CHATS WITH THE CHILDREN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1975, 26 December 1889, Page 36

CHATS WITH THE CHILDREN.

By Patbb. . Santa Claus. By the time yon read thiß Santa Claus will have paid hio yearly viait to the youngest of my readers. He is generally supposed to visit those only who have been good during the past year, but he is very good natured, and with hopes that his naughty little friends will reform he visits them almost *as frequently as the good ones. A fine representation of Santa Olaue appeared in either " Harper's Young People" or " St. Nicholas " some time ago, lii t^e woodout he was pictured as rather dwarfish in stature butfjwith a good-natured round face, and dressed in furs. If I remember rightly he was driving over the house tops rather furiously in his carriage— -or, rather, sleigh— and dropping his presenta down the chimney flues as ha skimmed along, trusting that the parents would find them and put them in the stockings or by the bedsides of the little ones. But I don't think that picture was a true one, in more respects than one. First, there is a Mrs Santa Glaus as well as a Mr ; then they are not always dressed in furs, nor are they always short and stout and;chubbyfaced. While they are clad in warm furs to keep out the cold of the icy Christmas of the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere, in the greater part of the Southern Hemisphere they are' dressed in the softest of muslins and the coolest and airiest 'of garments. — in fact they change their clothing to suit the weather of the part of the world they are visiting. These good folk, too, change their stature and look with a rapidity just as astonishing .as their change of dress, becoming tall or short, stout or thin, and as far as shapa of features is concerned pretty or plain, but always retaining a wonderful amount of love and happiness in their eyes and in the movements of their lips. Moat of my older readers have seen Mr or Mrs Santa Olaus, but to those who ara not sure whether they have or not I give the advice, Don't try to catch them distributing their gifts, or inquire too closely who they are, for directly they are found out they cease to fill the stocking because, they [don't like the idea of being caught. I sincerely hope, however, that you all will have had a visit from one of these good folk. Possibly a few shillings will be left for you in order to visit the Exhibition. lam sorry Santa Olaus or his wife doesn't visit fathers and mothers to make them some nice }ittl9 present. Please remember them 1 yourselves, and whether you visit Dunedin or not oheer their hearts by some affeotionate remembrance at New Year if you have not done so already. If you cannot get a little gift for both parents you must try and get one for mother at any rate, and though you may not be able tp put it in her stocking, you can easily arrange a surprise ; the look of love' and the kiss you will get will more than repay your loving self-denial. . School Strikes. Inseparably connected with Christmas are the holidays, and if they were not granted I daresay you would imitate the little rebels at Home, and about whom I am going to write a few lines, knowing you will be all agog to know about the strikes. I would not let you know anything about them if I thought you would try and ape the organisers of them, and I might as well tell you at the outset that they found it didn't pay. In Dunedin two strikes have taken place. Is the first caee we read that the ringleaders on returning to school were called into the master's office and got some fatherly advice— the advice being, so I was told, a good licking with the towse ; in the second case, which was not made public, the boys got it so " hot " that Nature's cushions were striped and made softer, but not easier to sit on. The strikers struck, and the masters became strikers and struck too. At Home the Scotch boys had hardly eet the example before the epidemic broke out in Middlesborough, Swansea, Cardiff, London, and Liverpool, and in other towns too^no doubt. In London

several hundred formed a procesaion headed by' the* tallest boy. carrying a long pole with a doll fastened on the top of it-^ why a doll I don't know. Behind nun was the band,' a r score or more of lads with pansj. kettles, Jews' harps, triangles, flutes, whistles, &0., playing away a medley as merry as larks^ Succeeding these were the collectors— boys' w,ith cigar boxes, jam potß, sardine tins, ffic— gathering' money .from sympathisers likfc 'the dock hands, did; Bjhind the band and beggars came the standardbearers. l One ia' almost inclined to laugh at the impudence of the i young scamps rather than be angry, One "union!* sent a: document to the London School Board demanding free education,^, free meal a j day, no home lessons,. and no, pane, and, .stating that if, their requests were -not .acceded to they, would extend the, strike to -'tlie. whole of Loni dori ! In Wofcher ;parV of/ the world's capital j the' K Httre v , irrepifeßsiblea 'demanded only four' tfou're a p daV; fewer 'home tosabnsj reduotioh of fees'fronMd antf6d'to Id a'weeki and all; books free 1 ; The^uthorities; however, do not seem toe have been much alarmed, and the strike, quietly subsided. . l. r ;• - Io Liverpool tne strike seemed to have been: more, serious, but P* the same time it bad its Humorous' side*. * Eight or nine schools ",went eufc," but the boys of one of .'the nori-atrikmg Bchools spoke in favour of '"law and order, and asked to be allowed "to go " for the othdrs, and bring them to their senses, which wouldn't have been a difficult matter • if, as is stated, one ' policeman was • able :to make 250 turn tail and run for dear, life; These young hopefuls paraded the Btlreets with banners bearing suoh inscriptions as " Shorter hours," ." More holidays," "No home. lessons." One school held its strike meeting near the Harrington Docks, where the";"togie" ships ; unload. Now, " tqgie." /i.B raw BUgar in lumps, and as the ybungsters'were holding their meeting a fevv street - urbhiris passed "chawing'? togie. One 6i tHe rebels then moved, with watering, mouth, "that the meeting adjourn to where the togie ships are unloading;" the motion was carried .enthusiastically, and, they ."moved" instantly. Another lad suggested an additional banner *with the motto " Little lessons, mucn hangar,"' and no doubt it was got! ' When the strike subside^ and the school reassembled the ringleaders were invited into., the .. head .teacher's office and . requested s "do make changes in their attire "so that they might get the full benefit of a Bound whacking. They reluctantly accepted the invitation, got their seats ridged like corrugated iron, and, were told that though they could not get the "sugar " they had asked for they could always get the " cane." The excitement seems to have subsided, and no doubt it will, be looked upon in time to come as one of the larks of 1889. - '■:. , A mistake is. often made by teachers, in giving too many home lessons, and in giving reading, spelling, meaning^, gepgraphy^ahd grammar 'that haye not been previously gone over in school. If any of your teachers «an manage fro make your .lessons purely revißal., work, they .will eafn your gratitude, arid really £<not -be lomxa by it. It is very difficult '-to featn-ndw wdrk a* home, and if you' havfe-to tijp T whaJt haß no<; already been taken in sohooli it will. Be; Because your teachera have hot tne^tfnie'#b 'overtake all thewbrk:. If you' think th^t.you.a^e.'over-; taxed at times, remember that in most instances it is not your teacher's fault, and instead of giving in, buckle to, 1 and overcome >ypnr difficulties, for the struggle for existence is a fierce one,' and the' faint-hearted, and 'lazy at school will, in the majority of instanoeo,be able in the future to earn enough for a bare existance and nothing more. : The Exhibition. , > Some time ago a young friend from Tapanui suggested that the noys from country schools should visit the Exhibition in squads, and camp out° in charge of their teachers. I replied, that I did not think it practicable. I see, however, that Messrs Strack and Smyth ard camping out on the Belt, and getting their meals at Mrs Silk*. I have seen them about town, and they appear to be enjoying themselves immensely, perhaps some more of your may see your way clear to visit .the Exhibition, and oamp out in a similar manner.