The herald., 1898-01-16

they are conditions under which alone
many can work together. If one Of
these social obligations is violated,
therefore, the best substitute for cor
poral punishment would be the tempo
rary removal of social rights. or the ac-
ceptance of hearty reparation to So
ciety for its losses.
"But an ideal view of the question Of
corporal punishment should not blind
our eyes to my initial proposition; the
decision as to its use must depend on
our knowledge of the individual. In
spite of our theory we must meet certain
other hard and knotty facts squarely.
Recent studies in child-life leave no
doubt that many families and schools
contain children that are vicious. If not
degenerate, either because Of inherited
traits, or through the perversity Of
their bringing up. Happily, these chill
dren are, believe, very greatly In the
minority, yet they are perplexing fac
tors with which every school teacher has
to reckon.
"How shall they be handled? ] have
no hesitation in saying that many Of
them require the prompt and energetic
application Of physical force, before
they can begin to respect authority or
regard the rights of others from any
higher motive.
"Unhappily, but too truly neverthe-
less, they live upon low plane Of moral
activity; ideas Of moral worth and OBJ
legation have never been awakened, and
moral habits have not been trained.
Indeed, ideas rather of wanting to be
tough Of bravado. Of the reckless in
diligence of unsocial and immoral traits,
have been allowed to develop instead;
habits in accordance with these per-
verted views of life have become fixed
1.-THE only thing that will reduce these
cases to either voluntary or forced sub
lection to needful authority is thor
ough shock; and in nine cases out Of
ten that shock must be supplied by
letting the individual run up against a
stone wall of brute force. Yet, even in
these comparatively rare and extreme
cases caution is needed; the teacher
must be sure of her diagnosis Of the in
divldual.
"1t may not be Inappropriate to ask
why a large city should not provide a
special school for incorrigibles, to
which should be sent all cases of vicious
and semi-degenerate youth (for they
are to be found in the schools by the
side of the child with the purest, most
upright tendencies) that make life a
burden to the teacher? This plan is
already in operation in some large cities
in this country.
"It should not be forgotten that the
position Of the teacher today often en-
tails the most difficult and perplexing
problems of child training. Never was
the demand for skill, tact. culture and
professional intelligence on her part
greater. The majority of them are
meeting these ideal requirements
grandly. But too often she suffers for
the lack. of any sympathy from those
who should be most interested in her
work-parents.
1.-THE very tendency of our modern So
cial development is to separate what was
once family function, education, more
and more from the. thoughtful concern
of the home. 1t is mistake there must
be a general revival of interest and
participation in the child's education on
the part of the home authorities.
1.-THE parent is needed far more in the
school room, counseling with the teach
er, learning of the influences to which
the child is there subjected. The teacher
needs to feel that her efforts are UNDER
stood by the parent; that her interest
in the child Is one with the parents. If
this could be brought about more gen.
orally, there would be need of fewer