“Pollux had his mouth open when his father again yelled, “QUIET!” He went on, “Edith, bring the barrel. This time we use it.” Mr. Stone had a theory, often expressed, that boys should be raised in a barrel and fed through the bunghole. The barrel had no physical existence.”
cf.
Mark Twain once said: “When a boy turns 13, put him in a barrel and feed him through a knot hole. When he turns 16, plug up the hole.”