The Duke, Divine Comedy, and Discipline at St. Benedict's Prep, 1905-1972
Founded in 1868 by Benedictine monks, St. Benedict's Preparatory School is dedicated to the educational training of youth and the spiritual guidance of souls. Situated in Newark, New Jersey, St. Benedict's, like other Catholic schools, emphasized discipline as part of a century-old "e...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
American Catholic Historical Society
2010
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| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2010, Volume: 121, Issue: 3, Pages: 25-54 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Founded in 1868 by Benedictine monks, St. Benedict's Preparatory School is dedicated to the educational training of youth and the spiritual guidance of souls. Situated in Newark, New Jersey, St. Benedict's, like other Catholic schools, emphasized discipline as part of a century-old "endurance formula" that has guided young men along the path toward what the monks began calling "character education" or "manhood training. Regulations and restraints marked the ebb and flow of a typical day at Catholic schools, and punishment often punctuated it. While discipline has always mattered at places like St. Benedict's, the nature of punishment has changed over time, often in surprising ways. Headmasters from 1910 through 1943 felt a paternal chat was more effective than corporal punishment. A demerit/detention-based discipline policy advocated dealing with young men in a "mild yet effective manner," a disciplinary approach that some have called "conservative progressivism." By the late 1930s, though, the student population had become so large and unwieldy that a different approach had to be taken. A string of more authoritarian deans of discipline created an atmosphere of fear where the potential for physical punishment was always a possibility. One monk controlled the school through "practicing modified violence, consciously implemented." By the 1960s, this rough and ready method became outdated as students questioned the authority of church and state like never before. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
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