The boarder feels himself to be more fully a part of his school than can the day-scholar, who simply attends in the class-room. The day-boy is more like a visitor, who spends the day in the school and then goes home.
The boarder is like a member of the family and lives in the school day and night. He therefore enters more fully into its corporate life. Esprit de corps is likely to be stronger among the boarders than among the day-scholars.
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The whole of the education of a school is not confined to the class-rooms. A very valuable part of it consists in the social life of the school, and that is almost entirely confined to the hostels. The boys who live together in a hostel, get to know each other and form friendships which may influence them for the rest of their lives.
They join together in all school games, sharpen each other’s wits in conversation, get their angles and corners rubbed off by mixing together, and enjoy all the pleasure of good comradeship.
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Under a wise and firm superintendent, the discipline of a hostel is an excellent training in conduct and character. Those who live together in a community must learn to give arid take, and to obey rules; and such discipline teaches self restraint, and sympathy with others.
But hostel life has its disadvantages. What the boarder gains in esprit de corps and social enjoyments, he loses in the absence
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of the influence of home life. The day-boy is always in touch with his home, and the example and advice of his parents; but the boarder is cut off from home influences for months at a time.
Then in a hostel, unless it is under very strict discipline, continuous and uninterrupted study is difficult. Noise, and the visits of the lazy boys, and constant disturbance, often make it almost impossible for sensitive boys to stick to their books.
Lastly, innocent boys often get into bad company in hostels, and are led astray by worthless companies.