New-York tribune., 1903-06-07


Teacher-I caught him at it myself-not once. but
+, half dozen times. I've talked with him. but he
only grins and tells me L can't do anything The
boy shoud he whipped
Mother-Whippedi My boy whipped! Well I'd
Hike TO see anybody whip my boyi I believe in
moral suason. Hts father used to whale him be-
fore be died; but I've never laid hands Willie.
Teacher-Then the boy must be sent re-
to-nstory. Besides stealing and gambling him
.et ne teaching the other younger children these
evil habits
Nother-A reformatory! For Willie, Not unless
over my dead body.
Teacher-It's question of the reforrnatory or
the whip. I am not allowed by law TO whip him.
SO you must. Now. tell me- where does Willie
snend his time after school?
Nother-with the gang. He's captain Of the Sui
Tyan-st gang.
Conversations like this. according to many school
teachers os this city, becoming alarrningly fire.
ouent in the last few months. Hoodumism among
pupils they IS the increase The street gangs
whose widespread depredations and whose de-
struction OF property forth in The Tribune
last Sunday. have boldly carried their methods OF
warfare into the classroom Members of these
gangs have openly deied their teachers called
them abusive names resisted discipline with their
fists and sometimes with weapons taught inno-
cent playmates to steal and gamble played truant
for weeks at g time, and, by sleeping at night in
Railways wharves and hiding by day in
poolroons and policy shops. they have escaped de-
lection and led nearly they could the heart
o. great city the lives OF outlaws
IN e TT OF Desperation one expressed It q
number OF teachers have started a movement to
restore corporal punishment TO the public school
system. Circulars were first sent out the prin-
cipals in Manhattan and The Bronx, and forty-five
out Of hfty-two responded that they favored & re-
the rod. The question was also discussed
by the New-York City Teachers Association some
days ago, and although the organization did not
commit itself body 10 the re-estabIshment
O. corporal punishment the majority who spoke
the subject favored il. The male principals will
hold meeting next week. and according to its
o1ceTs, e report viii then be adopted which the
Board OF Education will be asked TO authorize
The report VIII make this recommendation:
Ihat any pupil who upon trial by the proper
authorities is ad1udged unamena bic the pre-
vaiinc method Of discipline shall thereafter be
oeeInsa sqh}ect TO corporal punishment. TO be ad-
designated by him.
The committee Of principals who have taken the
most prominent part in the agitation and who
drew up the report consists Of John Doty. of
Public School No. 2, Of No. 50 Marion-st; Bernard
Cronson Of Public School No. 125 OF No 1sO
Wooster-st-; Henry Cassidy. Of Public School No
3. Edgecombe-ave and One-hundred- d-forty-frst-
ST. and John Walsh. Of Public School No. "A, No.
20 East Sixty-third-st When the issue reaches
the Board ot Education. however. It is expected
70 cause . clash Superintendent Maxwell himself
* bitterly opposed 10 return to the rod and
characrerizes the proposition as worthy OF Russia
IN the time Of Ivan the Terrible Many OF the
board support MI Maxwell in his opinions
The causes Of this smarting question are Ii;:ie
known to the average parent, to the chill
dren themselves in the Weather residential dis
1ricts. Some teachers even go far to say that
they unknown TO High School officials who DO
Io1 come in personal contact with pupils. To one,
however. who sincerely desires 10 know why so
many teachers have become alarmed and TO
actual Of insuboTdination which many
clare demand the use OF the whip. the task Is
simple
In days tour through several sIhools which
draw their pupils from crowded tenen ut districts
Tribune reporter discovered conditions WI .ch the
teachers declared. would rapidly become worse
unless the street gang spirit could be crushed out
by vigorous chastsement- None Of them wanted
the task Of such disciplinng for themselves but
they declared that somehow and by the
roo must be used.
one class, for example. had hardly taken their
after the morning rollcaIl. when there arose
In the air the odor Of cigarette. There no
sign OF smoke but the teacher glanced instnctivey
Al q dwarfed lad, with q pasty complexion. which
stood in striking contrast with his black cot
blouse. The face thin. drawn. old The
blouse hung the shoulders as if it covered the
crossarms of & scarecrow. The nostrils con-
tracted to narrow Sits. The boy was slowly draw
ing his breath.
The teacher began the first lesson as if unaware
Of anything except her work. The boys nostrils
began Gilate, and from them astrononic eye
might detect thin streak Of smoke slowly issuing
The lungs empty. the boy turned in his seat on
the pretext Of looking at The blackboard At the
same instant the teacher sprang forward and
caught him From his yellow stained fingers fell q
Euolldering cigarette stump
"Azain." exclaimed the schoolmistress Did l
not catch you yesterday teaching Johnny Upjohn
10 smoke on the school steps? What do you mean
by bringing your cigarettes into school,
= v1zIut goin' away me snipe." growled
The lad gazing wistfully al the half inch Of paper
yellow weed" the floor Then turning
boldly OF his teacher and trying TO wrench him
ser loose he burted out;
An YOU can't stop me, neither. Me ole man
smokes. me brudders smoke, ar rs goin' TO have
re snipes See"
The boy sent TO the principals room. lect-
urea severely. told he would stunt himself and
perhaps 20 crazy from cigarettes and kept after
school thirty minutes. which is the maximum
amount Of this sort OF discipline As soon as he
q block away from the schoolhouse he 'oor-
roHed snpe' from companion A small croWo
Of curious classmates soon gathered, and he pro
ceeded 10 show them how to "swaller the smoke"
b. inhang deep into the lungs. that the teacher
couldn't cop en- in the schoolroom-
The teacher in q school near the wharves Of the
North River noticed recently that some OF her
pupils were 'shootir' craps" for nickels- She
had often talked with & towhaired Irish lad about
his passion for craps and told him the game
would eventually lead him be a confirmed
gambler The boys parents were respectable. plain
people. HIS father worked barge and ms
mother took in washing. but they were honest and.
the mother said:
i nivver wuZ after understandin' Wy little
Mickey wuz so crazy fer craps His fahther don't
crink glass uf beer now an thin An
snlr=. he nivver gahmbled IN hiz life He spinds
Il ahl in clothin' hiz tin brats'
Mickey paid attention his first lect-
ure apparently 81 the time when his mother was
summoned TO school and his teacher told her how
bad her boy was. For several weeks his blue
eyes looked brighter. and he said that instead o.