CAVE OF ADULLUM.

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 337, 23 May 1885, Page 6

CAVE OF ADULLUM.

THE VAGARIES OF THE EDUCATION

BOARD. t

[To the Ediiob Observer & Free Lance.]

Sir, — Professor Tucker is, no doubt, a clever young man, and his classical education has not been neglected (witness the crushing power with which he demolished a sohoolboy's attempt at Lafcm verse some months ago) ; but it is unfortunately true that a young man can be well educated and clever, and yet, from inexperience, or a natural want of toughness of mental fibre, be quite unfit for the administrative duties of a public position. Wiien Professor Tucker came forward as a candidate for a seat at the Board of Education, those people who take an interest in local educational matters were pleased. They naturally thought that a leaven of mental culture could not have other than an improving effect upon the character of the Board as then constituted. The spirit of ignorant bigotry, it was hoped, would become less rampant than hitherto, shrinking before the sweetness and light of superior knowledge and academic honours. But the result has proved that the possession of scholastic learning will not of itself fit a man to exercise wisely even the limited powers of Q-overnment enjoyed by the members of an Education Board. The puerilities which distinguished the reign of a former Chairman are almost matched by the fussy silliness which, has characterised some recent proceedings of the Board, notwithstanding that a second academic luminary, in the person of Professor Aldis, ha 3 been added to the galaxy of talent in which Mr !)• Groldie, Orangeman, teetotaller, and timbermerchant, shines forth as the predominant orb. Mr G-oldie's sway has increased enormously since the advent of Professors Tucker and Aldis to the Board, until, practically, his will is law, as why should it- not be when it commands the submission of a master of the dead languages and an exponent of the higher mathematics, not to speak of the cultured intelligence of a Carr, and the legal acumen of a Theophilus Cooper. It is to be hoped that Messrs Moat and Luks will ere long perceive that to continue in their present independent courses is a mistake. They should either quit the firmament of the Education Board altogether, or revolve like their fellows in harmonius orbits around the Q-oldiean Sun cf Wisdom and Truth. They aloue, with ther oldfashioned common sense and manliness, constitute the discordant element which destroys the perfect music of the spheres. These reflections are called forth, by the result of Mr Groldie's fourth and at length successful attempt to get rid of Assistant-Inspector Peacocke, personally obnoxious to him, perhaps because he is not either au Orangeman, a teetotaller, or a Methodist. This unregeneiate mortal, after having suffered heavy losses in business some years ago, undertook and performed the duties of acting Assistant-Inspector to the Board for some two years, when, having given every satisfaction to his employers, he was officially appointed Assistant-Inspector. He continued to perform inspectorial duties for three or four years without giving cause for complaint as to any want of efficiency and zeal on his part, struggling the while under a load of debt caused by the business losses before mentioned. At last, forced by a creditor into the necessity of geeking the protection of the Bankruptcy Court, the circumsbanoes of hi» bankruptcy were investigated by"a committee appointed by the Board, and as a result h« |was exonerated from all blame. The Board then appointed a committee to examine into his educational and other qualifications for the position of inspector, although up to that time nothing whatever had been alleged against Mr Peacocke's efficiency during the whole six years of his work in that capacity- The report of this committee also was in his favour. Then from a country teacher came in a list of paltry charges with regard to Mr Peacoeke's manner while inspecting his school. One charge was that he characterised as ' rot' a book used in the school, *nd which inculcated total abstinence principles ; and another that he asked a little girl iv jest 'if she smoked.' Mr Q-. got himself appointed upon, the committee which investigated these grave and heinous crimes. It is not necessary to attempt any justification of these trivial incidents of this particular school inspection in order to prove the slenderness of the reason they afford for dismissing the inspector after six or seven years of good service. However, on the strength of these charges alone, the committee reported 'it was not in the interests of the education of the district that Mr Peacocke be continnad in office,' this report being signed by Professors Tucker and Aldis, and Mr Groldie. Mr Luke, another member of the committee, opposed and declined to sign the neport, which, when it came up for confirmation by the Board, was amended on Professor Tucker's notion to read as follows — ' Having examined into Mr Peacocke's fitness for the position of Inspector, the committee is of opinion that though his educational quali-

— — 2j" ■"" ties, and his energy and ability|a|?an exairimer are not called into qaestio.fi ,l it is. vnot in thefinterests of the education of the district that he should be continued in office.' This amendment was professedly adopted in pursuance of Mr Peacobke's natural desire to be told the real grounds for his dismissal, as he could nob imagine they were to be found merely in the trifling facts alleged against, him. But on this point, the amendment affords no inforformation, either to Mr Peaeocke or the public ; for, ao far aa I can see, it merely furnishes a very good reason why he should not have been dismissed. Does Professor Tucker mean that the possession of educational qualifications, and energy and ability as an examiner, are to be ttiUfizh as convincing evidence of a man's incapacity f6r the position of an Inspector of Board Schools? But, from this gifted scholar's remarks during the discussion which preceded the Board's adoption of this sapient report, it would appear tiiat in his estimation such vulgar qualifications count for very little as compared with a talenfc for " keeping up the dignity of the position." In short, he is evidently death on " deportment,'* or rather the want of it. What his cultivated mind yearns for is an Inspectorial Turveydrop ; to plagiarise Miss Jellaby's description of her? intended father-in-law, Mr Tucker's J ideal Inspector need not teach anything in particular, but his deportment must be beautiful ! " Our Professor, like Mr Turveydrop, does not believe in " a levelling age which is not favourable to. deportment." Perhaps, as Mr Turveydrop said of himself, Mr Tucker " speaks with some little partiality. It may not be for him to say that he has been called, for some years now, Gentleman Tucker." Really, the question arises whether Professor Tucker is not altogether too superfinely polished for the colonies ; and also whether the practical interests of primary education in Auckland would suffer much if at the expiration of his present term the electors to the Board should happen not "to continue him in office." If I mistake not he will find it hard to educate colonists to believe that practical efficiency in any public capacity does not outweigh in real value any amount of official starch and frills. — I am, &c, CoroNiA3j.