Chastisement Across the Ages20

Wildman himself, of course, poured out scorn lavishly on psychologists, psychoanalysts and all members of any “modern” or “progressive” movement. These, in fact, were largely to blame for the chaotic state of British discipline to-day. One result of this one-sidedness, clearly unforeseen by him, was to alienate many moderate-minded persons who up to a point may well have agreed with him. It is an error to suppose that all who accept the principle of moderate chastisement need to be avalanched with pseudo-ethical justifications for their own commonsense. This last was never Wildman’s strongest quality, and it may well be that, had he possessed it in larger measure, more parents and teachers would have turned to him for advice; as it was, he found himself in many respects his own worst enemy. Even so, however, any who believe in corporal punishment must logically admit the usefulness of such an emporium as Wildman’s.