Of his prep school, he described a quite spartan regime, ruled over by a headmaster quite as grim and frightening as any in schoolboy literature.
The school was a long-established institution, which had first opened its doors in the mid-19th century, and tradition was sacrosanct.
One tradition was that of dealing out corporal punishment on the bare bottom.
Teachers were authorized to use a thin, light cane, up to six strokes, but not for scholastic offenses.
Generally, lines or some other such imposition was the first line of punishment, the cane was only used for serious matters.