MISS CHRISTIE RETIRES

Otago Witness, Issue 2730, 11 July 1906, Page 13

MISS CHRISTIE RETIRES

After 39 years of honourable and faithful service Miss Christie has .etired on a superSDßtistion allowaece from the position of schoohnistress in the Caversham Industrial .SchodL Miss Christie's experiences of rearing the tender thought" were gained when, as a girl of 14, she kept a private school at Eeniey (then known as Tajeri Village) for Maori and half-caste children. Miss Christie had to rely pretty much o» her own resources . in "those days of early struggle, but she loved the work, and, moreover, was possessed of indomitable courage md perseverance. She applied for aard was granted a Government subsidy for the Ihtie Native sehooi. In this connection it wete -well to te\\ «. little story illustrating the traits in th«j character of the young schoolmistress. In applying for the Government subsidy Miss Christie had an interview with Mi- Isaac Newton Watt, the tfeejj resident magistrate at Henley. On seeing the rery youthful appearance of the ♦ppKeant Mr Watt exclaimed, "Why, bless my s©ul, you're only a child." To which Miss Christie, with some dignity, replied, "I'm 14." The answer pleased Mr Watt, who afterwards showed the young school ieauoher every consideration and 1 kindness, explaining to her everything that •was necessary in connection with the preparation of school returns and suchlike matters. Time went on. and Mr Pope, Inspector of Maori Schools, was sent out to inspect tb» Native school at Henley. The results were so pleasing that it led five years later to the appointment of Miss Christie as mistress at the Caversham Industrial School, * position lor which ebe was so eminently adapted, and which she has ao honourably filled. Few people who knoar the Caversham Industrial School of the test 10 years or so have any idea of its gaiadual evolution from the Industrial School of 30 years ago. In thcee early day 6 were no reformatories, a« there are the present time. The institution was dreadfully overcrowded, and in a most unsanitary condition. Owing to the absence of reformatories children of criminal tendencies and children of worthy, but poor, parents were indiscriminately mixed. As the laws of the institution had to be made for the former life was rery hard for children, teachers, attendants, and manager. Miss Ghristie's experiences under the conditions were far from pleasant. The accommodation wtte quite inadequate for the number of the inmates. But let Miss Christie tell of her experiences: — At that time (30 years ago) 200 children of any age from two or three to 15 years were crowded together in a huilding far too small to accommodate them with any degree of comfort, and with little or no conveniences for bathing or recreation ; the schoolrooms, two in number, were old, in bad repair, and greatly overcrowded. The manager's house was a email ootfage, and the school mistress occupied another (of two rooms) «f a short distance. ■ The whole place seemed to swarm with children, and the poor little mite 3 looked their very worst — the boys in moleskins abundantly patched and branded "0.1.5 V and the girls in scanty wincey dresses, witb sleeves cut short just above *he elbow so as not to interfere with their work, and both boys and gjfls with cropped heads like little gaol bird?. My first school roH numbered 102. I do not know how many on the schoolmaster's roll, but it seemed to me as they marched into school two by two fo form an endless uroce^iou. and I often wonder

how anj of our teachers of the present day would look if presented now with a programme of the work- of an industrial school teacher of those days, and asked to go through it- Here it is as correctly as I can recall it. and I do not think I am likely to forget: — 8 a.m. — Go round the dormitories and ccc that the girls do their scrubbing, bed-making, etc., properly; 8.30 — Breakfast; 9-30 or 9.45 to 12— School; 12 noon — To workroom, setting sewing for the evening, dinner, thea back to school at 1.30 till 4 p.m. ; from 4 till 5 p.m.— / Workroom with .girls, tea, and then back to the sewing room till 8 p.m., when, after hearing tho girls repeat their prayers and seeing them into had, I was free to go out, but to be back by 10 o'clock— no trams, and a big dark lull to climb. On school holidays my time was spent in the sewing room patching, darning, etc., at theeo awful moleskins, winceye, and ugly drabcoloured pinafores branded "0.1.5.," and as= if this 'vas not enough I was supposed to assist the matron, Mrs Titchener, in every way when not engaged in my i schoolroom. Poor matron ! She was ! liko myself, nearly at her wits' end. ) Oh! those children — queer, weird- j kinking, neglected babies many of them, others big, 6ulkv lads and girls, who were surprised at a kind word, and expected a blow if you raised your hand. Even then, with all the inconveniences, it was a treat to see them expand under the influence of a little love and petting. None of us had time to give them much. I bore 10 montha of this, then feeling that I could not teach under such conditions, applied for ordinary school hours and leave to reside away from the building, which were granted, and from that time I got mere into touch with the children. I had something from ouiside to brmsr them, and I wa&""ii change from the regular attendants, nurses, and so on. I am afraid I danced with delight when oar old schoolroom was burned to the ground, and bore with cheerfulness the discomfort of our temporary schoolroom — a play-shed with an earthen floor, across which an occasional rat or mouee disported itself, and rather disorganised the class it happened to approach. But to go back a little from this to the time when the fsumous Asiatic and two other vessels, the names of which I forget, discharged their living -cargo at the wharf. Picture my schoolroom if yoi can, literally swarming with children — all kinds of human waifs, droll, pathetic, sullen, cunning, unmistakably criminal some, others like little cherubs despite the ugly clothes : good, bad. •indifferent, epileptics some, deficient —in intellect others, and occasionally an actual idiot, all mixed up indiscriminately, and, to crown all, when the "babies' kitchen" was being repaired, from 10 to 18 little babies Gitting or lying on the schoolroom floor Tound the 6tove. There was no other plao© vrerm enough for them. Visitors used to come to the door and look in, holding their handkerchiefs to their noses, and leave ai coon as possible. Still, in spite of all this we did a fair amount of school work, •nd there were more amusing incidents than uiinleasant ao,ea x and, gg the. whcjl^

the children aeemed happy. Everyone took an interest in them ; their clothes, of course, were clean, and their dormiiories spotless, and there wa6 plenty of food, even if the Government of that day denied them tablecloths, and gave them only enamelled mugs, plates, etc. Change after change took place as the manager contrived to get more and more comforts, and at last, a-« I have already mentioned, to my joy, the old schoolhouse was burned during the night, and the present up-to-date one, consisting of three rooms, was built, and a few more years later Mr Burlinson came with more reforms. I have seen many teachers come and go, and I am sure that over a thousand children have passed through my hands, many of whom I shall always remember not only with love, but with respect — brave little souls, feeling their position keenly some of them, yet putting a very brave face on it, and unselfishly helping their weaker comrades. Many of them are good, useful citijtens to-day, in fairly good positions, and I am quite accustomed to them bringing their children to see me, and when they see the school as it has been for the last few years they exclaim at the improvement, the comparatively small number of children, th-e pretty new dormitories, the number of bathrooms, the girk in their neat and even pretty dresses and pinafores, chosen so as to bring out the best in their appearance; the absence of uniform, a change insisted on by the late Mrs Burlinson, to whom the girls, as well as myself, owe many kindnesses j the separation of the neglected children from those of lower tendencies, their mixing with children from other schools, and the gradual raising of tho standard of education from Standard IV to Standard VI. No child need bow be ashamed of having been brought up in the Industrial School, and although I myself are in favour of mixed schools — girk and boys taught together, and taught to take each other's company as a matter of course,— l must acknowledge that the present arrangement is far pleasanter than the old for the girls, who, being few in number, have much more leisure for reading and recreation, and are being thoroughly trained in not only ordinary school and domestic duties, but i cooking, fancy work, and the lighter and ' more refined phrases that can only be taught when their guardians and teachers have time to give them individual attention. Of all the old friends who were in the institution when I joined its staff 30 years ago, only two remain — Dr Burns, the visiting physician, and Mr Grant, the gard«ner, with whora I have for many years passed the joke that we are committed to the- Industrial School for life. I leave my old =ohool, taking with me many pleasant memories, and many that are amusing, and with the knowledge that in my pupils scattered far and wide I have many friands -,md many strong, ties. If I could have a regret in parting from my girls it would be at once dispelled when I remember that I am leaving them with Miss Stewart for their guardian and Miss Falconer for their teacher.

Xnturally prifted for the position she has so loner occupied, cheerful often amid the distressing surroundings, loyal and devoted to the- neglected little ones under her charge. Miss Christie has won her way into the affections of all. Her great services during 30 years as mistress of the Caversham Industrial School, even if recognised in higher places, can never be truly realised.