Remembering The Eyes They Feared

Posted by Traditional School Discipline November 11, 2021

Remembering The Eyes They Feared

We’ve already looked at some school stories from boys’ papers that were so bonkers no one could take them seriously. Son of Scarface was one such; so was Thick-Ear Donovan.

Here’s another: The Eyes They Feared. It ran in the Hotspur for a short while from February 1935.

The idea (if the word “idea” isn’t too flattering) is that Dr Sprigg is the new headmaster of Monkhouse College. “Dr Sprigg was an unusual-looking man – tall and lean, very dark, and with eyes that seemed uncannily bright and deep-set. There was not a boy or master in the school who did not fear those eyes.”

He had a habit of coming behind boys so silently that they never heard him coming and he often smiled “evilly.” “One glimpse of those eyes was enough to send cold shivers through a fellow” – you get the picture.

The thing was he could hypnotise anyone and then get them to do his will.

His mission in life is to make the school the best at everything – sports and academically.

Now, naturally there wouldn’t be a story unless one boy fights back. Step forward Jimmy Stribling. He resists by not looking into the headmaster’s eyes. Darn! Why didn’t the other fellows cotton on?

In one story (available online here from Comic Book Plus) Dr Sprigg enters the school into the Harris Cup for swimming but none of the boys feel they are anywhere good enough to compete and refuse to put their names forward for the team.

The headmaster disagrees “I’m going to find them. I won’t have any slackers.” He dragoons 10 boys into going down to the freezing river to train. They are reluctant as it is dangerous.

The second morning Dr Sprigg attends the swimming tests with a long cane under his arm. “He put the boys through the usual rot about being warm and comfortable, and, as usual, it failed to work with Jimmy who was shivering with cold. Suddenly the Headmaster turned on him.

“‘Are you still cold Stribling?”’ he asked in a kind voice.

“‘Yes, sir, I’m afraid I am,” replied Jimmy.

“‘Then you’ll soon be warm!” snapped the Doctor, and he grabbed Jimmy by the neck, bent him over, and gave him half a dozen sharp cuts with the cane. “That might get some circulation into your body, my lad. If one method won’t work I’ll use another.”’

“Smarting and furious, Jimmy could only glower, but after that he did his best not to shiver or appear cold. He knew what the ruthless Dr Sprigg would do to him.”

And so, the headmaster wins again ...