The San Francisco call., 1901-11-17
CHASTISES BOY
IN SCHOO[ROOM
Instructor Mohr Takes
Intractable Pupil
to Task.
Tempest in a Teapot Results
From the Overt In
cident.
Oakland Office San Francisco Call.


Ills Broadway, Nov. 16.
Something Of a teapot tempest has been
raised in the local School Department by
the summary chastisement or one of the
intractable students of the High School
by Paul ]. Mohr, instructor in mathe-
mates and sciences. Considerable noto-
riety has been the lot of MrA Mohr for
his action and it has been talked over
by the school authorities, but now it has
simmered down to the point where the
culprit makes his peace with his mentor
and fellow pupils and there is hardly any
thing more to discuss. Instructor Mohr
will probably have his attention directed
to his infraction of the department rule,
which prohibits teachers from laying
hands on their charges, even if they are
The incident which has caused all the
hubbub occurred yesterday afternoon
when Edward Fickes. a 16-year-old men,
ber of the B ninth class at the High
School, crossed Mr.. Mohr. Under partic-
ularly exasperating circumstances the in
structor found ii difficult to keep his head
and he seized the boy by the coat collar,
slapped him on the cheeks and tAen huS-
tied him out OF the room on the double
quick. Some of the other students be-
came frightened, it is said, at Mr.. Mohr' S
attitude and rushed from the room. 1t is
these who are credited with spreading the
story of niSapplied authority.
Instructor Mohr thinks he was alto
| gether justified in pursuing the course he
did, although he regrets that in a mo-
ment of anger he committed an infrac-
] ton of one of the rules of the depart
ment. His version Of the affair is as
! follows:
I had occasion to call the class to order yes
4 terday afternoon and in the course of my re
| marks took occasion to say that maniinesl
/ and courtesy in the classroom much more
] important matter even than the sciences VIZ
had been discussing. This boy repeated tht
words ''manliness' and courtesy after m,
in mockery, and under the circumstances
could not help but feel angry.
took him by the lapels of the coat with my
the cheek. Then 1 asked him how he dared tC
say anything at such moment. He asked me
what he had done and tried to give the i'm.
preston that he had done nothing. I raised
him from his seat then ans walked him out OF
J the room.
This morning I called on the boys father
The boy had not told him Of anything that had
occurred. explained the whole matter to him
and he said had done just right. We had an
Interview with the boy, during which he ad-
mitted he was wrong and signed a statement
in which he apologized for his conduct toward
me and the class,
School Superintendent McClymonds was
inclined to be non-committal in his views
OF the case. He asserted that the boy
had been deservedly punished, but
instructor in using violence.
Yes" said Superintendent Nicely
monds, Il think the boy got what he de-
duct does not warrant the breaking of
the rules of the Board of Education.
Corporal punishment is prohibited in the
schools Of this city"
As to what action the Board of Educa-
ton would take in the matter Superin-
tendent McClymonds said he was not pre-
pared to say.
1.-THE rules belong to the board and it
shall be done" explained the Superin-