The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-05
EVENING CHAT
To Spank or Not to spank.
sr RUTH CAMERON.

Some weeks ago 1 raised the question
of the wisdom of corporal punishment for
children and asked my letter friends to
have a chat with each other to whetn-
er it were better to spank not to spank.
Below are some of the letters 1 r.
every one, because they were all SO in
teresting.
Here is an emphatic anti-spanker-a
man, by the way:
With due respect to you I place any
one who speaks of punishment foS. chill
dren in the same category with those who
maintain that murderers should be cleo
trocuted for punishment criminals should
be confined for punishment and the insti
tutien in which they are placed called
penal institutions
Take. for instance, the child which
throws its toys on the floor just to sec
them being picked up again. Place your
self in the way Of one Of the chiId,s n =
ing toys and let it strike you. Then pre-
tend that you have been injured and
sham crying; invariably that child viii.
crawl to you, caress the injured spot and
perhaps cry in sympathy. why? Be
cause it thinks it has injured one who
has given it tender care and it is contrary
kind. Apply the same rule when tine
child is old enough to reason
Tine writer goes on to tell that this is
the only sort of punishment he ever uses.
and that it has invariably been success
full with his daughter. Readers of SentI-
mental Tommy will probably remember
Miss Allie, the gentle schoolma' am who
tried whipping herself when the boy S
were bad and soon had to give it up be-
cause sit merely set them to watching
each other, SO that they might cry out,
pandy yourself quick. Miss Allie; Gavin
-Dishart's drawing the devil on his slate .
Here is thoughtful lady who IS on The
fence.
Il was much interested in your Mon
Gays publication.
Although 1 think corporal punishment
has been practiced too extensively be-
heve there are occasions when its en-
forcement is most advisable.
81 have a nephew, who when child
always felt better toward himself, as
also everyone with whom he came in con-
tact after this kind of punishment had
been melted out to him. Nothing else 10
his case sufficed.
ping that did not injure my disposition T
always wished that 1 might die but still
be conscious, so that could see my moth
weep, regretting that she had thus
punished me-
Zone of the most successful school
teachers whom have ever known, an in
structor whose views and methods were
far in advance of those of his conter-
poraries, whose great point in disciplir-
ing was to place his pupils their hon "
firmly believed in corporal punishment
and practiced 1t in certain cases.
administering Corporal punishment prof.
erly-to be sufficiently thorough, yet nor
cruel, to administer it to the right person
and at the right time
Another reader has no doubts on the
subject:
II am very sorry that I ever struck ore
OF my children. Don't do it-you will be
sorry some time. 1t does no good--results
are harmful.-Mother."
/ simply cannot let some of the other
interesting letters go unpublished so will
adjourn the symposium until tomorrow.
Anyone not interested in this vital que5-
ton. needn't read the column until the
day after.