16 JANUARY 1886, Page 13

BULLYING AT KING'S COLLEGE SCHOOL.

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.")

SIR,—I am glad to see that the flippant and unbecoming tone adopted by Dr. Stokoe at the prize-giving at King's College School on December 23rd, has brought forth the strong and well-merited censure of your correspondent in the Spectator of -January 9th.

Nothing could show a more deplorable want of good feeling than the Head Master's jocose reference to the "young gentle- men of Dr..Blimber's Academy," and his expressed hope that no one would desire to see that "type of young gentleman" repeated. This pleasantry was received with "cheers and iaughter." Perhaps there may be some people who are like myself, weak enough to prefer "that type of young gentleman" to the "roughs and bullies" of King's College School. Bullies who, by a repeated act of cruelty, caused the death of a defence- less child,—a child, whose lips, once sealed by honour, are now sealed for ever by the silence of the grave. A dark shadow rests on King's College School, and it would have been more

• 1 St. Peter, iii.. S. t 2 St. John, I0-11.

manly and more Christian-like of the Head Master to acknow- ledge it in the presence of the boys, rather than make it the subject of most unseemly mirth.

Dr. Stokoe has thereby incurred a very heavy responsibility. May his ill-judged speech produce no evil effects in his own school or that of other Public Schools in the Kingdom.

I know nothing of the Head Master of King's College School, nor of any person connected with it ; but as the "mother of boys," I do protest with all my heart against Dr. Stokoe's con- duct in this matter.

May God protect our little sons from the roughs and bullies whom Dr. Stokoe shields, and may he teach our elder boys that nothing lowers the high standard of young manhood so much as brutal attacks of repeated violence made upon the weak and defenceless, which, whether they end fatally or not, are a dis- grace to the boys who perpetrate them, and a shame to the masters who tolerate—nay, excuse them.—I am, Sir, &c.,

A MornEa.