Although The Collegiate school of Victoria was not a public school, this school did provide education before public schooling was mandated by the government. This gives us an intriguing look into the history of Victoria’s educational setting. As this school was not a public school, it was an all boys school, it illustrates a clearer image of how young boys were educated during this time period and what kind of morals and values they were taught to have, as well as the expectations their authorities had of them. In The Daily Colonist there is an article titled “Collegiate Established When Douglas Governor”, this article is an overview of the history of The Collegiate school which was established, as the title suggests, when James Douglas was the governor of Vancouver Island. As per the rules and expectations during the beginning of the schools’ life in Victoria, corporal punishment was a “recognized corrective which no one in that time disputed”. If a boy were to miss the same class twice within the same week he would get “a licking”. Similarly, if a boy were caught talking to another classmate he was “caned”. At this time The Collegiate school was the only available and organized private school available for various religious pupils with varying religious backgrounds. This indicates that parents may not have had a say in whether or not their children received corporal punishment at school for their behaviours.

Thinking about the experience of corporal punishment within public schools reminds me of the article by Edward L. Affleck about Joseph Irwin. It is possible that Joseph Irwin earned a nickname as flattering as “The Terrible Tempered Joseph Irwin” through his own associations which schools such as The Collegiate School or similar to it. Perhaps these were the methods he was taught to utilize for success in the classroom or perhaps that was how he himself was taught, and maybe that worked for him.

— “Collegiate Established When Douglas Governor.” The Daily Colonist, July 7, 1891.