THE SPIRIT OF DISCIPLINE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1788, 28 June 1913, Page 4

THE SPIRIT OF DISCIPLINE.

At the meeting of, the Board of Governors of Wellington College yesterday, the Chairman (Mr. Brandon) made some timely remarks regarding the place of discipline in modern life. What he had to say was well worth saying, but it is rather unfortunate that he should have made use of the conduct of students at the recent capping ceremony to point his moral. The manner in which Mr. Brandon apportioned the blame for what happened on that occasion can hardly be called impartial, and a little more allowance might have been made for the display of youthful spirits which become a traditional feature of cappingday gatherings. The fact 1 that there was another side to the question was recognised by Mr. Luke who pointed out that if there had been a little moro tolerance and a little more community of interest between the students and the Chancellor there would have been no trouble. Mr. Luke also remarked that what he most regretted was ' that the graduates were denied the honour of being publicly capped. That was i certainly a pity; but the general i opinion islhafc the ceremony might [ easily have been carried through if tho Chancellor had shown an averl age amount of patience, tact, and I good-humour. However, quite ' apart from the conduct of the College students, Mb. Brandon is undoubtedly right when he states that our social system is suffering from want of discipline among the rising generation. The spirit, of discipline and respect for properlyconstituted authority should be first inculcated in the home, which is the real unit of society, and in it the early lessons in citizenship should be learned. It is here that firm foundations of character should bo laid upon which the school teacher may safely build; but owing to the weakening sense of parental responsibility it is to be feared that many desirable elements of home training are being seriously ncglccted, and tho consequences are to be seen on every hand in the growing spirit of insubordination and the assertion of freedom from legitimate control which must have an evil effect on the national life. In proportion to the decrease of parental influence the responsibility of the teacher must increase; but unfortunately, as Mr. Brandon points out, there is a growing tendency to undermine the disciplinary clement in our school system. The infliction of punishment is regarded by many people as almost a crime, and ' a teacher who resorts to corporal chastisement has to be prepared for unpleasant relations with parents who cannot themselves control their children and who resent tho efforts of others to do so. Such a state of affairs is, of course, a bad thing for th s o State, as well as being bad for the child. The moral atmosphere in which we are living at the present time is not sufficiently bracing; the keenness of our sense of public and private duty seems to lid waning; and the moral tonic which the spirit of discipline supplies is one of tlie special needs of tho crcscnt ijcneratiou