THE GISBORNE SCHOOL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 1472, 8 November 1881, Page 2

THE GISBORNE SCHOOL.

Thb Chairman of the Gisborne School Committee notifies that the public school will be closed until November 22nd. This step has been deemed advisable by the Committee until the epidemic which now prevails in so many places in both Islands has subsided. The Gisborne School has for some weeks past been in a very unfortunate position. The principal of the school, after meeting with a painful and severe accident, has been suffering from great mental distress, owing to the very serious indisposition of his sister, who for the last threj weeks has been dangerously affcet«i

with an attack of gastric fever, her life still hanging: upon the slenderest of thro.-ds. Miss Macintosh, the mistress of the infant school, haa been confined for many di»ys with an attack of scarlatina ; while Mr. Bull, the second master, upon whom so much heavy work ha" of 'ate de/olved, had io leuve his daises yesterday afernoan, and has been pronounced to-day, by his med'cil attendant, in a rery precarious state, the dread epidemic having taken hold of him. During the time we have mentioned irpoy of the children belon^in^ to the school have been struck down by fever, and the a< tendance h.u only been little more than nominal. In the meantime (he girl pupil 'eacher"» have had a most tryinj ordeal to go through. Teaching d'sorganised and broken daises through tbe day to be followed by lonz houn of study through the evening and ni^ht to prepare for their own examination ; what must be the outcome 1 The whole school system is being strained to an extent which cm only result in broken health and spirits of the few on whom the duty devolves.