Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1894. SCHOOL PUNISHMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4637, 1 February 1894, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times. [ESTABLISHED 1878.] THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1894. SCHOOL PUNISHMENT.

SECOND EDITION

In our laet issue we referred to tbe ' ethics of sohool punishment. After it appeared we road with some interest the following letter published in the Now Zealand Times by Mr Geo, B. 'lhoactipn 9f the North Canterbury Hoard ,of TEdiicaJtibn' svitU regard to punishment in schools, jvajob tarns'the fribieof of an artiple 'in yijfjr Issue of yesterday, should isin'fflcnj}' itself "to the attention of all , KiinilMb.Qdi.es, J friist fne'Governors of , iho Wellington (3jrjs' Hj|;h School will now see their way to i.« ft srmijar edfet, f hat it is not unnecessary is evidenced by (he fact that a few months since, my daughter, a girl of fifteen, had to he removed from that institution on account of treatment of the character specially reprobated and interdicted bj the North Canterbury Board. The matter vmß promptly brought under the notice ot tno Governors;>lth the result that alter considerable delay & reply was rWefved MgrieHing'th.e cause of.my daughter's reij)j)vaL bjjt inteting that the hoard did noj feel jttßtifefin ]n|cr[oilhg"wifh Jb, B '''fl>': pljne of the sohool." The' board further expressed a hope that my p>ugh|er would b'.o permitted to return—a hope which should not have been enprsssed had she been ofsuoh. a charaotor as In any way to merit the treatment she received. I think article of yesterday, in which Buoh "discipline" Is referred to in tho terms it merits, should have the effect of causing the board to reconsider its idoas of sohool management. flß&tnjßublecj matter of the complaint ieenWbperly'ifiv'eiilgated,yl)i,cl) it was not {the Object' apparently'beingpn]y 'to' hush WfhVpaJter),'l believe It would haw trnm some usefuliigh) orl ! the "so-called !#cfe.« "Ms pigb gW bufi private institution,and Icon* that jri twatlnn'tne matter as it MM 'espeUall/ In giving no mwntee snob'a ; tbiro should not ooour again, ftetadfailedii) its duty both to me and to the publlo, M there been women on the board (as there ought to be) the matter would certainly not have been allowed to pass. Unfortunately I m absent from home at the time of the n«Sv«ns. We consider that the jWjjwft of tbe Governors was wrong in this urn as it practically affirmed that discipline could not be maintained with girls ot the mature age of fifteen, without having recourse to tbe rod. We Meßtion wliefihsr any Governor on any parenji of attending the; Qigh School would consider himself justified in inflicting .corporal punishment on a daughter of We do not see 'why a Jjcepse -tliaj'a father would not take in the priyaoy of his home Bhould bo claimed by a teaoher in a public sohool. Discipline baa to bp maintained at borne as well as at sofaoal, and, as a rple, it is upheld without. resorting to the degrading expedients whioh Mr Geo. B. Davy very properly resents. Tbe question is one to be determined by public opinion, end Mr Davy has done good service to the cause of edjipatjpn by calling public attention to the aasojn tfbtjb 'l)' e j 8 interested. We bold that tbs common pra#n of (•triking pbjldr/m js a bad' babit into whioh too many teachors fill. They become so aooustomed to it that they are perfectly callous on the Bubjeot, We jiuflsy t))» s t it is quite practicable for aii intelligent tapher to secure discipline without resorting to nby. fioal punishment 0/ any description, and wp would like to' see ijhe experiment Vtrjed" of running a fnodel scbooj in whioh bjows flj all jfjnds were absolutely prohibited. We belies sub}) a icbdjl |n the matter of discipline would lead, all i|)p y'esf.