The San Francisco call., 1909-09-10
PRINCIPAL insists
lie WILL WHIP GIRLS
Parents Petition the Hayward
Trustees to Prohibit Cor
poraI Punishment
Especial Dispatch 10 The Call


HAYWARD. Sept 9.-The whipping
of girls by Principal E. N. Mabrey Of
the Hayward grammar school has
caused parents TO demand of the school
trustees the adoption of rule pro-
hibiting corporal punishment. a petit
tion was circulated today among the
residents of the town deuouncing the
principaTs method of correction as out
of date and asking that IL be changed
Mabrey frankly admitted that he
used a strap TO punish girls IN the
school who in his opinion deserved IL
He defended his method as proper and
said he was going to continue II as
long as he was principal of the school
The agitation against Mabrey started
by Nels Quist. lumber merchant,
whose son, Nels Jr.. was strapped on
the hands several days ago by the
principal The father took up the mat
ter and began the circulation of the
petition
GIRLS WHIPPED IN SCHOOL
1t then developed that the parents OF
some of the girls had similar grieV-
ances. Two girls in particular. whose
names Mabrey refused to make known.
were whipped by him yesterday He
said today that they richly deserved
this punishment. and the refusal on his
part to tell who the girls were was
due to his unwillingness TO expose
them 70 disgrace
Six other girls of grammar school
age declared that he whipped them
some months ago They were Vir-
ginia Smith, LenOra Goncalves, Addie
Bernard. Clara Faro. Lizzie Dubrey
and Lucy Souza- The cases of the girls
cover a considerable period of time
The girls and their parents today as
I'll SH.r.T Hr.Nf . ~
the strap was not warranted.
Lucy Souza. IA years old. said that
the girls mentioned had violated a
playground rule. She reported that
Virginia Smith had been knocked un-
der the chin by a blow from the prin-
cipaFs fist.
PRINCIPAL TO FIGHT
When informed regarding the eireu-
lation of the petition Principal Mabrey
said: Il care not what petitions are
circulated. / have been placed In
charge of the Hayward school to run
il a school should be run. with
proper discipline. and l intend TO run
the school until next June. If the
school trustees pass any resolution to
prohibit corporal punishment I shall
fight 1T to the finish, taking the case
TO the courts il necessary.
MAY SHOCK COMMUNITY
Whip girls? Yes, / do. most de-
cidedly when they deserve it,
whipped two girls yesterday. These
people who criticise my corporal pun
ishment of girls do not realize the
conditions I have to contend with in a
school of nearly 500 pupils Talking
has little effect upon them and if l did
not use the rod / could not maintain
discipline.
Il have kept records of every whip
I ping. with the cause for it. and these
books are open to the proper authori-
ties As to those six girls. / can not
say offhand whether l whipped them
or not. Probably I did. / want to be
quoted as saying that if these people
force me to an investi cation / will tell
of conditions that will shock this COM
munity.
Il hold that every child has an in
alienable right to be spanked
MabTey said that he never struck
any of the girls hard. merely chastis-
ing them across the hands with his
strap.