Keeping Children After School

There is one common practiee of the public schools which ought to be abolished at once and everywhere without question or parley. That is the practiee of imprisoning the children in the school-houses beyond the school hours. Pretty nearly every school-house in the land is thus turnea into a penitentiary in which children are imnmred every day, some of them for mip(;rfect reeitatious, others for faults of deportment. This method of punishment might, if th.e teachers were all judicious, be resorted to occasionally witfa good efFeot; but teachers are not all jiuucious, and thousands of children are thus detained every aay xo wsom the tlotontinn s a serious iujury, and a grave injustice. For some trilling breach of order, like turning in the seat or dropping a pencil, for sorae small failure in a reoitation, and often for no fault at all - whole classes bcing kept on account of the indolence of some of their members, and the innocent thus sufi'ering witli the guflty - the children are sluit up in the school-houses, sometimes during the intennisslbns, often after the closo of school. Thousands of children in delicate health, to whomthe regular school hours are too long, are peraianently injured by this system of confinement. If only "the Stupld and willful and those in sturdy health were thus punished, there would bc less reasöii of complaint: but any careful investigation wil! show that such discrimlnation is not geneniily made. and, from the nature of the system, caniot wel! be made; and that tliii in jury to Ihe health of the pupila resulting from the practioe more than outweigfis any goocl that may result h-om H. The heálth ot the pupil is a subject to which the average schoolteachergives but little ooiiiideration ; any practiee. therelorc, wliich is Hable to result in the impairment of the pupil's health ought to be forbidden by law. This plea is based upon an observation of the working oí this system in several towns and citics, and upon tlit: concurrent testiniony of niany niodical men. In some places the rules of govcvning boards forbids the imprisonnient of childron, but the rules are generalij' set at nauglit by teachers. Taeyonght to be enforced. It must be that there are methoda of discipline for schools leas injurióos and more effectunl than