SCHOLAR EXPELLED.

Otaki Mail, 10 March 1922, Page 4

SCHOLAR EXPELLED.

I STRONG PPwOTEST MADE. Christchurch, February 28. I At the Elm wood Public School a f«w 1 days ago. a girl of ten years was paraded before the whole school assembled in the playground, lectured by the : headmaster and chairman of the school ■ . committee, and solemly expelled, be- i cause she had been proved guilty of ihef't and falsehood. '• The incident has caused a good deal I of comment and criticism. One corres- ' pondent writes: —"The deed was done J before the whole of the scholars who j Led assembled to saulte the flag. This j was regarded as a fitting occasion to expose the unfortunate little offender and make of her an obejet lesson, cal- ! eulnted 110-doubt to make a lasting im- j pressiou on the whole school, and on the j girl. As a lover of British justice, and as a citizen loyal to British institutions. I deeply regret this outrage was torn- j nutted in connection with the saluting of the flag. I know of no sentiments connected with ihe Uion .Jack which fit with cruelty to a little child inflicted pompously by-people 'dressed in a little brief authority.' " The "Lyttleton Times" regrets that the punishment, severe enough in it-. sell', =ttould have been intensified through being administered before the j scholars. This whs done, of course, J* with the best of intentions, the main j one being to impress upon the whole \ school the seriousness of the offence, .' bur nil the same, the course adopted 1 seems to have been unnecessarily harsh , and certainly harsher than would have been the ease had the offender been handed over to the police. In that ■ rase the child would have been dealt j with by the magistrate iu the Juvenile j Court with very much less publicity.