The Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1903. SEWING IN SCHOOLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7687, 23 April 1903, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1903. SEWING IN SCHOOLS.

The perennial protest against The lack of facilities for the teaching of sewing in tho country schools was again before the North Canterbury Education Board yesterday, when another protest vras made by the Board. When the colonial scale of teachers'

salaries came into operation, it was urged as a Haw in its conception, that ifc did away with the sewing- mistress in schools, inasmuch as it made no provision for paying her salary. The provision was subsequently made in another direction, by including the subject in tho manual and technical instruction regulations. A complaint from the Board upon the subject merely drew from the Department a, curt reference to the regulations as being sufficient. But the Board, after climbing over a number of redtape fences, with a realisation that "it's dogged as docs it," now comes to light with Kiicli ft analysis of the regulations as shows their absolute futility fur making proper provision for teaching sewing in small schools at any rate, where- the teacher happens to be of the wrong persuasion. Under these elaborate regulations a conscientious sewing mistress may, if she exercises proper diligence, and manages to fill in all the forms correctly, aspire t:> earn anything iip a- munificent scale of remuneration, which, starting at the extravagant amount of £1 per annum, swells up a princely gamut, far beyond the. dreams of avarice, to the limitless magnificence of £9 a year. .After this xvho shall say that there is no royal road to wealth? Probably it is such generosity as this •on the part of the Department that keeps it poor, and necessitates its adoption of a policy of starvation in various directions. Hut the Education Board is not disposed to let tho matter rest, and failing Jindingj a hole in tho fence through which it can creep, it is putting

in a straightforward request for l!ie fence to be pulled down. There can be no two opinions upon.' tho question thiit •sewing is the one subject of all others that should be properly taught to tho girls in country schools. The philosophy of the countryside, -which has precipitated itself into l lk* wisdom of the .adage that "a stitch in tinva saves nine," becomes useless if its womankind has no appreciation, of where to literally put tho stitch. M.my of (ho girls attending the State, schools in country districts have neither the time nor tho opportunity to learn even the rudiments of «?w---hvg outside- what tuition they receive in the schools themselves. This is not as it should ba ; but since the disability oiists, it is the duty of tho State, to remedy it. The Departmont has already admitted its responsibility in the matter, by making what it is pleased to deem provision for such tuition ; but, it having been shown 1 that the provision is ridiculously inadequate, there should be no difficulty in inducing it to revise- the regulations applying to sewing, and to put it on a, proper basis. The Education Boaids will certainly not bs satisfied until this is done, and they will have the heartiest support of the people in their effort to sco that the matter is altended'to. At present, it is such a gro.-s inadequacy that even so hard and impersonal a body as a Government Department ought to be movable.