THE SCHOOL STRAP.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1474, 24 June 1912, Page 4

THE SCHOOL STRAP.

AS INTERESTING HOMILY

-'The-"Now Zealand Journal of Educes. Jig? ticn" publishes an interesting little homr'; ily en the uso of tho school strap—re-',.' spcctively ta'metl "tho tawso" mid "the ■. • belt"" in Scotch and colonial by Mr.. Jas. llendry, Inspector to tho . Southland Education Board. "IXi/ teacher," he observes, "may be presumed'.' 1 ,, to have in his possession several of tli'fei' -g very large number of excellent treatises . bow available dealing with the govern- 1 ment of schools, and may further be presuiued to have made himself more or. less familiar with tho principles ated therein. It cannot have escaped'!?' ■ .the most unreflcctivo student that, how- .., ever much the writers of these books 'seem.,to be at variance on certain of school policy, there is at least ona.s:'.;H>;. matter : with. respect to which, there isSivUi practical unanimity—to wit, that eorponilgrM; punishment should never be inilicted for inlellectual'faults, fo>." stupidity, or for £,J.\ ignorance. H should be rnorted to only . for the worst offences—ihti (lis(ibLvlionL'o. . : -':--^ : obstinacy, \'ice, gross iinpertincnce, iiud';.;¥../ ; . even for these when there seems'no iil-t Vj*. Ir-nialive—when overy other nu-nof dealiiij? with the oll'enrcs has been tried'#.® and failed,

"Surely, then," protests Mr. "the corollary is obvious that the went of corporal punishment should not .bo constantly in tho view of the children, . Acceptance if the abovo quoted would result in its banishment to the ':; ', teacher's cupboard or drawer, to be pro-. :.'|J disced only on the few occasions when its'-'';;, usa is imperatively necessary. All teachers will cheerfully subscribe to the dictum .'.' !;;; of the text bocks, yet many of them nally fail to square their practice with . their professed belief. In nmneroas ease* . the strap is a permanent exhibit on school.wall or on the teacher's table, perpetual memento. Tho folded leather may be used as a pointer by a teaohw ~*f£ .coriwtiw disk work. It way bt-obPTr-"cd, like tho pistol butt of ilie-Btd Monr«3; of the West, protruding from the ers' pocket. It may even, on occasions ;fjj serve tho purpose of ft liicklet to ins infant mistress. Now all this ss a# wrens as it can be. and it is nsite imfttecssavr :."S that I should point out wherein it is wrong. : . >sg "The efficacy of the strap, omciudcs Mr. Hendry, "if in inver» pvooortion to ; ;7 : tlie frequency of application; the mjudi- . : cions employment- of this artificial stiiun-'' his to exertion and ger;d conduct tosds ¥ to frustrate tho wry object the teacher ,-<■* has in views and the inaiscriimnkto am?, frequent administration of .corpoml yunv- -ik: ishracnt is an indication of lax diiciplin«, ® : tbft canss of which ie to bo Psufh'. in tho. teacher himself." I .' 'T