The next entry on the subject of reforms in the school is dated July 11th, 1820:—
“It is now more than six months since I made any entry in this Journal; during that time I have been engaged in business almost incessantly. I have introduced many improvements into our system lately, the most prominent of which is the adaptation of music to our evolutions. The boys form in classes, march to their places, to their meals, to bed, down in the morning, &c., to music; the consequence of which is that every movement is made in one-half of the time it formerly occupied, and with one-tenth part of the noise. Another advantage is the great practice it gives to the band, which now plays nineteen times a day, without the least injurious effect to the health of the performers, as they are engaged but for a minute or two each time.
“I believe I have before mentioned that we have been enabled to abolish corporal punishment in the school; but as I then looked upon it as an experiment, I could not speak so confidently of the result as I now can. It is nearly two years and a-half since the experiment was first tried, so that I now think it decisive. The result has far surpassed my most sanguine expectations. Since its adoption the plan has at various times received many improvements. A detailed account of it may be seen in a work we are now preparing for the press, which contains a complete description of our system of government in the school. All that is here necessary for me to say is, that every punishment consists in the forfeiture of counters, which are the currency of the school, and which are obtained by excelling in the different classes, by filling various offices, but principally by work which is done out of the school hours. The system is so arranged that the boys are induced to perform these tasks before the fines are incurred, so that while they are thus engaged they have not the disagreeable feeling that they are working for punishment,—therefore the work is performed with pleasure. Our object in instituting this plan was to remove the disagreeable necessity of corporal punishment: this we have completely accomplished; but, in effecting that, we have derived advantages which were not anticipated, and which are still more important.
“These counters can be obtained by work of almost every description, done at any time; and there is no one scarcely who is either so deficient in talent or so indolent, but that some occupation can be found in which he will engage with pleasure. [His father, ten years before this, had written, ‘Those who do anything may, in almost all cases, perhaps in all without exception, be brought to do useful things.’] Indeed, there have been repeated instances of boys who have entered the school with the worst of characters for idleness or for stupidity, who, having been induced by example to engage in some pursuit which they could follow with pleasure and with credit, have thus acquired a taste for excellence which has extended to other things, and have ultimately risen to a very respectable rank in the school. In short, this has become the most important part of our system. The school is now, as it were, a little world. The counters are our currency; trades and professions of various kinds, from the improvisiatore and banker to the musician, punch-keeper,[51] and serving-man are carried on among us. Here may be seen the boy of talent exercising his ingenuity to obtain opulence by the most speedy and effectual means, engaged, perhaps, in the construction of some curious and difficult model, or in rendering into English verse the poetry of his favourite author of antiquity; there the industrious boy may be seen who, already rich, from the love of wealth or the love of riches, is plodding on to increase his stores; and, alas! not unfrequently may be seen the little bankrupt, asking the charity of his friends, or parting with his last marble to save himself from the terrors of a gaol.
“Indeed, the whole machine of the school (for such is the regularity of our proceedings that the appellation is not misapplied) is now become so very perfect that we are able to appropriate every minute of the day to its respective use; and the bells ring, the classes assemble, break up, take their meals, &c., with such clock-like regularity that it has the appearance almost of magic.
“I believe I may say that by far the greater part of the system is my own, and I am not a little proud of its effects.... The school is certainly at this time in a very high state of improvement. Our annual exhibition, which took place about the middle of June, gave very great satisfaction to the audience, and considerably raised the character of the school. The performances consisted principally of the whole of the ‘Rudens’ of Plautus and Miss Edgeworth’s ‘Eton Montem.’ For this exhibition I painted a new back-scene; it is a view on the sea-coast.”
In November, 1821, he records:—
“About two months ago I persuaded the teachers to agree to devote one evening in the week to the consideration of improvements to be introduced into the proceedings of the school. We meet every Saturday, from seven till ten in the evening, and great benefit has already been derived from the regulation. My principal object in effecting this was to have an opportunity of operating on the minds of the teachers themselves; and I find that this has been done to the advantage of us all.”
“No chance visitor,” I have been informed by one who knew the school well, “had on that evening the slightest chance of seeing any of the family. The boys,” he added, “dreaded the conference of teachers, from the effect it had on them. It kept everything in such excessive rigidity.”
“March 10th, 1823.—I find the conference a most powerful engine. It is true that I have given up to it much power which I previously possessed, but this, perhaps, is more a nominal than a real sacrifice, and I believe myself to be so true a friend to liberty, as to like to see others exercise power as well as myself; and this, I think, few liberty men can say.”