346 MY COUNTRY WANDERINGS 



on the farm, the band room, gymnasium, or play- 

 ground. I must mention the fire brigade drill 

 and the washing troughs. Twice a day each boy 

 strips to the waist, and it is an entertaining sight 

 to see the youngsters simply revelling in the pure 

 water, not forgetting also tooth-brush drill. 



Naturally, to keep all this machinery in motion 

 there must be an engineer-in-chief. Such a one 

 is the superintendent, and his practical help-mate, 

 the matron. To their credit, be it said, the sick 

 room had no occupants at the time of my visit, 

 and they have — as, indeed, they must — the care 

 of their large family at heart, and are constantly 

 planning and scheming whereby they may make 

 the lives of these sons of Britain brighter, nobler, 

 and more useful. 



XI. THE CUCKOO MEADOW 



It is really wonderful what a wealth of wild life 

 may be seen and heard in a meadow. At all 

 seasons of the year it is a remarkable place, but 

 when the Spring and Summer wild flowers appear, 

 then indeed it is a pleasant environment in which 

 to pass the sunlit hours. 



There is a meadow that I know where the 

 Cuckoo flower grows in great profusion as well as 

 many other 'wild plants worthy of notice. How 

 happy the hours are when spent in Cuckoo 



