672 TEE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



iarly understood to secure successful cooperation in such games as 

 cricket, football, etc. 



The case of discipline which gave rise to the recent discussion, is 

 this- A prefect at Winchester sent for a " house " (the boys of a par- 

 ticular building) to examine them in their " notions," i. e., perhaps, in 

 their general school-boy proficiency in matters out of study. One boy 

 refused to come, on the ground that, being a senior fifth-form boy, he 

 could not be fagged. The prefects held a meeting, decided his con- 

 duct rebellious, and that he must be "tunded" that is, should be 

 whipped with ground-ash rods. The boy appealed to the head-master, 

 who told him he must submit to the "tunding." The number of 

 " cuts " which a prefect may give, is theoretically limited to twelve ; in 

 this case thirty were given. 



A Mr. Maude reports the matter to the London Times as a speci- 

 men of " licensed tyranny," worse than any " bullying " (by which the 

 English understand a large boy imposing on a small one), a gross 

 relic of past centuries, disgracing English public schools, and demand- 

 ing the interference of English public opinion for its suppression. He 

 says a " tunding " is far worse than any master's flogging ; the ash 

 rod is as large as the finger, three feet long, seasoned until tough as 

 whalebone, and that not less than four must have been broken over 

 the boy's back, leaving it in a condition horrible to be thought upon. 

 The head-master, when appealed to afterward, condemned the decision 

 of the prefects, pronounced the punishment excessive, but only re- 

 quired of the " tunding " prefect a private apology, instead of expel- 

 ling him and punishing his associates. Mr. Maude had been five years 

 at "Winchester, and remembered scores of these " tundings," but never 

 one so gross as that described. 



Next a Mr. Fischer, in the Times, applauds Mr. Maude's " admira- 

 ble letter," condemning without stint the " cruel and cowardly ini- 

 quity " long prevailing at Winchester ; could give cases where the 

 punishment had been more barbarous than garroter-flogging at New- 

 gate; for the latter was inflicted by law, within legal limits, and in 

 the presence of responsible officials, while the former was in violation 

 of all law, and in the absence of all authority or protection to shield 

 the lad from the anger of his school-fellows ; boys should be punished 

 by the masters or in their presence, and the latter should not be al- 

 lowed to delegate such authority to other boys ; the system is bru- 

 talizing to punisher and punished the one hardened by indulgence 

 in cruelty, the other only maliciously biding his turn to inflict on 

 others the harm he has received, and both made brutal and cowardly 

 men. 



A Mr. Lechmere deplores the public censure likely to fall upon his 

 revered preceptors of a former generation as a result of Mr. Maude's 

 painful letter. No such torture as " tunding " was known at this 

 peaceful time ; was four years a junior at Winchester, and never knew 



