OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

Otago Witness, 1 June 1910, Page 86

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS. (Conducted by Masister. to -whom all communications must be addressed.) HOW TO DRAW THE UNION JACK. Last week I gavo the greater part of the Empire address given in Melbourne a month or so ago, and in my column to-day I am giving my Empire Day ■contributions. I should like to give a good dea.l more, and particularly from the Victorian School Journal, "An Empire Garland," a series of poetical extracts representing all parts of his Majesty's Dominions. But space will not allow. Two or three years ago I -gave the dimensions of the Union Jack, but in fractions, and I was told that in some of our country schools young, inexperienced teachers found it not easy to show children how to work from tenths, twelfths, fifteenths, thirtieths, and so on; so to-day I am giving proportions and diagrams so simplified that boys and girls can do the drawing without any assistance. Draw an oblong 60 parts long and 30 wide or deep ; the parts may be sixteenths, twelfths, tenths, eighths, sixths, fifths, etc., of inches. A fair school drawing will bo in sixths, making a figure lOin by Sin. Having made the oblong, mark off 25, 2,6, 2, and 25 parts along the top, ditto along the bottom, and draw in faint pencil the four perpendiculars; then mark off 10, 2,6, 2, and 10 parts up the sides, and draw faintly the four horizontals. Then draw—all lines faint—the two diagonals; draw lines at right angles to the four ends and mark off two parts and then one part on each side of the diagonal, and draw diagonals ones to ones and twos to twos. Now rub out all unnecessary parts, line in the complete figure, and colour. A careful boy or girl need not put in the dotted portions, but most had better do so to get the lines exactly continuous. If the lines are put in very lightly the rubbing out of superfluous parts need not break the surface of the paper. Remember that the less the rubber is used the cleaner and more even will be the colour work. Rin the diagram stands for red, and B for blue. Do not put colour on too heavily. Notice three points: The broad white should be next the truck, the diagonal whites and reds are broken, reversing their position in the right and left halves, and the broad white, the red, and the narrow white are in the ratio of 3,2, 1.. The narrow white diagonal strips are called nmbriations, and are not portions of the St. Andrew's cross, but are used to keep the red and the blue from touching. Properly-made flags have colours separated by white, which is not regarded as a colour. This is seen in the Dominion Ensign, which has the stars of the Southern Gross edged with white to keep the red of the stars from touching the blue of the fly- This is the rule, I Believe, though it. does not apply in the three ensigns, where the red and the bluo of the Jack touch the rod and blue of the flys and the red of .St. George's cross. .The diagram was drawn rather hurri™ty ' ,- ls not verv accurate in some of the diagonals, but with the explanations sketch provide a good working The Three Crosses. Draw four oblongs each 2£-in by sin on the oaape facing the Union Jack. For the St. Geoage's flag, and using twelfths, mark on the perpendiculars 1?.. 6, and 12 warts, and on the horizontals 27, 6, and 27, and' connect; for the. crosses of St. Andrew and St. Patrick draw diagonals as in the Union Jack, the lines at right, angles to these, mark off three parts on each side and connect. The Union Jack of 1606. _ Mark off distances—in twelfths, not in. sixths —on perpendiculars and horizintals as in our Union Jack, and then mark off diagonals as in the cross of St. Andrew. THE HISTORY OF THE UNION JACK. " The red cross of St. George was borne by English knights in the time of the Crusades, and it was ordered by Richard II to be worn both on the front ftncJ the back of the surcoat or garment covering the armour of English soldiers. In the 16th century it was laid down that every standard is to have in the ' chief' or part next the staff the cross of St. Gsorge. . . This thereupon became England's first national flag, and if, still unfurls in its original form at the main of British admirals." Alter Ja.rr.'fs VI o* Scotland became .Tames I f England the cross of St. An-

drew was added to the cross of St. George, and in 1606 it was ordered to be " borne at the maintop by all loyal subjects of this isle and Great Britain." ' *' The Xehaped cross of St. Andrew derives its form from the first letter in the Greek! name of our Saviour." I have seen it stated, however, that the diagonal cross was assumed for St. Andrew because he was crucified on a cross of that shape. When the Irish Parliament became merged into that of Great Britain in 1801, the cross of St. Patrick shared the position with the cross of St. Andrew, which had to surrender one-half its space, a third of the surrendered space beinsr used as a fimbriation, and two-thirds being given to the cross of St. Patrick. Such in brief is the history of the flag which is the symbol of authority to onefifth of the inhabitants of the earth, owning one-fifth of the land area, and over one-half of its shipping. In 1901, Turnbull, Hickson and Palmer, printers, issued a neat illustrated history of the Umion Jack in commemoration of its first centenary, and I should like to see it or something similar in every boy's and girl's hands. THE UNION FLAG. The Union Flag is a symbol of freedom, of union, and round it cluster many glorious, and some sad, memories. Wherever it floats, there is freedom. When it waves in the air, it proclaims that the precious rights conferred by Magna Charta are the property of every man who, by birth or adoption, can claim a right to its protection. "For the lion-spirits that tread the deck Have borne the palm of the brave; And that flag may sink o'er a shot torn wreck, But never can float o'er a slave!" Its design is a symbol of union. That straight red cross in the middle is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. Behind that cross is the white cross of St. Andrew, dear to the heart of Scotsmen. And the slanting red cross is the cross of St. Patrick, whose memory Irishmen hold in reverence. The united crosses on the national flag are the symbol of the united country—united riot only in the British Isles, but all round the world, wherever the King's dominion extends. And think of the memories that cluster round the Union Jack'! It waved over Gordon's palace in Khartoum, while he was shut up by the Mahdi's troops. It flew from the topmost roof in LucKnow, while the city was surrounded by bloodthirsty Sepoys.. It was well guarded through the awful day of Waterloo; and it floated above the cannon of Trafalgar. Waving peacefully in every part of the British Empire, it proclaims the extent ot the King's dominions, and recalls the names of the men who planted it. And what will it. be in time to come? Already the "crimson thread of kinship" that "connected the colonies with the Motherland has been wrought into a steel cable which firmly binds forever the Empire into one great whole. Though other stars abov<s us shine When danger's tempest lowers, We'll show the world that Britain's causa And Britain's foes are ours. And ours the brave old flag, my boys, The dear old British flag! Though we dwell apart, we're one in heart, And we'll fight for the grand old flag. The dignity of manhood, the virtue of womanhood, the innocence of childhood are secure under its protection. Bemember that " its honour is stainless "; and never forget that you, too, have a share in guarding most jealously the honour of your country's flag. -As the Poet Laureate has written, — " Wherever our sails have quivered, wherever our keels have ploughed, We have carried the Flag of Freedom, tin-, furled it from mast and shroud. It hath weathered the storm of battle, it guardeth the paths of peace, And will watch o'er Right both day and' night, till the day and night shall cease. And, while there's a chain to shatter, and while there's a wrong to right, Its watchword shall be Gcd's gift to man, 'Through Liberty, on to Light!'" A. Hanson, George Street School, Fitzroy. THE UNION JACK. It is only a small bit of bunting; It is only an old coloured rag; Yet thousands have died for its honour, A?ad shed their best blood for the Flag.

It is charged with the cross of St. Andrew, Which, of old, Scotland's heroes has led; It carries the cross of St. Patrick, For which Ireland's bravest bs.ve bled. Joined with these is the old English ensign, St. George's red cross on white, field, Round which, from King Edward to Wolseley, , Britons conquer or die, but- n« er yield.

It flutters triumphant o'er ocean, As free as the wind and the wave. And the bondsman, from shackles v.n loosened, 'Neath its shadows no longer s a slave

We hoist it to ehow our devotion To our King, to our country, y.nd laws; It's the outward and visible emblem Of advancement and liberty's cause. You may call it a small bit of bunting, You may say it's an old coloured rag, But freedom has made, it majestic, And time has ennobled the Flag.

j THE FLAG GOES BY. Hats off! Along the street there comes ' A blare of bugles, a ruffle of d'rntns, k fla«h of colour beneath the sky: - Hats off! The Flag is passing by! Blue and crimson and white it shines > Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines: j Hats off! ' The colours before us fly; But more than the Flag is passing by.

Sea-fights and land-fights grim and great, Fought to make and to save the State; Weary marches and sinking ships; Cheers of victory on dying lips; Days of plenty and days of peace; March of a strong land's swift -ncrease; Equal justice, right, and law; Stately honour and reverent awe; Si»n of a nation great and' strong To° ward her people from foreign wrong; Pride, and glory, and honour—all j Live in the colours to stand or tall. Hats off! Alcno- the street there comes A blare of bugles, a ruffle 01 drums; And loval hearts are beating high: 'Hats off! The Flag is passing by! Henry Holcomb Bennett.

LIFE ON THE SOLOMON ISLANDS. I suppose that many of the. readers of my column read the article " The Solomon Island*" in the Times on the 25th ult. Extracts from an article like that make g-ood geography and history lessons. \* ell, I am going- to supplement that article by extracts from a letter recently received by 'Mr J H Every, well known in Duaedn, from his nephew, Mr A. W. Every, who recently took up a position under a company opening up one of these islands. The article told us that, with the exception of Bougainville and the neighbouring email islands, the group is British ; that the whites number about 250, of whom about 190 are British, the remainder being French, Scandinavians, and Germans; that the natives, mostly Melanesians, number about 150,000; that about six-sevenths of the trade is done in British bottoms; that the islands are not yet explored ; that the coast lines in some cases are not accurately surveyed; that many of the natives are head-hunters; and that the islands produce cocoanuts, but are suited for the growth of sugar, sago, cotton, bananas, rubber, cattle, etc. Other details are given, too, but these are a sufficient introduction to my extracts. To commence with, residences so far are very primitive, and the menus are not quite so varied l as in our Dunedin restaurants, for it is tinned meat, tinned butter —nearly everything tinned, —and the cook is a native " boy," who certainly couldn't pass an examination in cookery. The house for the staff consists of three rooms on 10-feet piles, the under portion being closed in for a storehouse. The windows have no blinds, and windows and doors are left open. The daily routine runs something like this:—"At 5.30 we ■have a cup of tea and a bit of bread and butter, and at 6 the bell rings for the boys to line up—there are 150, with 50 more to arrive. The gangs then go out, leaving the sick and the sore to come to me. It takes fully an hour every morning andl evening with the sick and the sore legs Arnd those island sores ! I never saw anything like them. They are simply awful, and all the result of dirt. It nearly knocked me out of time. The sores are all below the knee, mostly on the shin. When I started on them there were some absolutely horrible looking and swelling legs. One night we got out the bluestcae and put it on all the dirty sores. The remedy is a drastic but efficacious one, for I have now got them mostly healed. The fever patients take ten grains of quinine washed down with water, and whiffs of ammonia are good headache-lifters. During the day stores have to be parcelled out, and rations made up for the boys—2Oolb of rice and 300 ships' biscuits go out daily for them; the boys' quarters are to be inspected, for they revel in dirt if allowed; meteorological notes have to be taken; and a hundred-and-one other routine details attended to. At 11 o'clock the knock-off hell goes, when we have lunch, and sleep until 2. In the afternoon the different gangs are visited, afternoon tea is at 3, and knock-off sounds at 5.30. When the boys come in sores are attended to, and it is fully 6.30 when I have finished; then follows a bath, and dinner in pyjamas at 7." By this it will be seen that each day brings its work. The store work is amusing. " Ten sticks of tobacco worth a penny each buy 100 bananas. The principal purchases are tobacco, matches, armrings, and meat. One day I sold £5 worth of tobacco, and one man bought a pound's worth of arm-rings." The climate is evidently not unbearable. " I have been pleasantly surprised in the climate. The daily temperature is between 80 and 100, the average about 90. I have never felt it unbearably hot—not nearly so bad as Brisbane was, —and the nights are glorious. The lowest night temperature is about 70. We sleep on top of a sheet, and usually wake about 3 a.m., and pull up a light rug."

Mr Every's descriptions of the natives are interesting. Here is one: "The natives come to the store from all parts, and wild L looking bushmen some of them are, too, with all sorts of fantastic ornaments in their hair and noses. How they get along with them I'm .sure I don't know It's very evident that they never wash. And

dirty ! My goodness, it's awful! In tha villages you see the whole family in various stages of dress and undress—mainly the latter. The principal covering is dirt, which you would think was laid on with, a trowel." Wasn't it Dr Tahnago who once said, "If cleanliness is next to godliness, then Tear's soap must be a means of grace"? That the natives are far from grace their dirtiness and the following testify :—'• Charlie had j a narrow escape not far from here the . other day. He fell asleep in a boat on. j the beach, and a bushman tired at him i from about 10ft off with a poisoned arrow, | which smashed in the side of the boat about an inch from him. Tha doctor, too has had several very narrow escapes lately! Some of the bushmen up in the .mountains are right out after a white man's head. Even hers we all sleep with revolvers under our pillows." With tha Maoris some ground is tapu; on the Solomons it is " devii-devil " ground that is the trouble. " Just beyond the cocoanut trees is a patch of devil-devil ground which we cannot touch, for the chief cannot sell it. He says that if hu sells the Land 'devil-devil belong me; he angry too much; he kill me, die finish.' The natives are all afraid to sell devi'devil grounds, which are all over the island. 1 hey are afraid that if they do their own pet devils will be very angry and wip-3 them all out." Recently I have had letters from Western and Eastern Canada and from Sumatra and now I have given extracts from ono sent from the Solomon Islands In a week or two I may be able to give some impressions of Canada from an Otago student spending some time in tho Canadian Dominion. If readers can send me interesting extracts from letters in the various parts of the British dominions I shall be glad, or from British subjects in foreign countries, for such, letters are educative. " I should welcome, too, letters from foreigners giving their impressions of Britishers. 0 Sinco writing the above I have had the pleasure of reading another of Mr Every's letters, and from it I take the following: " The store is good fun. ... A wildlooking savage will come in, . . and at such times I carry my revolver in my pockot. ( The sight of a ' small feller musket ' has a much more subduing charm, to the savage breast than music. I- fact,' j the best music for that purpose is a shot ; fired over the bead of the said savage breast. . . . Last Monday the manager and I visited Su-u, from which village came two bushmen a while ago and camped just across the river waiting to get a white man. They were quite poaceable, however, and even, posed for a photograph. All were fully dressed in arm-rings and hats. . . The only wild animals here are bushmen, and tbay look their description. . . . Luckily they have a great respect for a gun. The penalty for selling ammunition is a fine of £IOO and expulsion from th© islands. But it is no small ivonder that some traders take tho risk. The profits are enormous—£4 on a gun and 2s on a cartridge. There are few native birds here, but moths and butterflies are enormous and gorgeous some stretching fully 6in across. " The customs of the natives here axe indeed marvellous. The men, of course, are the lords .of creation Women do all the work—make gardens, carry wood, and carry food. When a feast is on you will see women coming in with loads of oocoanuts, the load on tho back with a string round the forehead. Many of these loads weigh fully 1001 b, and the women carry them for miles. ... A native woman hanged herself in the bush this morning. Not much wondor, poor wretches! Life and coeoanuts must be a fearful burden to them." Fishing is generally done with dynamite; it is more expeditious than red and line. Five shots gave about 170 fish. " When, fishing in the opon sea sharks and boys rush at the fish together. Boys will even snatch fish out of the shark's mouth. Not for this child, thank you!" Line-fishing was tried one day without success, and) when the overseer returned empty-handed Jo (the cook) said: 'We clean saucepan, water he boil, where fish he stop?' Then in great disgust, ' You altogether one old Mary!' Jo is a benefactor in his way. One "of the party made bread, and then Jo made scones", but both batches were rathersolid and weighty so Jo said, 'You, me, two feller old Marys!' " Courtship and marriage customs are rather unique. The man treads on the woman's foot piid touches her breast, and there is no withdrawal or jilting. "If either refuses to complete the head of such objector is immediately knocked in. All wives have to be bought, mainly on the time payment system, which often extends over fiva when the payee has to refund all the money on the same system. j " Every full moon there is a ' crab' I night, and the moonlight picture must be !an interesting one —moonlight, tha river, the forest, with mountains in the background, with native huts, caino fires, and a. moving panorama of human figures in the foreground. Unfortunately the forests in the Solomon Islands, as elsewhere, have to pass awav to mak? room for the advance of civilisation—if, in such eases, it is an advance. In the ' burns ' thert are larg«* trees, env one of which takes a man tha best part of a day to fell. The future _is often bankrupted for immediate gain. Even now Australia is importing timber from Siberia and Korea. I sunposo this destruction must go on. But deforestation j and afforestation must he the subject some j day of a few notes independent of other mattor." Such letters as Mr Every's show what pioneering means, and it is this srenius for pioneering that has sent the British, into all the nooks and corners of the world. THE OTAGO INSTITUTE PRIZE COMPETITION. I am glad to say that the Otago Institute has agreed to give six prizes for nature study, three for individuils and three for schools. I have the conditions, but as I do not want our Empire matter to overshadow the prize schema, and as we shall be settling down to the normal next week, I am holding- the scheme and conditions over until next week. CORRESPONDENCE. I am again holding over meteorological records, but they will appear without fail next week. Before Christmas I promised a note or two periodically on Climatology, ! and gave an introductory outline. As a 1 matter of fact, I have four series of notes written, but other matter swamped me. But " really and truly," as boys and girls say. I'll fulfil my promise this time. Other will hav© a iieW\

day with the meteorologists next week. I want to make my columns to-day an "Empire Number."