96 Timehri. 



The objection raised to large central schools under Government 

 control is, of course, the fact that the present system allows of the 

 religious instruction of the children by the school manager. 



The squabbles we read of between Managers and Masters are not 

 always particularly edifying and in some instances reflect little credit on 

 either the Master or the Parson, and with respect to religious instruction 

 it is doubtful whether very much attention is paid to this when the 

 Headmaster has the serious business of earning money grants — since, 

 the pernicious system of payment by results still continues — out of the 

 little children (God help them !) who are to be trained up by him and 

 sent forth equipped to face life. 



The writer has been told by one who had an early training, consist- 

 ing of two years in one of the best and largest of our primary schools, 

 before passing on to Queen's College, that during that time he received 

 absolutely uo religious training at all, had never seen a Bible nor was any 

 attempt made to refer to sacred matters. Yet we are told that the 

 schools must be under the control of the churches in the spiritual interest 

 of the children ! 



The spiritual interest can well be attended to in the Sunday School 

 class where numbers of children go without fail every Sunday — it is part 

 of the day's outing. 



Under good, clean, healthy teachers during the week, with indul- 

 gence in manly games calling for the exercise of self-control, we believe 

 that our children would give us hope for the future. 



The Parsons have an enormous amount of work to see that the 

 home-life is improved — " point de mere point iV enfant " says Rousseau. 

 With regard to the father, we fear little interest is taken by him in the 

 training of his children — in many instances he is away in the balata-fields 

 the greater part of every year. 



With the teacher who thinks of nothing but the Inspector's exami- 

 nation once every year, on which his bread depends, with the home life 

 as it is — are we satisfied that we are doing our duty by the children ? 



The same Inspector's examination would be amusing if the issues at 

 stake were not so great — a visit about once a year and an examination 

 of a few hours and he is able to tell us what the children have learnt ! 



Have we ever paused to consider that our Assistant Teachers with 

 salaries of something like $5 a month, must be living on the energies 

 of their parents ? Probably they are being supported by a poor hard- 

 working woman over the wash tub, who naturally enough likes to see 

 her son looking smart in high collar, tie and shining boots and thinks prob- 

 ably that he is a "teacher." From a boy who can live on his mother's hard 

 earned wages, may we expect anything much, and must such a boy in 

 time be leading our children in the path of duty ? 



