Interesting that these anecdotes point up what we all know – that corporal punishment had (has?) distinctly differing “levels” – with a clear dividing line between the cane and lesser forms such as the slipper. It’s true that the slipper, in the wrong hands, could be painful and rather nasty, but in practice, it was much more often a matter of “warning whacks” which certainly stung a bit but were not very much more than a sort of sporting challenge.
Purposeful Corporal Punishment20
