Emerson Elbridge White

“ Instead of making boys "weak milksops," it makes them "Englishmen like their ancestors." "A Wykehamist" is proud of the old school, and believes that prefects are high-minded, deliberate, and just. His family had been connected with Winchester for fifty years, and he had never before heard a complaint.
"W." thinks the less a master "thrashes" the better—it takes a rare man to counterbalance the mischief done by "perpetual lickings." When the boys do the flogging, the result is very different. They know each other's tricks and ways, and can be more just. ”

“ In all of these schools Monitorial Discipline has prevailed more or less for centuries, with this striking feature, that all the boys in the lower "forms" are subject, not only in ordinary school discipline, but for personal service of whatever kind, as cleaning rooms, brushing clothes, bringing wood and water, all kinds of errand-running, etc., to the "sixth form," commonly limited in number from fifteen to thirty of the best of the most advanced boys, who are clothed with authority, and are held responsible for keeping order at all times, in study, in dormitory, on the playground, etc. ”

“ After the boy had sufficiently recovered, he was publicly flogged by Dr. Williams for having resented a prefect! "An Old Winchester Prefect" gives similar testimony, and adds that the system is "an indefensible and barbarous practice," which should be ended at once and forever."
The system is as vigorously defended. "An Old School Disciplinarian" believes tunding to be infinitely better than caning by a master and less dangerous than knuckle-hitting on the head; "save me from sly kicks and boxes." The system creates good feeling between the seniors and juniors—gives the former responsibility ”

“ Arnold's Rugby boys, is gratified that, while many see no cure for the abuse of the system but its abolition, others see a good use in the government of the public schools through prefects. He was six and a half years at Rugby, and only knew two or three cases of gross injustice or cruelty, but remembers scores of cases of sharp caning of "fags" for impertinence, neglect of duty, etc. ”