OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 235, 27 June 1908, Page 13

OUR AUSTRALIAN LETTER

NEWS AND NOTES ON THE WEEK. , . EDUCATION IN VICTORIA. , [rnoii our bpeoial correspondent.] ; - ■ ' " Sydney, Juno 20. A very interesting report submitted by Mr. F. Tato,,the Victorian Director of Education, as the result of his observations upon his recent trip abroad, has been made public, and is notablo for the fact that Mr. Tat finds fault with the Australians for being in education ''pile of the most conservative and reactionary of peoplo." The greatest obstacle to the satisfactory settlement of tho education problem, ho says, is ptiblio ignorance and apathy. Therefore, he considers it well for Australians to realise now and then that their geographical 'isolation from the Old I may produce a reactionary and provincial spirit in matters affecting "national development. It is strange, he writes, that Australia, which, in some domains -of political, economy, is daringly progressivo and democratic, should in education remain one of tho most conservative and reactionary of peoplo'. Ho considers that what is wanted if rt public awakening to., tho fact that Australian boys and. girls, even in largo centres of-population, have not tho same facilities for higher education as aro freely, provided in other.countries. >'

The,reports goes on to, say:—" We havq not.yet seen clearly that our technical schools and University will never bo available to tho mass of oiir : people,, while such a gap exists between between them and tho primary schools.; At present we have no intermediate schools of the higher elementary type, and., the secondary school is locked against the mass of the people, and can be entered only by private stairways, for which a heavy toll; is charged. Our few scholarships are like ,so many ropes hung , out for expert climbers only. , We, need a broad, open stairway, accessible to all." Mr. Tato strongly advocated the establishment of district high sdhools in country centres. These," he says, " may.:be' ; either a. more elaborate district agricultural high school, with its necessary adjunct, a school farm, or a central district; State sohool,' with higher elementary classes added' jto it, together with "provision for, science training and manual work. Countries .which have developed such a system very well are Canada, Now South Wales,'and New - Zealand.. What they have done, wo can do surely.'.' ' ' In the matter of school buildings and general equipment, Mr. Tate declares. Victoria is completely outclassed by other countries.' He is' also of opinion that the present, state of secondary education in victoria tends to develop a casto system, and that in l .that State secondary education is the privilege of the well-to-do and tho city dweller. . . , .

'GRAVE SOCIAL QUESTION." Dealing with what he calls a " grave social questiop," tho director says, "Will, any student of, oiir social life say that. we are a ■nfise and far-seeing poople, when he , find? that we make almost no provision for the education of our boys and girls- during the adoloscent period, - but leave them to the unregulated and uncertain forces .of society at,;)& ,time wheu they are most susceptible to temptation, and in most need of control arid guidance? Making all allowances for those who'are'being educated in secondary arid 'primary schools, thore are fully 30,000 others, boys and girls, in.Melbourne and suburbs, who aro between fourteen and seventeen .years of age. Tlioro is only ono edufational dstablishment supported by the State which offers' ; any' provision for, the needs of this largo number of boys and girls—the Working Men's College. Is it any wonder that so many of our young people have their minds- filled with the ■ sport of the soason, cricket, football, and racing, to tho exclusion of .everj'thing elsp.rovcii in their work hours? .tyo'i' ono will dony that interest in true sport may be a most' desirable'thing ; but ,an efficient people cannot be buili up under our present conditions/' 1 y., As| regards .the .expenditure, on higher edii-' 6ation. : llr, Tate says he thinks the question should be not -'Can we afford it?" but "Can. wo afford not to do it?" Ho also recommends that the salaries of State school toachors!,should bo increased; that thora shbuld bd established district schools, schools consisting of tlio'present elementary school, with.a secondary.or higher elementary "top toy it'. \Such district schools, it is urged,, would do .much to bridge over tho gap now existing between 1 the Stato schools ana technical schools, and even the University; that evening continuation classes are necessary; agricultural high schools should bo established in; appropriate provincial centrek, so as to provide, ft three'years' course of instriidtiori; to lead up to agricultural colleges on tho ono hand, or to the University on; the other. The Education Department should arrange for a number of freo places for - qualified pupils in approved secondary sdiools, by paying a fixed sum to the authorities of tho school (a practice in vogue in t Now' Zealand), and that the adequate training of all grades of teachers is essential." ' / .

; ..ROBBERY OF JEWELLERY. : ' A mysterious jewellery robbery, in which artiolos valued at about £500—including a gold: rieoklet-set with diamonds and turquoises; and with a pendant attached, and valued in all at about £350—was perpetrated in most daring fashion aU the residence of Mr. Henry Boan, " Nirvana," Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, on Wednesday night, • while the family wore at home and tho houso lighted up. Apparently the theft was well-, pliilned. . Only one jdrawer in tho bedroom, where the jowols wero kept, was pulled out,'arid nothing else-in the room was disturbed, so that tho whereabouts of the valuables must have been well known to the thief. Mrs. Boan, on going into the room, discovered what had occurred, and at once communicated with the police. A few feet from "tho bedroom in which the robbery took place is: tho niirsory, which was occupied the whole _of the evening, with tho doors standing ajar. . . .. '•'■lt'was between the hours of 7.30 and 8.30 p.m. that tho robbery was committed. Mrs. Boan,.went about 1 p.m: to the drawer in which the jewels were kept, and it was not until 8,30 p.m. that she noticed. anything amiss. At that hour, whon she went into tho. room, sho found that a number of jewel cases'were lying about the flpor. She called her husband,' and an examination revealed the robbery. Tho theory of tho people of tho house is that the thief got in while the, family wore at dinner, or just after dinner was over, and that lie know where to put his hands on the jewellery. The opinion is that he was not-' moro than five minutes in the place. Somo valuable jewellery was left untouched in the drawer—about £100 worth, including two gold watches and a bangle of considerable valuo. Hence it is ' supposed that: ho must havo been disturbed while, at his work. Mrs. Baumasche, niece of Mrs. Boan, remembers that sho went upstairs on Wednesday evening at a quarter to eight,- and, at' one moment saw a reflection- in the lookjng-glass, but sho attached no .importance to it, her presumption being that it was somo movement of her own which had caused it. She now believes that what sho saw was the shadow of the strangor, and,that ho hid until sho wont downstairs, when lie fled, probably thrgugh a window. ■ The jewellery stolen, comprisod, in addition ,to the gold necklot already described— which was a Redding present—a pair of diamond and turquoise earrings, a diamond "-flying .swallow" hair ornament, set with rubies :• two lady's diamond rings, a lady's gold,'dress ring,' set with rubies and diamonds ; two gold medallions, sot with pearls; a gold bangle, set with rubies and pearls; two'gold brooches, and a gold cablo bangle, with a gold open-faced watch, • No' finger-prints ttoro discovered, tho thief apparently having taken tho precaution to wear gloves. The house contains 20 rooms, and tho room in, whioh tho robbery occurred is; oh tho northern side of the Elizabeth Buy; Road, on tho first floor. Although there - are several other bedrooms on this fldor, and in tho ono opposite to that of Mrs. Boan, and facing tho street, there were plenty of valuable articles belonging to guests and relatives, not, ono of theso rooms was disturbed; It is, indeed, supposed that tho thief actually passed through this largo room to got to the drawer in Mrs. Boan's room containing tho jewellery.

Mr. Henry lioan is the propriotor of a large importing business in Perth, Western Australia, and had only recently taken his annual trip to Sydney, with tho intention of remaining hero for two or three months. Although his businoss is in Perth, his wife usually prefers to rosido in Sydnoy, as her relatives and most of hor friends are here. In the foundations of an old houso at Hamilton; about 197 miles from Melbourno, tho connecting works of 40 watches wore unearthed on Wednesday. It is supposed that, these are relics of a big robbery which took place on the night of May 28, 1577, when tho shop of Sir. Scott, jeweller, was broken into, and a' ease containing 85 gold and silver watches, left for repair, and 23 now gold watches, was' stolen. The thieves managed to get clear away, but some months afterwards a man who gave the 'namo of Charles Graham tried to pawn one of tho stolen watches at Port Melbourne. When ho was arrested, and committed for trial at Hamilton, ho : was interviewed in the lock-up by Mr. Scott, as to tho disposal of tho proceeds of tho robbery. Graham promised that if he wero given a freo pardon and he would reveal tho locality of tho plant, which, ho said, was near Hamilton. The terms wero not accepted. He was convicted, and sent to prison for two years.

. JUST TOUCHED THE ROCK. An exciting incident of tho fog which settled_ down upon Sydney's harbour and coast line on Thursday morning was the narrow escape of tho Huddart-Parker steamer Westralia, which almost went ashore near Port Hacking, outside the Heads, when on her way from Hobart to Sydney. About 8.40 a.m., when most of the passengers were at breakfast, the racks loomed up suddenly through the fog bank right ahead of the steamer. The look-out gavo the alarm, and tho helm was put hard up. The Westralia answered her helm beautifully, _ and came round quickly quite clear, until just as sbo was moving away she touched tho rocks aft. Some of the .passengers heard a grating noise at the stern,'but there was no damage to tho shin, and she continued her voyago, reaching the Heads shortly before 10 o'clock. One of the passengers states that tho ship was so close that: a biscuit could have been tossed: on to the rocks. Another passenger told a " Daily Telegraph " representative that tho promptitude of tho ofilcer on watch averted a disaster. " I was in my cabin." he said, "when someono called out, 'The ship is ashore.' I looked oiit of the porthole and saw the rocks quite distinctly. We appeared to be turning at the time, and almost immediately afterwards I felt a shock, and the steamer appeared to bo dragging over the rooks. Tho bow had cleared, but tho stern touched, and the vibration continued for several seconds. Then things settled down, and 1 we came along without stopping to the Heads."

THREE MEN KILLED. While a gang of four men were employed on Monday near the explosives magazine hulk moored, in Cabbage Tree Bay, about soven miles up the north arm of the Hunter River from Newcastle, in'burying a. quantity of gunpowder which had boen condomned, an explosion occurred. Two of the mien, James Broivn and Robert Fountain, were killed instantly; another, Fernandez Zoppi, an Italian, was so injured that ho died not long afterwards, and the fourth, Robert Crockett, tho magazine' superintendent, was badly burned, but is, it is hoped, on his way to recovery. The method of destruction employed with tho gunrwwder was to distribute it in a trench which had been dug in tho mud below high-water mark, cover the trench, and allow tho succeeding tides to wash • the material away. The four men in the gang had taken the powder from tho magazine, and the business of burying it had already; been going on for some time when the' explosion occurred, . between three and four o'clock in the afternoon. Tho sight which metHhoso who hastened to the scene was terrible. Crockett, on his.hands and knees in a.dazed condition in the nuid, was. unable to give any account of the; explosion, or of tho rate of his' companions:; ..The.'body.u of i. Robert Fountain;'., dreadfully"mutilatedj'tand 1 : apparently charred: almost; ffom'hoad' totfootj was lying not far off, in some shallow water, and about a hundred yards away from it was tho body of the other poor fellow who had been killed, James Brown, the head and trunk

Some yoars ago when I was at tho Sussex St. Public School I felt a sharp pain in my right ankle, and I oould only limp homo," said Mrs. Annie Terranco. "I got day. Mother thought I was shamming and sent mo to school with one boot on and one off. Tlio cold seemed to make me worse, and. at last one day 'after sitting still in school I got so numbed in the leg that I oouldn't move and my sister had to run homo and get mother to come and carry me back. She put mo to bed, and from then until three months after I nover rose from it. Soon my legs was attacked and I suffored agonies. I couldn't move in bed, mother had to raise and turn mo. Sharp twinges of " pain would dart through both leg's up to my waist. I was numbed and paralysed.- I was in pain all tho time, both night and day. For nights I would not close , my eyes. Mother would bo up the live long night, poulticing and rubbing me. I fretted terribly, and wasted to a skeleton. 1 I'd cry with the pain. I had liniments applied every day, and poultices of salt, mustard, and bran to try and ease the burning pain for an hour or so. I had all tho medical advico .possible. Ono doctor said I had Rheumatism, anothor Paralysis, and another Hip Disease. After these three months I was able to get out of bod, but I was lamo all tho timo and not able to go outside tho door. I'd just limp about and was except for this as bad as ever, and I'd ofton havo to lay up for three months at a timo. All the fresh ajr I got was 1 when I wag taken out in an invalid's chair —and I hated the passers-by seeing mo so helpless. I went on this way till I was 13, and then I got a worse turn than ever. I took to my bod then for two solid years. I was quite bloodless. My lips woro white and my face waxy. You could almost seo through my hands and cars; I looked liko a littlo corpse. I never had any appetite, mother had to coax mo with 1 all sorts of dainties. Tho doctor's said my caso was hopeless—l could only live for tlireo or four years at tho most, and mother thought that doath was tho kindest thing that could happen me. I was, always suffering so dreadfully. I could . only sit up in bed when propped with pillows, and then only for a few minutes at a timo. I couldn't do anything liko reading or sowing. I was taken to Prince Alfred Hospital, and stayed thorn a week. Thoy said I had hip disease and wanted'to operato,.but my parents thought I was too weak, so they took mo away as I camo, in an invalid chair. Mother carried mo out of tho wardj and I was so wasted that

blackened and disfigured almost beyond recognition. The Italian, Zoppi, was lying torn and bleeding near one of the trenches, and diod in tho hospital the following morning. Tho cause of tho explosion is a mysteTy. Crockett, whon asked a question on ths subject at tho hospital, could give no reason for it. A shovel, with which tho trenches were dug, was found near tho spot where some of tho gunpowder that had been packed in cases was deposited, and it is suggested that one of them, by endeavouring to prise open a case with tho shovel, caused a spark which ignited tho powder, DE-RAILING THE PARKS. Sydney is to bo improved in various ways as the result of tho preparations for the Amorican fleet. One notablo change will bo tho removal of tho statue of Queen Victoria at tho head of King Street to a position further out in tho Square, where it may be more easily seen by anyone walking up King Street. Tho de-railing of the parks in the city of Sydney has been eomploted; and_ it was suggested as part of the general cleaning up process in the reception preparations, that tho high ornamental fences surrounding tho Town Hall should also bo removed; but the City Council rejected the proposal, some of. the aldermen appearing to_ imagine that if the railings were removed, it would be much moro difficult to manage tho crowds at the Town Hall on big occasions. There does not seem to be much force in this argument; indeed, the experiment of removing tho rails from the parks has been quito a success,_ and, so far as it proves anything,' this indicates that if you trust the people they will respect the rights of property, very readily. The larrikin has been quite polite in his demeanour towards tho new regime, and flower-beds and grassed plots are treated with commendable consideration. Also, the parks look very much better without their railings; the green of tho grass fills the eye, and the bright patchos of red and blue, and all tho other gorgeous colours of tho flowers are very grateful in the midst of the dusty city.

my bones, wore almost through the skin. I was quite used to visitors coming to sea me and whispering pityingly that I was dying. I had also pains in my arms and the most, frightful headaches on the top of my head. For hours at a time I couldn't see out of my eyes with tho splitting pain.- I was just a helpless log. Mother gave mo Dr. Williams's Pink Pills as a last resource, for sho read a lot about-them in the papers. Tho first fow doses seemed to do mo good. , I felt a strango tingling in both legs just liko countloss needle-pricks. I was given ono pill three times a day. When I was-half-way through tho first, box I noticed that my knees wero not quito so stiff and sot as they had been, and I could actually draw them up a little in the bed. If I'd tried this before I'd have suffered agonies. In a few moro days I began to get a little appetite and, a littlo oolour, crept into my face. Mothor could hardly •believe hor eyes. After that I grew bettor every day, and began to talk a little, proviously I hardly over spoko. I hadn't beoii taking Dr. Williams's Pink Pills very long when one day whon mother's back was turned I thought that I'd got out of bed, I felt so much stronger. I did so and actually walked a few steps. When mother saw mo sho nearly faintod with joy and surprise. I did dm ovory day lengthening tho timo each day and at lost I was able to leavo bed for good during tho day _ and walk about with a crutch and a stick. My joints wero still stiff, but they were _ getting more supple ovory day. My appetite kept increasing till I was quito anxious for moal timo, and I began to fill out. 1 put on flesh every day, and improved in every direction gotting stronger ovory week, and those droadful hoadachos loft mo for good. My eyes. got bright and in a month's time I was able to go out by myself, but slowly at first. 1 hadn't walked for years and had almost forgotten how to. When I left off taking Dr. Williams's Pink Pills I was cured for good. , I've nover had tho slightest twinge of Rhoumatism since. For two years after I got well friends would meet mo in tho street and wonder if it could possibly bo Annie Connolly walking, for they nover expectod to seo mo about again.''

If you aro in doubt nbout your own caso, writo for hints as', to diet, etc., to Tho Dr. Williams's Medicine Co., of Australasia, Ltd., Wellington. From that address you can also order by mail tho genuine Dr. Williams's Pink Pills—3s. a box, six boxes 16s. Gd., post free.