Revelations of Boarding-School Practices.
At the age of seventeen I was sent to a boarding-school near Exeter. I was sent there owing to the influence of my aunt, who was always praising this establishment up to mamma, and strongly recommending it as a finishing academy for young ladies. My aunt was a maiden lady of forty, a fine, tall, buxom woman.
Neither myself nor my mamma ever thought she was an advocate of the rod, and liked administering, and seeing it administered. It turned out afterwards, as the narrative will show, that she was really in league with the schoolmistress, and would frequently call at the establishment and indulge herself in her favourite pastime, for which she no doubt paid large sums yearly, being a strong and fervent advocate of corporal chastisement, at times an unseen observer and with some of the elder young ladies being the operator. In all there were twenty-four young ladies in this fashionable establishment, their ages varying from twelve to nineteen. I was as tall, finely-shaped, and handsome as any young lady in the school, and no doubt when mamma gave her consent to my leaving home, my aunt thought there was a great treat in store for her.
A few days after arriving, I soon found out what sort of lady principal I had to contend with, and her assistants were not much better. The first sample I saw her administer to one of her pupils was after I had been there four days. A young lady about fifteen had committed some trifling error, for which madam told her in plain terms that she should give her a good whipping when class was over, and this she did and in front of the whole school. She was taken by the arms and legs by two of the assistant teachers, and thrown face downwards over a desk sloping each way and firmly held there. Madam then approached with a flat piece of wood about an inch and a half in thickness and shaped like a hair-brush, but much bigger. After addressing a few words of advice to us and admonishing the culprit, she took hold of her garments at the bottom, then without any further to do she lifted the spanker, as this piece of wood was called by my school fellows, and inflicted a tremendous spank on the girl. A loud yell followed, and a strong effort to free herself from the grasp of her tormentors, but all of no avail, for they, no doubt owing to their previous experience, could hold a young lady in any position. She received about a dozen stripes before she was released.
We had a system of making so many marks, and if any young lady had not made so many by the end of the week she was sure to receive a whipping. I have known as many as seven young ladies whipped on a Saturday. It was at these whippings that my aunt and her friends were present as unseen spectators, through the medium of small glass panels let in the door of a nearby closet.
During my two years at this establishment I was whipped several times. I shall never forget my last experience. I think the lady principal had made up her mind that I should be flogged on the Saturday, for at the early part of the week, however well I did my lessons, fault was found with me, and I got careless towards the end. On Saturday I found my name on the Black List, as it was called. I was number three on the list, my two schoolfellows, both girls about fourteen, had gone in and received their portion and, as usual, had been dismissed to bed. I was then ordered in. I need not tell you that I entered the room trembling from head to foot. Madam called me by my Christian name, and informed me she was very sorry to have to inflict punishment on such a big girl, but the rules of the school must be enforced, winding up by ordering me to prepare for punishment. I dropped on my knees and begged her to take into consideration my age and size; in fact I hardly remember what I did say. She was inexorable and, with a smile on her face, ordered me to obey, or she would have to call assistance and my punishment would be much more severe. I made some remark, when she seized me by my beautiful long hair and beat me about my ears, head, cheeks and arms with the birch, until I was compelled to give in and promise obedience in future.
Soon after, I found means to send a letter to my mamma, informing her of the circumstances related above. She accordingly took steps for my early removal, and I was soon afterwards married, but my mamma and aunt have never been friends or spoken to each other since.