Room 2D

Five more illustrations by Hardcastle from the Contents pages of Janus magazine. From Janus 83. A knowing look. From Janus 84. A lazy Sunday afternoon. From Janus 85. The Three Graces. From Janus 86. A harsh introduction. From Janus 87. Doubling up.

Part 2 from Janus 15 by Richard Manton Writer Richard Manton (the pseudonym of a well-known novelist) continues his recreation of just one day in the life of James Miles, the factual Master of the Hoo Union Workhouse at Rochester, Kent during the 19th century. This compelling, obsessive yet authentic account, closely based on records of the time, takes one deep into the world of workhouse discipline for girls and raises many topical questions relating to right-wing moves to get corporal punishment put back on the statute books.  Part one  of The Man with the Golden Rod appeared in Janus 14. When, as James Miles, you were acquitted at your trial, the justices were clearly on your side. Off you go, they said. Birch those young reformatory trollops long, hard, and often. Did you suspect that the justices had a vested interest in the verdict? No? What a trusting sort of chap you are. The French revealed the truth in such Edwardian hooks as  Etudes sur la Flage...

Part 1 from Janus 14 by Richard Manton In January 1841, James Miles made headlines for the first time in the  Morning Chronicle . When charged with excessive use of birch and cane upon the bare bottoms of girls in his care, the justices laughed the case out of court at Rochester sessions. Mr Miles went on from strength to strength, supported by disciplinarians, press, and the justices — traditionally allowed to come and watch girls under the birch. As late as 1897, his colleague, the Rev Marshall Vine, supported such disciplinary zeal. It was still customary to give 36-stroke birchings in reformatory institutions, Vine insisted. ‘And I have done so,’ he added proudly in his evidence to the Parliamentary Committee. In our own time there is a groundswell of opinion, in the polls and in parliament, which favours the return of judicial chastisement. What would it be like? How would the system work? Is it quite as edifying as its supporters suggest? Perhaps before we give it ou...

Five more illustrations by Hardcastle from the Contents pages of Janus magazine. From Janus 78. Beating the bass. From Janus 79. Testing the surface. From Janus 80. Self-flagellation. From Janus 81. A Pretty Penance — a humiliating journey on the Tube. From Janus 82. “Right listeners, can you guess what this sound effect is…”