Educational Institute.

Otago Witness, Issue 1581, 11 March 1882, Page 23

Educational Institute.

The ordinary meeting of the Dunedin branch of the Educational Institute was held in the Normal School on Saturday, when there were present— the President (Mr Duncan), and Messrs Hislop, White, Moore, M'Lean, Smith, Jeffrey, Cowan, Ferguson, Mahony, Park, Montgomery, M'Laughlan, Wilson, Kyle, Stewart, Milne, Eennie, Reid, and J. Smitn. After the minutes of the previous meeting had been read and confirmed, , Mr Montgomery said there was a matter he wished >to say a few words about by way of explanation to teachers. They were all aware that Mr Hislop, who haij done so much for j education in the Colony, had obtained a year's J leave' of absence, and was, on "the point of leaving for the' Old Country. It had been urged that it would be a very proper and suitable thing for the teachers of Otago, especially those of the University and others more intimately connected with Mr Hislop, to place a portrait of that gentleman in the University library. He had at first felt some hesitation in movingin this matter as the teachers had already, as teachers, made a presentation to Mr Hislop. Still he had no doubt that a very.great number of them would gladly join with other friends of education in getting up this memorial portrait. He and the few who had moved in the matter had, he thought, been 1 justified in the' result so far obtained. "It might,, be thought by some that they had taken too much upon themselves hi • starting the matter, but when' it was taken into consideration that the 1 time was so very limited he thought they' would be excused. A committee had'alreadyb'eenformed and notice sent to ' most of the plder tjeachqrs throughout; the Province. He' thought the committee in whose hands' the matter hadbe'eh left would carry it out in' a manner satisf actbry to all. Mr White pointed out that . it would' be necessary to appoint a representative to give an address at the forthcoming annual meeting of the Otago Institute, and the President' of the branch (Mr Duncan) was then appointed for that purpose. Mr Hislop then read a very interesting and practical paper on " Home Jjessons," which was favourably criticised by those present. Most of the teachers were of the opinion that home lessons, were -indispensable, though they should always be short, and never so long as to endanger ,the health . qf the children, „ ( v • Several of the teachers present took part in the, discussion, aod on it! .being asked who had to; read, the next paper it wasisuggested that the> services of some of the lady teachers might be procured, as was the case at some institu* tions in the Old Country. „[,,(,.• > j '~ L f T",'< i. >' i 1/ I ... , Found Dead. „ Shortly before-6. o'clock on Saturday mornf .ing a man named Samuel Marsh, 60 years of age, was fbund dead in a room at the back of one of Mr 1 Russell's houses in Castle street, About 9 o'clock in the morning Marsh was seen through the open door of his room by two little, girls named Ajinie Davies ajid Mary Hart. ,He was then kneeling, ,at his bed in a praying attitude ; and the girls} thinking he . was engaged in devotional exercises, took no notice and went on their way. 1 On passing the house again in the evening they noticed that man was still in the same 'position, so the little girl Hart went and told Her mother, and a mag named Taylor was informed of the factj Taylor at once went ■ into the room ancj saw that 'the man was quite dead, " The police were then called in, but did not touch ' the body , until the arrival pfDr Copland. At the,, first glance it would! seem as if the deceased had poisoned himself, for on a table beside him there were two phials marked " laudanum," both nearly empty, and another peculiarly shaped bottle containing some other soporific drug. The supposition that death had been caused by an over-dose of some of these liquids was strengthened on looking at the position in which the body lay. Dr Copland, however, gave it as his opinion that the immediate cause of death was not due to an over-dose of laudanum, though he stated that to all appearance the man had for some time past been slowly poisoning himself. This is no doubt the proper inference, for it has been' ascertained that Marsh, who was in bad health for some t time ,past, has been in the habit of doctoring himself. The room he occupied was at the rear of a house in which two families resided. His room presented a most disordered appearance, for besides the bottles above-mentioned, there was on the table a'miscellaneous collection of domestic utensils, in several of which was , a quantity of, decaying food. On the table there were a number of letters. The deceased was, according to Mr Russell, in the habit of leaving letters about the room. The following is a copy of one of 'the letters found :— , , ( Dear Mr Kuesell,— l wish that my body may not have a Chnst.ian,Bervice rea&over It. I wish my body to ■bo e.u-t into the, pcean, and not covered with -"thjcki calico." ..[The above is my wish.r-SAMUEi. Marsh. • ' ' << \ ■' In another note was the following : — " Please write of my 'death to Mrs Fowler, Roe Cottage, Beeston, near Nottingham." The former note Mr Russell states he saw a few days before the deceased died. He was last seen on Friday at noon by Mr Russell, and during the night a woman named Woodroe, living in the same house, heard him coughing. So far as is known Marsh, who has been living in Dunedin for about thve.e months, has no relatives here. He was by profession a mining engineer, and some time ago had a son working in Sparrow's foundry. He came to Dunedin from the Bay of Islands, and had letters of introduction to one of the leading members of the Freethought Association of this city.