The Rod In And Out Of School.

A good story of " Old Keate" is told in the Saturday Review . A boy called upon him to take leave . "You seem to know me very well , " said the master , "but I have no remembrance of ever having seen your face before . " "You were better acquainted , sir , with my other end , " was the unblushing reply . A master of Rugby flogged thirty-eight boys at one turn . A droll story is related of Dr . Bushbof Westminster . A student finding some plums in

y , the Doctor ' s study , began to eat them , first , waggishly crying out , " I publish the banns of matrimony between my mouth and these plums ; if any here present know just cause or impediment why they should not be united , you are to declare it , or hereafter hold your peace . " The Doctor having overheard the proclamation determined to chastise him for itbut said nothing till next morning , when causing the boy to be brought

, up and disposed for punishment , he grasped the well-known instrument and said , " I publish the banns of matrimony between this rod and this boy , if anj of you know just cause or impediment wdiy they should not be united , you are to declare it . " The boy himself called out , " I forbid the banns . " " For what cause ? " inquired the Doctor . " Because , " said the boy , " the parties are not agreed . "

He escaped his whipping . When Dr . Parr was master of the school at Norwich , an under-master told him one clay that a certain pupil appeared to show signs of genius . " Say you so ? Then begin to flog him to-morrow . " It appears that during and before Milton ' s time , students in college were often flogged . Johnson in his "Memoir of Milton" says" I am ashamed to relate what I fear is truethat

, , Milton was one of the last students in either universit y that suffered the public indignity of corporal correction . " Many anecdotes might be told of masters wdio have been flogged by their pupils . Tyranny having driven the lads to desperation , the dominie in an unwary moment has been seized , placed over the block and treated to a vigorous application of his own birch .

In Scottish schools the " taws , took the place of the birch . Schoolmasters in Scotland were not a whit behind their English brethren either in the intensity or frequency of its application . The " taws " a long strap of tolerably stout leather with the ends cut into strips , was quite as effective as the birch . In some schools it was customary to fasten the culprit on a desk near the door and each pupil gave a stroke of the " taws " on passing out . We have spoken only of boys' schoolsand enough has been said to show that there

, was some justice in the expression used hy our grandfathers , who , instead of saying " When I was at school , " put it as "When I was under the rod . " But it must not be thought that flogging was confined to boys ; girls were subjected to treatment of a similar kind , and the mode of application was in most respects identical ; it is therefore unnecessary to further enlarge this paper . We wouldhoweverremark that boys and irls should congratulate

, , g themselves that they live in these days . Teachers should also rejoice in an enlightened public opinion which forbids any undue use of corporal punishment in our schools . Notwithstanding the wisdom of Solomon , we are of opinion the less the punishment used in school , the higher will be the moral tone . We believe , too , the use of the rod in public elementary schools is and will be absolutely necessary so long as education is so largelentrusted

y to the care of youths in their teens , who are incapable in the majorit y of cases of rightl y appreciating the responsibility of their office , and are far more apt to resort to force than to persuasion . With au increased number of adult teachers , education will be more progressive , and school-life will be more pleasurable to the teacher and the taught .