Beyond the Study Door

One of the most enduring memories of a traditional boys' school must be walking past the headmaster's study shortly after morning assembly and seeing nervous-looking boys waiting before its door as their headmaster summoned them in one-by-one. Sometimes, there was a boy already in there and that ominous swish sometimes followed by a muffled gasp or even a faint yelp could be heard through its dark-stained oak panels, thus leaving the boys outside under no illusion of what awaited them within.

Most boys were visibly nervous as they heard what was to be soon their inevitable fate and usually avoided eye contact with one another as they shuffled slightly from foot to foot. Most would attend to their uniforms, fixing their ties snuggly against their white collars in a vane bid to placate their master who, pleased by their smart appearence, might go a little easier on the lad and reduce the harshness of the caning.

From the master's or indeed the mistress's point of view, this was a very good sign since a smart uniform was a sure sign that the boy was making a valid attempt to openly acknowledge his acceptance of authority. And this was before the caning had even commenced!

Such was the effect of the cane upon a boy's mind. It ensured that proper boundaries could be maintained around the school regarding behaviour, attitude and work and avoiding its potent sting was a very effective guarantee that the importance of meeting these standards would be impressed upon young minds. Indeed, I have heard the cane described as an 'eloquent protagonist' in the matter of puting forward the case on behalf of authority and how a few well-placed swishes can bring this message through to even the deafest of ears and focus the most relcalcitrant of minds upon the need to respect his elders and accept their authority.