The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
HIS WHIPPING LETTERS.
UNIQUE COLLECTION OF SCHOOL
PRINCIPAL ~ BRoOhLrM

ONIOUh COILfCffOGV w ~ hSHUUk
PRINCIPAL ~ BRoOhLTN
Notes from Parents and Guardians Asking
That Boys Shall lie Thrs.hed or That
tho Rod shall 10 spared-Renections of
Disturbances Mt Uome-Some Threats.
When Principal St.vons OF Public School los
Of Brooklyn was Auaigned in q police court last
week, charged with having hrashed one Of his
pupils with a rattan, he admitted having whipped
tho boy and said that the punishment was for
stealing books
IL am myself opposed 70 corporal punishmont"
he said 10 the magistran
| Magistrate Worth.
Because there WAS hrashing noto on nle In
his chse." was the reply
What do you mean by 9 thrashing notei' In
quired the magistrate
"A note from the parent or guardian Of boy
telling the teacher or principal that he Is Of wild
character, and asking tina, he be whipped when
ever necessary. do not whip unless have such
a note and. outside the testimony Of the parents,
deem Il necessary from my own observation"
The principal thercupon exhibited note from
the mother OF the boy who had experienced the
ra,tan The note said that the boy was incorrigi-
bic. that II would be necessary 70 whip him. and
that she hoped that the whippings would have
rood eject ouCn nOVcS Wcro COUfuOu, MI pNo-
yens aid and he had received number
of item since he had been In tho Brooklyn public
schools
Corpornl punishment Ia not prohibited in tho
Brooklyn public schools, as 1t is in those OF Man
haitian by law. The teachers themselves arc
divided as " tue wisdom OF permitting whipping.
1 Many Of them would prefer a law against IT, as
that would take tho responsibility of decision
from their shoulders As matters now stand the
boys know uhat thrashing Is not forbidden, and
the wilder ones among tho youngsters consider.
n they are no beaten for their FRANKS, that tho
teacher Is afraid OF them. As rule, however.
Brooklyn teachers do not use the whip without war
rant from the pa ent or guar ian oil tho trouble
some boy. and they prefer 70 have this warrant
IN writing 40 that II any trouble Is made for them
they have tho documentary defence TO show.
The result is that the literature Of tho subject In
large and varied There is probably not q prin-
cipal or a teacher In tho Brooklyn schools who
has no, received some Of these letters
In general they DIVIDE themselves into two
classes, the letters advocating punishmcnt
and those forbidding IL and. numerically ihoy
arc about evenly divided with tho former pre-
dominating In tho poorer districts and tho Ia Ter
In the better regions OF the city A principal who
has had a long career in the schools OF Brooklyn
showed 10 Sun reporter recently scrap-book
/ which he has kept Of letters OF This kind Under
the s,,gs,cs,Ivc heading Of Memo me impune
lacessi" which u tho motto Of hts native Stato,
he has arranged what ho calls the -forbidding-
epistlos Hero Is ono when IL iar snmpto o'
the class:
| DEAR Sp--Jimmy Is q very good boy II you
| treat him rixht lie has never beon whipped at
home except when his father gets real mad al him.
and We DO not want him whipped a, school lie
is so sensitive and We do not want his feelings
| hurt Yours truly. MrS A.
That Is tho feminine o., The masculine form
Is we'll exempliaed by this specimen:
sir am given 10 understand that corporal
! punishment Is pTacu-cd in your school This Is
10 inform you In case you arc in the habit OF In
rictng corporal punish enI upon your pupils
that in the case Of my son Clarence 1t will not DO
necessary nor will tolerate II Any attempt 70
whip him will be followed by prosecution for
| assault before o mag is;rnte. Very respectfully.
| PETER |. -
Quite a. often the threat OF Ieprisals takes a
| more personal form. as in tho following letter,
| which the collector considers one Of the gems
| o. his collection
MIR. PnlNcIPAL--My boy informs me that
! you have threatened TO lick him and that you lick
( the boys with a strap. II you ever put hand
| on boy Of mine will not GO 10 Law about H.
| will come TO your school and give you tho best
! licking you ever heard Of. You got no right TO
whip any boy OF mine. no matter what the law
| says ~ don't you try TO do itior mean lust what
| | say l. y. u l..
| p Slam foot tall and weigh 200 pounds"
| ~ Grsi when got that letter. said the fcc1p-
lent Of it, Il suspected tina, the boy hal got some
! body 10 forge II for him. the postscript was 50
suspiciously boyish. bu, found out that 1t WAS
genuine Some time aitcrwn'd ! had Mr |. S. g.
/ l. pointed out TO me on the street lie was
about 8 feet = inches tall, hollow chested. stoop
shouIder.d hnrmir and he wore big goggles
| ! supposed he enjoyed writing that letter eni
GGttcred himself that for once in his lie he hhi
! made bins self out a dangerous man. His threats
/ didn't make me lose any sleep either before or
after had seen him, but here's ono that did worry
me quite ltu|and will leave 1t to you If there
! isn't u convincing ring to It"
lie pointed out u letter written in a big scrawl.
ing hand and dated from an address in the heart
! OF a rather tough tenement district II read as
! follows:
up onse and d. not you date TO do It agan lie
/ com home with black ey aud sod you done It
10 him you crardly lcpwardlyl hrut you His
! father an got the sole Of a mows but you can
! be scarf Of me II get after you, you kar And
lie do i. too and don't you forget T. lie come 10
! him aean. What do l care ior yure law. no
| LICKED
"Of course" said the principal" Jimmy had
contracted n black eye in n fight and had found
! II convenient to ascribc II to the principal II
was by means pleasant 10 think of Mrs Mur-
phys coming to the school looking for war tho
next time Ia. fertile minded James took liberties
with tie Truth, 50 Departed from ny usual Iulo
in such cases ana wrote Mrs Murphy III" facts
calling To- he' attention Mat she was liable TO
imprlson mcnt for writing such IA lci,e and that
II She uied TO make ANY trouble around the chuol
she would promptly land in lhll. Two days later
she arrived very drunk ana ightlrE mad. For.
tunatcly for my dignity, the lanitpr tackled her
D. FIRST aud she wedrd into HIM IA nr7c ring style
II was the liv-lIeSt kind 81 fight ana h"u"fs
were about even when succeeded In getting u
policeman and having her tAhcn away still ~ at
ing end shouting The curious part of mat
was that Jimmy who had been one OF the bad
bows of the FChuOl was over, one with grief and
shame nj his mothers Performance" and came
. back next day with oil sorts Of promises VI re-.
form I'd ike 20 say that he kept all his promises
| and was the model boy Of the school after that,
hut that would be nlttlc wide Of the truth, lie did
. imnrnyc very drCidrdly however. and became