The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1879.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 910, 17 March 1879, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURIST. MONDAY, MARCH 17, 1879.

TreEfcß certainly appwws t<> W sotnetfun;.; radically wrong somewhere in the- manner in which Bhe S«hw>t U conducted ; but with the present 8«;«i-ty aruou-nt of information before us. and ftwfmg the holding of an in<piicy. we do not ware to say in what that 4 * »">uwthin!f" c.ißsistf. < ! >f one thing. however, sc art* toterabiy convinced,. ami that is that the head master, B>lp. £>. FtKxnm, is not altogether blameless. for sn->Enetftmg Ufa? five years he ttoe» not appear ti> have f>«ew wp->« satisfactory terms with hist »»!*■•> ntinate'. We have been treated to sitoh a continuous string of enm-plainta t->y tlu* head master against all ami sundry of hi* Iteauhec* that we have entwe t» view him .'is either the most ill-used of masters, »t the most dithcult ot men to pU>swv. First one suftotMlinate h;vs I'eetv singled ortt for complaint, ami then smother, without any (leftnite result being arrived at so far. if we omit the important fact, tdieit»'«f after careful investigation by a Sub-Com-mittee of the Schools Committee *••!«»• two year* .<iu.ee, that the second master was in. the halii-t of whistling in the interval ! This. .*► far as we are aware, U the only ort'euce that the ties*! master of the North School has ever si«ceeded in feftngM*!* home to- any of his subordinates : and yet during the past few years he has made do,>us of emmptaints of a vague character against various teachers in hi* school, mates awl females having alike been treated in a thoroughly impartial manner in this respect. Whittling - forsooth As if there was any great harm in an assistant teacher whistling. or singing either, to drive away cace during his short daily: respite, Hetter to do that, and-, by driving away dull cue. assume a happy: smiling aspect. than pass through life with a long. woo

begone visage in a mopish, hypocritical manner. F»n-t we d« not wish t« ■ deat with, this whistling ease-; that has long since been incarcerated in that vast prison o? the past, only t" be released whew it U. desired t«> owe a hearty laugh. The comptaints of Mr. FfcEWtJw; have now- assumed a more- «eri»a», if tint » timce substantial, aspect; and the tints Has amvetl when it is imperatively demanded that the whole working t>( the s«fwi>l should be thoroughly examined, and these repented complaints probed to the very bottom. To be circumstantial, then, we may state- that some time in October fast, Mr. f'uotf-'iu made to. the then Chairman of the Committee a complaint. verbally we believe, against one- of thy female teachers* in his s«h«<->f. This was considered of so- serious a. nature that a special meeting of the Seh«»'fs Committeewas called to consider the matter, and Mr. Fr,i r ,\tCN(> wast requested to attend and; formally submit his grievance. That meeting was held, and Mr. Ftr.ntw was present: but not a single word did he . uttec about the matter, tli»ugh strange-ty enough, he made another and different eomplaint against another of his teachers. At last the Chairman called upon Mr. Fti;>ff.v*t t»> wbstaßtiate hb chargey and so warrant his (the Chairman's) action in having called the meeting. Mr. Ftfi-wfjftt, however, declined to dt» so. and with that forgiving spirit which characterises his whole conduct throughout these unhappy artairs. he begged to- withdraw the- curuptaint. This course he was permitted to follow. and. f advised by the Committee as a number of ! friends, and not as am institution, fie tendered an apology |» the lady—for his ipiarret was with a lady this time—for having behaved in an ungentle matdy manner. This matter was then supposed to have been settled to the satisfaction of all parties.and Mr. FtEJttSt? was remicsted to place- his charge against the other teacher (another lady by the way) in a definite form. A charge of a specific nature has never been brought forward,and the whole natter had happily passed out

of sight. But now comca the strange fact of the business. Some two months afterwards—in December last—Mr. Fleming appears to have written a letter to the Education Board, making a formal but very general complaint against the second master and tho lady teacher to whom he had previously appologised at the suggestion of membera of the Committee. So far as the lady is concerned the complaint made is not of a very damaging character, the grounds being the same as those previously related to the Chairman, but the charge in connection with which Mr. Fleming declined to proceed with when brought face to face with the Committee. But in the a<e nf Mr. Tot>i> the matter is quite different. The report forwarded to the Hoard »>f Education contains statements ■of a very defamatory character statements which, if true, would lender Mr. TVt>t» unfit to hold the position of a public ivncher, but which if not clearly proven wottld stamp their promulgator, Mr. : pE.fTvtiN'ir. as a dangerous member of society, and one totally unfit to have (juntml over a number of school children. will say nothing with regard to tile want »«f gf)«>d taste displayed bv Mr. f'MDHSti in forwarding his complaint direst t« the Education Board unknown :to the School Committee. The apparent want »>f courtesy displayed may have been the- result of a misconception as to , the position the Committee occupies. The disregard shown for common etiquette has been properly punished by the f'oard having apparently taken n<> tu'tKnj- of the complaint—a fact which ■probably ted Mr. Fi.KXi.vt; to send the Committee the copy of his report to the Hoard which was read at the meeting "it Friday evening. The matter having now been brought under the notice of the Committee. #« hope that it will not be allowed to rest where it is. Indeed, the Committee seem determined to get to the bottom of the whole artair, and have now ■ v.jlf.i upon 3lr. Fi.k.min'i; f>>r an explanation. A full and untfinching inouirv showtd certainly be instituted without delay, and, on the result of that investigation being arrived at. very decisive steps should be taken, if the credit of one of our public schools in to. W maintained and its usefulness is to remain unimpaired. There should W no mincing of matters. The : welfare of the school and its scholars demands that cither Mr. Ft.fTMi.v-; or Mr. Tt»w» should be removed. Uoth cannot hold their present positions under the tfir««mstances with credit to the school or advantage to tin,* scholars. There must be amicabtencss of feeling and unity of p«rp"se between the teachers of any in order t»» render it thoroughly useful as an educational establishment. TEti* theredoe.i not aeeitJ to be in tiie K■> rt h School.attd a change is imperatively necessary. Whether Mr. Ft.KMiM: or .Mr. T<>m> should be removed we leave to the Committee to decide. .->fter inquiry into the matter, feeling sure that they will see full justtw meted out to b«ttl parties