PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 86, 20 April 1901, Page 1

PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

(To the Editor of the Times.) Sir, —Would you believe it ? I once heard of a school that had a great name all over the colony in which it was located. Tho master was all that could be desired, and ho thoroughly imbued into the teaching staff the first principles of humanitykindness. Now, some of the boys that went to that school have turned out to be clever men. I am now referring to the males only. Some are newspaper men, some are in the Civil Service, some Town Clerks—in fact, I can’t tell you, Mr Editor, about them all, but they are all more or less up-to-date. I just told you, sir, that the master, always taught the teaching staff that-whatever else they did, they must show the boys kindness, but be strict. Now, in that school, of course, there were female teachers, but there were none of them who would pinch any of the boys or girls, either by the face or pinch their little arms until they were bruised. They would not oven tear up a copybook because the writing was bad; no, but the teacher would send the offender to be dealt with by those who had experience in the chastisement of children. They were not dealt with in a cruel manner, but properly punished. The girls sewing was not stolen repeatedly, and the mothers have a note sent to replace it (not the nicked work, you know, but fresh stuff) over and over again, if not, to get the cane, that is the girl. They did not send the pupils round the town with notes to find out the cause of the absence of Billy, or Cissy, or so on. Now, Mr Editor, we are about to elect a committee for the school in our town, let us elect a committee that will not allow any of the things I have mentioned to occur. Let us elect men who will see that all barriers, no matter of what kind, shall be removed, Make the school like the one I have mentioned, where the children were known to have wept bitterly when kept at home. Nothing wins the admiration of children more than kindness, combined with.honesty and firmness. —I am, etc., Chips.