GROWTH UNDER STORMY SKIES. 223 



All the villagers turned out to welcome them on their 

 return from the Court House. It must not be imagined, 

 though, that the children were not being educated. Their 

 emotions being aroused, probably their receptivity was 

 greater for the assimilation of knowledge. Their teachers, 

 Mr. and Mrs. Higdon, gave classes when the weather was 

 fine on the village green, and when it was wet these were held 

 in a carpenter's shop which, whitewashed and repaired, 

 became known as the Strike School. Inspectors, councillors, 

 school attendance officers visited the school, found the regis- 

 ters carefully marked, the room warm and comfortable, 

 and the children very happy at their lessons. The Chair- 

 man of the Depwade District Council had to confess " that 

 the parents of Burston were but exercising their right to 

 send their children to whatever school they liked." The 

 Government Inspector was satisfied with the educational 

 work being done at the school, and the educational autho- 

 rities were completely beaten by this form of Soviet edu- 

 cational government set up by the villagers of Burston. 



Naturally the question is asked how could this school 

 be maintained without school fees, for how could the 

 teachers live ? As the revolt attracted a good deal of Press 

 notice, sympathisers, chieily trade unionists, in particular 

 railwaymen and miners, sent money to a central fund, and 

 out of this the teachers have been paid. 



But the villagers themselves, recognising the self-sacrifice 

 of the school teachers, gave what they could in kind in the 

 generous manner of the poor. That the Strike School should 

 still (1920) be kept open after six years, is a rather remarkable 

 record for a movement which was scoffed at by the authori- 

 ties as all moonshine and a nine days' wonder, born on April 

 Fool's Day. 



The character of Mr. Higdon needs no defence. Since 

 the school strike he has been made the treasurer of the 

 National Agricultural and Rural Workers' Union, a member 

 of the War Agricultural Committee, and a member of the 

 Agricultural Wages Board. 



An extraordinary feature of the School Strike at Burston 

 was the notices to quit issued by the rector to three allotment 



