Extraordinary Charges Against a Schoolmaster

Another item from the Dundee Courier, relating to other long-deceased relatives, has come to my attention. I am glad to relate that Mr Bell was not, to my knowledge, among my relatives, but only the Soutar children and possibly Alexander Deuchar.

EXTRAORDINARY CHARGES AGAINST A SCHOOLMASTER.
In the Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday – Sheriff Heriot on the bench – George Andrew Bell, teacher of the Parochial School of the parish of Kinnell, appeared to answer to the petition (the first of the kind presented in Scotland) at the instance of the School Board of the parish of Kinnell, charging him with cruelty to, and improper treatment of, a number of the children attending the Kinnell Parish School. The petition was presented under the 60th section of the Education (Scotland) Act. It occupied thirty-three pages of manuscript, and contained eighteen charges of cruelty and improper treatment. The charges contained in the libel were as follows: – (1.) About a fortnight before the old term of Whitsunday, 1873, he grossly, cruelly, and improperly assaulted David Sinclair (12 years), son of Frederick Sinclair, Hatton Den, and struck him with his clenched fist on the face to the effusion of blood, whereby one of his teeth was knocked out and his face swollen and discolored. (2.) About a week before the first assault he struck Isabella Sinclair (11 years), daughter of Frederick Sinclair, on the head with a strap, whereby her ear-rings were knocked out of her ears, causing her great pain; he also struck her on the hands with the strap till they were swollen rendering her, she being a half-timer at Hatton Mill, unable to use her hands all that day; he also struck her with a cane across the shoulders leaving a broad black mark, causing her extreme pain for a week, and rendering her unable to rest in bed for that period. (3.) In November last he struck James Martin (10 years), son of James Martin, milloverseer, Hatton Mill, a severe blow behind the ear with his fist causing him to go home to his father crying, and on the father remonstrating with him for his conduct, respondent admitted he had acted with unnecessary severity. The respondent was further charged under this head with having at various times during the last year beaten this child so much that it was with difficulty he could be induced to attend school, and his parents lodged a complaint with the Board. (4.) Between the old term at 26 May and the end of August, 1873, he assaulted John Ledingham, son of Margaret Ledingham, mill-worker, by striking him with his fists on the cheek and eye whereby the eye was marked and discoloured, the eyelash cut, and the cheek swollen; then during the whole year prior to November the boy was under respondent’s charge he treated him with such systematic harshness and gross cruelty that the child was in absolute terror of him, started and called out in his sleep from nervous terror, and could not be induced to attend school unless dragged by force, and had to be removed at the end of November to another school. (5.) About 27th of February, 1873, he assaulted Isabella Green, 10 years of age, daughter of David Green, then at Hatton Mill and now in Arbroath, by striking her with a strap across the face causing a great weal across the cheek and running into the eye, and rendering the eye blue and discoloured for upwards of a week; further, during the whole time the child was under his charge the respondent treated her with systematic harshness and cruelty, beating her frequently with excessive and unnecessary severity on the hands with a strap till they were discoloured, and on the back and shoulders with a cane. (7. Sic) between Whitsunday, 1872, and June, 1873, on various occasions, he assaulted Ann Green, eight years of age, daughter of David Green, by dashing her to the floor, and beating her on the head and hands with a strap or stick till they were discoloured. The punishments were generally inflicted because the child had an impediment in her speech and could not speak rapidly. The child had to be removed from the school in consequence of this harsh treatment. (8.) During a period of five years, from May, 1867, to August, 1872, and on various occasions during that time he assaulted Agnes Soutar, daughter of John Soutar, miller, Kinnell Mill, by beating her with a stick or taws, nipping her hands and ears with his nails till they bled, striking her on the breast with his fist, and slapping her ears. (9.) During a period of four years from 1868, at different times, he assaulted Ann Soutar, daughter of John Soutar, by beating her till she bled, and also nipping her with his nails. (10.) During a period of one year and nine months, from November, 1872, he assaulted and cruelly illused, on various occasions, William Soutar, son of John Soutar, till he could not be induced to attend school, and had to be put to another school in Friockheim, but after the schoolmaster left there they were again transferred to Bell. (11.) About three years ago he assaulted Alexander Deuchars, Kinnell Mill, by nipping his ears almost through and through, causing them to bleed and fester; and respondent was further accused [illegible—under?] this count with having kicked Deuchars [illegible] into the fire, and he was afterwards so ill treated [illegible] that his mother had to remove him from the school. (12.) At different times during the year from May, 187[ illegible], to May, 1872, he struck William M’Kenzie, son of John M’kenzie, shepherd at Bolshan [Bolahan?], severely with pointer stick on one of the fingers of the right hand, which raised a lump about the size of a partridge’s egg that remained about a year, and afterwards festered, causing pain and stiffness for about a year and a half after the occurrence, and in consequence of respondent’s harshness M’Kenzie had to be removed from the parish school of Kinnell. (13.) During the year 1872 he struck Kenneth M’Kenzie, son of said John M’Kenzie, on the head with a pointer or stick so as to raise lumps, and at times to induce giddiness, also beating him on the hands with unnecessary severity, in consequence of which treatment he was, shortly after the 1st of January, 1873, removed from the parish school of Kinnell and sent to the parish school of Farnell. (14.) He did for a period of about a year, between three and four years ago, at various times assault James White (5 years), son of James White, farm servant at Bolshan, by nipping his ears till blood was drawn, and beating him so as to leave marks and bruises to such an extent that the child was thrown into a state of nervous terror, started in his sleep, and was very unwilling to go to school. (15.) He assaulted with unnecessary cruelty, during a period of nine months, from June, 1873, David Wilson, son of James Wilson, farm servant, now residing at Easter Braikie, by whipping him almost daily with the taws, and beating him on the head and elsewhere with a pointer and rabbit’s foot – the bones of which rendered the blows very severe – and kicking him with his feet, in consequence of which he was removed to another school. (16.) He assaulted in an unnecessary, harsh, and cruel way, at various times during a period of nine months, from June, 1870, William Wilson, son of James Wilson, beating him with taws, pointer, and the rabbit’s foot, and kicking him frequently, by all which he was kept in a state of continual terror, and put quite past the power of repeating his lessons correctly, though he learned them diligently at home, and which caused him to be removed from the school. (17.) Sometime in the winter of 1872-3, he attacked in a cruel and improper way, Margaret Donald, daughter of John Donald, now farm servant at West Seaton, by striking her blows on the ear, which drew blood, and rendered the ear discoloured and swollen. (18.) He did cruelly attack James Airth, son of James Airth, farm servant at Bolshan, at various times during a period of about two years prior to the present time, so that he was for a considerable period quite nervous and frightened, starting in his sleep that night through fright, and could scarcely be induced to attend school. The petitioners went on to state that the respondent had often been remonstrated with by the parents of pupils on account of his harshness and cruelty, and the improper punishments he inflicted, and that many children had been removed from the Parish School of Kinnell, and the attendance was greatly less than it ought to be. The petition included with a prayer for the dismissal of the respondent.
Mr CARGILL, solicitor, Arbroath, appeared for the respondent, and objected to the relevancy of the libel. He urged that parts of the 3d, 4th, and 5th charges, and the whole of charges 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 18th were irrelevant in respect that they did not allege or specify any particular acts of cruelty or improper treatment such as are required by the section, and that there was a want of proper specification of time in all of the charges, without any reasons being alleged for this want of specification. His second objection was that charges 10th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 18th, were irrelevant in respect that the modus operandi or method in which the cruel or improper treatment was alleged to have been committed, was not specified. The third objection to the relevancy was that the complaint, so far as founded upon acts of cruelty alleged to have been committed at dates prior to the passing of the Education Act, 1872, or at all events prior to its adoption in the parish of Kinnell, was irrelevant.
Mr MILN, solicitor, Arbroath, who appeared for the petitioners, replied to the objections, and contended that the objection against the complaint, so far as founded on alleged acts prior to the passing of the Education Act in 1872, was effectually disposed of by a case tried in this court, and appealed to the Court of Session, Nasmyth v. Lord Dalhousie, in which it was held that a change of prosecutor or tribunal made by the Education Act did not preclude a schoolmaster being prosecuted for improper conduct. In this case the only difference between the previous Act and the present one was, that in the first case the Presbytery were the prosecutors, and in the second the School Board. As to the other objections, he held that both time and manner had been sufficiently condescended upon.
Sheriff HERIOT did not think the objection to the complaint in respect to the acts committed prior to the passing of the Education Act, 1872, was a good one; neither were the other objections, in his opinion, good ones. Of course a schoolmaster was entitled to assault his pupils, but not harshly, and it was therefore sufficient to allege that he used harshness and unnecessary violence. With regard to the want of specification as to time, it could not be expected that children could remember precise dates; and if the prosecutor gave all reasonable information, that was all that was required of him. Upon these grounds he must repel the objections, and hold the libel relevant.
The Sheriff then fixed Wednesday, 15th April, for the taking of the proof. We understand that a very large number of witnesses are to be examined for both sides.

Modernist Housing

The students in my 1850-Present course have turned in proposals for their modern house projects, in which they invent a client or clients who commissions a spiffy house.
We have:
An Art Nouveau house probably situated in Brussels
A house in Barcelona inspired by Gaudi's Park Guell
An Arts & Crafts house in Dayton, Ohio
A Prairie School house in Springfield, Illinois by Frank Lloyd Wright
A Prairie School house in Springfield, Ohio for the son of former governor Asa S. Bushnell (whose mansion is nearby)
A Prairie School house in Albany, New York, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
A Cubist house (group is large, may need to split and do two houses)
A 1950s Southern California house for a wealthy bachelor, complete with music room
A mid-century house in Pacific Palisades (also Southern California) influenced by the work of Craig Ellwood, Pierre Koenig, and Charles & Ray Eames
A mid-century house in Greenwich, Connecticut for a French fashion designer
This sounds good to me, although I am sorry not to see any Art Deco in the mix.

Another Czech Art Course Begins

It's Spring Quarter and that means (among other things) that the Czech Modernism class is underway again. Last year it was an advanced seminar designed to teach students how to write research papers. This year it's a lecture class with fewer readings but weekly Discussion Board postings and a design-an-exhibition project. And 30 students instead of 6.
Libuše, 1893, by Karel Vítězslav Mašek (1865-1927)

Rabbits Wonder About Their Human, As Usual

Ms. Spots and Orion would like to point out that their human has been pretty unreliable and sleepy of late and has made many strangely enthusiastic remarks about grading and how much better the students have done than last quarter, and especially about how stunningly they did on the design-a-cathedral-or-mosque project. Ms. Spots and Orion feel that the human's time would be much better spent paying attention to whether there are enough greens in the refrigerator, although Orion was pretty excited this evening to discover that the human was too mentally deficient to realize she had poured tasty pellets into the litterbox instead of litter.
Ms. Spots and Orion have also gathered that the human has been offered a permanent sort of job and that instead of moving to climes unknown this coming summer, the plan is to move somewhere within a mile or two that will offer space to compost all that used litter and grow lettuce and cilantro. Given the looming deadline to file for the first-time home-buyer tax credit, the human has had to take up house-hunting as well as all those other time-wasting, non-lapine-oriented activities. Fortunately there are some photos to be had from this insanity.

Geography

The first quiz of the quarter indicates that my survey students nearly all studied and paid attention in class, although of course not to an equal degree. That's not to say they scored remarkably well, but it was clear that most of them had a pretty good grip on things even if many people got the Annunciation confused with the Visitation and that sort of thing.
I'm afraid, however, that most of them do not know much geography, despite my showing maps and pointing out where things are. This was glaringly obvious in the two most geographically oriented questions.
It was not so terrible in the case of the question of which Tuscan city-state, rival to Florence, was the home of the painter Duccio. While few people correctly filled in Siena, most of the answers were Italy-related: Venice, Rome, Assisi, Pisa, and Milan were popular choices. Not correct, but not bizarre. The answers Italy and Tuscany were more strange, indicating that those people weren't clear on the concept of a city-state versus a country or region. When I saw "Vienna" and "Bohemia," however, I was perturbed.
I suppose it was stupid of me to include a question (hey, I got these from the textbook publisher, and I tried to pick questions I thought my students could reasonably answer) that involved filling in the capital of Bohemia, home of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. But I was thinking that we did cover art from Bohemia, and that Prague is a famous city.
Well, I did give half credit to the person who put Karlštejn, because we examined the chapel and paintings there and it's just south of Prague. But nearly the whole class gave answers that included Constantinople, Dijon, "Broche" (I think this was a misspelling of Bruges), Cannes, Florence, Tuscany, Paris, "Crucia" (?), Avignon, and finally the Czech Republic.
This kind of thing makes me think I need to give map quizzes like we used to have in my 7th-grade geography class. The problem with that idea is that if they don't know where modern cities and countries are, it doesn't seem wise to confuse the issue too much with placement of the likes of Burgundy (capital: Dijon) and the Holy Roman Empire. I mean, I'll be content if they have a reasonable notion of these things and stop saying Paris and Constantinople were the capital of Bohemia.
It kind of reminds me of Neville Chamberlain's infamous 1938 remark about Czechoslovakia being a faraway land about which we know little.
On the plus side, most of my students seem clear on flying buttresses, rose windows, the purpose of the Palazzo Vecchia, and the fact that lead is used to hold stained glass windows together. This makes me happy.

Off to a Good Start

Since a significant number of my students are art majors rather than art history, I'm trying to give some assignments that aren't purely writing-oriented. This quarter I'm trying one that looks very promising--the survey students (learning about Gothic to 1850) are designing cathedrals and a mosque. (We aren't covering Islamic art this quarter, but we did last quarter, and I didn't want the assignment to force them into a specific religious outlook.)
How does it work? Well, without going into too much detail, they're in groups of 3-5 (mostly 4) and have a combination of group and individual things to turn in. Each group was instructed to choose a style and period, a geographic location, and various other details. The groups have just turned in their preliminary proposals, which are subject to change and development, and these are pretty exciting. The majority are Gothic, since that's what we've covered in class thus far, but other periods have also been chosen--one Renaissance, three Baroque, and a Mughal mosque.

French Gothic "The outer layer will be in stone + many rose windows with stained glass to accompany it. The structure will be airy + will have a high Gothic vaulting system..."

French Gothic "Stone cathedral. Started 1185. Finished 1230. 130 ft tall. Not a pilgrimage church. At least 2 rose windows. Holds approx. 3,000-4,000."

"13th century Paris. We're going to focus on the Virgin Mary for all our interior design. Our church will feature many rose windows + an ornate alterpiece."

Italian Gothic "It isn't a pilgrimage church. The patron saint is undecided still. Saint Clare or Saint Francis are our options."

Late Gothic in Monaco "The church... has both French and Italian influences throughout its exterior and interior design due to its geographic location... There will be usage of flying buttresses and other common gothic elements..."

"13th-14th century Italian Gothic. This cathedral takes its inspirations from the Siena's Duomo. Since the Duomo was the highlight of construction around this time and was looking close to impossible to finish, some of Nicola Pisano's favorite workers moved on to smaller projects... In the design marble would be throughout. The cathedral would feel more open when walking through its structure. The façade would mimick some ideas of other cathedrals in the area. Silver and mosaics would be abundant."

Renaissance (this may need to change due to England and Ireland's particular versions for the Renaissance) "It will be in honor of St. Patrick who converted the Celts to Catholicism... This cathedral will house some relics from Saints and pieces of the original cross as well."

"The location of our cathedral is the city of Genoa, Italy. It is dedicated to St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)... It will be primarily in the baroque style, but as Genoa is a significant port city it may draw elements from other styles..."

A German baroque cathedral is also in the works.

Mosque in India "The main structure constructed entirely of marble sits upon a high plinth that can be reached from walk ways from the North, South, and West each leading to the three iwan, arch-shaped doorways... Four minarets frame the outer walls, one at each corner of the plinth... There is a fountain in the center of garden courtyard with paths leading to the Main dome area which begins just past the North-South axis..."

And Still Too Busy to Blog...

From a take-home final exam:

"Popular entertainment of this period were drinking and prostitution according to Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergere."

"...it is unbalanced in a very traditional manner instead of all the figures and buildings being sporadic."

"The painting depicts free love in a classless and harmonious society. [...] I also admire Renoir for fanaticizing the typical scene at the Galette."

Re Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party: "Maybe this is a luncheon after a funeral..."

The Bellelli Family by Degas: "Though the girl sitting on the chair looks like she only has one leg. Which could make her mother not pay attention to her."

"As for Cassatt’s little girl, she is placed in a dress showing her lacy undergarments, which is a great capturing of what little girls do. Or, the exposure could be a foreshadowing of what path this girl may meet later on in her endeavors."

"...the cobblestone street that continues back into the depths of the painting with the larger masculine buildings in the background as well."

Re Caillebotte's Pont de l'Europe: "Is the woman approaching the man as some sort of constituent? [...] While one asks themselves these questions they can most certainly wonder weather the dog is feral or the middle right man is the object of the previous man's gaze?"

"While the focus is arguable, I find the railroad often my priority."

"The girl at least is still fixated on the railroad..."

"Manet’s piece contains a loom of steam created by a train’s engine."

"Caillebotte is also sure to include the railroad system which was popular during this time..."

"The statement seems to be that whatever your class or gender, you were controlled by the railroad system."

"...whether your fighting a war, or sticking rocks in your shoe, I suppose you won't know if your great 'till a historian tells you!"

And when you're writing complete crap on your exam, I suppose you won't know till you get your grade. Question for self: should I not have discussed railroads as a sign of 19th-century modernity?

More Distractions from Blogging

The survey exams were for the most part encouraging, but revealed some evidence of confusion. There were also some surprising observations.

On the Etruscan She-Wolf: "Though the mother is presented as a dog and the children are human, it still is betrayed as nursing the young."

The Parthenon "was one of the first and only structures to be completed before the Peloponesian War." (One hopes the student meant "after the Persian wars, atop the Acropolis," not ever in human history.)

The Hagia Sophia "is based on a Gothic style church." (As a prophecy, perhaps?)

From a student who has no facts at her command about any image seen: "The Roman building on the left [the Parthenon] is meant to be more decorative than useful since there are no walls... This buidling may have been used for meetings or gatherings when it was still used. [The Hagia Sophia] definitely has church qualities on the inside because of the apse in the center..."

"This was the orignal partheon. Found in athen's the romans highly regarded this building. It was built during the Peosipanian War. Queen Athena was found inside the partheon. She was later removed by we only have pictures of what we think she looked like, and remodeled statues."

The Pompeiian "Portrait of Menander" and an early Medieval St. Matthew "are of males dressed in togas with olive tree head dresses... One man is bearing part of his chest while the other is cloted but has the front of his toga open so women can see his chest while he relaxes and reads a book."

St. Matthew (painted 816-835) "looks as if Picasso had a hand in this."

Menander, on the other hand, "is mellow, as if he is lounging on the beach soaking up the rays."

"The painting is three dimensional." (I suppose this is meant as a tribute to the skill of medieval Islamic book illustrators...)

Complete misidentification of the Bayeux Tapestry: the Tapestry "is pretty self explanitory by the title, A poor man is being refused to enter a mosque ... Both pieces [Bayeux Tapestry & Arch of Titus] tell us a story it is trying to figure out what that story is, is the hard part." (Not if you read the textbook and came to class...)

"The top is sculpted, and the bottom is a tapastry. Both images are battle scenes." (And this is a complete essay?)

The Bayeux Tapestry "depicts the story of Moses..."

"The 'tapestry' tells the story of how the Norman ruler swims across the channel to claim the thrown of King Edward the Confessor."

"This is not quite a textile because it was knitted."

The Primaporta Augustus "could have been created by the Gods or they just loved him."

Re the Primaporta Augustus: "With cupid on his heels it makes me thing that he did not have a love, until cupid stepped in. Maybe Cupid is sending/helping him find his love."

Well, now I know what to do for Valentine's Day. I'll send cards of the Primaporta Augustus. Be Mine!

Why I Have No Time to Blog

From a recent paper assignment:

"Big patches of color are lying on their canvases like a blanket of stars on the night sky and like most art movements, comes heavy criticism. "

"It is rather more importantly the distinction from anything else, rather than conglomerating to a particular niche with the same status or mindset."

Degas "loved to paint moving bodies that were sent into peculiar angels."

"When attempting to paint an image of the modern time, artist have trouble with people staying still and remaining still."

"Dandyism is a state of idleness with an indispensable amount of money in terms of finding a sense of individuality and contentment."

Rulers "had to be perfected in a beautiful manner or the artist would have suffered severe consequences. The artist may have been jailed or even put to death because of his inability to incorporate the impressionist style into their painting. "

"Behind her is the second woman who is holding a bushel of flowers, lying on her side with her head probed up by her hand." (Courbet's Young Ladies on the Banks of the Seine)

"Art historians look back into the future and try to capture their responses to paintings, sculptures, or even photos." (Back into the future?)

Baudelaire "proved he was well informed and a prurient art critic earning respect from the art community."

"Baudelaire does not digress that painters from the past should be all together ignored..."

"I gain the sense that [T.J.] Clark is the type of guy that tells you that the young teenagers kissing are going to die first in the horror flick."

And we slog on.

And Now for a Moment of Tetchiness

On the whole, I am settling into my new teaching situation without any real trouble. Faculty and staff have been generally welcoming, and my students (so far as I can tell thus far) are pleasant and friendly, with some good observations to offer in the classroom.
On the other hand, I am disconcerted to receive a small onslaught of student emails that do not really bode well.
For example, a student who apologizes for missing class due to taking care of alleged administrative hassles inquires "Is there anything I missed?" This is the kind of query that tempts me to respond "No, I don't bother to lecture when you aren't there."
Another student asks "Since I missed today, I was wondering if we have any assignments due next week?" While it is better to ask than to miss out, the syllabus does reveal that there is a paper due next week.
Somewhat in the same vein is the question "what is the name of the paper we have to read and where can I find it also do we have to write a feed back to the paper and if so how any pages?" All of this information is on the course website, which is also where the syllabus can be found since (as a cost-cutting measure) we are not supposed to hand out paper syllabi and assignments. For that matter, I did talk about next week's paper yesterday in class.
Finally, another student apologizes for tardiness due to problems in the preceding class, and regrets that telling me so after class would have caused further tardiness. Since it is only the second week of class, I have certainly not learned to match everyone's name and face yet, nor do I notice everyone who slips into a dark classroom late; thus it is essential for me to know who actually showed up so that I do not wrongly penalize lateness as absence; hey, handing me a simple note after class would do the trick if I am (improbably) surrounded by eager students.
It's true that I prefer students to ask even somewhat foolish questions than be too shy or easily embarrassed to ask a question at all, but it would be nice if they thought a bit, too.