Wood side. 73 



way it should go. For this commendable purpose a Sunday 

 School was instituted. Not that the founders of the school 

 ever went farther than collecting the necessary funds for its 

 erection. Certainly not ! They were too busy, and so the 

 leisured schoolmaster, who had to eke out a paltry salary by 

 giving music lessons every evening in the week, and took 

 his recreation by doing the same on Saturdays, who had to 

 play the organ on Sundays, and to train the village choir at 

 such times as circumstances permitted, was requisitioned for 

 the purpose, since it was found that he really had an hour 

 at his disposal on Sunday mornings and two on Sunday after- 

 noons. The schoolmaster must briug up the youth, and 

 relieve those whose duty it should have been. To aid him 

 in his work, three small boys, who were paid the princely 

 salary of one or two shillings per week, according to age, 

 were called in. with a bevy of maiden ladies, who pretended 

 to teach the young, and did their best in the most awe- 

 inspiring fashion, backed by the small boy monitors, who 

 kept order in a very rough-and-ready fashion. 



It was my lot to know many of the lads who enforced 

 obedience to the commands of these ladies. Meek little 

 boys they grew up, never dreaming of objecting to these 

 hateful tasks. But presently two lads of different spirit 

 appeared on the scene. Chosen for their daily avocation on 

 the principle of setting a thief to catch a thief, the order 

 they maintained was noteworthy. About this time the 

 schoolmaster was relieved of his duties by a local tradesman, 

 and the irksomeness of this Sunday police work began to pall 

 on the boys who were left in charge. First one and then 

 the other stayed away. Sickness of various kinds and degrees 

 became rife on that particular day. Then at last revolt 



