THE AMERICAN SCHOOL QUESTION.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 160, 2 June 1876, Page 15

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL QUESTION.

++ The discussion of the school question is usually so serious that our readers will appreciate, by way of contrast, the Chicago ' Journal's' mode of dealing with one aspect of the matter : —

" Yes, we tried the ' reform ' plan in our country last year," said an old fanner on the incoming train this morning. "We grangers jined in -with the Democrats and the liberals and the independents and the women suffragists and the what nots, and jist carried everything before vs — we did all to save expense and extravagance in office, you see ?"

" Well, did you succeed in your object ?" asked a gentleman passenger.

" Naw !" exclaimed the ancient soil tiller in disgust ; "we jist got ourselves into a fix — Expenses is gettin' bigger and taxes is eatin' us up worsen ever."

" Indeed P"

" Yes, sure's you're born," continued the elderly plow-jogger ; " now, there's our county superintendent — we 'lected a woman to that position, and she didn't want no salary or nothin', she said ; but you should a seen her last year's report sent in a fort'nit ago." " What, was it a heavy one ?"

" Wai, I should say it was !" responded the grim husbandman; "flog me if she didn't nave 220 days charged up for 'zaminations, 89 days for visitin' schools, and four days for bein' at the State 'sociation, stickin' us taxpayers with 313 days at $4 a day — $1,252: morn I could earn a farmin' in three hull years !"

" She ought be satisfied with that," remarked another paasen-

"But she wasn't," declared the old man; "blamed if she didn't seem to be mad because it wasn't leap year, so'a she could crowd 'nother workin' day ?"