The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 25. IX7B.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 709, 25 June 1878, Page 2

The Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JUNE 25. IX7B.

Hurrah ! may not have been uttered, but the desire of our school children t< express it was almost irresistible wher the schools broke up at the latter end o: last week. Under most favorable circurn stances, learning, or trying to learn, is t chilly occupation, and physiological rea sona can be given why it id so ; but wher the sun's rays fail to the sombr< enrtain which interposes itsolf betweer the wanner of our system and our par ticular portion of this earth, or when its genial warmth is neutralised by th( - piercing wintry winds, schoolrooms an below zero, and a sound birching woulc be a positive luxury to, at all events, an} boy. A humorist says that he is convinced that the Government has some- • Mr- *f> ([o with the absence of fireu in our -tlio ind on our replying that wc '■■n-l : • .h* least doubt of it. he gave hi; reason-. f'»r thinking so as follow :— " Mr. Pt'KNELL iiiis advocated, the idea of esploring the unknown wastes of i"-?-Antartic Sen*. The only obstacle t'-'-carrying out of triis o' j- ct is the dii; : of procuring men c-%p:ible of wit'"' * the peculiarities <".f-V.- e-_'i.>:i. • •? ■•■: to surmount the rh;- 1" '"■■•' i! • n Bonrd h:».s d.j iTisiimd to train i- .": the sch«»>!s nii'ler th-ir e-ire lu';j.i.. i u to survive the process of frr;i-z ; » • ■ '".i N; , tTits end t'.ey oliijct to w->-\ ■••' ih. I f'amani School C .i'liit i.- *■ >:>.: in--':. I wh'c'i n>""f_-? ,f "-arm ii. ; r h.-.r '■-. ■ * -...h-*. j atifl tf've t' -<•-■. '.Jv '"."!>." ' I V r, pav-rv:,l irru! W- w .w-i tiiar f'-" Oj ." i Education U'>:trd should be transferred to Anr»rt ; c "<>"' !?. hot were inforund C'-\: tht-y w> r..- r- .-> .->">; I for * : the other plnce.'' N"t rrpr-r' th;i hardening process »>:* being "t.iiiied to frustrate the coagu-'•-.ti.ig designs of the elaciers of Mount Er. bus, the teachers of some of tinOamr.ru schools prayed the Secretary u* the Oamarn School Committee to sen?! them some firing; but there were no funds for such a purpose at the Committee's disposal. The Education li<-u.'(l naturally objects to nxpend any of :i----fundi in warming country schoolhotiyes, ! where the vital principle coursing the children's veins, being so much thicker, should require no stimulus to excite it to action. "We would suggest that, in the absence of firing, and the wherewith to purchase it, the children should daily receive a lecture demonstrating this. A fortnight ago, we read that a chimney was to be erected in the Volunteer Hall, where the smaller children are being educated. We are not awn'C after what architectural design ?hi= chimney is to be constructed ; but we do know that there was no architect in Oamaru capable of designing it. A great deal of fuss ha 3 been ma.ie about the visit of Sir John Coode and Sir W. Jekvois ; but Mr. Somrrtil:.e came up from Dunedin a week or so ago, made the necessary observations, and returned to that city with the particulars—height. breadth, width, &c.—necessary to enable htin to perform the iciportant duty entrusted to his charge. It has not transpired what siac the tin-place is to be, but we would suggest that it be a small one, in order not to create too great a draught, which, m the absence of a tire to put in it. might prove a little unpleasant to the juvnniies '<"hc hare not been accustomed to t'.'.-t frigid method of treatment. We ire ••,!>>{. certain that it wm not for the sake »f economy, but in order to secure ;>urity of architectural design, which will render the chimney an ornament to the lown —when we get it—that tho work was ;ntn»sted to Mr. Sovertillb in pref.-r----»nre to one of our local architects, for the incurred will be much greater iu I ,on3''quence of the employment of Mr. ioMrTRViLLE. For instance, his fare from ' >unedin, LI : expenses in Oanriru, LI ; are back to Dunedin, LI ; return to see hat it has been erected in the correct pot, and lh.it it i» perfectly perp nijicnsur, fare, LI ; experts■■s in Oamaru. LI; eturo to Dunedin, LI ; make a total of I i 6, without any fee, which would havo ten 12s, had au Oamaru architect been ' i t :ploytj«i. Our chimney is going to cost [ heap of nvr>ey. and take a loug while to i irry out, having now been under way j >r about three mouths ; but we aro con- j j!< i - it!i the id»:i that it will be a good qb wava we g«t it, and that it will only ;

requiro a fire-screen to make it perfect. } It is consoling tc find that although we have what we conceive to be hardships to suffer at the hands of the Education Board, they are not altogether unmindful of us. We observe that a number of freehold farmi) and valuable town sections near and in Oamaru hare been set apart for the endowment of the High School, Dunedin. We are so fearful that we ru.iy be troul Icsome to the CHago Education Board t!:n* we **-ouH have uoobjociion to tnanag". iinr duration;';! affairs. That t!-e Board h:i.« funs-gh to d" to look af'cr thf Dun'-din 'chools w- have not the I- c t doubt. With Mr. Doxaxd Held as Chairman, and Mr. Pryde a3 Secretary, there will, we are sure, be nothing to be desired—except a Board of our own.