“Soon after Midsummer (1816), I established a Court of Justice in the school. The judge is chosen monthly by the boys. The sheriff and the keeper of the records are chosen in the same manner. The attorney and solicitor-general are appointed by me. The judge appoints the inferior officers, as the clerk and crier of the Court, the constables, etc. The jury consists of six boys, chosen by ballot, from amongst those who have not for the last month disgraced themselves by appearing on certain bad lists, or by being convicted of any disgraceful offence. All evidence is taken, even that of the parties themselves. No oaths are administered, as we wish to impress the boys with the conviction that it is criminal to tell falsehoods at any time and in any place. The assizes are appointed to be held once per week; but it sometimes happens that there are no offenders. The sheriff keeps a book in which he enters all the sentences, which are generally the forfeiture of premial marks, a certain number of which entitle a boy to a holiday. If a boy cannot pay the marks, he is imprisoned in a large wooden cage, at the rate of one hour for five marks. The greatest number of offences are leaving school without permission and before the tasks are completed.... If a boy pleads guilty (as most of them do), his punishment is always lessened one-sixth; but the prisoners are never asked whether they are guilty or not, that they may not be induced to tell lies. The sheriff always presents his book to me for my signature to each sentence, and I have the power of mitigating and pardoning. I never yet have had cause to find fault with a single verdict of a jury or sentence of a judge; and I have found that these trials, besides saving my father and myself a deal of trouble in deciding disputes and investigating offences (for the Court tries civil as well as criminal causes), have very considerably lessened the number of offences. I believe (and I have good opportunities of becoming acquainted with other schools) that our boys are by far the most moral set I ever was acquainted with. This circumstance may, I think, in a great measure be attributed to these and some later regulations.” Whether the cage was at any time in public view I do not know. Before long, however, he and his brothers came to see how much harm is done by exposing a boy to public shame, as is shown by the following passage in the second edition of Public Education:—