A sharp discussion has been going on in the daily
papers about a practice which prevails at Winchester of allowing the Prasfects, or senior boys, to punish the juniors, by beating them with ash sticks at discretion. A boy has recently received thirty severe blows for not being " up " in the slang dictionary of the school, and numerous correspondents write to say that, although this is an exceptional instance, beatings not so severe are very frequent. One indeed affirms that he himself was beaten, though not severely, 160 times. Of course numbers of correspondents defend the practice, one in particular dilating on the moral benefit his sons will receive from "judicious kicking ;" but the general drift of opinion is healthily averse to a system which, even if it benefited young lads, must debase the Prrefects by giving them a perpetual temptation to terrorise and oppress. Corporal punishment may be bad or good, but it should only be awarded at the discretion of mature minds and for real offences.
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