ro Tan WORLD'S WORKERS. 



This happy, free life of childhood lasted till Mary 

 was nine years old. Then her father came home 

 from sea, was shocked to find her so ignorant, and 

 arranged for her to be sent to a boarding-school 

 at Musselburgh. Here, as already stated, she was 

 very miserable. 



Her experiences ought to be told in her own 

 words. She says : 



" A few days after my arrival at school, although 

 perfectly straight and well made, I was enclosed 

 in stiff stays, with a steel busk in front, while above 

 my frock, bands drew my shoulders back till the 

 shoulder-blades met. Then a steel rod, with a semi- 

 circle which went under my chin, was clasped to the 

 steel busk in my stays. In this constrained state 

 I and most of the younger girls had to prepare our 

 lessons. The chief thing I had to do was to learn 

 by heart a page of Johnson's Dictionary : not only 

 to spell the words, give their parts of speech and 

 meaning, but, as an exercise of memory, to remember 

 their order of succession. Besides, I had to learn 

 the first principles of writing, and the rudiments of 

 French and English grammar. The method of 

 teaching was extremely tedious and inefficient." 



People who object to the thorough educational 

 training which girls now enjoy, sometimes speak 

 as if in the old days girls spent the whole of their 

 school time in enjoying themselves, and learning 

 what would fit them to be useful women and good 



