Book of the Month: Chastisement Across The Ages
Chastisement Across The Ages was described by its author as a ‘scientific’ survey of corporal punishment across the ages. It is certainly an exhaustive study, covering (among others) chastisement in religion, family life, social life, politics and literature.
It was written
by Gerva D’Olbert,
whose real name was reportedly
Terence White (and who is often
incorrectly referred to as Gervais D’Olbert.)
He included a
detailed section on chastisement in the educational setting. We looked at this
in some detail over several posts a couple of years ago, but, for those who
missed them, or want to read them again, here are links to the best bits.
Prefects’ use and abuse of authority
Gerva D’Olbert
says in the English public schools (i.e. elite, mostly boarding, schools) the
prefect system was tied up with corporal punishment. This system has many
disadvantages and advantages. In many cases it does actually serve to train the
elder lads in authority, and the younger (and even the elder were young once)
in obedience, that essential prerequisite for authority itself. It is said that
on such foundations the British Empire was built.
Probably unjust punishments
Recounting the
episode years afterwards, Alan shuddered with sincere horror. “It was savage,”
he exclaimed, “I couldn't sit down for five days. And, oh! the heat, the
burning! The pain was so intense, it became more than pain, it entered another
dimension. – Gerva D’Olbert recounts some “probably unjust punishments.”
Beatings and physical courage
Corporal punishment is
sometimes deliberately inflicted with the aim, not merely of reforming and
deterring the culprit, but of testing his physical courage.
Few body parts left un-whipped ....
Traditionally
corporal punishment of schoolboys was directed towards the hands or the backside.
These are not the only two areas of the body that can be targets for the
schoolmaster’s rod; other limbs are occasionally used as the target of
punishment.
The
fondness of boys beating each other
The penchant of
boys for beating each other is a fact which can be observed in every street. In
school, this urge finds a convenient soil. It is especially common at
preparatory schools for boys to ask the master (particularly a
young, sociable, and favourite master) to beat them with a slipper or other not too penal
implement. On one occasion a young master was taking a stroll in some woods
adjoining the school-grounds, where he came on a group of boys playfully
flogging each other; on his appearance a shout of greeting went up, and he was
unanimously asked to become head of the game.
To
cane on the hand or the seat?
Which is
better, to cane on the hand or on the rear end? Modern thinking has it that
it’s too dangerous to cane across the palm of the hand. There is a real danger
of causing severe damage to the fingers if the lash is a bit off target. It is
much safer all round to whack the cane across the seat of the trousers.
It’s
the waiting ...
What can a boy
do when he knows he is in for a whacking later in the day but has hours to wait
before his rendezvous with the rod? Sometimes a boy will steel himself in
anticipation of the rod by means of a deliberate psychological effort, a kind
of yoga – detachment almost.
Prefect bullies
Gerva D’Olbert
reports that many adults looking back at their time as school prefects
recognise that they enjoyed beating younger boys. As one says, “It was
perhaps a way of taking revenge on those who had beaten me myself only three or
four years past. The physical wounds of a thrashing may heal in a month, but
the scar in the soul remains, and I certainly enjoyed inflicting on others the
same systems as I had myself endured. But, enough psychology. It was a healthy
discipline, and I certainly tried to hit them as hard as I possibly could. I
think all my colleagues did the same.”
How
many strokes?
What is the
correct number of strokes of the cane to award? In England “six of the best”
somehow became the standard tariff. But why was this? Why not five? Or seven?
Or ten? Or think of a number and then double it? Gerva D’Olbert spent some time
considering the matter in very careful detail.
Padding down the pants
Gerva D’Olbert
had something to say about padding. ‘Mitigation [of the pain of caning]
usually takes the form of “padding” – that of inserting blotting-paper or some
other thickish substance between the trousers and the skin. This is of course
possible only with fairly thick clothing: athletic dress would prohibit
concealment.’
Send in the next boy ...
Gerva
D’Olbert considers the issue of how boys, when once condemned to the rod,
should be corrected. Should they be caned instantly; and, if so, should they be
humiliated in face of their comrades?
Remembering Eric Wildman
Eric Arthur
Wildman was an English eccentric who had moments in the spotlight in the late
nineteen-forties and early fifties. He was a corporal punishment enthusiast and
he formed two groups; The National Society For The Retention Of Corporal
Punishment and Corpun Educational Organisation Limited. He sold canes, birches
and straps and he gave lectures and exhibitions on their use. Gervas D’Olbert profiles
the man.
Remembering
Eton’s notorious flogger
Eton, probably
the most famous of the so-called “public” schools in England, was notorious for
its floggings and other extreme violence. It was not alone in this but
more seems to have been written about Eton than any other school in history
Gerva D’Olbert
recalls Dr John Keate who was usher [headmaster] of
Eton from 1809 to 1834. Following an attempted rebellion, Keate flogged more
than eighty boys on a single day, 30 June 1832.
Chastisement Across The Ages by Gerva D’Olbert (The
Fortune Press: 1956)
Traditionalschooldiscipline@gmail.com
Comments
Post a Comment