SIR: I was very encouraged to see the heading on the front page of your issue for October 7 entitled "Bring Back Caning" and my sympathies are with Robert Wilson.

In the Scriptures it says in Proverbs 13 v 24 that a father who spares the rod hates his own son. At my public school I attended I may not have had "six of the best" but I had a few clips over the ear when I wasn't attending to what the masters were saying, and it didn't do me any harm whatsoever. The very fear of getting beaten was sufficient to stop us from playing fast and loose with masters and we respected them and they in their turn also respected us.

Of course, there would have been some teachers who would have "overcaned" but most teachers were able, through the wise use of the cane where necessary, to encourage a wonderful teacher-pupil co-operation which often seems to be lacking in many schools today.

We shall always get the sentimental socialists who object to anything that's likely to hurt the poor "little darlings", but what I say to Mr Wilson is, more power to your elbow, and I hope he is successful in getting his proposal adopted.

Philip Hayworth

Mornington Road, Bolton

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