Sir, – In 1965 I was 15 years old and weighed 55kg. Shortly before I sat my junior certificate exam the Christian Brothers were preparing us for a “religious doctrine exam”. On the morning of the exam my fountain pen started to leak and while my script was legible it was not exactly a thing of beauty. Once the exam was over, we started to exit the building but the brother in charge called me back and pulled me unceremoniously by the collar into a vacant classroom.
For the next 30 or 40 minutes he, a six-footer weighing probably 95kg, subjected me to what I can only describe as a vicious and unprovoked attack with closed fists to my face. While physical punishments were the norm it was the first time that I was singled out for such treatment. Realising that I was alone in the building with this man, I had a panic attack caused by fear that I might not get out of this beating alive. As the thumping continued he became ever more frenzied, repeating over and over that the Archbishop of Dublin had to read this paper.
My parents immediately went to the school that evening to confront the brother. To make a long story short I do not and never will, even after 53 years following my vicious treatment at the hand of this thug, share Dr William Reville's enthusiasm for "religious" education (Science, November 1st). – Yours, etc,
PATRICK BYRNE,
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Dublin 18.