The earliest mention of the school paddle in the USA 42

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Muncie, Indiana. For such a small place it certainly captured the attention of school corporal punishment research.

What a headline! When do girls graduate from spanking classes? The cut off for girls even today seems younger than boys in some countries. The parents didn’t seem to object to the boys feeling the heavy weight of their teacher’s displeasure.

Second article first column. So often when the word “spanking” is used one is at a loss to what exactly do their mean. By 1912 it may have been a paddle for it was in use 1so many years before in such a finely regulated manner as KK noted already as found by searching corpun file 23348.

May 15, 1912.

CLICK

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

No mention of the implement used.

<div style=”width:100%;background-image:url(/realm/A_L_123/A_L_trg.gif);”>Hi American Way,

Somewhat off-topic I’m afraid, but nonetheless consequent on an issue raised here. In your January 13 2013, 12:13 PM post above, concerning the barrel stave ‘spanking machine’ instituted by Arthur C. Whitaker, Mayor of Bridgeton, New Jersey, you say of the two press illustrations you link:

Phew! Hot stuff! Certainly a little avant-garde for the early 1920s US press I’d have thought! Especially as one of the publications claims that the event depicted took place in public in front of city hall!

Alas close examination indicates, I think, that my misgivings are well founded One really needs to look at both illustrations, and I can quite understand why the apparent shape of a shoe in one of the illustrations led you to make your observation. Boys don’t normally wear high heels. But then did girls of an age likely to be put through the ‘machine’? And if they did would they have such thick heels?

Consideration of the above extracts from the two illustrations will I think indicate that the miscreant being dealt with is a lad rather than a girl. Further, it appears from the more comprehensive of the two accounts that the punishments took place not in front of the city hall but in a back room thereof. And although it is stated that boys had to take down their trousers ‘in the old-fashioned way’ there is no mention of an equivalent disrobing being required of the ‘several girls’ said to have been subjected to the punishment on the Mayor’s instructions and with the full consent of their parents.</div>

It would be interesting if the renowned bridgeton spanking machine indeed has been filmed.

CLICK

But theres more …According to old issues of the Evening News, sometime in January or February 1920, a man came to Bridgeton from Pathe News and filmed the town’s spanking machine at city hall.  This was shown as part of Pathe News in movie houses all over the country.

Another story about the Bridgeton Spanking Machine with humor.

CLICK

The spanker was the truant officer, Romaine Kincaid.

CLICK

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Syracuse (NY) Herald, 1920.

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Family history of Romaine Kincaid. I wonder if their family knows about Romaine’s activity found in cyber space. Since some girls were on the receiving end I wonder if a matron had the honors or did Romaine?

http://www.hauntedfieldmusic.com/ias.html

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Regulations governing school CP existed in the early days of compulsory education. Few specified implements and targets suggesting these were not a concern at the time. The paddle was not specified in any of the large city school districts 100+ years ago. This is consistent with the speculation that the paddle was first used in small rural schools and through parental influence.

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Thank you <strong>KK</strong>, that is a very nice informative find indeed.

Notice what is said fro San Francisco, “<em>only a strap or rattan being allowed</em>”, which is somewhat in dispute with SF’s 1891 regulations here where it stated, “<em>Pupils shall be punished only on the palm of the hand or hands, the strokes to be given by Principals or Vice Principals <strong>with a leather strap</strong>, which shall be made after a model placed in the office of the Board of Education</em>” … no mention that the rattan was allowed here.

Also, Does anyone know if Chicago IL, had once earlier-on abolished JCP (as inferred by the “<em>forbidden</em>” comment), only to reinstate it some time later in the 1900’s? Reason I ask is I have a personal recount from someone schooled in a Chicago elementary (ca1960’s) and he was strapped there at that time… and I have no reason to disbelieve that claim.

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Does anyone know what happened in New York? According to the list published by KK above cp was forbidden in 1905, but Corpun and most other authorities show it as being banned in 1985, and definitely in significant use in 1982 and before. Certainly paddling was allowed in the 60’s and 70’s ,so what happened to bring it back and then cause the board of regents to support and push through abolition in 1985? .

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Hi <strong>prof.n</strong>, I believe the 1985 date was for the State of NY. “<em>New York 1985 NY Regulations of the Board of Regents, 8 NYCRR 19.5</em> ” according to the Center for Effective Disciplining Site

http://www.stophitting.com/index.php?page=statesbanning

That would be the State but New York City may well have abolished much earlier (as this tended to be the pattern, here as well with provincial bans vs major cities). I tend to believe their State ban dates, they seem pretty much right, but the country ones are another matter entirely

The paddle seems to be very much the preferred implement in USA schools. When did it first come into widespread use? I am particularly interested in early mentions of the school paddle in dated factual or fictional literature, and in official documents.

Have other cultures used the paddle in schools?

Public school districts in the USA usually coincide with city boundaries but not always. There are some “independent” school districts that do not follow city boundaries. Arrangements vary from state to state but school districts generally have a high degree of autonomy and can set their own rules concerning CP. School CP was abolished in New York City public schools early on but persisted in other parts of the state, and possibly in some private schools within the city.

Information such as that in the table above is compiled from answers to a questionnaire. Often, the questionnaire is incompletely filled in, or the answers are ambiguous. The differing set ups in different states make it hard to design the questionnaire. The final compilation may not be entirely reliable.