Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-01-25

cRubbering in Akron" is the caption
nnder which the wooden Indian" the
philosopher of the Pittsburg Times,
writes as follows: Considerable sur
prise must have been experienced the
other day by newspaper readers upon
seeing an item to the effect that the
rubber hose had been abolished as an
instrument of punishment in the
schools of Akron, o. The surprise was
not caused by the abolition of the use
of the hose. but by the fact that it hau
ever been adopted in community that
.anks high among the enlightened pOlit-
lcal divisions of a highly enlightened
Commonwealth. Education in the
United States has been characterized
by many strange vagaries, but by no
stranger cne than this unexpected and
revolutionary role of the man with the
hose. 1t was against all the well-es-
tablished traditions gof education the
world over 1t has been recognized
from the time Of Solomon down to the
present that learning and virtue are to
be inculcated into the young partly
by the hammering process. and that
they may be driven through the skin
by blows well laid on.
1t is partly process of driving out
wickedness, just as the beating of a
carpet drives out the dust, and puriiies
the web and woof of the fabric; but
BY some mysterious and occult process,
/ In the case of the child. In addition to
banishing wickedness and ignorance it
Imparts goodness and strengthens the
g Intellect. thus performing double func
tion. There have heen those in recent
years who have denied this virtue to
the implements used for this purpose,
and it must be confessed that 1t is a
subject that Is hard to understand,
though It is supported by the authority
of, solomon and others OF great emf
nence In nearly every age of the world.
But it has always hitherto been sup
posed that these virtues could only be
impaired and these benefits conferred
by means of the twig of Il tree 1t Is
the rod which Solomon says should not
be spared in order that the child may
remain mspoiled not the rubber hose
1t has long been known that there
are certain esoteric qualities residing
in certain kintls of wood. Some kinds
will drive away moths others will
Danish diseases. still others will lend
their aid In the finding Of hidden
springs or mines. and the birch has al
along been recognized MS the wool that
applied with proper force to the cuticlt
of n boy. would incline him to ways
of righteousness and inspire desire
for knowledge and erudition, though
the hickory switch has been recognized
ms a close second, and many eminen
men have taken n goodly course in tn,
latter as a part of their school curri
culum.
There is abundant room for the AZ
gument that the backwardness of Ger
tain portions of the world is due to tn
act that the birch and hickory do no
grow there. May not that be cite'
as a reason for the fact that the trop
Z les have failed to develop evenly wit
The rest of the world? If YOU will tax
map upon which Is marked the varie
les of forest growths you VIII iin
hat ,he most enlightened and pro
yressive peoples inhabit those portion
Of the planet where the birch an
hickory grow II may well be que'
Toned therefore whether ii is of an
particular use for MS TO send teacher
% tropical countries unless we sen
With them the sort of rods that hay
developed our own greatness.
-1-t-t 4 -. :. - a.