Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-14
Whipping Post Almost IMAM
imously Condemned.
OPINIONS EXPRESSED
OWE WOMAN ADVOCATES DIVORCE
FOR BEATEN WIVES.
Testimony From the Past Against the
Efficacy of Corporal Punish
ment as Deterrent.

The Star continues to receive testimony
. as to the state of public opinion in wash
irgton regarding the whipping post. from
letters and through interviews with citi-
zens So far as they are unqueslionably
authentic and genuinely expressive or the
opinion of the writer or speaker they are
printed, if permission is given. Today
another symposium composed of tbs ma
tcrjal is prese,,ted. to indicate the thought
OF the community upon this interesting
ouestion. Mrs X de Glantz writes in part,
as follows:
with what amazement would the phil
oscphers of ages Lgo look upon the whip
ping post in this the greatest or all ages
Yet it has been recommended by the Presl-
dent of the greatest nation on earth, and
the clergymen Of many churches Is II
possible that they really would take us
back to the dark ages and thus degrade
and br; nd a human being Tor the puDic
To laugh and jecT at. and perhaps XIII the
one uace that is left somewhere OF that
div lie spark that call good IN a fellow
being? / heartily advocate some klhd Oh
punishment for man who strikes wo-
nm The brute instinct must he wiped
out before we are really civilized 1he
whining post Will never DO it. could
lay plan before the wise ones that is
much more simple much more Just ana
CRYING Iced everywhere G, even mere III
Washington. Instead of whipping the man
who Eeats his wife simply grant Tue IN
luref wife an absolute divorce from fer
husband and compel him to work and sup
pert her Divorce cry the clerSymen, is
another evil 1t IS rot 50 sometimes. /
do not approve of a divorce If there is
any chance of the man reforming, but the
woman who is continually being beaten by
man. if she is a true woman, certainty
wants a divorce.
But some people want to whip the man
and let him go back and perhaps III the
woman who told on him. Did trey ever
think of that. those Sc ones! Inc man
who beats a woman * usually DEVOID OF
conscience. and woe IN tire woman VINO
gives such man to public disgrace. we
would hay" to build mo-e scaHoids and less
whipping posts. Divorce is the cure tor
wife bcatels. Divorce, that is so hard TO
get here in Washington. The man can
beat his wife black and blue and the great
he is hanged. but many hangings could be
prevented II the great law would I'll, solVe
the bonds that bind woman to a brute
divorce is an evil that must be con-
nuered' they say but divorce is common
sense in some cases, and the whipping post
slvors of the dark ages of the Spanish
chamber of horrors 1t Is step packw "a u
to even consider the whipping post Ii
had the run of the world | would
do away With all capital punishment ana
simply imprison wrongdoers and give them
decent prisons. enough to eat and nave
them trea ted humanely always, and DrlnS
man back to- his goodness Do you sup
pose a true woman would allow her emil
dren's father to be thus publicly degraded
An no indeed She would simply accept
more and more beatngs. and the World
would never know. The brutal man can De
redeemed without the whipping post Ieach
Kindness in the world. Teach charity.
Build posts of love and kindness and GOOD
ness and teach men to revere the words
written on them Do We unto others. Don
preach punishment-preachl love-
A Brutalizing Influence.
John Joy Edison says: Il have the great
est contempt for man who would whip
his wife. and most cordially agree with the
President in his denunciation of wife beat
ing. At the same time 1 am opposed to
the revival of the whipping post as form
of punishment. I believe the brutalizng
influence of such scenes even on those who
are not participants would be backward
step in civilization
Ball and Chain Suggested.
Mr. Robert n. Harper says. Il believe
man guilty of having whipped his
wife should receive, by legal process,
on his back, what he has inflicted on
his wife without law. 1 am not, however.
clear whether this is a civilized method.
But am inclined to doubt that it is. l am
OF the opinion that ball and chain, with
work on the public highway. would better
meet the requirements in such cases..
Remove the Cause.
Mrs. Kathryn Wood. past vice templar,
/ O G. T., says: In searching for a
remedy to cure wife beating, why not
lash the whisky that causes it, instead
of the unfortunate victim? Nearly all
wife beaters are drunkards and they
are our sick brothers, who need our
our help and uplift, and not the whipping
post. Your sick brother is as helpless as
child and when there is anything your
child should not have. you place it high up
out of it's reach Do that with the whisky
and you'll have hardly any wife heaters.
If il were as hard TO secure as other poi
sons, II would be as little used Study cause
and effect: Danish the source of this evil,
and you will not be seeking remedy for
its disastrous results.
Compulsory Labor Favored.
Mr.. Archibald Greenlees says: II am OPP
posed to such a method of dealing with
offenders of this class. At the same time
am not aware that wife beating is more
prevalent here than elsewhere. l favor
the method that has been suggested of
compulsory labor. the earnings to go for
the benefit of the family of the offender"
The Lash Unnecessary.
Mr.. NJ. NJ. Parker says: 1.-THE establish
ment of the whipping post would seem
TO me a return to barbarism l think a
punishment can be devised that will be
more effective. There is hardly any penal
dy that can be inflicted that would be too
severe for such crime. but il does not
seem to me that it is necessary to resort
to such method
A Move Backward
II do not believe said Mr.. w. p. Van
Wickle, in going backward, and l would
look upon the establishment of the whip
ping post as a move in that direction. There
Is need of some change TO restrict the num-
Der of such cases. but il seems to me that
this can best be accomplished through pub
lie opinion. II ought to be regarded as
highly disgraceful to do act of this sort
and of course that is the case in certain
classes. However. there ought TO be some
other way of putting end TO such bar
barity than by introducing a barbarous
punishment"
Three Who Advocate the Lash.
William d. West said: II am heartily In
favor of the recent proposition of one OF
our grand juries for the establishment of a
whipping post for the punishment of those
convicted of the crime of wife beating. To
punish this class of men by Imprisonment
TO nay mind. does not check their inclina-