104 PROBLEMS OF VILLAGE LIFE 



well-known Oxfordshire schoolmaster, " comes 

 largely from ignorant or biassed people. The 

 education we give is not too much : on the 

 contrary it is too little. But there is one great 

 drawback and that is a limit of time. Sad 

 to say, many parents in the rural districts are 

 so situated that every shilling is of importance 

 to them, and, in consequence, the moment 

 their children can be legally removed they 

 take them from school : and what makes it 

 sadder still they leave their studies for ever. 

 The whole expense of education in such cases 

 is sometimes almost a dead loss. There should 

 be compulsory continuation schools until a 

 certain standard of education is reached." 



Whatever criticism may be passed on our 

 educational system, the schoolmasters and 

 mistresses of our rural schools form a class of 

 which the community may well be proud. 

 Nevertheless the unfortunate absence amongst 

 the English of any real enthusiasm for educa- 

 tion has hitherto prevented us from doing 

 anything like full justice to the men and 

 women to whom is confided the momentous 

 responsibility of training our young citizens. 

 A village schoolmaster is often worse paid 

 than an artisan, and until recently no provision 

 existed for the payment of long-service pen- 

 sions. His social position in a country village 



