OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 3001, 20 September 1911, Page 80

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS. (Conducted by Magisteb, to whom all communications must be addressed.) [Magisteb will be glad to receive Nature cotes, marked papers containing educational articles, diagrams, details of experiments, etc., of scholastic interest to teachers and pupils. Correspondents must use only one bide of the paper, and whether using a pen mime or not, muse send both name and ADDHKSS.] THE STORY OF THE ARMADA. I.—References, Causes, and Objects. Some time *ago I promised two or three teachers to write an outline of the events connected with the Armada, but my columns have been so congested that j. have not been able to fulfil my promise. Then, again, the last few weeks have seen Parliament in session, and that makes an extra call upon space, and prevents my getting as much latitude as at other times. While, from what I write, young readers may bo able to get enough material for an essay, I shall suggest to them that they read up on the subject to get the historical atmosphere of the times. Portions of " Britain's Sea Kings and Sea Fights" (Cassell and Co.), " Heroes of the British Navy" (Frederick Wlarne and Co.), arc two good books for boys; but I am relying mainly upon Fronde's writings. A delightful book to read is Fronde's " English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century," but for the amount of reading it contains some —I don't—will object to the price—6s, I think. His " The Spanish Story of the Armada"— the title subject, though, does not refer to one-third of the contents of the volume—(3s 6d) is good reading- compiled from Spanish documents. Read, too, the concluding chapters of Vol., XII of his " History of England." Green's " Short History of the English People," "chapter 7, section 6, is worth going through. It is now, perhaps, 35 years since Green's history appeared, and terven now it is not superseded. Look up the " History of the Royal Navy " (Clowes, is the editor, r think), aind chapters in " Social England " (edited by Traill) will give interesting detail; and to mention, one more of many, '' A History of England for Catholic Schools," by E. Wyatt-Davies, M.A., is well worth perusing to get the point of view of a writer who has in his mind Roman _ Catholic lads. ■ From this list, and other books suggested by parents and teachers you will get quite enough good matter for arT essay. Novels I have not mentioned, but who has not read "Westward Ho"? . By the bye, you might get the " Collected Poems of Henry Newbolt" in Nelson's shilling net edition, and read a few of his naval pieces—" Drake's Drum," " Admirals AH," "Admiral Death." "BDawke," "The Fighting Temeraire," " The Qua.rtergunner's Yarn." The two first are applicable to the subject, arnd the rest will quicken enthusiasm in it. . • And now for the first instalment of my notes. HEADINGS. I should say that young essayists, when reading up, should make rough notes in an exercise book with large pages and with writing on one side only, to allowing of adding-y-modifying on the other; and that the brief notes should be classified under headings such as—(l) Causes, (2) Objects Aimed At, (3) Preparations for the Conflict, (a) Spanish, (b) British, {4) The Fight, (5) Results. Now, supposing I run put a few notes under each heading I have named. I.—Catjses. The causes may be classed under three headings —Territorial, Commercial, -and Religious. The opening up of the Orient and the Occident by the discoveries of Columbus, Vasoo da. Gama, and others had opened up a new era, and in penetrating the Far East and tho Far West the Spaniards and the Portuguese were in advance of all other European nations. In those days the motherlands looked upon colonies as existing for the exclusive use and profit of the countries that had discovered or annexed them. But the Spaniards and the Portuguese came into conflict, each claiming territbry the others assumed to bo theirs. To settle this dispute Pope Alexander VT (1431-1503) arranged " that all discoveries that might be made on a globe to the east of a meridian the hundred leagues west of the Azores and Cape Verde Islands, for a space of 180 degrees of longitude, should belong to the Portuguese, and that those to the westward of that meridian for the same space should belong to the Spaniards. This line of demarcation has since'been called the 'division of Pope Alexander Vl.' " In one of the series of maps in "The Discovery of Australia" this line is shown approximating to the boundary line between South Australia a,nd Westralia. You see,. Spain and Portugal between them left nothing for any other nation, and English, Dutch, and Erenbh adventurers did not see why these two nations should have exclusive rights to lands and trade in the East and the West., The era of expansion had set in, and English, Dutch, and French would not be denied. We are concerning- ourselves, however, with tho English. Naturally, a band of sea-rovers came into existence, and these sea adventurers sometimes traded with the East and the West, with the the Spanish governors and settlers, sometimes "to secure trade a money-or-your-life attitude was struck, and sometimes they .plundered purely and simply. What could be the result but antagonism? Previously to the setting out of the Armada, Portugal was absorbed by Spain and the problem was simplified. It now became a battleroyal for possession beyond the seas, and their resultant commerce. Territory meant trade to enrich the Motherland, and unrestricted trade was not possible without territory. And for either or both sea power was necessary. » The religious antagonism between the two countries really dated from the time of Elizabeth's accession, 1558. And here a word or two on Philip II of Spain seems necessarv. In 1543 he married Mary of Portugal, who died in 1546. In 1554- he married Queen Mary (1553-8) of England, but after 14 months' residence in England, trying " hard but unsuccessfully at the uncongenial task of ingratiating himself with his wife's subjects," he left the country, and just afterwards, by the "abdication of his father, became the most powerful prince in Europe, having under his sway Spain, the two Sicilies, the Milanese, the Low Countries, Franche Comte, Mexioo, and Peru, with the best disciplined and officered army of the age." After his wife's death, " afta* an unsuccessful attempt to gain the hand of Queen Elizabeth, he married Isabella «f

France (1559), and returned to Spain, where ] he lived the rest of his life." In 1570, lsa- I bella having died, he married Anne ot Austria. He has been described as a iana- . tical and gloomy bigot in religion. Your histories will tell you that many thought Ann© Boleyn's marriage with Henry VIII was an unlawful om, consequently when Mary died the throne should have gone not to Elizabeth but to some one else ; and Philip, as the husband of Mary, considered he had a claim. Again, before Mary, Queen of Scots, was executed in ' 1587, she, having quarrelled with James VI of Scotland (her son), who was to become James I of England, made Philip her heir therefore Philip claimed the throne of England as his in this way. Then, too, Elizabeth bad assisted the Protestant Dutch in their struggle for independence, and the Dutch bad put up such a strong fight that Spain was as incensed against England then j as Germany is against us now for the support we are giving France. But the maim cause was the religious antagonism. "Popery and Prqtestanism were at war—deep, deadly, and irreconcilable,"- says Froude. The teachings of WyclifFe and Luther, the spread of learning westewards after the fall of Constantinople, and the opening of the East and West had created an independence of thought and action that was new, and a breaking away from the traditions of the past Philip really did not want to go to war with his sister-in-law, but gradually it became to be acknowledged that England stood for the Reformation, and that Philip, as, the "secular head of Catholic Christendom," was .bound to mairotain the older faith. It was believed, says Froude, that the fact of the Reformation in Europe on the conflict, for if England went under, the Low Countries and. then Ger- . many would follow. Rut the growth of the Reformation or its suppression depended upon the possessiom of sea power. i Objects Aimed At. Briefly they were these:—l. Spain wanted revenge for the plundering of the. English Sea-Dcgs, and the general interference with , the smooth run of Spanish commerce with j her colonies. 2. He wished to crush Eng- - land (a) to make it tributary to Spain, and S>) to reinstate the Roimaii! Catholic religion. ut here again, sea power was necessary. I should like to enlarge a (("neat deal, but I have not space. Read the books I have named, for you will find them intensely interesting if you are fond of history. GARDENING NOTES. (By Amateur). Knowing that there is a difficulty in choosing books suitable for agricultural work and Nature study in connection with our school work, I have pleasure in supply-; ing a list of those which have come under ': my notice, and can thus recommend. Of course, it oughlt to be. remembered that the books, as well as giving special knowledge, should also, to the wise teacher, prove sug.gestive. No matter what special branch of the study is undertaken, the teacher's aim should be thoroughness. The children should be taught to make special notes on their work and observations. " Hasten slowly" is a good maxim. Don't attempt too much, and thoroughly master what you take in band. The list is as follows:—1. General Agriculture (Kirk). 2. Chemistry of the Garden (Cousins). 3. Agricultural Chemistry (Laurie); 4. Primer of Horticulture l«>. Wright). 5. Garden Flowers and Plants (J. Wright). 6. Gardening in New Zealand (Murphy). 7. First Steps in Gar- " dening (W. P. Wright). 8. Pictorial Practical Flower Gardening (W- P. Wright). 9. Pictorial Practical Vegetable Growing (W. P. Wright). 10. -Pictorial Practical Fruit Growing (W. P. Wright). 11. Pictorial Practical Rose Growing. (W. P. Wright). 12. , Pictorial Practical Gardening (W. P. Wright). 13. School and Garden (W. P. Wright).. 14. Rose Growing Made Easy (Lockley). 15. Journal of New Zealand De- I partment of Agriculture (published monthly). The above are cheap books; of the more ex- \ pensive there are: 16. Soils (Fletcher). 17. The Soil (Hall). 18. The Soil (Murray). 19. Elements of Agriculture (Fream). 20. First Book of. Farming (Goodrich). 21. Nature Study (Watts and Freeman). 22. Principles of Agriculture (Bailey), 23. Agricultural Botany (Peroival). 24. "Soil, Physics, and Laboratory Guide. (Lyon and Fippin). Where all are good it -is difficult to recom- I mend, but Nos. 1,-2, 3,4,. 6,8, 9, 13, 15, ! 16, 20, and 21 are .works of .well known merit. ...'"'--;.' . ' I Besides the above -'there, is another book —Studies in Elementary-Agriculture lor i Primary School,—which should he in the hands of every teacher and agricultural student. Fublisbcxl by a well known I New Zealand firm it is well suited for our schools, and the work outlined in it was carried out under the direction of Vincent W. Jackson, late Instructor in ' Nature Study and Elementary Agriculture to the Auckland Education Board. The numerous illustrations are original and "well executed, and altogether the book is a great credit to its author and publishers. ' It contains programmes of work arranged on the concentric system, suitable for all classes in a primary school, and the : matter is so well set out that "he who runs may read." ROBBING A SCHOOL GARDEN. There are some despicably mean people —or one, at any rate —up Pukeuri way. Read this, out from a recent issue of the Oamaru Mail:— An act of wanton mischief and unreasonable destruction was perpetrated by some irresponsible person at Pukeuri on Sunday night. The school children in that township have with commendable industry cutivated a garden which from the care lavished on it has become really beautiful. On Sunday night the person or persons referred to entered the garden. plucked most of -<ro flowers, removed most of the bulbs, and trampled over cultivated portions of the ground. The wantonness of fchifl vandalism and the petty theft of the children's flowers are indeed ■ contemptible. I It isn't the value of what is taken that one is annoyed about so much as the discouragemenit such an act causes, and the ' dsappointment the children must feel j when they see the results of perhaps years' work destroyed. One who would do! that is beyond - reasoning with and should get the. horsewhip. CHILDREN'S GARDENS AND CHILDREN'S FLOWER SHOWS. Mr Johnson sends me a letter which is given below, and with it he sends a schedule and entry form as used bv the Cargill Road Methodist Sunday School Horticultural Society. I shall be glad to receive three or four more copies if available. From the schedule I am taking a section—lnstructions for Seed-grow-appending it to the letter.

| 35 Playfair street, Caversham, Sept. 6. ! Dear "Magister,"—l was very much interestedin reading your notes of August 31, giving an account of what is being done in the public schools in Victoria in connection with horticulture for boys and girls. I would like to 6ee every school in New Zealand with a garden, and the boys and girls instructed in the cultivation of flowers and vegetables. _ I have been doing a little in this direction among our Sunday school boys and girls for the past 12 years and am pleased to say that the boys and girls are very much interested, and many of them are able to cultivate flowers and vegetables in a manner that would surprise their elders. I herewith enclose you a copy OI *^ e schedule for our 12th annual flower show, thinking that you might be interested in it.—Yours respectfully, j J. H. Johnston. j Instructions For Seed-sowing.—The soil I should be light and open, the best being good turfy loam two parts, leaf mould or fine forest earth one part, clean coarse sand one part, and a little well-rotted manure. Mix them, all well together and make nicei and fine; put some crocks in the bottom of the box, and then the roughest of the soil, finishing with the finer soil on the top. After sowing the seed just cover it (and no more) with the finest of the soil, and water well with a very fine rose. Write the name of tho seed and the date when sown on a wooden label and place in the side of the box. Put the box or pot in a sunny or warm place, but keep off the sun for about. 10 days. Dont' allow too many plants to grow. In watering after the seeds are up. the best time of the day is in the afternoon, about 4 or 5 o'clock. Tall-growing plants will be imoroved by ty : ng to neat sticks, and climbing plants look better when given a small frame to climb on. The plants are to bo grown outside, being sheli tered if the weather is boisterous, and ' shaded if the sun is very strong. " HOW CAN BRITAIN MAINTAIN HER j SEA SUPREMACY?" i A teacher asks me what books I recom- ' mend for those writing Navy League essa.ys on "How Can Britain Maintain Her Sea Supremacy?" This is the subject set for secondary schools, I think. I am sorry that I cannot suggest any books just now for I ca,nnot recollect that any book I have come across meets the want. The problem is an interesting one. and a solution is vitally needed. Personally, I think that Sir J. G. Ward's suggestions ought to have received more consideration. The Motherland cannot, go on increasing its expenditure indefinitely, and it must be borne in mind that Germany has outdistanced the j British Isles in population, and is increasing in a much greater ratio. The solution will rest largely with the British dominions beyond the seas. But on what lines? Should Canada, South Africa the Commonwealth, and our Dominion have navies of their own? Should they be supplied by the Homeland? Should there be a Maritime Defence Council representing the various-'parts of the Empire? If so, should this council say what should be spent year by year to defend the Empire? Should this council say what proportion should be spent- on each naval section? Sliould this council levy a naval defence rate? If so, should it be pro rata on oversea trade or on population? If each unit of the Emoire has its own navy, should this be built on standardised lines so that an efficient combination could be relied upon in war time? On war becoming imminent, should all authority be vested in the council? , Will these questions suggest any general scheme? ss ■"- THE VICTORIA LEAGUE COMPETII TION. j The following is the country schools' prize essay :—■--., i On December 11, 1822, a very important event occurred at Lisburn, near Belfast — the birth of John Nicholson, the future " Lion of the Punjab." John was the eldest son of Dr Nicholson, Dublin, a good man, and a Quaker by religion. His mother was a true, Godfearing woman, whilst his uncle was a rich baron, possessing shares in the ; East India Company. Little John could I read and write at four, and was brought ■ up as a Christian child should be. He was hardly nine when his father died of fever. | Mrs 'Nicholson then went to County Wicklow, wher i she spent her time in charitable work. John's education was completed at the Royal School, in County Tyrone. . At the age of 16 he left school, and his uncle, j Sir James Hogg, obtained for him a position in the Bengal Infantry. Our future hero embarked at London in the Camden for the scenes of his future achievements, and, unfortunately, his death. On arriving in Calcutta he was posted to the 27th Native Infantry, then at Firzapur, on the frontier. While there he attempted to study the native language, but his regiment was ' ordered to act as a convoy, and in that capacity.proceeded to Kabul. On the way there were some minor actions, but their courageous leader. George Broadfoot, outclassed even in Sikhs' cunning. After this Nicholson's regiment was stationed at Ghazni. This fortress was poorly armed and provisioned, and so, when the Afghans surrounded it, the besieged were compelled to surrender. They were kept prisoners for over a year, and then rescued by Sir Richmond Shakespeare. Nicholso.n then went back to Firozpur. On his way he found the mutilated body of his brother ! Alexander, who had been slain by robbers. Soon the frontier army was disbanded, so his regiment marched to Meerut, where he became adjutant. Shortly after he passed the examination qualifying him for a position on the general staff. The,n the Saltaj compaign began, during which many not--ble battles were fought. Before one of these Nicholson's spirits were raised by his pi-omoticm to the rank of commissariat officer, but his joy turned to sorrow when he i heard that his friend, George Broadfoot, ■ had died "the soldier's death" _ in that . battle. After reinforcements arrived the last struggle in the first Sikh war was • foucrht. j About this time Nicholson was chosen as | drillmaster of the Kashmir trooos. The famous rising was subdued by the timely arrival of Henrv Lawrence. Nichobon then assisted the Resident at Lahore, and did his work so well that he was entrusted -with the rule of the land between the Jhilam and tho Indus. During his •" reign " a. small rebellion broke out. but was speedily extinguished. Soon another Sikh rising occurred, and Nicholson was busv for some time. He was greatlv hindered by the treachery of his men, who deserted to the Sikhs at tho first opportunity. In this war he was macle captain, and made himself famous by his daring actions. After the war he went back to his " kingdom," where the people re-

ceived him gladly. Some fakirs began to worship him as a god, but our deified hero did not favour this action, and did all in his power to suppress the ' Nikalsain " doctrine. Soon after this he went Home to his mother on furlough. Qn his return he tried to introduce *he "needle-gun," but failed. Before long he found himself Deputy Commissioner of Bannu. In this station he was promoted to the rank of major, and was regarded as useful as the wing of a regiment. He pursued his duties so thoroughly that John Lawreifcn wrote to him thus: — " Don't send any more murderers up hero unless the case is ur,gent." By his strict rule almost all the crime was swept out of Bannu. One time; he was nearly assassinated, but he shot the would-be assassin before he was close enough to harm him. Next he was appointed Deputy Commissioner at Peshawar, where he was made colonel. While he was here the Indian Mutiny borke out and spread to Delhi. Signs of mutiny were abundant at Peshawar, and the authorities had a trying time. As a precaution all the sepoys at Peshawar were disarmed. The mutineers marched to Delhi, but before they were half way Nicholson was upon them. Against Delhi Nicholson led the Punjab movable column. With the command of this column he was appointed brigadier-general, a rank he retained till his death. On the way he crushed a rebellion at Sialkot, and proceeded to Delhi, where General Wilson was in command. Wilson was unskilful, and Nicholson had."to keep him up to the mark." After a few preliminary attacks and bombardments, the time for the great attack came. Nicholson headed the main body, which rushed through the shattered Kashmir gates. After entering the city, his soldiers seemed disinclined to follow further. Nicholson turned and harangued them, and while in this position a bullet struck him in the back, passing through his lungs. After lingering for a few days, he died from loss of blood. On his deathbed he sent comforting messages to his mother. Throughout his life his motto was evidently "Justice." His death is another example of the fact that for nearly every great victory England' gains she has to pay for it with the life of an important man. In the taking of Quebec she lost Wolfe, in Trafalgar Nelson, and in the taking of Delhi John Nicholson sacrificed his life for his country's welfare. Patriotism is a wonderful passion, and nerves, men to do surprising deeds for their country. It was patriotism that enabled Nelson to place his small ship in the path of the seven lanae Spanish vessels at the battle of Coipe St. Vincent, and enabled John Nicholson to place himself at the head of the British troops before Delhi when the bullets were mowing down the men beside him. Nicholson was a man of solendid physique and true British courage. He was Dopular because he was just, generous, and brave, and on many occasions his superiors consulted him about the plan of battle. England owes much to him for his military genius, his fine example to the discouraged men, ond his other services in setting the British Empire in India on a firmer basis. Etxtott Martin Christie, Blue Spur, Lawrence.