The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-03-04
A Scathing Criticism.


EDITOR HERALD Permit me to enter
protest against the present system of
chastisement in vogue in the city
schools.
When the public schools 'of a city that
sh ould be up to modern standard in
being run in the old hammerit-nto-'em
manner by which our grandfathers
were taught, it seems to me perfectly
fitting that someone, well acquainted
with the up-to-date and right ways OF
school government, should point out to
the people of that city the errors and
the wrongs of such system, and it
is with view to showing to the public
the gross mistakes and the grave dan
gers existing in the present manner of
governing the Yakima schools. AS a
OPP portunity of studying the different
systems of school government in the
states all the way across the United
States from New York to Washington,
and have found without exception. that
in the schools where corporal punish
ment is prohibited, the pupils are not
only brighter and quicker to grasp
ideas, but that they are 100 per cent
more ladylike and gentlemanly than
the pupils in school where they are
whipped for every offence, real or
fancied And ii one but considers it j,
they will readily understand how child
rem will follow the example set them
by their teachers and principals. Watch
few tiny girls playing school; does not
the little teacher follow the teaching of
her instructor, whipping her little play
mates for mispelling word, or for some
such trifling offence? The boys, too
jostle and kick each other about while
the older ones assert their authority
over the smaller ones in truly princi-
pal-like manner,
But can one expect children to be
ladies and gentlemen when they are
bullied and thrashed like little gamins
at school? And for what little absurd
things are the pupils punished? Not
long since little boy was whipped be-
cause he would not speak on Washing
tons birthday thing the child could
not have done if it had been to save his
life. And, when the child, maddened
almost beyond reason by the injustice
done him, snatched the whip and tried
to hold the teachers hand, she, large,
strong, woman called the janitor to hold
the boy while she whipped him. And
this is only one case out of the many
others. Go into the different school
rooms and note the implements of pun
ishment, the variety and absurdity of
them. There is yard stick here and
there, riding whip, quirt, the end of
horswhip, and even piece of rubber
hose, besides, of course, the old fashion
Ell willow switches. And besides whip
ping there are various other methods of
punishments, as boxing the pupil on
the head with book, or holding his
hand back by the fingers and admins
tering him IA smart crack across the
palm on the joints with the edge of a
foot rule, and other equally harmful and
inhuman acts.
And all this is done for such little
offences as dropping book, whispering,
throwing a paper ball, or refusing to
learn lessen, things that would cease
the more quickly the less they were no.
ticed. Cannot the school board under
stand that it is the mischievous, high
spirited child, the pupil with the energy
plus, that will be the peers and the
rulers of the coming generation? And
that as surely as they are thrashing and
bullying this surplus energy out of the
boys of today just as surely are they
killing the growth of this country in the
future.
What child, taught with whip over
his head and with the fear of switch
ing for every misdeed, will learn and