The Teacher Gasped.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 78

The Teacher Gasped.

The -surprising smartness shown by the young and rising generation is such that j older folk have constantly to be on the ! alert so that they may not be taken ad1 vantage of. Many a school teacher discovers to his coat the need of the utmost precision in language in speaking to his pupils and questioning them day by day. The other morning the lesson in geography in a -certain class dealt with the islands off the south-east of Asia, and rei ferecce was being made to the Philippines 1 and 'the iadjacent groups. I "What are the inhabitants of tLe Sulu archipelago called?" asked the teacher. ! "There is no specific name for them," ' answered one of the sharpest of the boys, j "They may, however, be classified under I the one general name of fish. Amongst ' these fish, sharks, flying fish, and other various kinds may be mentioned. Then there ate tortoises or turtles of different sorts, though these cannot really be called fish, but " , "What on'earth are you talking about?" . exclaimed the teacher, as soon as he could" | in part recover from the astonishment created by the boy's reply. "lam asking you about the inhabitants of the Sulu Islands, and you ought to know that these are Malays by race and Mohammedans by reli-, .gion." "T beg your pardon, sir," retorted the r lad. "You asked me about the inhabitants' of the Sulu archipelago, and I believe I am ■ not mistaken in thinking that an archipelago , is merely a sea or body of water interspersed J 'with islands." I The teacher gasped, but has since had a , 'dread, of that boy.