Vestigation was made as to his ability to
govern as to teach, the credentials being
weil-developed muscles If these were lack
ing no certificate as to literary qualifica-
tions would avail anything. Indeed, this
was never required, while the other was
never omitted. The idea, therefore, of con-
sulting parents is most absurd. The man
that would have proposed that could never
have been employed.
Then the idea of forbdding the laying OF
a boy across the lap! No competent teach
er ever thought of such a thing. The
benches were made of slabs supported by
legs driven into them, about two feet hlgn
and without backs. The regulation method
was to seize the criminal by the coat collar,
If he had a coat on, and bring him mead
foremost over one of these benches one be-
ing generally in reserve for such purposes,
and then and there to apply the paddle to
the proper parts, if the teacher resorted
to the paddle at all. Then, again, the ro-
mancer who would describe a school pad
die made of light material, not over one
eighth of an inch thick and one and half
inches wide, never was there. The more
astistic paddles were made of hickory, the
width and thickness depending upon the
pleasure of the master, but they were
mostly made of oak clapboards. whitfield to
taste by the pocket knife. But paddles
were not in general use. The system or
coeducation was then in full force, and, as
there could be no distinction shown, the
use of the paddle with the female portion
was not often INDUCED in, if ever. The
switch, never of birch, in some parts of
the country but of hickory or beech gen
orally. These were carried to the school
room by the dozen sometimes, and in the
country good boys were requ ested to bring
a few the next day. These were applied in
discriminatory, the Oldest as well as the
youngest taking his turn uncomplainingly,
some more frequently than others, of
course, but none, male or female, wholly
escaped, or very rarely. In the language of
the poet:
what have felt and seen
With confidence l TELL,
Or, as the venerable Virgil has it, "All of
which / saw, and great part of which |
was" 1t is wholly vindicate the truth
Of history write The The legislators Et of In
teachers as that implied in what purports
to be an old Jaw regulating corporal pun
ishment at school. u. Il. SEE.