(TO TRH EDITOR OF THE ' 4 EPROTATOR.1 Sm,—Mr. Bourne, in
his letter to you of last week on the "Monitorial System," strikes at the root of the matter when he says, "The opponents of the system should be prepared to tell us what to put in the place of the existing system." He implies, I think, that though not against the monitorial system himself, he, like many others, would be prepared to substitute something better, if they knew what that something were, practically ad- mitting that there are evils attending it, but that it is a system without which schools would be worse than they are. All earnest lovers of education and of boys individually should not rest on this, but let the discussion rouse them to the discovery of some new system which, even if found partially a failure, might lead ultimately to success. Long before the unhappy event at Christ's Hospital, it has been my belief that the power of monitors is very frequently abused and constantly misused. Though suc- cessful in one school, it may be and is, I know, highly injurious in another—far more so than the world at large knows anything about, as boys are extremely sensitive, and whether from timidity or a sense of honour will endure and pass over in silence evils that should without doubt be exposed for the good of others, rather than get either masters or schoolfellows into trouble. I would suggest that no boy should be put into a position of power, under any circumstances ; and to Mr. Bourne's first question, "How would you propose to maintain due order in the dormitories during the first hour after going to bed ?" I answer, engage a gentleman, in the true sense of the word, or rather, according to the size of the school, the number of gentlemen necessary. Let them supervise the dormitories, sleeping with the boys, and be with them in play-hours, joining them in their games and amusements. These gentlemen whom I would thus place with the boys should not teach lessons at all, but should be boy-lovers and boy-companions ; there are abundance of such men, highly cultivated and truly reli- gious. Their rest and hours to themselves should be taken during school hours. Under the supervision of these gentlemen-friends, foul language, bullying, and fighting would be kept in cheek. I admit the expense of such an addition to the school staff, and that it may strike people at first as quite unreasonable it will of course make school terms higher, and it may perhaps be said that such gentlemen are not to be found, and in fact, that the thing is im- possible. To that I answer, advertise for such people ; there are men who find themselves unfit for teaching, who would gladly take a position such as the one I describe ; boys would find the comfort of such a friend, for they often feel very lonely among their companions, and away from all the older friendships of home, on which they have hitherto relied so completely ; and monitors, even when of the highest type, are more given to checking than to helping. I do not hold that boys are always made braver by bearing (even bravely) the unusually harsh ways of big boys ; it is a question of temperament ; some are made courageous, others cringing and cowardly, and certainly very miserable by it. It is very seldom that masters and teachers have time to do more than their actual work in teaching, and the only supervision or older companionship that little boys get in a large school is that of the Monitors. Will not most parents be willing to pay a little more to know that in their bedrooms, in their play-hours, and at all seasons of leisure, their sons have some one to apply to, with more age, more ex- perience, and more interest in them, than that of a monitor? And will it not be better for the older boys that the exercise of power should be reserved until experience has taught wisdom, patience,
Previous page
