Semaphore telegraph commands trained pupils in implicit obedience as a visual system.

Evidence

To assist in the diffusion of authority, the commands were issued by means of a semaphore telegraph. ‘The telegraph placed at the head of the school, consists of six squares, each square about four inches by three. These squares play on pivots, in the sides of a wooden frame. On each side is a letter as F. front, on seeing which, the whole school faces the master; or, S.S. as show slates, on which the whole school shows slates. The attention of the school is called to this by means of a very small bell affixed, which does not require loud ringing but has a sharp clear sound.’ The telegraphic signals trained the pupil in ‘implicit obedience’, which created a ‘system of order’. The visual effect of this order, from the viewpoint of the individual master at the head of the school, was considerable. — Timothy Mitchell, Colonising Egypt, 230

Categorization

• XREF: The semaphore-board command system is a direct ancestor of Taylorist time-and-motion and modern synchronized-choreography culture—connects to the author’s broader thesis about visual order in colonial space.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Timothy Mitchell, Colonising Egypt, 230