Public school boys condemn caning by prefects
Two old boys of Shrewsbury School (who would later become very famous politicians) instigated a vote against elite public schools in 1952.
PUBLIC
SCHOOL VOTES
‘STOP
THE CANE’
Boys
demand reform: ‘Restrict prefects’
Two old boys went back to the public school of
Shrewsbury (fees £276 a year) last night and persuaded the boys in the school
debating society to pass a resolution which said: “This house deplores the
present public school system.”
In doing that, the boys condemned—by 115 votes to
105—caning by prefects and their 14 attendances at chapel ordered every week
Tonight the headmaster. Mr. J. M. Peterson. said: “The
debate seems to have been a splendid party. I wish I could have been there.
“Do I agree with the motion? Of course not.”
The two old boys from Cambridge were to have led the
opposition to reform. But they could not attend and two masters took their
place. Mr.
Anthony Chenevix-Trench, who went to Shrewsbury as a boy. and
Mr. Tom Hoburn.
The two old boys who urged reform 21-year-old Julian
Critchley, whose home is at Hampstead: and 24-year-old Michael
Heseltine, who lives in Swansea—are now at Oxford Both are planning
a political career
Right
to Cane
They said that reforms must be made by public schools
before a future Socialist Government does t for them.
Neither wanted to tear down the whole system. But both
attacked five customs.
The customs, and the case against them were given
tonight by Mr. Critchley:
Corporal punishment.
– At Shrewsbury, praepostors (school prefects) and house monitors (house
prefects) all had the right to cane other boys.
It means roughly that boys of 17 ad 18 have the power
to beat boys of 16 and under.
Exclusiveness.
– There are 500 places at Shrewsbury.
Fifteen of these are reserved for State scholarships.
Only about five are taken up.
Overbearing accent on games:
This leads to favouritism and power for the muscular moron at the expense of
the cultural mind.
The caste system: prefects and fagging:
At Shrewsbury fagging is done by every boy in his first two years.
He is placed at the beck and call of house monitors at
any hour of the day with the threat of corporal punishment behind him.
Compulsory religious observance:
Shrewsbury boys must attend chapel once every weekday and twice on Sundays.
They also attend every weekday evening in their house dining-rooms—a total of
14 times a week.
A note on the school in the Public Schools Year
Book says: “Day boys are required to attend the same chapel services, both
on week-days and Sundays, as the boarders, though some few may be granted
special leave-off on Sunday evenings by reason of distance during the winter
months.”
Mr. Critchley added: “I never thought we had a hope of
getting this motion through.
“We fear that if the public schools do not put things
right many of the fine things for which they have stood during the centuries
may be destroyed.”
As published in the News
Chronicle, 24 November 1952.
Picture credit (a scene from the play Lord
Dismiss Us): PGB Studios
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