,,discipline ,,in ,,school  ,,cloister  
,subscriber's copy4                     
,,discipline ,,in ,,school    ,,and     
,,cloister      ,,by      ,dr4 ,,jacobus
 ,x4444      ,illustration      ,,paris 
,,isidore ,,liseux      ,,mcmii         
,five hundred copies4        ,printed in
 ,france      ,c4 ,unsinger1 ,paris     
,,foreword      ,the subject dealt with 
in the present work touches one of the  
dark  patches of our social life4       
,flogging as an aid to education1 a mode
 of  discipline1 or a means of          
repression is universal in time and     
space4  ,the subject has always had a   
strange fascination for curious minds4  
,the  facts presented here are all drawn
 from authentic sources4 ,they are      
stated plainly1 without any attempt at  
colouring them4    ,illustration        
,illustration          ,,discipline ,,in
 ,,school ,,and ,,cloister      ,right  
up to the beginning of the present      
century the birch rod was  an ordinary  
part of a school's equipment1 and only a

 few years have  elapsed since it was   
looked on by the schoolmaster as the    
ultima  ratio4 ,indeed1 we would not    
swear that1 in certain out-of-the-way   
places where1 in spite of the railway1  
civilization has not yet  penetrated1   
the teacher is not still known by the   
insulting but  picturesque name of      
bum-brusher4 ,today1 at any rate in our 
,french  schools1 this method of        
correction has been abandoned2 and yet1 
is the  time so far gone when it would  
have been regarded as revolutionary not 
to use the whip or rod8    ,but was     
corporal punishment really efficacious  
with vicious and  undisciplined         
children8 ,was there no risk of         
defeating one's own  object--might not a
 slumbering vice be aroused in the      
attempt to train  an ill-formed         
character8    ,this consideration had   
not escaped the wisdom of a theologian1 
who was  also a medical man1 ,father    
,debreyne3 #8,flagellation may have a   
result  quite different from what one   

expected4 ,it is therefore very         
important  to abolish this form of      
punishment from our homes and schools as
 being  indecent1 disgraceful1 and      
dangerous to morals4'    ,should we have
 a more perverse imagination than our   
ancestors if we  credited them with     
malign thoughts2 or must we believe that
 a wind  of sadism has blown over our   
poor humanity during long centuries8    
,assuredly1 the intentions of most of   
them were pure1 but how many black      
sheep there may have been in the flock6 
,in primitive times the whip was the    
attribute of brute force4 ,the  father1 
having complete authority over his      
child1 delegates this  authority to the 
teacher1 who exercises it with more or  
less rigour  according to his           
temperament or temper4    ,the best     
policed people have not felt called upon
 to abandon this  instrument of         
government4 ,if education was severe in 
,sparta1 where  children were submitted 
early to the most difficult exercises1  

it was  hardly any milder at ,athens1 if
 we are to judge by this description  of
 ,greek customs4 #8,hardly had a child  
escaped from the tyranny of his  nurse1 
when he fell into the hands of the      
teacher1 the grammarian1 and  the       
musician1 and these took turns at       
flogging him to teach him their  art4   
,as he grows up1 there arrive the       
arithmetician1 the geometer1  and the   
riding-master4 ,under these masters he  
gets no rest1 he rises  early1 and is   
often flogged4 ,a little older1 and it  
is the tactician  and gymnastic         
instructor who now flog and torture     
him4' ,and there have  been philosophers
 to praise and poets to sing the happy  
results of this  brutal method4         
,however1 one voice is raised against   
this system--the voice of ,plutarch1    
who considers that we should lead       
children to do their duty by kind  words
 and gentle remonstrances and not by    
blows1 for flogging is more  suitable   
for slaves than the free4 ,it hardens   

and deadens them1 and  the pain and     
shame makes them hate work4 ,praise and 
blame are more  suitable for freeborn   
children than whips and rods4    ,rome  
had borrowed this method of treating    
slaves from ,greece4 ,according  to     
,petronius1 the following notice could  
be seen on the fronts of  certain       
houses3 #8,slaves who leave this house  
without permission will  receive one    
hundred lashes4'    ,the least          
impatience of the mistress1 or the least
 fault of the  female-slave sufficed to 
get the latter hung up by the hair and  
lashed  till the blood came4 ,the       
picture which ,juvenal1 ,,sat4 vi1 has  
left of  these scenes is simply         
revolting4 ,this practice was so common 
that1 in  his ,art of ,love1 ,ovid      
recommends women not to give way to     
anger in  the presence of the lover who 
is watching them at their toilet4 ,many 
of  them1 indeed1 had the rather unhappy
 habit of choosing this moment for      
beating and biting their slaves1 or     

sticking hairpins in their breasts4     
,and let us not forget that these pins  
were seven or eight inches long4        
,flogging must have seemed very mild    
alongside such a martyrdom1 and we  are 
no longer astonished that the satirical 
,horace thanks his teacher  ,orbilius   
for having soundly flogged him when at  
school4    ,it was not always the pupils
 who lent their 444 backs to the rod3   
the master's turn came one day4 ,livy   
reports that a schoolmaster was         
condemned to be flogged for having      
committed treason4 ,after he had been   
stripped of all his clothing and his    
hands tied behind him1 he was  handed   
over to the children1 who flogged him   
heartily4 ,the roles were  indeed       
changed4    ,from time to time sensitive
 spirits protested against these methods
  of education1 although the custom was 
quite generally received and  approved4 
,there was some merit in protesting when
 one was quite alone  in the belief4    
,quintilian wished to abolish flogging1 

and the only fault about his  reasons   
was that they were addressed to         
barbarians who were not yet  ready to   
understand4 #8,i would like scholars not
 to be beaten3 firstly1  such treatment 
is degrading and used for slaves2 if the
 victims were  older they would be      
justified in claiming reparation4       
,secondly1 because  if a child is so    
stubborn that reprimands do not cure    
him1 there is  every possibility of his 
being made worse by blows1 as are       
rebellious  slaves2 besides1 such       
punishment would be needless if the     
teacher  understood his work4 ,but      
nowadays teachers are so careless in    
their  corrections that1 instead of     
compelling the scholars to do what they 
should1 they are content to punish them 
when they have not done it4    ,further1
 if we constrain a boy with stripes1 how
 shall we treat a young  man who cannot 
be flogged1 and whose honour should be  
appealed to  encourage him to study8    
,add to that1 that accidents happen to  

those who  are beaten which decency     
forbids us to describe1 and which are   
caused  by fear and pain4 ,the shame    
felt by the victims injures them and    
cows  them to such an extent that they  
fly from the light and sink under  their
 shame4 ,if wise and skilful teachers   
have not been chosen1 it is  impossible 
to say to what extremes of cruelty they 
may not go1 and to  what extent they    
will terrify their pupils4' ,bk4 #a1    
iii4    ,quintilian addressed the empty 
air4 ,he spent his efforts in sheer     
waste1 trying to uproot a prejudice     
which was to last longer than he4       
,the ,jesuits have been charged with the
 invention of pedagogical               
flogging--they might well reply that    
they had many precursors4 ,the  history 
of monastic flagellation is an argument 
they would have been  justified in      
urging in support4 ,but they have a     
respondent of another  opinion4 ,has not
 ,solomon said3 #8,spare the rod and    
spoil the child8'    ,in the ,coutumes  

de ,cluny1 written by the monk ,udabric 
in #ajhg1 we  read3 #8,at prayers1 if   
the children sing badly or fall asleep1 
the prior  or master will strip them to 
their shirt and flog them with osiers or
  specially prepared cords4'    ,we know
 nothing of the duration of the         
punishments1 but the following  fact    
plainly shows that the delinquents were 
intimidated4 ,on ,st4  ,mark's ,day some
 scholars of ,st4 ,gall's had incurred  
the punishment of  a flogging for       
truancy4 ,the boy who was sent to the   
attic to fetch the  rods1 wishing to    
save himself and his comrades from the  
punishment1  seized a burning brand and 
set fire to the abbey4 ,this simple fact
  plainly shows that the children of    
those days were little rascals1 and  one
 is not surprised to find a priest      
complaining to ,st4 ,anselme du  ,bec   
that he could do nothing with his pupils
 although he thrashed them  soundly4    
,it is true he might have had recourse  
to a more gradual system of  education1 

like that proposed by a bishop of       
,metz--at the first offence  the        
offender was to be warned3 at the       
second1 admonished3 at the third1       
publicly reprimanded3 at the fourth1 he 
was to be put on bread and  water3 at   
the fifth1 to be separated from the rest
 of the community  and locked up or     
beaten1 if his age permitted3 and       
lastly1 if those  corrections were      
ineffective1 ,god should be asked to    
cure him1 and he  should be taken before
 the bishop4    ,let us be just3 if     
there were some incorrigible children1  
certain  masters treated them with a    
brutality which invited reprisals4 ,on  
that1  we have undeniable testimony4    
,guilbert de ,nogent1 speaking of the   
master who had trained him1 pays homage 
to his virtue but confesses  that he    
overwhelmed him almost daily with cuffs 
and blows1 to force  him to learn what  
he himself could not teach4 #8,one day  
when ,i had been  thrashed ,i went and  
sat at my mother's knees1 cruelly hurt  

and most  certainly more than ,i        
deserved4 ,my mother having asked me1 as
 was her  custom1 if ,i had been beaten 
again1 ,i1 not wishing to denounce my   
master1 said that ,i hadn't4 ,but1 in   
spite of my resistance1 she pulled      
aside my shirt and saw my blackened arms
 and weal-marked shoulders4    ,as in   
ecclesiastical schools1 so also in      
monasteries and convents was  flogging  
in vogue4 ,a rule of ,st4 ,cesaire      
d',arles1 dating from the year  #ejh1   
stipulates the punishment of            
flagellation for unruly nuns4    ,st4   
,benoit1 the restorer of monastic       
discipline in ,france1 who began  his   
reform in the eight century1 prescribed 
excessive fasts and harsh  and bloody   
flagellations1 even for children4 ,if a 
brother1 after having  been often       
checked1 neglects to correct himself1 he
 must be punished  with strokes4 ,if    
anyone soils or damages the monastery   
fitments1 he is  to be checked and      
punished according to rule1 if he does  

not mend4 ,if  a monk is found with     
anything claimed as his own property1 it
 is to  be taken from him up to two     
times2 if he does not correct himself1  
he  is to be severely punished4 ,if     
anyone violates the rule of silence1  he
 shall be severely chastised1 likewise  
he who receives books or  presents2 who 
reports what he has seen or heard during
 a voyage2 he who  takes upon himself to
 publicly reprimand persons older than  
himself  without an express order from  
an abbot2 or even he who shall correct  
children with too much warmth and       
severity4 ,disobedience of the abbot    
was also to be punished in the same way4
    ,st4 ,colomban enters into the most 
minute details for the administration   
of discipline to ecclesiastics3 so many 
strokes for the monk who has  not       
prostrated himself when going out of the
 monastery3 so many for him  who1 at the
 beginning of a meal1 has not made the  
sign of the cross on  his spoon3 so many
 for him who has not trimmed his nails  

before saying  mass3 so many for him who
 has not gathered up his crumbs at      
table4 ,the  superior allotted the      
punishment and generally administered   
it4    ,another rule stipulates that the
 monks who shall have gone out of the   
monastery without the permission of     
their superior1 or who1 having  been    
allowed out have not returned as soon as
 the errand was finished1  shall be     
excommunicated for thirty days or beaten
 with rods2 the same  punishment for    
those who have eaten or drunk to excess4
 ,young monks  who have been convicted  
of theft are never to be promoted to the
  clericature4    ,the monks who1 after 
having been excommunicated1 should wish 
to  re-enter the community of their     
brothers 7,rule of ,st4 ,macaire71 are  
to be flogged in the presence of the    
abbot and the whole community  in order 
that1 it not having been possible to    
correct them by  remonstrances1 they    
shall be corrected by rods4    ,the     
monks who shall disturb their brothers  

or impose on their  simplicity1 shall be
 whipped before the door of the         
monastery if1 after  having been warned 
three times1 they do not correct        
themselves4 7,rule  of ,st4 ,pacme74    
,the monks who will not forgive those   
who have offended them and who  strike  
their brothers1 must be treated in a    
similar manner2 but  whatever the       
offence may be1 the number of strokes   
shall not exceed the  thirty-nine       
allowed by law4 7,rule of ,st4          
,aurelian74    ,and let the victims     
beware they do not complain1 if they    
wish to escape  severer punishment6     
,the whip serves also to lead back to   
the path of duty those monks who  speak 
too loudly1 who are angry1 who make     
others laugh1 who rail1 who             
calumniate--at least1 if they do not    
correct themselves after having  been   
warned several times4 ,the same         
treatment must be meted out to  those   
who are lewd1 impudent1 and haughty2 to 
those who are liars1  thieves1 and      

blackguards2 to those who are wild and  
stubborn1 and who  boldly sustain their 
faults4 7,rule of ,saint ,fructueux74   
,neither young brothers under fifteen   
nor nuns who have committed a  theft are
 excused a flogging2 nor are the nuns   
who have struck their  sisters1 or are  
guilty of certain crimes4 ,and so we    
come to learn how  common were acts of  
indecency in these communities where    
only the  divine spirit should have     
entered4    ,licentious conversations   
with a person of the same or the        
opposite sex1  as also the more intimate
 relations1 are taken account of by     
monastic  regulations4    ,the crime of 
frequenting women was punished with     
repeated fustigations4  ,those who      
persisted in casting lascivious glances 
on women might1 after  having been      
flogged1 be expelled from the community1
 for fear their  bad example might      
contaminate their brethren4 ,one rule   
assimilates the  monk convicted with    
theft with an adulterer1 for #8it can   

only be lust  which has led him to      
commit a theft4'    ,we have an example 
of the severity with which crimes of    
this nature  were punished in the story 
of a nun who was accused and convicted  
of  incest1 by the ,council of ,donzi1  
,june #acth1 #hgd4    ,this nun was     
named ,duda2 she had sinned with a      
priest named ,humbert4  ,the latter     
denied the charge1 but the two guilty   
persons were  overwhelmed by the        
evidence4 ,it was in fact proved that   
they had two  accomplices1 two nuns     
named ,bertha and ,erprde4    ,the      
punishment awarded by the council       
deserves to be set on record3  for three
 years ,duda was to be flogged on the   
back with rods in the  presence of the  
abbess and the other nuns1 in order to  
expiate by the  pains of the flesh1 the 
faults which the pleasures of the flesh 
had  made her commit4 ,for the next     
three years she was authorised to share 
the prayers with the other sisters2     
however1 she was not to be in the  choir

 with them1 but behind the door or in   
such other place as the  abbess would   
indicate4 ,the seventh year1 she might  
go to the offering1  but after the      
others1 and at the end of the year she  
might receive the  body and blood of    
,our ,lord if she were really penitent4 
,she was warned  never to forget the    
sin1 and to move always with downcast   
eyes1 and  to make the sign of the cross
 whenever she was tormented with impure 
thoughts4 ,as to the two accomplices1   
the council imposed a penitence  of     
three years and a half1 during which    
time they were to be flogged  for not   
having divulged their sister's secret to
 those who could have  prevented so     
grave a scandal4    ,we have sometimes  
been reproached for using in our various
 writings  terms which really belong to 
medicine3 it is amusing to see ourselves
  justified by a theologian1 the ,abb   
,thiers1 who is accusing a colleague  of
 having erred in that direction4        
#8,there is nothing to be said against  

medical men1 when speaking of parts of  
the human body1 using the most  proper  
and natural terms to explain what       
modesty forbids us to name  on other    
occasions3 the necessity of their       
profession compels them  so to do2 but  
that a priest1 a doctor of theology1    
writing a history  which might well be  
written without the admission of impure 
facts1 yet  admits many which have no   
bearing on this subject1 this1 ,i feel1 
is  beyond excuse4'    ,the worthy ,abb 
,boileau1 who is hinted at here1 has    
however denied  having written an       
immoral work4 ,has he not proclaimed    
that the usage  of lower discipline 7he 
could hardly have been more discreet in 
his  expression7 is nearly always not   
only unprecedented1 new1 and useless1   
but even bad1 infamous1 and very        
shameful8    ,it would be unjust not to 
admit that it was this custom he        
combatted  and tried to abolish4        
,although he was in a position to know  
of all the  excesses which are committed

 in monasteries1 he has nevertheless not
  drawn aside all the veil2 there are   
others who have not had the same        
scruples1 and those who are in love with
 truth have reason therefore to         
congratulate themselves4      ,even had 
the written word failed to inform us1   
religious iconography  would have       
supplied the missing facts4 ,glance at a
 #aeth century  manuscript preserved in 
the ,bourgogne ,library at ,brussels3   
could words  say more8 ,there we see a  
monk being flogged in the presence of   
his  brothers1 and the field of         
operation laid bare to their view4      
,the same treatment was also meted out  
in convents3 for moral offences1  for   
negligence or slackness in the          
performance of religious duties1 the    
superior punished the offender in the   
presence of all the other sisters  so   
that the words of the apostle might be  
fulfilled3 #8,let sinners be  confounded
 in the sight of all4'    ,in an        
assembly of ecclesiastics held at       

,aix-la-,chapelle in #hag1 it was       
decided that monks should be flogged    
naked before all their brethren4  ,it   
would appear that the penitence was more
 meritorious when it was  applied in    
anima vili 7in corpore vili would be    
more in keeping  with the facts74       
,the constitution of the ,carmelites    
stipulated that the master of the       
novices was to flog them gently1 after  
having decently uncovered the  bottom of
 the back4 ,in some communities1 shirts 
had to be made open at  the back so that
 they could be opened and allow a fair  
field4    ,in several convents there    
were novices who were trained specially 
for administering discipline4 ,the      
,ursulines had a mistress specialty     
charged to teach them how to hold the   
instrument1 how to lengthen and  shorten
 their arm so that the blows got home   
effectively1 and how to  maintain a     
decent posture4    ,one of the masters  
of the art of flagellation1 ,julien de  
la ,croix1  wanted the lashes to be of  

unequal length so that they fell in     
different places and widened the        
tormented area4    ,a daughter of ,louis
 ,,xi1 ,jeanne de ,france1 invented a   
scourge which made  five wounds4 ,it was
 a silver cross1 armed with five spikes4
      ,flagellation was not only applied
 in monasteries2 very soon a number of  
bishops claimed the same right over     
their priests as abbots had over  monks4
    ,although monks1 priests1 and       
deacons were1 by special canon1 exempt  
from abbatial fustigation1 the monk     
,godescal submitted to it with grand    
apparel in the presence of ,charles the 
,bald4 ,the bishop of ,spire was        
flogged by order ,pope ,john ,,xii4     
,this punishment was frequently used    
with heretics when they were no  longer 
immured for life1 or burnt alive4 ,their
 rank was no safeguard  against this    
infamous chastisement4    ,prince       
,raymond ,,vi1 ,count of ,toulouse1     
suspected of heresy1 was  publicly      
flogged outside the church of ,st4      

,gilles1 ,valencia1 by the  hand of the 
pope's legate4 ,henry ,,ii of ,england  
was publicly flogged to  expiate the    
murder of the archbishop of ,canterbury4
    ,the son and successor of ,philippe 
,auguste1 ,louis ,,viii1 being found    
guilty of having continued to claim the 
,english crown when the pope had  taken 
it from him 7after having freely given  
it him71 was compelled to  expiate this 
rebellion by consenting to pay the pope 
a tenth of his  income for two years1   
and to present himself barefooted and   
with a rod  at the door of ,notre ,dame1
 ,paris1 there to be flogged by the     
canons4  ,report says that he was       
flogged on the backs of his chaplains4  
,henry ,,iv also was whipped1 in #aeie1 
but this was on the backs of his        
ambassadors1 ,cardinals du ,perron and  
d',ossat4    ,this vicarious            
flagellation was not exceptional4 ,in   
the last century  but one there could   
always be found1 and almost anywhere1   
some worthy  capuchin who was willing to

 make his buttocks responsible for the  
sins  of the whole parish1 and who1     
proportionate to the payment received1  
would flog himself--or at least give out
 that he had done so4 ,from  thence     
comes the famous ,spanish saying3 yo soy
 el culo del fray3  which in the        
interpretation may be rendered3 ,i feel 
as sore and rum as  the friar's bum4    
,this symbolic application is met with  
again in the ceremony of  absolution for
 excommunicated persons4 ,the pleader   
7if a man71 had to  present himself     
before the church door with bared       
shoulders1 and before  the bishop or    
priest who was presiding at the         
ceremony4 ,kneeling1 and  bare headed1  
he had to humbly beg for the absolution 
of his sin2 and  then the priest1 having
 made him swear to obey the commandments
 of the  church1 would sit down and1    
taking a whip or rod1 would recite a    
long  psalm and1 at each verse1 he would
 strike the petitioner4    ,the         
ceremonial was somewhat more solemn for 

those who had been  excommunicated with 
anathema1 or for those who had been     
excommunicated  for grave sins or       
serious crimes4    ,illustrious         
personages1 among others ,william1 ,duke
 of ,aquitaine3  ,raymond1 ,count of    
,toulouse3 ,foulques1 ,count of ,anjou1 
etc41 submitted  to this humiliating    
penitence4 ,the last named had married  
the widow  of ,alain de ,bretagne and   
had had her son1 the heir to the estate1
  drowned in a bath4 ,in reparation for 
this crime he went to ,jerusalem1       
accompanied by two servants1 one of whom
 led him by a rope which was  fastened  
round his neck like a victim for the    
gallows1 dragging him  thus to the ,holy
 ,sepulchre1 while the other continually
 flogged him  with a bundle of rods4    
,a rarely consulted source of           
documentation is the collection of      
letters  of remission4 ,among other     
prerogatives1 the ,french kings enjoyed 
the  right of pardon4 ,they exercised   
this right by divers acts1 known under  

different names3 letters of grace1 of   
remission1 of abolition1 of  pardon1    
repeal of bans1 and so on4    ,among    
these letters of remission there are two
 which have particularly  held our      
attention3 one dates from the end of the
 fourteenth1 and  the other from the    
first half of the fifteenth centuries4  
,the first  concerns a man named ,durand
 ,tontif1 a schoolmaster at ,brienon4   
,it  was this teachers custom at the end
 of the class1 to have his pupils       
recite1 each in his turn1 a ,de         
profundis and a ,paternoster for the    
dead of the district4 ,one day1 one of  
the boys either wouldn't or  couldn't   
recite the psalm and the master1 from   
the height of his chair1  struck the    
child several times on the head with his
 birch4 ,in trying  to escape1 the poor 
boy was struck on his ears and face1 and
 was soon  drenched with blood4 ,as he  
still persisted in not saying the       
lesson1  the master sprang down from his
 seat1 flung the boy on the floor and   

flogged him unmercifully4 ,the wretched 
boy had been operated on a few  days    
before for stone in the bladder and was 
not yet recovered4 ,he  struggled to his
 feet as best he could and dragged      
himself home to bed4  ,he died a few    
days later from the blows he had        
received4 ,the brutal  teacher was      
arrested1 but he obtained a letter of   
grace from the king  wherein it was     
stated that he was ignorant of the boy's
 condition1 and  that he had not flogged
 him from any feeling of hatred but     
simply with  the object of discipline4  
,nevertheless he had to give up teaching
 and  compensate the parents4 ,that was 
in #acih4    ,the second story shows    
that in the fourteenth century masters  
had  little more consideration for      
servants than the worst of savages had  
for their slaves1 and this state of     
things lasted till the seventeenth      
century4    ,a groom's daughter1 aged   
eight1 entered the service of a         
gentleman1  governor of ,langres4 ,she  

was so ill-treated by her mistress that 
she  hated her and only awaited an      
opportunity to get even4 ,after seven   
different attempts1 7she was now        
sixteen71 she tried to blow the place   
up1 having particularly in view her     
mistress's bedroom4 ,caught in the  act1
 she confessed4      ,the whip has this 
undeniable superiority--before its      
omnipotence both  gentle and simple have
 bowed4 ,that we have already           
demonstrated4 ,since  ,henry ,,iv1 there
 is a long list of kings and princes who
 have been  flogged4 ,no-one thought    
that strange3 it was the custom of the  
times4  ,it required free spirits such  
as ,montaigne or ,rabelais to protest4  
,most  people remembered that they had  
been through the mill themselves and    
had come out little the worse3 their    
children must go through the same4      
,there is plenty of evidence in         
existence1 both written and illustrated4
      ,when evoking her memories of     
childhood1 ,madame de ,maintenon relates

  that1 when she was ten years old1 she 
was brought up by her aunt ,mme4  de    
,villette4 ,little girls were not then  
punished for slander or lying1  or even 
worse offences--no1 the greatest crime  
in their governess's eyes  was to mess  
one's apron or get it splashed with ink4
 ,for one thing1  one was sure to be    
whipped1 for the governess had to wash  
and iron the  apron4 ,lie as much as you
 like1 no notice was taken of           
that--there was  nothing to wash and    
iron6    ,we must not lose sight of the 
fact that in the sixteenth and          
seventeenth centuries a quite different 
view was held of idle and  intractable  
children than the present one4 ,our     
ideas would have seemed  ridiculous to  
our fathers3 they wouldn't have         
understood them4 ,not that  discipline  
was always as rigorous as it was1       
according to ,rabelais1 in  the ,montagu
 ,college1 where the pupils were treated
 worse than ,moorish  slaves1 condemned 
murderers1 dogs even6 ,such excesses1   

however1 were  not allowed in other     
schools1 and cases are reported where   
teachers  were charged in the courts for
 having ill-treated their pupils2 others
  were dismissed for punching the boys4 
,still1 although cruelty was  generally 
reproved1 no one complained or was      
shocked at the use of  the birch2 in    
case of need1 parents would ask the     
teachers not to  spare their children1  
and these latter accepted the punishment
 with  the resignation born of the      
knowledge that they were being treated  
as  children always had been treated4   
,they even went so far as to joke  about
 it4    ,it was exceptional for them to 
protest in a body against a too severe  
punishment administered to a boy who had
 been unruly or had played  truant4     
,they generally accepted the            
punishment--even if they didn't         
understand the motive4    ,thus1 in the 
little town of ,die1 only the pupils of 
the four highest  classes were expected 
to speak ,latin2 but all are expressly  

forbidden  to speak dialect2 as for     
,french1 a boy would only be punished   
for  speaking it if he were caught in   
the act1 and after having been          
previously warned4 ,and what is done at 
,die is done1 more or less1  everywhere4
    ,there are also forbidden games1 for
 playing which one gets it #8on the     
back' as the scholastic euphemism has   
it4 ,games which do not exercise  the   
body are forbidden2 also those played   
for money or other gain1  such as games 
with cards or dice4 ,books1 bags1 belts1
 etc41 must not be  lost or sold1 and no
 trading carried on in the school4      
,those who play  about in the privies1  
or who stay longer than is necessary1   
are to be  flogged4    ,flogging was    
used in all educational establishments1 
whether at ,port  ,royal or under the   
jesuits4 ,there was1 however1 a         
,jansenist named ,varet  who was not    
afraid to write that #8the severity     
recommended by ,holy  ,writ is much     
better exercised and more in accordance 

with the spirit  of ,god1 by the refusal
 of a kiss or caress1 rather than by the
 use of  a rod4' ,it wasn't that he     
wished to spare them pain1 for he adds3 
#8,if  they have some infirmity or      
sickness1 although in secret you spare  
no  effort to cure them1 try however to 
teach them to bear their pains with     
resignation4'      ,it would appear that
 the rigour of the pedagogical rules of 
the jesuits  has been exaggerated4 ,a   
number of stories1 and some of them only
  stories1 have contributed to establish
 this reputation3 this one1 for         
instance1 from the ,memoirs of the      
,count de ,bonneval4 #8,the ,marquis de 
,c4441 a cavalry captain1 had been      
stationed for a year or two in the      
outskirts of ,strasburg4 ,he often      
visited the town and had a mistress     
there4 ,he abandoned her in a rather    
shameful way1 and she resolved to  be   
avenged and as cruelly as possible4     
#8,she conceived the plan of writing to 
the rector of the jesuits1 in  the name 

of the ,marquis of ,louvois4 ,the letter
 stated that a certain  cavalry officer 
would call on him1 that the king desired
 that he  should be given twenty-five   
lashes by the corrector of his college  
in  the presence of three or four of    
most respectable monks4 ,the letter     
further stated that the victim should   
lean on the table and cross his  thumbs 
during the punishment1 and that he      
should give ten louis to  the corrector 
and thank him for the correction given4 
,it ended by an  order to the rector    
that he should give a detailed account  
of all that  happened4    #8,while this 
ridiculous letter was being read by the 
jesuits and they  were rejoicing that   
they had the confidence of ,m4 de       
,louvois1 the  captain received one by  
the same hand ordering him to go on     
,friday  to the jesuit corrector1 who   
would give him the king's commands4 ,he 
impatiently awaited the day1 and went to
 the college at the indicated  hour1 #h 
p4m4 ,he was first shown into an inner  

room and there told the  orders which   
concerned him4 ,these imbecile monks1   
who were unable to  understand that     
these orders1 accompanied with so many  
ridiculous  circumstances1 could not    
possibly have come from the court1      
pleaded  earnestly with the captain to  
submit4 ,he was fool enough to believe  
them1 and indeed prepared himself for   
the flogging1 which was soundly         
administered4 ,the treatment was        
accompanied with a reprimand which his  
young lady had dictated4 ,he gave ten   
louis to the corrector and thanked  him1
 and the jesuits promised to keep the   
affair secret4'    ,to understand better
 the educational methods of the jesuits1
 it is  preferable to consult their     
,ratio studiorum1 published in #aeii4   
,this ,ratio states that a punishment   
should only be given in a last          
extremity4 #8,let not the master be in  
haste to punish3 let him not push  his  
inquisition too far3 let him pretend    
that he does not see all the  faults    

committed1 if he can do so without      
compromising the interests of  the      
pupils4'    ,in another passage they are
 recommended to avoid corporal          
punishment  as much as possible1 and in 
any case they are not to use the rod    
themselves4 ,a special corrector1       
attached to the establishment but not  a
 member of the order1 was detailed for  
flogging4 ,the corrector was a  servant1
 either the cook or the doorman2        
sometimes recourse was had to  a        
penniless workman of the district1 who  
was given a few coppers for  fulfilling 
the office4    ,in the ,toulouse        
province1 at ,rodez ,college for        
example1 another plan  was used4 ,the   
jesuits picked out a hefty scholar and  
educated him  gratis1 on condition that 
he flogged his fellow-pupils when       
necessary4  ,the victim was fastened to 
the back of a chair1 and the punishment 
took  place before the teacher and all  
the class4 ,the number of strokes given 
was usually from seventy to eighty1     

never less than forty2 sometimes as     
many as three hundred were given4       
,the victim was forbidden to cry out1   
and the flogger was ordered to  pause   
for a few seconds between each stroke so
 that the pain might be  greater4       
,during the reign of ,louis ,,xiv1      
public opinion pronounced in favour of  
corporal punishment so vigorously that  
elected bodies thought it not  beneath  
their dignity to pick up the rods which 
had fallen from the  hands of           
too-indulgent teachers4 ,and yet as a   
general thing1 there  was little        
consideration shown for either age or   
condition1 as the  following episode    
related by ,saint ,simon of the oldest  
son of the  ,marquis de ,boufflers will 
show4    ,this boy was fourteen years   
old1 almost a young man1 handsome1      
well-built1 clever1 and very promising4 
,he was a boarder with the  jesuits1    
along with the two sons of d',argenson4 
,the fathers wished to show that they   
feared and favoured nobody1 so  they    

flogged the boy1 though as a matter of  
fact they had nothing  to fear from the 
,marquis4 ,they were careful however not
 to touch  the other two1 for they were 
liable to be called to account any day  
by d',argenson1 lieutenant of police4   
,boufflers was so dismayed and          
oppressed that he fell sick1 and died in
 four days4 ,there was a  universal     
outcry1 but nothing happened4    ,in a  
society where the birch was looked on as
 an indispensable teaching  aid1        
indignation was unlikely to be          
long-lived1 and so it was freely  used  
in town and country4 ,we will mention   
one case1 because it recalls  the name  
of a famous novelist4 ,the grandfather  
of ,restif de la ,bretonne  gave his    
son1 aged eighteen1 three strokes with a
 whip which fetched  blood through his  
shirt1 because he had spoken several    
times to a girl  without permission4    
,this same son1 now a father of fourteen
 children1  flogged them with more      
circumspection3 in case of a serious    

punishment  he simply threatened them   
with the whip at first1 and allowed a   
week to  pass between the threat and the
 flogging1 so that it should impress the
  child more4    ,this authority of the 
father over his children is still       
existent in  rural districts4 ,the      
,goncourts relate in their ,journal that
 an old  friend of theirs1 a doctor1 had
 just married off his daughter4 ,she    
quarrelled with her husband4 ,her father
 caught her up under his arm1  turned up
 her skirts and unfastened her drawers1 
and soundly smacked  her4 ,then1 turning
 to his dumbfounded son-in-law1 he      
calmly said3  #8,there1 that'll quieten 
her down a bit4'      ,in a list of the 
personnel of the ,mazarin ,college1     
dating from  the eighteenth century1    
there appears this item3 ,chevallier1   
floor-polisher and corrector4 ,this     
humble official represented an          
institution which had been preserved    
intact throughout the centuries4        
#8,how changed the times are6' exclaimed

 ,caraccioli1 under ,louis ,,xvi4       
#8,flogging is almost abandoned2 conduct
 is governed more by honour than        
punishment1 though the indecent and     
barbarous method of flogging is not  yet
 entirely abolished4'    ,the rod was   
still a part of school equipment in the 
second half of  the eighteenth century4 
,besnard reports that the head of the   
college  where he studied always        
appeared in class armed with a flat     
strip of  whale-bone which had a silver 
ferrule at each end4 ,he would use this 
on  the knuckles of inattentive pupils  
without any warning4 ,he also kept a    
rod and whip handy1 and freely used     
them4    ,the cry of ,erasmus's student3
 ,v nostris natibus1 was heard up to and
  beyond the revolutionary epoch4 ,one  
of the institutions which no-one        
thought of attacking in the years       
preceding the cataclysm was this  one of
 fustigation4 ,the ,abb ,morellet states
 that he was flogged by  the jesuits    
every ,saturday4 ,voltaire had a painful

 memory of blows  received4 ,marmontel1 
a student of philosophy1 escaped a      
flogging only  by causing the whole     
college to revolt4 ,la                  
,reveillre-,lepeaux1 a  day-boarder at a
 priest's1 attributed his deformity to  
the blows he was  always getting on his 
back4 ,lastly1 ,g4 de ,pixrcourt the    
dramatist1  even goes so far as to say  
that his liability to gout was          
contracted in  early youth by his having
 to kneel on the threshold of the school
 to  receive the floggings he was always
 getting4    ,at ,troyes ,college1 a few
 years before the ,revolution1 the      
teacher of  rhetoric wanted to cane one 
of his pupils2 the others were indignant
  and cried out--a student of rhetoric1 
eighteen years old1 to be punished  like
 a child6 ,one voice was raised which   
thundered out above all the  rest4 ,this
 young orator1 whose first triumph this 
was1 was no other  than ,danton4 ,the   
student whose part he had taken was     
,par2 the ,minister  of ,justice of     

#agib made him ,home ,secretary in      
#agic4 ,college friendships  are useful 
sometimes4    ,there are two countries1 
neighbours of ours1 where the rod still 
has  a place of honour--we mean ,england
 and ,germany4 ,in ,america1 flogging   
has received the development we should  
expect in the land of ,edison4  ,some   
years ago the ,chicago papers reported  
that the staff of the ,denver           
,industrial ,school for ,girls had      
installed an electric flogging machine4 
,the apparatus consisted of a chair with
 an open seat on which the  victim1     
suitably unclothed1 was placed4 ,the    
chair was high enough to  allow four    
beaters1 which were fixed under the     
seat1 to revolve1 more  or less rapidly1
 according to the wish of the operator1 
who had only  to press a button to set  
the machine in motion4 ,the advantage of
 the  beaters was that the action was   
regular and imposed no fatigue on the   
operator4 ,ingenious1 but hardly likely 
to be used outside of ,america4    ,a   

correspondent relates in the ,revue des 
,deux ,mondes1 ,march1 #ahhc1  that he  
saw a young man1 six feet tall1 flogged 
at an ,english college4  ,this man had  
bought a commission in a cavalry        
regiment and was to leave  in a few days
 to join up4 ,having copiously feted    
,bacchus to celebrate  the occasion1 he 
was brought in dead-drunk1 and for this 
breach of the  rules he was condemned to
 be flogged4 ,resigned to his fate1 he  
was  given twelve strokes1 and then     
quitted the college on the best of      
terms with everyone4    ,the head of    
this college1 ,dr4 ,goodford1 was       
convinced that the whip was  the best of
 teachers1 and it was no kindness to    
youth to spare it4 ,a  tale is related  
bearing on this point which1 if not very
 credible1 is  based on fact4    ,a     
pupil who had refused to be flogged had 
been sent down4 ,sometime  afterward1   
attacked by remorse1 he went from       
,yorkshire to ,eton to  undergo his     
punishment4 ,dr4 ,goodford had just gone

 to ,switzerland1 and  the young man    
asked where he could find him4    ,he   
bought the regulation birch1 packed it  
in his trunk1 and set out  to find his  
head-master4 ,he missed him at ,geneva1 
then at ,lucerne1  but at last caught   
him up at ,st4 ,bernard's4 ,there       
,goodford1 touched  by the recital of   
his odyssey1 resolved to reward such    
praiseworthy  perseverance4 ,and it was 
in the refectory of the monastery1 in   
presence  of the monks who stood round  
gaping with wonder and admiration1 that 
he  flogged him soundly4 ,that done1 and
 with lips pursed up1 he gave him a     
copy of ,murray's ,guide as a present4  
,quite ,english1 you know6    ,there is 
very little caning or flogging in the   
elementary schools  in ,england1 whereas
 in the secondary schools corporal      
punishment is  common4 ,it is the       
opposite in ,germany4 ,children from six
 to fourteen  may be caned or whipped4  
,teachers are warned not to abuse this  
punishment1 which must be behind closed 

doors and in the presence  of another   
teacher and the head-master4 ,if the    
pupil is a girl1 the  regulation states 
that nothing should be done to offend   
modesty4 ,only  sick and delicate       
children are exempted4 ,this mixture of 
sentimentalism  and brutality is very   
characteristic of prudish ,germany4     
,illustration          ,,experiences    
,,of ,,flagellation    ,a ,series of    
,remarkable ,instances of ,whipping     
,inflicted on ,both ,sexes4             
,illustration    ,,compiled ,,by    ,,an
 ,,amateur ,,flagellant                 
,,experiences ,,of ,,flagellation       
,,flogging ,,girls      ,discursive     
readers of weekly and monthly journals1 
and especially  of those organs which   
are addressed to the fair sex1 are aware
 that  correspondence is among their    
leading features4 ,women's papers are   
usually half made up of questions and   
answers4 ,one may say of their  patrons1
 as of the people in the days of ,noah1 
that in these free  and frank columns   

they buy and sell1 eat and drink1 marry 
and are  given in marriage--for there   
barter-markets are established1 whereby 
the gentle merchants exchange old music 
for ostrich feathers and the  like2     
there cookery recipes by the score are  
asked for2 while the love  affairs      
avowed and consulted upon are endless4  
,we trust that we may  be permitted1 for
 the edification of the general public1 
to draw upon  the treasures of a        
remarkable interchange of opinion       
appearing in this  way in our amiable   
contemporary ,the ,englishwoman's       
,domestic ,journal4  ,it seems that the 
question had arisen whether or not it   
was desirable  or proper to flog        
children generally1 and growing girls in
 particular4  ,we are not able to state 
the origin of the epistolary quarrel3   
our  attention has been arrested by the 
hot battle with which it closes1 and    
from it we shall glean the amazing views
 which certain ,english parents  seem to
 entertain respecting home discipline4  

,as far as we can gather1 ,a ,perplexed 
,mamma began the controversy  by asking 
what she should do with her unruly      
girls2 and1 upon this1  ,pro-,rod1 ,a   
,lover of ,obedience1 and certain other 
enthusiasts for  domestic flogging1     
warmly recommended the birch4 ,at the   
point of the  contest where we come in1 
this view is ardently sustained by a    
phalanx  of terrible mammas1 sternly    
brandishing slippers1 canes1 or birch   
twigs4 ,a ,teacher of ,troublesome      
,girls writes3 #8,i should strongly     
recommend ,a ,perplexed ,mamma to try   
the effect of a smart whipping1  and ,i 
think if administered to the eldest it  
will very likely be  beneficial to the  
younger ones4 ,i do not think the       
slipper of much use  as an instrument of
 punishment1 unless for quite young     
children4' ,a  ,schoolmistress takes the
 same view of the slipper as an         
instrument  of virtue1 and advocates    
#8uncovering the victim1 and applying   
the  punishment to a portion of the     

frame morally most sensitive4' ,these   
connoisseurs in justice are backed by   
,pater1 who appears to be both  father  
and mother to his hapless offspring4 ,he
 says3 #8,two years ago ,i  lost my     
wife1 having two daughters1 aged twelve 
and fourteen years1  and found them     
completely defying control4 ,i consulted
 with their  aunts on the mother's side1
 and with several medical men1 upon the 
punishment of refractory girls and women
 in reformatories2 all agreed  that     
whipping in the usual manner was the    
best mode to adopt1 and that1  however  
severely the rod was applied1 no        
personal injury would result1  nor would
 the health suffer4 ,i therefore adopted
 this punishment1 but  privately in my  
bedroom4'    ,to these awful aunts on   
the mother's side and this reformatory  
,pater1 succeeds an unabashed ,lover of 
the ,rod1 whose heart is  sad because   
she has observed of late years a        
tendency to go to a  perfect idolatry of
 children4 ,this gentle creature        

applauds ,solomon's                     
precept--forgetting1 apparently1 that   
,rehoboam turned out a particularly  bad
 boy--and #8heartily believes in the    
good old birch4' ,she gives her  advice 
thus3 #8,on the first occasion on which 
the girls show signs of  disobedience1  
order all three up to the mother's      
bedroom1 to wait  until she comes4 ,i   
would keep them all three in suspense1  
as not  comprehending your intentions4  
,then ,i would provide myself either    
with  a good birchrod or cane 7a cane is
 very severe71 go upstairs1 shut  the   
doors1 at once tell the oldest one you  
are going to give her a  flogging4      
,doubtless she will feel much astonished
 and very indignant2  but if you are    
firm1 and threaten to call in the       
servant to help  you1 she will submit4  
,there must be shame as well as pain in 
this2  but she has deserved them1 in my 
opinion2 and one such punishment1  in   
the presence of her two sisters1 will do
 everything4' ,but rod and  slipper are 

despised by ,another ,lover of          
,obedience4 ,his method is3  #8,when    
children commit an offence1 ,i do not   
punish them at the time1  but order them
 to my bedroom some few hours after4    
,the effect of my  discipline is such   
that they never fail to do so4 ,when    
there they  are laid across the bed1    
their clothes removed1 and from fifteen 
to  fifty smart strokes administered1   
the amount varying with the offence4    
,after this ,i can assure you they are  
perfectly docile for some time  to come4
 ,i have tried many systems1 but find   
this to be the best4 ,i  should advise  
all to follow this same plan2 they will 
find it answer  remarkably well4 ,even  
at the age of eighteen1 should my       
children  require it1 ,i will administer
 corporal punishment4' ,after such an   
inventive enthusiast for obedience1 who 
dexterously combines suspense  with     
agony1 we must hold most reasonable the 
plea of another fond  parent1 who thinks
 that there is nothing wrong in slapping

 baby #8with  a satin slipper1 to let it
 know there is a will superior to its   
own4'  ,this would seem to be the       
eleganti of the ,art1 the very esthetics
 of  corporal punishment--were it not   
for the same mamma's declaration that   
she #8detests the moral system4' ,should
 the baby grow up unimproved by         
slipper1 a resource is offered her1 and 
those like her1 by yet another  ,lover  
of ,obedience who writes3 #8the editor  
has my address1 and ,i hope  will be    
kind enough to give it any mother who   
may wish to send her  daughters to me   
for a few months2 ,i will return them   
obedient and good4  ,i have never yet   
taken charge of young ladies1 but would 
willingly do  so to prove my theory     
correct4'    ,with this ogress1 panting 
for the screams and blood of victims    
whom she  offers to manufacture into    
slaves1 we close our quotations on one  
side4  ,we owe it to the ,englishwoman's
 ,journal and ,englishwomen generally1  
that we should set off against these    

abominable letters a few of the         
indignant protests which happily appear 
on the other side4 ,honour to  the ,lady
 of ,title who hears with shame and a   
shock #8the scenes that  seem to go on  
in some houses4' ,several ,english      
,mothers express their  deep indignation
 and shame at the correspondence on the 
pro-rod side4      ,gentleness believes 
that such mothers and fathers #8must    
have nigger  blood in them1' and #8have 
learned in suffering what they teach in 
shame4' ,martha #8trusts that if a      
,perplexed ,mother attempts to  flog her
 eldest daughter the tables will be     
turned1 and she may  suffer herself2    
then she will know whether corporal     
punishment is  effectual or not4' ,a    
,christian ,parent says very rightly3   
#8,as for the  ,english ,mamma who has  
stated that she inflicts twenty strokes 
with  a birch upon her luckless         
offspring1 she herself1 by this         
admission1  most requires correction1   
and a sound scourging would be a fitting

  punishment for such unwomanly         
brutality4 ,patience1 gentleness1 and   
firmness are the qualities required in  
dealing with children and all  young    
people2 but like produces like1 and in  
each of the above cases  the violent and
 evil passions of the child are but     
inherited from  the father or mother4   
,on the parents1 therefore1 the chief   
blame  should rest1 and to discipline   
themselves is my advice4' ,s4 ,t4 ,r4   
concludes that some mothers are         
literally brute beasts1 and does not    
wonder that girls arriving at womanhood 
escape from such dens at any  cost of   
self-respect4    ,there are a few female
 professors of the art of domestic      
education  who advocate a little1 just a
 little of the stick4 ,trophime for     
example would always leave the clothes  
on if the girl be sixteen2 and          
,experience uses the rod only as a last 
resort4 ,but the overwhelming  number of
 mothers1 we are glad to say1 hurl      
contempt and anathemas at  these        

cold-blooded ,lovers of ,obedience who  
thus hate their own flesh2  and the     
preponderance of opinion is entirely    
with the moral system  which the lady   
who beats her baby with a slipper so    
naturally detests4      ,but what a     
picture of domestic misery and stupid   
cruelty is unveiled  by the other side  
of this extraordinary correspondence6   
,no wonder that  girls go wrong and     
throw their womanhood away in sin and   
anguish1 when  their youth is passed    
with fathers and mothers whose stupidity
 is such  that they confound brutality  
with discipline1 and are not ashamed to 
boast of the outrages they commit on    
their own flesh and blood4 ,if we  have 
appeared to cite the complacent         
suggestions of such people with         
patience1 it is because no words of     
condemnation could be so severe as      
their own description of themselves and 
their ways4 ,to those parents  the great
 and sacred gift of children has come   
like pearls to swine4  ,perhaps in many 

cases it is their heads more than their 
hearts which  are at fault1 and their   
dense ignorance leaves them with no     
sense of  right4 ,but1 whatever may be  
the cause1 that which they call love of 
obedience is lust of powder and wicked  
impatience2 they play the tyrant  over  
their helpless offspring and think      
themselves virtuous1 while they  are    
absolutely criminal4 ,if the secrets of 
all hearts were known1 it  would        
probably be seen that the parents who   
flogged and tortured their  children for
 lies and evil conduct first taught them
 those offences by  their own           
characters1 and deserved the rod much   
more thoroughly4 ,this  correspondence  
is a serious thing2 it reveals the      
existence of a whole  world of unnatural
 and indefensible private cruelty of    
which law ought  to have cognisance4 ,we
 do not live in ,roman times1 when a    
parent might  sell a son into slavery or
 take his life4 ,these are ,christian   
days1  and each human soul has its      

dignity and its rights1 to be respected 
and enforced4 ,it would do some of these
 smirking malefactors good to  be       
denounced and punished at the police    
court for what is not less an  assault  
with violence because it is committed by
 a child's natural  protector4 ,we have 
all learned from ,mr4 ,rarey that       
whipping is the  worst way1 and         
gentleness the best way1 with horses1   
dogs1 and the  dumb creation generally4 
,we have abolished flogging in the army1
 and  it will linger only during this   
session in the navy4 ,the cat is now    
reserved as an indescribable disgrace   
for garotters in goal1 and--as it       
seems--for the tender girl-children of  
many a #8respectable' household4        
,emphatically we denounce this relic of 
the past generation2 we say that  to    
beat a girl-child is shameful and       
abominable1 and never yet had any       
result but mischief to the victim and   
degradation to the executioner4  ,as one
 reads these detestable confessions1    

there can no longer be any  surprise    
felt that young girls go astray1 even   
from the homes of the  well-to-do       
classes4 ,they escape from the vile     
discipline of the scourge  like maddened
 creatures1 without a vestige of        
self-respect or honour4  ,we did not    
expect to find the ancient fallacy of   
,virtue taught by  ,violence displaying 
its cloven feet in so many households4  
,a ,rector writes3 #8,i am glad to see  
that the subject of the punishment  of  
children is again alluded to in your    
columns4 ,i think it was  dropped too   
soon4 ,surely it is as important and    
interesting a subject  to ,englishwomen 
as tight-lacing which has occupied more 
time and space  than this thoroughly    
practical and domestic question4        
,although ,i am only in early middle    
life1 ,i am old-fashioned enough to     
regret the disuse of corporal punishment
 both at home and at school2  and1 with 
many others1 ,i believe that the loss of
 parental authority  and the precious   

independence and lawlessness of young   
persons1 are due  in no small degree to 
this fact4 ,no longer ago than my own   
childhood  it was otherwise4 ,i and my  
brothers were whipped1 and ,i believe we
  are all the better for it4 ,at any    
rate1 we never doubted then or  since   
that our good mother was right2 ,i have 
never loved or respected  her the less  
for our well-deserved punishment4 ,nor  
was the use of  the rod confined to     
boys4 ,i remember we used to look with a
 sort of  awe upon a lady who lived near
 us and attended the same church with  a
 family of girls1 because it was the    
current report that she was a  very     
strict disciplinarian and used the birch
 unsparingly4 ,nor could ,i  ever       
understand why girls should not be      
whipped just as much as boys1  if they  
deserved it4 ,if the good old custom had
 not been allowed to  go out1 there     
would not have been so many girls of the
 period at the  present day4 ,a         
dignitary of the ,church whom ,i know   

was so convinced of  this1 that when he 
lost his wife he still occasionally used
 the rod  himself while his daughters   
were still children4 ,in former times   
both  home governesses and              
schoolmistresses used the rod1 both with
 boys and  girls1 as a matter of course4
 ,i could quote instances in abundance  
in  proof of this2 but things are       
changed now1 and for the worse4 ,the    
birch  is happily still used in all the 
older grammar schools for boys1 but ,i  
fear that in girls' schools it is seldom
 heard of--at least1 ,i should be  very 
glad to hear it if your correspondents  
can report otherwise4    ,i remember1   
some fifteen years ago1 a boy told it me
 as a rather  wonderful thing that at   
the school where his sister was1 they   
birched  the girls just like boys4      
,whether they do so still ,i do not     
know4  ,i shall be glad to say a few    
words more on this topic on a future    
occasion4'      ,tiny agrees with the   
remarks made by ,an ,english ,lady on   

the  birchrod question4 ,there is       
something in it perfectly revolting to  
any refined female mind4 ,if children   
are properly brought up1 with a  clear  
knowledge of right and wrong1 their     
education being based upon  sound       
religious teaching1 depend upon it at   
fifteen years of age they  will not     
require such a degrading punishment4    
,tiny is a mother1 and  she would never 
punish her child in such a way1 and were
 she positively  compelled to do so the 
pain and grief to herself would be far  
greater  than any the child would feel2 
and most certainly ,tiny would never    
boast of the punishment as ,a ,mother   
does4    ,children are gifted with      
reasoning powers1 and should be taught  
that  their first duty is strict        
obedience--the unquestioning obedience  
which  is cheerfully given because they 
know no-one can have their welfare so   
much at heart as their parents4 ,and    
mothers should so act as to win  the    
respect of their children4 ,how can an  

intelligent girl of fifteen  respect the
 mother who chastises her as she would  
an unruly spaniel8  ,where such         
correction is needed1 depend upon it the
 bringing up of the  child is at fault4 
,teach a child that her mother is her   
best friend1  enter into all her        
childish pleasures and sorrows1 and at  
fifteen she  will be a companion1 not a 
plague4      ,a ,scotch ,mother says3   
,it appears from the letters in your    
magazine  that some correspondent wishes
 further information on the subject  of 
whipping children4 ,now1 before the     
subject closes1 ,i would be  much       
obliged to any of your lady             
correspondents who would give me        
information through your columns on the 
following points3--,whether a  whipping 
has more good effect on boys than       
girls--that is to say1 which  requires  
the rod to be used most seldom2 and also
 at what age can boys  be whipped by    
ladies1 my opinion being that except at 
a very early age  few ladies can inflict

 a chastisement on boys sufficiently    
severe to be  remembered4'      ,in     
regard to the proper chastisement of the
 young1 ,agnes writes3  #8,while you    
have so many opinions expressed both for
 and against  corporal punishment for   
girls1 perhaps the opinion of one who   
has  herself suffered during her youth  
may be acceptable4    ,up to the age of 
sixteen ,i was educated at home1 and ,i 
believe to a  certain extent spoiled4   
,on arriving at that age ,i was placed  
at a  finishing school near ,bath1 in   
the charge of a lady who was dearly     
loved by all her pupils1 but at the same
 time did not fail to punish  them      
severely for their faults4 ,at the same 
time ,i had a very bad  habit of        
boastful fibbing--a habit which she     
reprimanded very sternly  soon after ,i 
was placed there2 this not having the   
desired effect1 she  one morning sent   
for me to her sitting-room1 and there   
told me of her  intention of            
endeavouring to effect a cure of this   

habit by inflicting  a whipping4 ,i was 
then sent to my bedroom in charge of a  
governess1  to remove my underclothing1 
and on my return to the sitting-room1   
was  obliged to lie across an ottoman1  
while the punishment was inflicted  with
 a birchrod4 ,i was somewhat resentful  
at the time1 but have since  had much   
cause to be grateful1 for two or three  
similar applications  completely cured  
me4    ,this is now eight years ago1 and
 should ,i ever have any daughters1 ,i  
should not hesitate to treat them in a  
like manner4'      ,the ,husband of a   
,schoolmistress writes3 #8,my wife keeps
 a  boarding-school for little girls4   
,the youngest is just turned six2 the   
eldest about twelve4 ,one of the pupils1
 just turned nine1 was detected  in a   
moral offence4 ,my wife took her into a 
private room alone and  chastised her   
with a rod4 ,the mother called the      
following day1 was  indignant1 and      
removed the child4 ,i claimed a         
quarter's payment1 in  lieu of notice4  

,this was peremptorily refused4 ,it was 
agreed that the  question should be     
referred to a neighbouring magistrate1 a
 retired  barrister with a family of    
daughters4 ,he heard the child's        
statement  and that of the mother as to 
the marks on the child's person4 ,when  
they  had finished he asked my wife     
whether she had been in the habit of so 
punishing her scholars2 to which she    
answered in the affirmative4 ,he  then  
said he did not wish to hear anything   
more from her1 that his own  children   
were so corrected1 and that the         
quarter's payment in lieu of  notice    
must be paid4'      ,a ,rector writes3  
#8,it would be a difficult task to      
enumerate the  numberless authorities in
 favour of corporal punishment for      
children  from ,solomon to our own day4 
,some of the greatest names would be    
contained in the list4 ,thus ,dr4       
,arnold always defended and advocated   
this form of discipline1 and practised  
it himself4 ,the head of another  large 

public school1 in his evidence before   
the ,royal ,commission1  not only       
declared it was the wisest and most     
efficacious form of  punishment1 but    
said it had a good effect upon the mind 
and body of  children--it quickens the  
circulation of the blood1 and is        
therefore  specially beneficial to      
children of sluggish temperament and    
dull  understanding4 ,i believe he      
quoted the opinion of medical men in    
support of this4#a ,it has a good effect
 also as teaching that sin  brings pain4
 ,it is nonsense to talk of reasoning   
with children4  ,authority is what they 
require4 ,reason will come in due time1 
but the  first duty of the parent is to 
secure obedience4 ,many parents are     
evidently most unfit for their          
responsible position and have no right  
to be parents4 ,they will only bring up 
undisciplined children who will  cause  
misery to themselves and others4 ,many  
of your correspondents are  evidently of
 this class of ignorant and silly       

parents4 ,if children  are properly     
brought up1 the use of the rod will     
become less frequent  as they grow      
older1 till it will be altogether laid  
aside1 and a word1  a look1 or a        
remonstrance will be enough4 ,many      
children nothing but  pain will subdue2 
passionate children1 sulky and obstinate
 children1  and those addicted to       
falsehood and idleness1 are such4 ,a    
prompt and  severe whipping will do what
 hours of reasoning or pleading will not
  effect1 and this is better for the    
child and the parent too4 ,there is  no 
punishment that girls and boys dread so 
much as a whipping4 ,it is a  real      
punishment and a personal one1 while    
many of the substitutes for  it are     
unequal1 unfair1 injurious1 and         
ineffective4'      #a ,for a full       
discussion of the stimulating powers of 
flagellation1    see3 ,,meibomius--,a   
,treatise on the ,utility of ,flogging  
in ,medicine and    ,venery4      ,a    
,schoolmistress writes3 #8,i am rejoiced

 to see that the subject of  the        
personal chastisement of children is    
again being brought forward4  ,now no   
one has tested the exceeding efficacy of
 the systematic use of  the rod more    
than ,i have done1 so ,i gladly give my 
experience--extending  now over         
thirty-five years4 ,up to twelve years  
of age ,i was brought  up by my aunt1   
who kept up my father's house 7my mother
 died when ,i  was very young74 ,during 
this time no attempt was made to correct
  by physical pain 7except of the       
mildest description7 my many evil       
propensities and bad habits2 but after  
,i was twelve1 my father married  again1
 and ,i was sent to a boarding-school in
 ,norwich where1 when ,i  had been about
 three weeks1 ,i had my first whipping4 
,i had been guilty  of gross misconduct1
 and told a lie to screen myself4 ,the  
punishment  inflicted on me was the     
beginning of my entire reformation4     
,i shall never forget that first        
whipping1 how ,i was told after prayers 

to go to ,mrs4 ,s4's private room2 how1 
after a most loving reprimand1  ,i was  
told that as reproof had failed to do me
 good1 ,i must prepare  to be whipped4  
,mrs4 ,s4 then rang the bell1 and giving
 to the maid who  answered it a long    
woollen dress which she took from a     
hanging closet1  bade her see that ,i   
put that on and came back to her4 ,the  
maid1 an old  confidential servant1 took
 me into ,mrs4 ,s4's bedroom1 made me   
undress  and don the long woollen       
garment1 which fastened round the waist 
with a  band and was open down each side
 from the waist to the feet4 ,i then was
  bidden to put my feet in a pair of    
list slippers4 ,this being done1 the    
maid1 carrying off all my clothes to my 
own bedroom1 requested me to  go back to
 the room where ,i had left ,mrs4 ,s41  
and give four knocks at  the door4      
,instead of doing this1 ,i lingered in  
the passage1 where the  maid found me a 
few minutes afterwards4 ,she told me to 
follow her4 ,i  did so1 and she remained

 till ,i had knocked four times at the  
door4 ,on  being told to enter1 ,i found
 ,mrs4 ,s4 sitting at a table reading1  
but on  the table lay a long lithe rod2 
pushing the table on one side1 she took 
up the rod1 pointed to a long narrow    
stool1 which ,i afterwards knew  as the 
,horse1 and told me to lie across it4   
,the previous preparation  and ,mrs4    
,s4's manner so awed me that ,i         
submitted4 ,i then found myself  buckled
 across by a strap across the horse4 ,i 
heard ,mrs4 ,s4 fasten the  door and    
draw a heavy curtain across it4 ,she    
then very quickly folded  the back part 
of the woollen dress--which was open on 
each side from the  waist to the        
feet--above the waist2 then very briefly
 speaking of my  faults1 she grasped the
 rod and gave me very deliberately a    
most severe  birching4 ,of course ,i    
screamed1 and shrieked1 and implored1   
but the rod  pursued its destined course
 and did its destined work4 ,the        
stinging  pain1 the after-feeling and   

marks1 the present shame1 the necessary 
submission1 the ceremony observed--all  
did their work2 and as ,i took my       
course to bed1 ,i felt the first        
overthrow of the old rebellious nature4 
,from that time till ,i was sixteen ,i  
had to pay seven similar visits1  and go
 through even more severe whippings4    
,but behold the fruit6 ,at  nineteen ,i 
became a teacher in the same school2 ,i 
remained for ten  years ,mrs4 ,s4's most
 trusted assistant4 ,i have now for many
 years had  a school of my own1 and ,i  
myself administer corporal punishment in
  precisely the same way as ,i have     
described1 and we have never known it   
to fail4 ,dozens of pupils1 in their    
happy after-lives1 have gratefully      
thanked me for my discipline4 ,i am most
 anxious that this should be  made      
public1 and will gladly furnish many    
special cases and give all              
information4'      ,a ,rejoicer in the  
,restoration of the ,rod says3 #8,i call
 myself by  this title because ,i do    

most firmly believe that a great many of
 the  acknowledged evils of the present 
age--undutiful children1 and reckless1  
heedless young men and women--arise from
 so many parents and teachers  having of
 late years neglected a most essential  
duty in not using  sufficient and proper
 corporal punishment4 ,but from all ,i  
hear a great  reaction is taking place  
in this respect4 ,and though there may  
be many  loving mothers1 like ,tiny1 who
 shrink from it1 yet ,i rejoice that    
true love is being more shown in duty   
triumphing over sentiment1 and  that the
 birchrod is regaining its old place    
both among boys and girls2  so much so  
that ,i believe it is a very rare thing 
to find a preparatory  school for       
boys--especially those conducted by     
ladies--where the rod is  not more or   
less used4 ,i know one most excellent   
school of this kind  in ,kentish ,town1 
where there are boys from six to        
fourteen1 and where  the very kind and  
good ladies who manage it1 and who      

always have more  applications for      
admission than they can receive1        
administer the rod  in a way which1 if  
,a ,scotch ,mother could witness1 would 
effectively  negative her idea of ladies
 not being able to birch a boy worth    
mentioning after he ceased to be a      
little boy4'      ,florence thus        
narrates her experience3 #8,both my     
brother and myself  were spoiled in the 
fullest sense of the word4 ,my father   
spoiled me1  and my mother spoiled my   
brother4 ,however1 when ,i was fourteen 
years of  age my parents were compelled 
to go abroad for mamma's health1 and ,i 
was left under the guardianship of a    
maiden aunt1 who quickly decided  that a
 strict school was the best place for   
me4    ,to a school in ,hertfordshire ,i
 was accordingly sent1 the mistress     
having been previously informed that ,i 
was a child of wayward  disposition4 ,i 
had not been there a week before the    
spirit of  opposition which pervaded me1
 as my aunt used to term it1 got me into

  hot water1 and ,i was ordered to bed4 
,i had not been undressed many  minutes 
when ,miss ,margaret1 one of the        
principals1 came into the  bedroom and1 
after lecturing me on my conduct1 told  
me she intended  to whip me4 ,she then  
rang the bell1 and one of the maids     
brought a  birch1 and ,i was told to    
prepare1 which ,i flatly refused to do4 
,as ,i  was rebellious1 the maid tied my
 hands together with a towel1 the ends  
of which were fastened to a peg high up 
on the wall1 so that ,i could  only just
 reach the floor with the tips of my    
toes4 ,miss ,margaret then  gave me a   
severe flogging4 ,finding ,i was        
obstinate1 after a minute or  two she   
desisted and left the room1 leaving me  
with the maid4 ,i tried  hard to get off
 the peg1 but could not4 ,when ,miss    
,margaret returned she  asked me whether
 ,i was sorry4 8,no0 ,i shouted4 8,then 
,i must whip you  again10 she said1     
suiting the action to the word4 ,this   
second whipping  was too much for my    

spirit1 and ,i begged for forgiveness4  
,the rest  of the day ,i did not cease  
crying1 not so much from the pain as    
from  mortification that ,i had met my  
match and been conquered4 ,strange as it
  may seem1 from that day to the present
 ,i have loved ,miss ,margaret1 and     
felt her to be a true friend4    ,as ,i 
believe great benefit has resulted from 
corporal punishment1 ,i  think it right 
to advocate it1 for ,i know from        
observation that if our  faults are not 
corrected when we are young1 we         
generally suffer in a  far harder school
 when we grow up4'      ,mrs4 ,l4 ,gray 
writes3 #8,being a mother of three      
daughters1 the eldest  being thirteen   
and the youngest nine years old1 who    
have1 up to the  present time1 given me 
great trouble in managing1 ,i have      
determined1  since reading the letters  
in your last number signed ,agnes and ,a
  ,schoolmistress1 as a last resource1  
to whip them4 ,i am sure many of  your  
subscribers and myself would feel       

greatly obliged to the lady  who signed 
herself ,a ,schoolmistress if she would 
kindly give us a  few instances where   
whipping has proved effective1 and if   
she or any  of your readers will inform 
me how old ,i may pursue that course of 
correction1 as ,i have had a niece put  
under my care whose parents  are in     
,india1 who is very wilful and          
disobedient1 and1 being nearly  sixteen1
 ,i do not know how to punish her       
without whipping her4 ,i should  feel   
greatly obliged to any of your readers  
who would kindly let me  know through   
your columns of a shop where ,i could   
get good birchrods  from in ,london1 as 
,i am going to reside there in future4  
,i am sure you  would be conferring a   
boon on parents if you could publish the
 many  letters that have appeared upon  
the chastisement of children1 when the  
correspondence closes1 in a separate    
book4'      ,from ,philadelphia1 ,a     
,sister writes3 #8,you have a subject   
discussed in  your magazine which at    

this present time is very interesting to
 me4 ,i  refer to the personal          
chastisement of children4 ,my case is   
this4 ,i  have my two younger sisters to
 bring up 7their mother being dead71 and
  ,i feel great difficulty in making    
them obey4 ,they are often extremely    
disobedient and naughty4 ,the only      
punishment that ,i have inflicted on    
them is a box on the ears1 or sending   
them to bed1 neither of which ,i  find  
does them any good4 ,their father has   
given me full control over  them1 and   
says if ,i find it well to whip them to 
do so2 but ,i would  first like to ask  
some elder sister who has had the       
bringing up of  some younger ones if it 
is well for a sister to administer      
corporal  punishment8 ,i see none of the
 letters in your magazine are from      
sisters1 or ,i would not have troubled  
you with this4 ,i see most of your      
correspondents advocate a bunch of twigs
 as the best instrument of  correction4 
,i should like to ask if they leave any 

marks for any length  of time1 when     
applied without covering2 because ,i do 
not wish to be too  severe1 although ,i 
should like the punishment to be        
effectual4    ,by inserting this as soon
 as possible1 you will greatly oblige4' 
,a lady1 signing ,experience1 writes3   
#8,as many of your readers seem  anxious
 to know how to punish girls of fifteen 
years old and upwards1 ,i  take the     
liberty of informing you that about     
three years ago my eldest  girl gave me 
a good deal of trouble by disregarding  
my directions and  orders4 ,she was then
 turned sixteen1 was home from school   
for her  holidays1 and evidently thought
 that under those circumstances she was 
entitled to do just what she pleased4   
,i spoke to her two or three times very 
seriously1 and at last  threatened that 
if she continued to disregard what ,i   
said to her ,i  should be compelled to  
enforce my orders with the birch4 ,when 
my  children were little ,i had been    
used1 if they were naughty1 to lay  them

 across my knee and whip them with my   
slipper or a small birchrod1  but now   
this mode of procedure was not          
available1 as my daughter was  too big  
for that treatment1 and would only laugh
 at the slight pat  she would receive4  
,it being a real struggle for the       
mastery1 it was  important that my      
authority should be supported1 and if it
 were not for  this ,i do not think that
 ,i should have whipped her at all4     
,what ,i did  was this3 ,i bought a     
birch broom and took from it twenty     
long1 stiff1  and bushy switches1 tied  
them together with string1 the handle   
being  about as thick as my wrist4      
,shortly after it was made ,i had       
occasion to use it4 ,i first lectured   
the culprit1 and then pinioned her arms 
behind her back1 laid her  across a     
sofa1 and applied the birch sharply4    
,she promised amendment1  and ,i left   
off1 telling her at the same time that  
,i would whip her  again if she broke   
her word4 ,before a week was over she   

had done so1  and ,i was afraid that    
what ,i had done was useless1 perhaps   
worse4  ,however1 ,i determined to give 
it another trial4 ,i did so1 this time  
making her first remove her drawers4 ,i 
gave her twenty strokes  deliberately1  
and with excellent effect1 for since she
 has conducted  herself well1 and ,i    
have not had to repeat the experiment4  
,my advice  to mothers is this3 ,do not 
use the rod unless you are absolutely   
obliged1 but if you do use it make it   
smartly felt4 ,it is no disgrace  to a  
girl to be whipped by her mother--the   
disgrace is in deserving it4  ,boys of  
the very highest birth are constantly   
flogged by their fathers  and masters1  
and why should not a girl be whipped by 
her mother or  governess4'    ,alice de 
,v4 writes3 #8,surely if the letters    
upon chastising children  are real1 they
 cannot be written by ladies1 but must  
come from those  who are 8born in the   
garret--in the kitchen bred10 8whose    
#8usbands  keep #8orses1 and #8unt the  

#8ounds three times hevery week40 ,no   
wonder  we hear such things of the      
modern girl when there are such mammas  
in  the world6 ,why do they not civilize
 themselves1 correct their own  evil    
dispositions and set a good example to  
their children1 instead  of chastising  
them for being small editions of their  
coarse-minded  mammas8 ,i am confident  
that whipping girls degrades them and   
takes away  every feeling of            
self-respect and modesty4 ,i think the  
letter from ,a  ,schoolmistress         
conclusively proves this4'      ,a      
,musicmaster writes3 #8,i have read the 
correspondence relating to  the personal
 chastisement of young ladies in your   
pages with great  interest2 and as your 
correspondent who signs himself ,rector 
seems to  doubt its application1 ,i just
 write a few lines from my own personal 
observation to convince him to the      
contrary4 ,i am a teacher of music  in  
five schools conducted by ladies1 and in
 two of these the most  strict          

discipline is kept up4 ,when ,i am      
giving a music lesson the lady          
principal remains in the room1 and the  
pupils keep coming one at a  time to    
have their ciphering and writing books  
inspected2 and if these  are untidily   
kept or the pupil has not been diligent1
 she is ordered  to hold out her hand1  
and receives several smart slaps on the 
palm  with an instrument which ,i will  
proceed to describe4 ,it consists of a  
leathern strap1 narrowed at one end to  
fit the hand of the mistress1  and      
divided at the other end into five      
tails4 ,the consequence is that  each   
strip of leather inflicts a separate    
blow upon the pupil's hand2  and the    
punishment1 although sufficiently       
severe1 leaves no bruise  upon the hand1
 a great advantage over the cane4 ,with 
this strap there  is no danger of       
seriously damaging the hand1 and the    
pain1 though  severe1 soon passes off2  
and it has this advantage over the      
birch1 that  there is no exposure1 and  

the age of the pupil is of no           
consequence4  ,this1 ,i think1 is of    
great importance1 as my experience has  
convinced  me that it is not always the 
youngest pupils in a school who require 
correction4    ,i have frequently seen  
this punishment applied to the hands of 
pupils  of sixteen years of age1 and ,i 
am quite sure it is productive of  the  
most beneficial effects4 ,i am certain  
most of your readers will  agree with me
 that the use of the birch is quite out 
of the question  with young ladies of   
this age2 and the most convincing proof 
of the  utility of this kind of         
punishment lies in the fact that in both
 of  these schools where corporal       
punishment is inflicted the lessons are 
invariably gone through better than in  
any of the other three where it  is not 
used1 and the behaviour of the pupils is
 much more ladylike4  ,to my mind this  
mode of punishment is by far the best1  
and it is  easily applied4 ,the age of  
the pupil is not of much importance1 and

  the palm of a young lady's hand is    
sufficiently sensitive to allow  of a   
tolerably severe punishment being       
inflicted2 and my opinion is  that      
punishment should be seldom inflicted1  
but when it is required  it should be   
sharp and severe4 ,it is very seldom    
indeed that ,i am  compelled to report a
 pupil to the principal1 but whenever ,i
 am  compelled to do so punishment is   
promptly inflicted1 and the girl is     
always more attentive at the next       
lesson4 ,in conclusion1 ,i must say     
that ,i cannot understand why this kind 
of punishment on the hand1 to  which    
boys are so freely subjected1 should be 
considered inapplicable  to young       
ladies4'      ,medical ,student writes3 
#8,with regard to the whipping of girls1
 ,i  think that as this is the age of   
the ladies1 there is no reason why      
girls should not be whipped as well as  
boys4 ,but let me remind some of  your  
correspondents that the days when       
,milton was whipped at ,oxford are  long

 gone by1 and if the girls require to be
 whipped at sixteen they  will require  
it all their lives4 ,i suppose that     
their husbands are the  only persons on 
whom the duty will devolve after they   
have left the  paternal mansion4 ,now1  
as husbands are punished for thrashing  
their  wives1 why should not            
schoolmistresses be punished for doing  
the same  by young ladies of sixteen    
committed to their care8'               
,gratitude writes3 #8,i own1 as you see1
 one of the most honoured  names in     
,england1 and call myself ,gratitude    
because ,i am anxious  to show my       
gratitude for the fact that ,i owe my   
present position as  a useful happy     
,english lady to the firm discipline ,i 
experienced at  the very turning-point  
of my life4 ,i was brought up in a      
loving home  and had every possible     
advantage2 but amidst it all ,i became  
sullen1  self-willed1 disobedient and   
idle4 ,i was the grief of my parents and
 a  byword to my companions4            

,however1 soon after ,i was fifteen ,i  
most fortunately was sent to ,mrs4  --'s
 school for young ladies1 in ,brighton1 
where ,i showed the same evil           
disposition which ,i had evinced        
elsewhere1 but where1 most fortunately  
and happily for me1 it was checked and  
cured4    ,in school and out of it1     
during the first month1 ,mrs4 -- and the
 other  teachers reproved me1 set me    
tasks and kept me in4 ,but ,i only grew 
worse2 and one night after ,i had       
refused to do an imposition1 ,mrs4  --  
came and sat in my room after ,i was in 
bed and talked to me most  impressively4
 ,the next day1 however1 the effect of  
what she had said  wore off1 and ,i was 
as bad as ever4    ,but a change was at 
hand1 for in the evening1 when we had   
just gone to  our bedrooms1 ,mrs4 --    
again came to me1 and said3 #8,miss ,w41
 you will  to-night occupy the          
dressing-room adjoining my room4 ,i will
 show  you the way40 ,i was half        
inclined to disobey4 ,however1 ,i       

followed my  governess through her      
bedroom and across a small sitting-room 
which  opened out of it into a room     
comfortably furnished1 in which was a   
small low bed1 and telling me to undress
 and go to bed1 ,mrs4 -- left  me1      
locking the door after her4 ,i had been 
in bed about a quarter of  an hour when 
,mrs4 -- came to me1 holding in her hand
 a long birchrod4  ,placing the rod and 
the candlestick on the table1 she told  
me that but  one course was now open to 
her after my behaviour1 and that she was
  going to flog me1 and ,i was to get   
up4 ,but though the twigs of the  birch 
stood out in ominous shadow in front of 
the candlestick1 and  while ,i noted the
 thin1 closely wrapped bundle of that   
rod and its  fanlike top1 ,i never      
attempted to obey4 ,three times she told
 me to get  up1 but ,i stirred not4     
,mrs4 -- returned to her own room1 and  
came back  with a small thin riding     
whip1 and said3 #8,must ,i use this80   
,there was  something about her which   

quite awed me--it was more her manner   
than her  tall powerful figure--and as  
she swung that whip about in her hand ,i
 at  once stepped out of bed and stood  
before her4 8,give me your hands10  she 
said1 but ,i put them behind me1 when   
slash across my shoulders  came six or  
seven smart strokes of her whip1 and    
screaming ,i put out  my hands1 which   
she fastened together with a cord at the
 wrists4 ,then  making me lie down      
across the foot of the bed face         
downwards1 she very  quietly and        
deliberately1 putting her left hand     
round my waist1 gave  me a shower of    
smart slaps with her open right hand--a 
proceeding which  so surprised and      
humiliated my proud self that ,i could  
hardly believe  in my own identity1 and 
as ,i screamed and struggled1 she merely
 said3  8,this is for not doing now as  
,i told you1 and it will not only punish
  you for that1 but will increase the   
pain of the birching ,i am now  going to
 give you40    ,mrs4 -- then1 as ,i lay1

 spoke to me for a few minutes with     
great  kindness and earnestness4 ,she   
then rose1 took the birch in her right  
hand1 and stooping over me1 pressed her 
left hand tightly on my  shoulder so as 
to hold me as if ,i were in a vice2 then
 raising the  birch1 ,i could hear it   
whizz in the air1 and oh1 how terrible  
it felt  as it came down1 and as its    
repeated strokes came swish1 swish1     
swish1 on me6 yet ,i felt1 spite of the 
terrible stinging pain1 that ,i         
deserved it all--and it was painful6 ,i 
was a stout fair girl1 and very         
sensitive to pain4 ,i screamed1 ,i      
protested1 ,i implored1 but it was of   
no avail2 ,mrs4 -- heeded not my cries1 
but held me down and birched on  till   
she had finished a whipping which seemed
 to have lasted an age1  but which quite
 changed my character4 ,at last it was  
over4 ,i was  permitted to rise1 my     
hands were unbound1 and1 burning and    
smarting1  ,i raised my tear-stained    
face to my true friend's1 on whose face 

no  sign was visible of the slightest   
anger or passion4 ,calm and serene1  she
 wished me good-night and left me       
conquered4 ,henceforward ,i was  a      
different girl2 and though a few weeks  
afterwards ,i relapsed1 yet  another    
night spent in ,mrs4 --'s dressing-room 
and another similar  application by her 
of that wonder-working birch--,i did    
exactly as she  told me this            
time--sufficed finally to cure me4 ,i   
became cheerful1  obedient1 unselfish4  
,my parents and friends the next        
holidays could  hardly believe that ,i  
was the same girl4 ,i stayed three years
 at  ,brighton1 leaving when ,i was     
nineteen with much regret4 ,i am now    
twenty-four1 and hope to be married at  
,easter to the best man in the  world   
who never could have loved me had not   
sensible wholesome  discipline changed  
my evil nature1 as the means under ,god 
of doing  so4 ,i am thankful to publish 
my experience1 and so to express not    
only  my gratitude1 but confirm what    

others have so well said and told on    
this subject4'      ,emma writes3 #8,a  
while ago ,i undertook to bring up two  
nieces of the  ages of twelve and       
fourteen4 ,i soon found them to be most 
stubborn  tempers and impudent4 ,thus   
they have often caused me much trouble  
and  annoyance4 ,though not an advocate 
of corporal punishment1 ,i was much     
struck with the description by ,a       
,schoolmistress of a most ceremonious   
method of inflicting punishment that ,i 
determined to follow exactly the  same  
method and try it the same morning4     
,i prepared a woollen dress2 not being  
able to procure a birch1 ,i sent  and   
had made a pair of very pliant leather  
taws4 ,in the afternoon ,i  found the   
eldest of my nieces in a gross fault1   
and on being found  fault with she was  
very pert4 ,i therefore took her to my  
bedroom  and made her don the garment   
and follow me to the drawing-room1 she  
never thinking for a moment of what was 
to follow4 ,i then quietly told  her of 

her bad conduct for some time past1 and 
that ,i was determined  to try what a   
whipping would do4 ,on ordering her to  
lie across an  ottoman1 she distinctly  
refused4 ,i told her if she did not at  
once  comply ,i would ring for a servant
 to compel her4 ,still refusing1 ,i     
rang for assistance4 ,hearing the       
servant coming upstairs1 and seeing  me 
determined1 she lay down rather than be 
seen by the servant in this             
predicament1 wherefore ,i went to the   
door and sent the servant back4  ,i then
 fastened her across the ottoman and    
proceeded to administer a  few strokes  
of the taws1 which soon elicited cries  
for forgiveness  and promises for future
 good conduct1 but being determined to  
try the  efficacy of this method1 ,i    
continued until ,i had given her a      
severe  flogging4 ,i then allowed her to
 rise1 and on her knees to thank me for 
the correction1 then sent her off to bed
 for the day4 ,up to this time  the     
perfect subjection and submission of    

this girl is such that ,i most  heartily
 recommend all parents and guardians to 
try the same method  in all cases of    
disobedience4 ,i think that in all      
whippings of grown  children a large    
amount of cool ceremony is most         
effectual4'      ,an ,old ,boy writes3  
#8,since the question of the efficacy of
 corporal  punishment seems to give rise
 to a great variety of opinions1 ,i     
venture  to give mine4    ,when a boy ,i
 was educated at ,christ's ,hospital1   
and ,i assure you the  birch was not    
neglected there4 ,punishment was        
sometimes inflicted  privately1 but when
 the offence was serious due publicity  
was given it4  ,the offender after      
supper was made to stand opposite the   
warden's desk  and hold the instrument  
of torture in his hand 7it being        
customary for  punishments to be doled  
out after that meal74 ,when the boys had
 retired  7with the exception of the    
ward to which the delinquent belonged1  
who  were ordered to remain in their    

seats71 two of the school porters were  
summoned1 and the offender was told to  
prepare himself4 ,he was then  hoisted  
on the back of one of the porters1 when 
the other with great  deliberation      
proceeded to remove all unnecessary     
clothing by tucking  the inner garment  
beneath the back of his coat1 and after 
having  measured his distance1 commenced
 the punishment1 always allowing a      
little time between each stroke so as to
 give them due effect4 ,the  offender1  
having received the allotted number1 was
 let down1 and after  finishing his     
toilet was allowed to retire with his   
fellows1 who  generally condoled with   
him if he bore it well4    ,after once  
receiving a punishment of this kind it  
seldom required to be  repeated4 ,but it
 would be a good thing if schoolmasters1
 guardians and  parents would study the 
characters of the children committed to 
their  charge1 as they would soon       
ascertain what punishment would be most 
effectual4    ,i am convinced that      

flogging does not suit every case1      
though it might  be effectual in extreme
 ones2 but ,i think it is a great       
mistake to  suppose that that is the    
only punishment that ought to be        
inflicted1  as in some cases a word is  
more effectual1 especially with         
sensitive  children4 ,i am surprised    
that girls should require such          
correction1 but  ,i am acquainted with  
one or two to whom a good wholesome     
flogging would  indeed be a great boon  
to themselves and their parents4'    ,g4
 ,a4 ,n4 writes3 #8,a neighbour told me 
a few nights ago the mode she  adopted  
for curing her daughter1 aged sixteen1  
of the baneful habit of  pilfering4 ,she
 had discovered the girl in the very act
 of taking money  from a drawer in the  
bedroom1 and this being the third time  
the girl  had been detected1 she        
determined to give her a good whipping  
and1  having bought a rod for the       
purpose1 told the culprit to go to her  
bedroom and prepare by taking off her   

drawers4 ,in a few minutes she  went    
upstairs and1 having fastened the girl  
across the bed1 birched her  severely4  
,the fruit of the punishment was1 that  
from that time the girl  improved1 and  
is now finally cured4'      ,miss ,c4   
had several apprentices1 on some of whom
 she inflicted the  punishment of the   
rod4 ,she was not very sorry when they  
gave her an  opportunity of handling    
this instrument of pleasure and pain4   
,among her apprentices was a slip of a  
girl addicted to thieving1 and  though  
she had whipped her often for it with   
severity1 the girl did not  amend in the
 least4    ,one day as she was going to 
whip her for stealing some ribbons1 one 
of  the workwomen who had been in ,paris
 for many years told her1 if she  was to
 dip the rod in vinegar as she had seen 
it done in ,france1 it  would sting her 
the more4 ,miss ,c4 followed her advice1
 dipped the end  of a new rod in        
vinegar1 and whipped the girl with it2  
and it smarted  so sore that she never  

pilfered again4      ,the ,true ,story  
of ,father ,girard and ,miss ,cadire4   
,one day ,girard informed his penitent  
that she was to be favoured by  a       
remarkable vision1 during which she     
would 7by spiritual agency7 be  drawn up
 into the air1 he alone1 as her         
spiritual ,father would be  permitted to
 witness this manifestation2 but ,miss  
,cadire1 at the  appointed time1 was not
 in a willing mood1 in spite of the     
,holy man's  threats and entreaties4    
,she resisted the spiritual influence1  
held fast  to her chair1 and would not  
permit herself to be drawn up4 ,finding 
his  expostulations useless1 the ,father
 quitted the room in a rage1 and sent   
,guiol to rebuke his pupil4 ,although   
,miss ,cadire1 when in a calmer  mood   
the same evening1 asked pardon and      
promised future obedience1  ,girard     
determined that her crime should be     
expiated by a heavy penance4    ,the    
next morning1 accordingly1 he visited   
her and1 flourishing a  discipline1     

said3 #8,god demands in his justice that
 you1 having refused  to allow yourself 
to be invested with ,his gifts1 should  
now1 in  punishment for your sins1      
undress yourself and be chastised4      
,truly have  you deserved that the whole
 ,earth should witness this infliction  
on  you2 but ,god has graciously        
permitted that only ,i and this wall    
7which  cannot speak7 should be         
witnesses of your shame4 ,but           
beforehand1 swear  to me an oath of     
fidelity1 for both you and ,i would be  
plunged into  ruin if the secret was    
discovered4'    ,girard had his desire1 
,miss ,cadire humbly submitted to       
discipline1 and  the scene which        
followed we must leave the reader to    
imagine4      ,the ,knout applied to an 
,empress4    ,when the ,empress ,eudoxia
 was sentenced by her husband1 ,peter   
the ,great1  to undergo the punishment  
of the knout on a charge of infidelity1 
she no sooner saw the dreadful apparatus
 than1 to avoid torture1 she  readily   

confessed every species of criminality  
they were inclined to  lay to her       
charge4 ,she owned every amorous        
intrigue with which she was  accused1   
and of which1 to all appearance1 till   
that horrible moment1  she never had the
 least idea4 ,she was however condemned 
to undergo the  discipline1 which was   
administered by two ecclesiastics in    
full chapter4      ,the ,king of ,fiji  
and his ,wives4    ,in a recent work on 
,fiji and the ,fijians there is a       
graphic account of  the marriage        
ceremony or contract as observed in this
 savage region4  ,the misery of the     
woman begins directly after the         
ceremony4 ,if she be  young and pretty  
the old big-fisted wives turn their     
venom against her  and do all they can1 
by mauling and ill-treatment1 to render 
her as  unsightly as themselves4 ,if she
 be of the brawny sort1 as well able  to
 give as to take a thrashing1 then she  
is hated1 and all sorts of  secret means
 are used to work her ruin4 ,as may be  

easily imagined1  these domestic brawls 
occasionally interfere with the peace of
 the  lord of the establishment4 ,what  
does the despotic husband do in such a  
case8 ,does he go out and reason with   
the rowdies8 ,does he use gentle        
persuasion8 ,does he6 ,he has by him a  
stout stick kept for the purpose1  and  
he lays about him till order is         
restored4    ,the staff used by the king
 for this purpose was inlaid with ivory1
 but  did not on that account give less 
pain4      ,punishment of the ,knout in 
,russia4    ,olearius gives a           
description of the manner in which he   
saw the knout  inflicted on eight men   
and one woman1 only for selling brandy  
and  tobacco without a licence4 ,the    
executioner's man1 after stripping them 
to the waist1 tied their feet and took  
one at a time on his back4 ,the         
executioner stood at three paces        
distance with a large pizzle1 to the    
end of which were fastened three        
raw-hide thongs4 ,blood flowed at every 

blow4    ,after their backs were thus   
terribly mangled1 they were whipped     
through  the city of ,petersburg for    
about a mile and a half1 and then       
dismissed4      ,wife ,beating4    ,the 
wife of an old negro on the neighbouring
 estate of ,anchovy had  lately forsaken
 him for a younger lover4 ,one night    
when she happened to  be alone1 the     
incensed husband entered her hut        
unexpectedly1 abused her  with all the  
rage of jealousy1 and demanded the      
clothes to be restored  which he had    
previously given her4 ,on her refusal he
 drew a knife1 and  threatened to cut   
them off her back2 nor could she        
persuade him to  depart until she had   
received a severe beating4              
,monk ,lewis's ,journal4      ,the      
,flagellating ,monks and the ,bear4     
,at ,lent time1 when religious          
fraternities are accustomed to inflict  
on  themselves certain discipline1 there
 was in a certain ,italian city a       
confraternity of ,penitents4 ,a         

pastry-cook in the same city had a tame 
bear which ran about the streets1 doing 
no harm to anyone4 ,wandering  about one
 evening1 it found its way into the     
chapel 7the door of which  was open71   
coiled itself up in a corner and went to
 sleep4 ,when the  penitents were all   
assembled1 the door was locked1 and     
after a short  exhortation from the     
altar1 they spread themselves about the 
chapel4  ,the light was hidden behind a 
pillar2 the most zealous commenced by   
inflicting punishment on themselves1 an 
example that was soon followed4  ,the   
noise woke up the bear who1 in trying to
 make his way out1 stumbled  against the
 penitents who1 with their breeches     
down1 were inflicting  castigations4    
,the bear felt with his paw to find what
 it was2 from one behind he  passed on  
quietly to another2 and the penitents in
 their fear began  to think it was the  
devil who had come there to disturb them
 in their  devotions4 ,their suspicions 
became a certainty1 when the bear       

passing  by the pillar where the light  
was1 they saw his shadow on the wall4   
,it was who could get to the door first6
 ,and to this day nothing would         
convince these worthy disciplinarians   
that they had not received a  visit from
 the arch fiend in person4      ,a      
,conjugal ,scene4    #8,let you go1 my  
angel6 ,what1 just as ,i have recovered 
my lost treasure6  ,no1 let them come in
 and see how naughty children are       
punished when  they rebel against lawful
 authority4'    ,so saying1 he came     
tripping across the room and flung the  
door open1  admitting into a somewhat   
odd scene4 ,fifine was tied across a    
heavy  chair in the middle of the room1 
crying as if her heart would break1  her
 clothes turned up with the utmost      
precision1 while the ugliest old  man ,i
 ever saw was administering a whipping1 
which had already been  severe1 judging 
from the state of her hips and her      
tear-stained swollen  face4             
#8,pardon1 ladies1' he said with an     

odious leer4 #8,shall not a man do what 
he likes with his own8 ,this lady is my 
runaway wife1 my chattel1 my  goods3 and
 who shall forbid my chastising her when
 ,i find her8'                          
,merry ,order of ,st4 ,bridget4         
,fanciful ,flogging4    ,she got hold of
 a book out of the library about the    
feminine customs of  ,rome1 and she     
resolved to make me attend upon her     
toilet as the slaves  of ,roman ladies  
did4 ,so she looked up a short tunic    
which was among  the fancy dresses1 and 
the next morning she made me go and     
strip1 and  come back to her with       
nothing on but this garment1 which was  
just like  a sack1 with short sleeves   
only1 of soft white merino trimmed with 
red  satin4 ,it did not come to my      
knees1 and my legs and feet were bare   
except for a pair of red sandals4       
#8,now take care what you are about1    
,perkins1' she said4 #8,i am going to   
deal with you exactly as the ladies in  
,rome dealt with their slaves4'         

#8,but ,i am not a slave1 my lady1' ,i  
said1 pertinently enough1 ,i dare  say1 
for ,i felt angry4 #8,there are no      
slaves here4'    #8,you are mine as long
 as you are in this room1' she replied4 
#8,when my  toilet is sufficiently      
completed ,i shall punish you for that  
speech4'  ,she made me bathe her and    
dress her hair1 and then before she put 
on  her stays she said quite calmly3    
#8,bring the rod4' ,i brought it1 and   
she  made me kiss her and beg her pardon
 for what ,i had said2 and then ,i      
knelt on the couch1 and she whipped me  
till she was tired--and ,i1 well1  ,i   
did not get over it for a long time4    
,merry ,order4      ,revelations of     
,boarding-,school ,practices4    ,at the
 age of seventeen ,i was sent to a      
boarding-school near ,exeter4  ,i was   
sent there owing to the influence of my 
aunt1 who was always  praising this     
establishment up to mamma1 and strongly 
recommending it  as a finishing academy 
for young ladies4 ,my aunt was a maiden 

lady of  forty1 a fine1 tall1 buxom     
woman4    ,neither myself nor my mamma  
ever thought she was an advocate of the 
rod1 and liked administering1 and seeing
 it administered4 ,it turned out        
afterwards1 as the narrative will show1 
that she was really in league  with the 
schoolmistress1 and would frequently    
call at the establishment  and indulge  
herself in her favourite pastime1 for   
which she no doubt  paid large sums     
yearly1 being a strong and fervent      
advocate of corporal  chastisement1 at  
times an unseen observer and with some  
of the elder  young ladies being the    
operator4 ,in all there were twenty-four
 young  ladies in this fashionable      
establishment1 their ages varying from  
twelve to nineteen4 ,i was as tall1     
finely-shaped1 and handsome as any      
young lady in the school1 and no doubt  
when mamma gave her consent to  my      
leaving home1 my aunt thought there was 
a great treat in store for  her4    ,a  
few days after arriving1 ,i soon found  

out what sort of lady principal  ,i had 
to contend with1 and her assistants were
 not much better4 ,the  first sample ,i 
saw her administer to one of her pupils 
was after ,i had  been there four days4 
,a young lady about fifteen had         
committed some  trifling error1 for     
which madam told her in plain terms that
 she should  give her a good whipping   
when class was over1 and this she did   
and  in front of the whole school4 ,she 
was taken by the arms and legs by  two  
of the assistant teachers1 and thrown   
face downwards over a desk  sloping each
 way and firmly held there4 ,madam then 
approached with a  flat piece of wood   
about an inch and a half in thickness   
and shaped  like a hair-brush1 but much 
bigger4 ,after addressing a few words of
  advice to us and admonishing the      
culprit1 she took hold of her garments  
at the bottom1 then without any further 
to do she lifted the spanker1  as this  
piece of wood was called by my school   
fellows1 and inflicted  a tremendous    

spank on the girl4 ,a loud yell         
followed1 and a strong  effort to free  
herself from the grasp of her           
tormentors1 but all of no  avail1 for   
they1 no doubt owing to their previous  
experience1 could  hold a young lady in 
any position4 ,she received about a     
dozen stripes  before she was released4 
,we had a system of making so many      
marks1 and if any young lady had not    
made so many by the end of the week she 
was sure to receive a whipping4  ,i have
 known as many as seven young ladies    
whipped on a ,saturday4 ,it  was at     
these whippings that my aunt and her    
friends were present as  unseen         
spectators1 through the medium of small 
glass panels let in the  door of a      
nearby closet4    ,during my two years  
at this establishment ,i was whipped    
several times4  ,i shall never forget my
 last experience4 ,i think the lady     
principal  had made up her mind that ,i 
should be flogged on the ,saturday1 for 
at  the early part of the week1 however 

well ,i did my lessons1 fault was  found
 with me1 and ,i got careless towards   
the end4 ,on ,saturday ,i found  my name
 on the ,black ,list1 as it was called4 
,i was number three on the  list1 my two
 schoolfellows1 both girls about        
fourteen1 had gone in and  received     
their portion and1 as usual1 had been   
dismissed to bed4 ,i was  then ordered  
in4 ,i need not tell you that ,i entered
 the room trembling  from head to foot4 
,madam called me by my ,christian name1 
and informed  me she was very sorry to  
have to inflict punishment on such a big
 girl1  but the rules of the school must
 be enforced1 winding up by ordering  me
 to prepare for punishment4 ,i dropped  
on my knees and begged her to  take into
 consideration my age and size2 in fact 
,i hardly remember what  ,i did say4    
,she was inexorable and1 with a smile on
 her face1 ordered  me to obey1 or she  
would have to call assistance and my    
punishment  would be much more severe4  
,i made some remark1 when she seized me 

by my  beautiful long hair and beat me  
about my ears1 head1 cheeks and arms    
with the birch1 until ,i was compelled  
to give in and promise obedience  in    
future4    ,soon after1 ,i found means  
to send a letter to my mamma1 informing 
her  of the circumstances related above4
 ,she accordingly took steps for my     
early removal1 and ,i was soon          
afterwards married1 but my mamma and    
aunt  have never been friends or spoken 
to each other since4      ,flogging at  
,sea4    ,however the arbitrary         
disposition and impetuous temper of     
,governor  ,wall may have been          
attenuated by years and reflection1 the 
following  anecdote1 which the writer   
had from an eye-witness1 has served to  
show  that ,wall1 in the infancy of his 
appointment1 evinced a species of       
vigour competent to defer mutiny1 even  
in a part more desperate than  ,goree4  
,this garrison1 so desperate in name1   
was every way orderly1  and during the  
kind and humane command of ,capt4 ,lacy1

 flogging was  abolished altogether on  
the remonstrance of the surgeon4        
,stopping their  grog was found more    
than sufficient to check all            
irregularities4    ,amongst the recruits
 consigned to his command on his passage
 outwards1  was an unfortunate man named
 ,green1 who formerly kept a hatshop in 
,london and who1 under a conviction for 
some crime1 was sentenced to  fourteen  
years transportation4 ,his wife1 an     
amiable but heartbroken  woman1 was     
permitted to accompany him on the       
voyage4    ,shortly after the vessel had
 sailed from the ,downs1 symptoms of    
mutiny  were discovered among the       
convicts4 ,several had sawn off their   
irons1  and ,green was charged1 not with
 any act of mutiny1 but with furnishing 
the convicts with money to procure the  
implements for taking off  their irons4 
,the unfortunate man stated in his      
vindication that he  had only lent some 
of the men a few shillings to take some 
sheets and  other necessaries out of    

pawn4 ,but his defence would not do4 ,he
 was  brought to the gangway by order of
 the ,governor1 and without any trial   
was flogged with a boatswain's cat until
 his bones were denuded of  flesh4 ,but 
the unfortunate man never uttered a     
groan4 ,the ,governor1  who             
superintended the punishment1 swore he  
would conquer the rascal's  stubbornness
 and make him cry out1 or whip his guts 
out4 ,the surgeon  remonstrated on the  
danger of the man's death1 but in vain4 
,ensign  ,wall1 the ,governor's brother1
 a humane young man1 begged on his knees
  that the flogging should cease1 but   
also in vain2 and his importunity  only 
served to provoke a threat of having him
 arrested4 ,he then  entreated the      
unfortunate ,green to cry out and save  
himself4 ,but the  unhappy man said it  
was now too late1 as he felt himself    
dying and  unable to cry out2 that he   
had not avoided it from stubbornness1   
but  concealed his pangs lest his       
wretched wife1 who was down below and   

knew  nothing of his situation1 should  
hear his cries and die with anguish4    
,the flogging was continued until the   
convulsions of his bowels appeared      
through his lacerated loins1 when he    
fainted away and was consigned to  the  
surgeon1 who appeared at the trial4     
,this event stamped a melancholy horror 
on the mind of the ,governor's  brother 
that was not abated during the voyage4  
,on his arrival at ,goree  he was seized
 with a raging fever1 in which he died1 
expressing horror  and execration at the
 cruelty of his brother1 whom he would  
not permit  to come within his sight1   
and who was subsequently tried and      
sentenced4      ,the ,whipping ,widow4  
,it is not so very long ago when there  
suddenly appeared in society a  rich1 or
 apparently rich1 widow1 ,mrs4 ,w4444   
,she lived in good style1  kept her     
carriage1 and had a fine house and      
plenty of well-trained  servants4 ,no   
one knew the source of her wealth1 but  
she rapidly became  popular in the best 

society1 and by her dashing manner and  
splendid  appearance won for herself an 
eminent position in the fashionable     
world4    ,like many fine ladies she    
cherished a secret passion for the rod1 
and  odd stories began to circulate     
through the medium of the maids1 of the 
way she used it on herself and them1 and
 report says she was accustomed  to use 
the rod upon her late husband very      
freely4 ,after his death1 she  became   
acquainted with a young student who used
 to visit her home on  pretence of      
giving lessons1 but in reality it was to
 receive a good  whipping from her      
hands4      ,miraculous ,cure by the    
,birch4    ,father ,nicolo of ,narni was
 a celebrated preacher with a quick eye1
 when  in the pulpit1 over the female   
part of his flock4    ,he was one day   
preaching at ,catanea1 in ,sicily1 when 
amongst the rest  of his auditory he    
spied out a very agreeable young woman  
named ,agatha1  wife of one ,ruggieri1 a
 physician1 and was immediately         

enamoured with  her beauty4 ,the lady   
was so devout as to have her eyes       
constantly  fixed on the preacher1 and  
could not help perceiving that he was   
handsome1 nor wishing secretly that her 
husband were no less agreeable4  ,after 
sermon she addressed herself for        
confession to ,father ,nicolo who  was  
overjoyed at this lucky opportunity of  
discovering his passion4  ,agatha had   
soon despatched the account of her own  
sins2 after which she  very generously  
confessed for her husband too1 and asked
 the holy man  if he had no cure for an 
old man's jealousy4 ,the ,father replied
 that  jealousy was a passion to be     
avoided by the lucky person who         
possessed  so divine a creature4 ,agatha
 smiled1 and thinking it time to return 
to some female friends who were waiting 
for her1 desired absolution4  ,the      
priest sighed1 and said3 #8,my fair     
daughter1 who can free another  that is 
bound himself8 ,i am chained by the     
irresistible power of your  beauty1 and 

without your assistance ,i can neither  
absolve myself nor  you4'    ,agatha was
 young and inexperienced1 yet by the    
help of a good natural  understanding   
she was not at a loss to unravel his    
meaning4 ,she had  besides1 to quicken  
her wit1 been strictly guarded and      
ill-used by her  husband4 ,she therefore
 soon let the ,father see that she      
understood  him1 and that she was not   
displeased to find1 notwithstanding the 
sanctity of his character1 that he was  
flesh and blood4 ,the business  of      
absolution was not forgotten3 ,father   
,nicolo urged his passion and1  at his  
earnest request1 the lady undertook to  
find means for him to  pay her a visit4 
,after a short time she acquainted him1 
to this end1  that she was troubled with
 fits1 and that all the medicines her   
husband  could administer procured her  
no ease2 therefore1 said she1 the next  
time he is sent for into the country1 ,i
 will feign myself seized with  my usual
 distemper1 and send to you to bring    

some relic of ,st4 ,griffon  for my     
relief4 ,you will1 ,i suppose1 comply   
with the summons1 and one  of my        
faithful maids shall be ready to conduct
 you to my chamber4 ,the  ,father       
applauded her wit1 pronounced a thousand
 blessings on her for  this happy       
invention1 and thus they parted4        
,honest ,ruggieri1 who dreamt nothing of
 what had passed1 went very  opportunely
 out of town the next morning4 ,the lady
 was immediately  seized with a terrible
 fit1 and in the midst of her           
attendants1 who  were officious in      
helping her1 frequently called on the   
name of ,st4  ,griffon for assistance4  
,the crafty confidant that stood by1 and
 who  was instructed with the secret1   
took the hint and pressed her to send   
for the relics of that saint which1 she 
said1 were famous for their  miraculous 
virtue and wonderful cures4 ,the        
mistress1 who seemed scarce  able to    
speak1 bid her do as she thought fit4   
,father ,nicolo presently  had notice1  

and obeyed the summons with the utmost  
expedition4    ,the priest arrived and  
followed his guide1 entering the room   
where  the afflicted lady lay1 and      
drawing near to the bed with a becoming 
gravity4 ,agatha received him with      
profound reverence and begged the       
charity of his prayers4 ,he exhorted her
 to prepare herself that she  might be  
qualified to receive the benefit of the 
sacred relics and  birch he had brought2
 in order to which1 said he1 it is first
 necessary  that with a contrite heart  
you confess1 that your soul being       
healed1  your body may be more easily   
cured4 ,the lady said she desired       
nothing  more1 and this was a signal to 
the others in the room to depart1 which 
they did1 leaving the lovers to their   
private devotions4    ,the good ,father 
had not long applied the birch and other
 relics of  ,st4 ,griffon for the       
recovery of the devout ,agatha1 when    
,ruggieri was  discovered at the        
entrance of the street1 back sooner than

 he was  desired or expected4 ,the      
lovers were immediately alarmed1 and the
 holy  friar leaped upon the floor in   
such a funk that he forgot to take his  
breeches1 which he had thrown at the    
bed's head1 as being unnecessary  on    
that solemn occasion4    ,the wench who 
was in the secret opened the door and   
cried out that by  the favour of ,heaven
 and ,st4 ,griffon her lady was almost  
recovered1  and called in the rest of   
the attendants4 ,ruggieri arrived at the
 same  instant1 but was not well pleased
 to observe that a friar had found the  
way to his house2 nor was he less       
disturbed at this new illness of his    
wife4 ,agatha perceived his disorder by 
the change of his countenance1  and     
immediately told him that she had been  
infinitely obliged to that  holy        
,father1 by whose prayers1 together with
 the application of the  ,saint's rod1  
she had been snatched from the grave4   
,the good man was  delighted to hear it 
was no worse and1 correcting himself in 

his own  thoughts for his former        
suspicions1 very heartily thanked the   
friar  who1 after some pious discourse1 
was glad to withdraw4    ,father ,nicolo
 was not gone far before he was         
recovered out of his  fright1 and at the
 same time perceived he had left his    
breeches behind  him4 ,this put him into
 a new concern2 he dared not go back1   
but  comforted himself as well as he    
could in the hope that ,agatha or her   
maid would find them first and take care
 to prevent further mischief4  ,ruggieri
 was now sitting on the bedside by his  
wife and saying a  thousand kind things 
to her when1 unluckily putting his hand 
to adjust  the pillow under her head1 he
 had hold on one of the strings and drew
  out the breeches4 ,this threw him into
 a worse fit than any his wife  had had2
 he stormed like a madman1 and asked how
 this appurtenance of  the friar came   
there4 ,agatha1 who had all her wits    
awakened by her  new amour1 replied     
without the least hesitation that it was

 what she  had told him of4 ,it is to   
this1 said she1 ,i owe my cure4 ,this is
 the  miraculous garment of ,st4        
,griffon which the ,holy ,father        
brought1 and  he has left it here for my
 greater security till the evening1 at  
which  time he will send for it1 or     
fetch it himself4    ,poor ,ruggieri1   
hearing so ready and unexpected an      
answer1 believed1  or pretended to      
believe her1 and retired4 ,the trusty   
wench was now  despatched on a new      
errand1 to desire the ,father to send   
for his  relics4 ,she understood her    
business1 and acquainted ,nicolo with   
all  that had passed4 ,the friar1       
pressed by the necessity of the case1   
went  to the warden of the house and1   
confessing the whole intrigue1 begged   
him to help him4 ,the warden sharply    
reproved him for his negligence and     
said there was no time to be lost1 and  
something must be thought of to  save   
the reputation of the ,order4 ,he       
therefore caused the chapter bell  to be

 rung and1 the friars being all         
assembled1 he informed them that  heaven
 had that day wrought a most remarkable 
miracle by virtue of ,st4  ,griffon's   
birch and breeches1 in the house of     
,ruggieri the physician4  ,in short1 he 
related to them the particulars and     
persuaded them to go  and fetch back the
 holy garments1 in solemn procession4   
,the friars were now drawn up in order1 
and1 with a cross carried before  them  
and the warden at their head holding the
 tabernacle of the altar  in his hand1  
marched two and two in profound silence 
to ,ruggieri's  house4 ,the doctor met  
them at the door and asked the reason of
 their  solemn visit4 ,the warden told  
him they were obliged by the rules of   
their order to send their relics        
privately to such distressed persons  as
 desired the use of them2 that if       
through the sins of the patient the     
relics had no effect1 they were to fetch
 them as privately back2 but  when a    
manifest miracle is wrought1 they were  

to bring them home with  decent         
ceremony1 to publish the miracle1 and   
finally to record it in  their register4
 ,ruggieri now understood their business
 and expressed  himself overjoyed at the
 honour which was done him4 ,he told the
 ,fathers  they were all welcome and1   
desiring the warden and ,nicolo to      
follow  him1 he led them to his wife's  
chamber4    ,the good lady1 who1 it may 
be supposed1 was not asleep at this     
juncture1 held the breeches in her hand1
 bound decently up in a  perfumed       
napkin1 which the warden having opened1 
kissed them with  profound reverence2   
and having caused them to be kissed in  
like manner  by all who were in the     
room1 he put them in the tabernacle he  
had  brought for that purpose1 and gave 
the signal to his fraternity to  return 
in the same order4    ,the ,fathers set 
forth in greater solemnity than before  
and1 singing an  anthem1 marched round  
the city accompanied by a great crowd1  
and then  placing the relic on the altar

 of their chapel1 left it there as an   
object of devotion4 ,ruggieri was       
zealous in promoting reverence for the  
,order1 and wherever he went he told of 
the miracle of the birch and  breeches  
of ,st4 ,griffon4      ,a ,boy ,whipped 
for ,destroying ,women's ,apparel with  
,aquafortis4    ,until severe examples  
were made of the actors in this kind of 
frolic  and fun1 females often found    
their clothes drop to tatters1 and such 
as restricted themselves to mere muslin 
and chemise were frequently  dreadfully 
burnt in a way invisible and almost     
unaccountable4 ,a set  of urchins1      
neither men nor boys1 by way of a high  
game1 procured  aquafortis1 vitriol1 and
 other corrosive fluids1 and filling    
therewith  a syringe or bottle1 would   
sally forth to give the girls a squirt4 
,of  this mischievous description we    
find ,edward ,beazley1 who was convicted
  of this unpardonable offence at the   
,old ,bailey1 the #aath of ,march1      
#ahaa4 ,he was indicted for wilfully and

 maliciously injuring and  destroying   
the apparel of ,anne ,parker1 by        
feloniously throwing upon the  same a   
certain poisonous substance called      
aquafortis1 whereby the same  was so    
injured as to be rendered useless4 ,he  
was also charged on two  other          
indictments for the like offence1 on two
 other women4    ,it appears that the   
prisoner1 a boy of thirteen1 took it    
into his head  to sally into ,fleet ,st4
 on the night of ,sat4 ,feb4 #af1 and   
there threw  the same upon the clothes  
of several of the ,cyprians who parade  
up  and down there4 ,he was caught1     
carried before the magistrate at the    
,guildhall1 and fully committed on three
 charges4    ,three ladies appeared and 
proved the facts1 and the boy was found 
guilty4    ,his master1 ,mr4 ,blades of 
,ludgate ,hill1 gave him a good         
character2 he  never knew anything wrong
 of him before1 but admitted he had     
access  to the chemicals4 ,the court    
having a discretionary power1 instead of

  transporting him for seven years1 only
 ordered him to be well whipped  in the 
jail and returned to his friends4       
,ill-,treatment of ,female ,pupils4     
,we frequently hear of the low-bred and 
licentious of our sex  ill-treating     
young helpless females2 but to find a   
minister of the  gospel convicted of so 
base and unmanly an assault is a scandal
 to his  office1 and an aggravated      
disgrace to human nature4    ,this      
abhorred man1 a clergyman and           
schoolmaster at ,newton near            
,manchester1 was brought up to receive  
the judgment of the ,king's ,bench  at  
,westminster1 in consequence of having  
been convicted at the last  ,lancashire 
,assizes on two indictments for         
assaulting and whipping ,mary  ,ann     
,gillicrand and ,mary ,barlow1 his      
scholars4    ,the defendant delivered in
 the affidavits of several females who  
had  been his scholars in their youth1  
declaring upon oath that they never  saw
 him take the slightest liberty with his

 pupils in an improper way1  or whip    
them severely1 and that they thought him
 a fit person to be  intrusted with the 
instruction of youth4    ,mr4 ,scarlett 
addressed the court in mitigation4 ,the 
punishment1 he  said1 that the court    
would feel it due to justice to inflict 
would be  of little additional          
consequence to the defendant as his ruin
 was  already consummated2 but he had a 
wife and six children who had been      
virtuously bred and educated1 and it was
 on their account he implored  the court
 not to inflict a punishment on the     
defendant which would  render him       
infamous4    ,serjeant ,cockell said it 
was not his wish to bruise the bended   
reed1  yet it was necessary that an     
example should be made of the defendant4
  ,he was a clergyman and a teacher of  
youth2 and the prosecutors1 who had     
acted from the most laudable motives1   
had abundant reasons for what  they had 
done4 ,they felt themselves irresistibly
 called upon to check  the practices    

imputed to the defendant1 and which     
there was too much  reason for believing
 he had indulged in for a considerable  
time past4    ,mr4 ,justice ,grose1 in  
passing sentence1 addressed the         
defendant to the  following effect3     
#8,you have been convicted of an assault
 on a child of  very tender years2 the  
narrative of your conduct is horrible to
 hear1  and horrible to reflect         
upon--the aggravations of your offence1 
,i am  sorry to say1 are                
multifarious--the object of your        
brutality was a child  committed to your
 care1 and you are a teacher1 a man grey
 in years and  possessing a large       
family4 ,in looking to the class of     
misdemeanours1 ,i  know of none so      
horrible as the one of which you have   
been convicted4  ,of your guilt it is   
impossible to doubt1 and ,i am shocked  
to see a  clergyman standing to receive 
sentence for such an offence4' ,the     
accused was sentenced to three years    
imprisonment4      ,flogging with a     

,frying-pan4    ,at the ,woolwich       
,police court1 ,dec4 #bith #ahhb1 an    
elderly man named  ,james ,bone was     
charged on a summons before ,mr4        
,mersham with assaulting  ,margaret     
,chapman4    ,the complainant1 a widow1 
said that the defendant engaged her to  
go to  his house in ,nun ,st41          
,woolwich1 and do a day's washing4      
,there was no  other person in the      
house1 and the defendant told her he had
 turned his  wife out of doors4 ,about  
midday he gave her a glass of spirits   
which  took such effect that she did not
 remember whether she had any more or   
not4 ,she remembered no more until the  
evening1 when she found herself  lying  
undressed upon the floor1 and the       
defendant pouring water over  her from a
 pail4 ,he had stripped her of          
everything and beaten her with  some    
weapon about the body until she was     
covered with bruises from head  to foot4
 ,as soon as she recovered sufficiently 
she ran out of the house  to escape from

 his violence1 and some women got       
clothing for her4    ,defendant said he 
gave the woman a glass of stout with her
 lunch1 and  afterwards a glass of      
brandy4 ,he went out in the afternoon1  
and when  he returned1 he found that she
 had drunk a pint of rum and was in a   
shocking state of intoxication4 ,she    
stripped herself and tried to go  to    
bed1 but fell helpless on the floor1 and
 he then bathed her with  cold water1   
spoiling his new carpet1 and also tried 
to bring her to  her senses by flogging 
her with the hot frying-pan4 ,he did not
 deny  causing her bruises1 for he hit  
her perhaps a hundred times1 and if she 
had not been so heavy he would have     
thrown her out of the window4 ,he  tied 
a rope round her feet1 but could not    
drag her out of the room and1  after    
giving her some more water1 she got up  
and walked into the street  just as she 
was4 ,he was so disgusted that if he    
could have got a gun he  would have shot
 her4 ,all that he could do was to send 

for a cab and  get her away4    ,mrs4   
,c4 ,limey said that she had occasion to
 go to the house on  business1 and the  
defendant showed her the complainant    
lying stripped  upon the carpet4 ,she   
got up on hearing a woman's voice and   
ran into the  street4 ,there were       
several weals upon her body1 and her    
clothes had  evidently been torn from   
her with violence4    ,the prisoner was 
remanded in custody for a week4         
,extract from #8,the ,revelations of    
,birchington ,grange4'    ,asking for a 
good birch rod1 the ,colonel says he    
will show them the  way a real expert   
would use it1 whisking the birch about  
so that the  trembling victim can hear  
it hissing through the air4    ,the     
,colonel continues3 #8,now the real art 
of birching consists1 of  course1 in    
inflicting the greatest amount of       
humiliation and suffering1  but without 
in reality doing serious damage2 we have
 to consider  how so to apply the rod as
 to effect some radical moral good in   

the  disposition and mind of the        
culprit2 how to make them feel the  very
 dregs as it were of humiliation1       
degradation1 and every kind  of         
mortification4 ,it is a curious fact    
that it sends the blood of a  sensitive 
modest girl in impulsive rushes         
7especially to the face and  neck7 in   
the form of scarlet blushes1 which pass 
over those parts in  continuous waves1  
corresponding to each stroke of the rod2
 this is a  curious psychological fact1 
which is puzzling even to anatomists4'  
,letter from ,mrs4 ,martinet on ,slipper
 ,punishment4    ,a slipper is a        
splendid thing to slap with1 as it has  
such a stinging  effect without cutting 
the skin1 like a regular birchrod4    ,i
 should not write so fully as ,i do1 but
 knowing you to be an amateur1  and     
consequently interested in every        
incident of punishment1 it gives  a kind
 of freedom to my pen1 as ,i know you   
can be depended on not to  abuse my     
confidence4    ,my special penchant used

 to be for a good stinging bunch of real
 birch  twigs1 and ,i still think that  
is far the best thing to use for big    
girls over thirteen1 but for little     
delicate chits under that age1  there is
 nothing answers so well as a nice new  
slipper4 ,a proficient  disciplinarian  
would first give the delinquent a short 
lecture on the  nature of her offence1  
then firmly insist upon the culprit     
herself  fetching the instrument of     
punishment3 to my idea1 there is more   
shame  and humiliation at having to     
bring the slipper to be flogged1 than   
fear  of the smart1 which is always     
worse in imagination than fact4    ,a   
skilful flagellatrix will always prolong
 these sensations1 as they  effect as   
much good as the application of the     
slipper4      ,flogging and ,cruelty in 
a ,glasgow ,industrial ,school4    ,a   
case not unlike what has just been      
brought to light in ,london is  reported
 in connection with the ,glasgow ,girls'
 ,industrial ,school4  ,the charges     

against the matron consist of acts of   
cruelty when  administering punishment  
to the girls4 ,here is part of an       
account  given in a ,glasgow paper of an
 interview with the matron regarding her
  treatment of a girl who had absconded 
from the institution4 ,the girl  was    
taken into the laundry with only her    
chemise and a petticoat on1  and held by
 two girls while she flogged her with a 
taws4 ,she knows that  the girl's       
garments got twisted in the struggle1   
but cannot remember  whether they all   
came off or not4 ,she is sure the girl  
did not receive  more than twelve       
strokes1 very likely not so many4 ,after
 flogging the  girl she went to her own 
room1 she was so excited1 leaving       
instructions  to have the girl put under
 the spray-bath to cool her down4 ,after
  whipping the girls she gave them the  
spray to revive them4 ,then a  mattress 
was taken into the surgery and the girl 
was put in there4 ,that  very night she 
visited her in the surgery1 and told her

 she had only  punished her for her     
good4 ,she taught her a little prayer1  
and then  she prayed with her4 ,the     
interview goes on to say3 #8,you did not
 enter  the punishment in the records8' 
#8,no1 for the girl had never been in   
the schoolroom1 and the punishment did  
not form part of the ordinary           
discipline of the school4' #8,you       
consider that the punishment requisite  
to break a girl in should not be        
entered8' #8,well1 ,i go upon precedent4
  ,i was assistant to the former matron1
 and in a case where a girl was         
punished under similar circumstances it 
was not entered in the book4'    ,the   
matron mentioned above is also reported 
by the same girl to have  confessed to  
stripping a girl naked before whipping  
her4 ,this lady who  was assistant      
matron1 said she knew nothing about the 
rules4 ,one of  the teachers who has    
since left the institution said she did 
so out of  disgust at the way it was    
conducted1 and the cruelty practised in 

the  punishment of the inmates4 ,the    
resignation of the matron was accepted  
by the committee of management4         
,the ,convent ,school4    ,the          
,superior1 with whom ,olive had been a  
favourite1 now vented her  spite in     
every direction amongst the young lady  
pupils of the seminary1  and ,i1 for    
one1 soon fell under her displeasure and
 was ordered to  be tied to the         
whipping-post4 ,it was only for slightly
 oversleeping  myself1 and not dressing 
quickly when the bell rang for us to get
 up  at #f a4m4 ,i was suspended by my  
wrist1 being tied high up on the post1  
as ,i stood on a footstool1 when it was 
suddenly kicked away1 the jerk  of the  
sudden strain on my wrists almost making
 the straps cut into  the flesh4 ,my    
feet were dangling some inches from the 
floor4 #8,oh6 oh6  ah-r-r-re6' ,i       
screamed4 #8,how cruel6 ,oh6 papa6 papa6
 if you only knew  how they treated us  
in this awful place6'    ,the ,lady     
,superior1 who seemed delighted at my   

pain1 said3 #8,hold your  foolish       
tongue2 wait till you have something to 
scream about1 girl4'  ,then old ,serena 
who1 it seemed1 was always in attendance
 at punishment  time1 pinned up my      
skirts1 and the ,superior went on3      
#8,this rod shall  make all the         
sluggards turn out quicker in the       
morning4 ,what do you  mean1 ,miss1 by  
making us all wait prayers for ten      
minutes8 ,will you  wake up sharper in  
future8'    ,she then gave me several   
sharp cuts with the rod4 ,my screams    
were  heartrending1 but they only seemed
 to enjoy it more and more1 and the     
,superior never ended her objurgations  
till the rod was worn out4      ,the    
,woman in ,white4    ,mme4 ,hauteville  
made a very pretty toilette for the     
occasion--she was  all in white3 in the 
costume of a novice when she takes the  
veil4  ,the dress had been considerably 
modified1 as being too flowing for  the 
occasion1 but it was all white silk and 
lace3 and a lovely little  angel she    

looked when it was complete4 ,from head 
to foot she had  nothing on that was not
 pure white2 white satin shoes with     
diamonds  sparkling on the rosettes2    
white silk stockings1 gartered above her
  round knees with white velvet garters2
 white petticoats--one of the  finest   
flannel--embroidered with lilies1 and   
one of soft lawn1 with a  lace flounce4 
,her robe was silk--the soft noiseless  
sort that does not  rustle--richly      
trimmed with costly lace1 and over her  
head she had a  square veil4 ,she had   
her maid in to assist at her toilette   
and fasten  her garters and shoes4      
,madame submitted to be blindfolded with
 a very  good grace1 though she tried   
hard to get us to tell her what was     
going  to be done2 she had such pretty  
coaxing ways that it was hard to resist 
her2 but we did1 and she went in quite  
unprepared4    ,we led her slowly up the
 room1 and at the first stroke of the   
rod  nearest the door1 she winced but   
did not cry out2 the next blow she      

received was a stinging one from a      
slipper my lady held in her hand  7she  
knows how to strike with a shoe1 ,i can 
tell you71 and she gave  a little scream
 and a jump4 #8,oh6 what is it8' she    
asked between her  teeth2 but the next  
stroke1 a fair open-handed slap from    
,mrs4 ,d--'s fat  hand made her fairly  
shriek out and twist out of her grasp on
 to the  floor4 ,it was a slap1 and rang
 out even above the laughter of the     
ladies1 leaving a broad red mark on the 
white firm flesh of the little  lady4   
,home ,scenes4    ,mrs4 ,eden was       
brought up in a convent4 ,her parents   
were ,roman ,catholics  and1 having no  
daughter but her1 they were desirous of 
bestowing upon  her every               
accomplishment1 and foolishly imagined a
 convent education  far superior to any 
this country could boast of4 ,there she 
lived till  she was twenty-five1 when   
her father died1 and she found herself  
in  possession of twenty-five thousand  
pounds4 ,at the importunities of a  fond

 mother1 who went to see her every year1
 she visited ,england and1  being a girl
 of good fortune1 it is not to be       
wondered at that she had  a crowd of    
admirers4 ,in her visits she was very   
much taken with that  part of a         
widower's family generally found most   
disagreeable1 at least  to young        
ladies--,i mean his children4 ,she      
observed they were indulged  by a weak  
father in everything1 and were          
consequently very disobedient  and      
unruly4 ,upon this gentleman1 though    
verging on forty1 she fixed her         
affections1 and being a woman of        
ungovernable spirit1 she was happy  to  
find him an easy pusillanimous creature4
 ,the match was scarcely  mentioned when
 it was concluded1 and a few days after 
she found herself  at the head of his   
household4 ,she had six little subjects 
to govern1  three of whom were then at  
school1 who were instantly ordered home1
  as she said she would finish their    
education1 which indeed was in her      

power1 for she was a very sensible      
woman2 but that was not her intent      
altogether4 ,it was the boys that were  
ordered from school1 and right  happy   
they were at leaving so irksome a place2
 but they little knew  their stepmother4
 ,as soon as she was married she        
discharged all her  servants and hired a
 set of her own choosing1 and among the 
rest she  took care to engage a ,french 
maid whose disposition she knew would   
just  suit her4    ,mrs4 ,eden was of   
the first order of beauty1 fine turned  
limbs1 good  skin1 fine blue eyes1 and  
when not ruffled by passion was         
certainly  very captivating4 ,if she    
stepped across the room she displayed   
uncommon  dignity and elegance1 and had 
all the chic of a ,frenchwoman4    ,now 
although she had a passion for flogging1
 yet she was never observed  to take the
 rod in hand without cause4 ,she was    
convinced where there  were such a      
number of children and they             
ungovernable1 many bickerings  would    

arise which would give her an           
opportunity to amuse herself with  the  
rod4 ,the first to give her a chance was
 a boy of seventeen who was  so stupid  
at a lesson she gave him that she       
resolved to try the effects  of         
birching4 ,her maid was ordered to bring
 a rod1 which was no sooner  done than  
she proceeded to use it2 but she found  
the boy too strong  for her4 ,the maid1 
with the assistance of her mistress1    
tied his hands  behind him1 and then    
they found him manageable enough and1   
the woman  holding his legs1 his        
stepmother whipped him till the twigs   
flew about  the room4    ,this was the  
first sample of her severity1 and it    
made such an  impression on the other   
children that they trembled in her      
presence4 ,a  few hours afterwards the  
boy was tearfully complaining of her    
treatment  to his elder sister1 who     
advised him to burn the rod at the first
  opportunity4 ,this was overheard by   
the maid1 who informed her lady  of the 

affair4 ,the young lady was summoned to 
the parlour1 where she  denied the fact1
 was confronted by the maid1 and well   
whipped4    ,illustration               
,,meibomius1 7,j4 ,h41 ,m4,d47 ,a       
,treatise on the ,utility of ,flogging  
in  ,medicine and ,venery2 wherein many 
curious things are plainly set out  and 
elucidated1 for the enjoyment of the    
curious and the delight of the  learned4
 ,faithfully translated from the        
original ,latin4 ,demy #hvo1 cloth4