LAZY PUPILS CURED

Taranaki Daily News, 4 March 1935, Page 9

LAZY PUPILS CURED

THE BOY WHO WAS TIRED MRS. DOWLING’S NOVEL METHODS. OPERETTA AND MASKED BALL. With the appointment of Mrs. Mary Dowling as headmistress in 1900 the West End school entered upon a new phase of its development, a long phase of 19 years during which the institution was steadily to rise in roll numbers and importance and to become noted particularly for its fund-raising activities and its war work. Mrs. Dowling, who has been living at Melbourne since 1919, was a remarkable headmistress, both as a teacher and organiser. She had the gift of getting the best not only from her pupils but also from the residents of the district. The school became probably the chief social centre of the St. Aubyn town district. , Those who worked with Mrs. Dowling declared her to be a tower of strength and a woman who would let no circumstance discourage her when she had an object to attain. There is the story of how she cured the laziest boy of his laziness. He simply would not leam and was continually being sent to the headmistress’ room for punishment. He seemed incorrigible. Strapping appeared to have no effect, so at last Mrs. Dowling determined to cure him by a novel method. Taking him into the room in which she was teaching, she placed a pillow on the floor and told him to lie on it. “You are tired,” «she said, “too tired to work. You must sleep.” And every time there ‘was the slightest noise in the class, Mrs. Dowling would bang her desk, calling for silence. “Hush,” she would say, “you must not make a noise because R— can’t sleep and if he can’t work he must sleep.” It is recorded that towards the end of the day R— was sent back to his classroom, , fully convinced that any work was preferable to the humiliation of sustained ridicule. He was not known as a lazy boy after that. Then there was the lazy girl for whom Mrs. Dowling’s ingenuity found another cure. If she could not work she must be a statue. So she was stood beside the mantlepiece»and told that as she was a statue she must not move, and every time she fidgeted she was reminded that she was a statue. In less than half a. day the erring girl' decided she would rather be a good girl than a poor statue. Under Mrs. Dowling’s control the school grew steadily and, at the beginning of the present century a strong feeling developed that it should no longer remain a side school of the Central, teaching only the primers and lower standards, but should be raised to the dignity of a full school.

It appeared, however, that the Central school -committee was opposed to this suggestion and nothing could be done. In other ways, too, the district felt that its school was not being given the facilities it deserved,and eventually the agitation took the form of indignation meetings. Steps were takeri to discover the number of children of school age in the district and a petition for full statue was sent by the parents to the Education Board. At the end of 1902 the board made West End a full school and a committee was formed. The late Mr. H. J. Gilbert was elected the first chairman, a position he retained until his death in 1912. >' RAISING OF FUNDS. Supported wholeheartedly by the residents of the town district the committee quickly set about improving the property. A contract was let for the removal of a hillock that occupied part of the small playground and the committee ,■ raised funds from euchre parties and other entertainments in the school. Many of these gatherings had the object of help--ing Western Park as well as, the school. The residents of the district rallied round the promoters arid funds kept coming in in small amounts but regularly. Mr.' Gustave Tisch, the Mayor* suggested a gymnasium was needed and he gave £5 to start a building fund. He considered it would be so much more convenient than a small classroom from which the desks had to be removed and replaced whenever a gathering was held. The gymnasium—the same one that now stands in the pew school grounds—was opened on October 15, 1908, fully equipped with gymnastic apparatus for the children.

The funds for the building had been raised with remarkable speed. At the time the proposal was made by the Mayor, the St. Aubyn Town Board, which was abolished in 1911, was con- ( templating the erection of a public hall | for the district and a chairman of the board suggested it should co-operate with the school committee in building a gymnasium that could be used for board meetings. Dances could not be held in the school because the floor was stepped, but bazaars'.and euchre parties brought in £l5O in a very short time and with the help of a Government subsidy of £1 for £1 the building was soon paid for. Then it was decided to purchase a piano instead of hiring one each time. When Mrs. Blanchard made the suggestion Mrs. Dowling said it would cost too much, but eventually she agreed that the district should be canvassed with the result that £2O was raised. A concert by the children was held in the Theatre Royal and with this and other help the committee within three months, had enough to pay for the instrument. The piano, which was chosen by Mrs. Dowling and Mrs. Blanchard, is the same one in use to-day in the school gymnasium. Many will rerhember the production of the operetta “The Happy Family” in the Theatre Royal under the direction of Mrs. Dowling and how the pessimists were confounded by the magnificence of the scenery and costumes, and the fine

acting of Jack Medway (Aladdin), Nellie Hawker (Little Miss Mufiitt), Newton Sole (Boy Friday) and Dave Sykes (Robinson Crusoe). Then there was the fancy/dress masquerade ball in the school gymnasium on September 23, 1909. That was the time everyone wondered who the stately old lady in the crinoline was. Before the unmasking at supper she went home and changed into another costume, and if was a long time before it leaked out that the “old lady” was Miss Nellie Hooker, now Mrs. W. Hunter.