THE COUNTRY SCHOOLTEACHER.

Mataura Ensign, 15 March 1909, Page 4

THE COUNTRY SCHOOLTEACHER.

A J.AMKNT mm VICTOIiIA. Country teachers in Vietorin tiaic lo undereo some ipieer experiences:. In the. Victorian la-eislativo Council a uiimher of letters were read last week from women in chare;,' of seven-class schools, which, from the description, Mould seem slraiiLtely remote from civilisation. The homes i'n which the writers ■>f lhe-tellers arc obliged to live in when on duty in the couutiv are vaMlv inferior to anything described ii, 'On our Seleelion." One of these teachers, doscribim; her wrote that she never liked lo look at the l.oitom of Ihe mill; jiu; in ease she should see somothiiu; there ihat would turn her against milk. The Led she was supposed to sleep on nas 100 <li .eitst ine to d.-scrihe, and she made a point of Ivine ni) I In- lloor as far from tie- he.'l as ..pace w.ndd permit. Anoi|..-r hidv informed the Council thai in h< r Indfiiue.liou.se- there was no pic; or vc-ctaM.-dish, and :■ 1.-.i-..r ( . jar was dailv set. on the tabic, containing :: mixture called Him. whose principal innr.-dieiit.s w-re !'»■* "".I nuts. In (his establishment ill.' children, aluav.s dirtv-. cnon'oiicallv sounjit t<i reduce all food to the same repellei-.t condition. A teacher nii-tricrcd with M (Jcrnian Hoimiii. whose husband was pnispectino; in another pari of the countrv, was fa?I rout heme comfortable. The landlady had no children, lint pi-s, fow | s llM i] dot-s coiistiliiled a sulistilule of more a ; :o;rcssivc character. When the absent: minded hushand failed to send remiUaiicos die lirsl home expenditure to he cut down was thai upon food, which seemed to he r.-a.dcd as a superfluous "Xil.rv. I lie teacher looked for other lodemes. She lound them with a most ignorant tanner, who indulged fre<|uenily in stimulants, and while under their inllitence treated his wife with L'rea, severily. There was nnlhiuo; lo •'"mpoiisnto for sucl unpleasant atmosphere. 'llu- food „as had mice Irolickcd nl.mil her hedmom, spnh-rs am tarantulas sivuiil; from the ceiline ••i"d dually dropped on her hod. In one case it was Ihe practice to leave sick children to the care of the school leacher, while Ihe parents I'roipioiile.l dances, However, we continue to pav <im pugilists and iockev.s well (savs an Australian writer): lhe ordiimrv school teacher is a pen on of comparative unimportance. Serioiislv. the o.iins we ."-•> I" in <irder to break the iiearls of those who are ,caelum; <„„- children const,tute a erv,,,,- scandal.