4 o EVERYDAY LIFE ON A 



very much disfigured by wearing on its head 

 a knitted atrocity of pink and white wool such 

 as one sees in village shops in England. On 

 many Estates there are small school-rooms, 

 and where there are a sufficient number of 

 Christian coolies, a Sunday school, and now 

 and then a short service is held in them on 

 Sundays. Perhap school-rooms is a misnomer, 

 they generally consist of a room standing on 

 pillars — a kind of piazza — with a small room at 

 one end for the schoolmaster. The fittings include 

 " tats "to keep out the sun, a large blackboard, 

 benches for the pupils and a few books. The 

 question ofeducation is interesting so I willquote 

 from " The Ceylon Summary of Information by 

 the Messrs. Ferguson." 



11 Through the Agency of a Government 

 " Department of Public Instruction, and a grant 

 " in aid system, chiefly availed of by the various 

 "missionary societies, about 110,000 children, 

 " or one in twenty-seven of the population, are 

 11 receiving instruction in English and the verna- 

 " culars. Private schools, not connected with 

 " missionaries or religious bodies are few and ill 

 "supported. A knowledge of vernacular read- 

 " ing and writing, generally very imperfect, is 

 " communicated in some of the Buddhist temples, 

 " ' Pansalas,' and private native schools. A large 

 " proportion of the population can sign their 

 "names, who can do little more. Education in 



