Corporal Punishment in Schools

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 104, 21 February 1893, Page 3

Corporal Punishment in Schools

(Palmerston Times.) The subject of corporal punishment in our public schools is one to which attention should be forcibly directed with a view to preventing abuses. The enquiry held at the College street school on Saturday showed the necessity for some action being taken to restrict the use of (ho cane. It is time 'hat the cause of the helpless infants was also pleaded. There is certainly no justification whatever for the daily torturing of tender bodies with weapons wielded by strong arms, and. in the name of humanity we protest ngninst the brutal practice*. and call upon those in authority t0 P ul '*- down at once. Tliere are teachers in tin* colony who have, by the use of tlie cane, established a reputation as *' rigid dis« ciplinarians," but it is a certain fact that the teacher who cannot preserve discipline without the constant use of the ennp, hn« no true discipline m his school, and is unfit for the position lie holds. His duij is to educate, not to thrash and a«sault those placed under his chnrjrc to have their faculties devcoped. Fortunately, the law provides that any ninn who bru'iUy assaults a child of tender age, till i»s flesh is bruise;!, even if he is the father of the victim, can te adequately punished, and we fail j to see why the offence should lie less ■ when comrail'.ed within a school building. We are aware that the teacher's position is a tryinc one, but the tench-T who rules by lore and reason wiil have no difficulty in managing the largf-st school, while the enn^ user cannot trust his class during a moment's absence If the Board and committees cannot effect reform, then the parents should take the matter into their own hands.