, 1872-09-21

" AONAAS IL 1US SOuISC " IuSLIuCUIOD3
than hitherto fell to the lot of such schools.
He procured suitable apparatuses, imported
a teacher, made him comfortable, and gave
him all facilities for conducting his work;
and the school progressed as we'll as could
be expected. Those pupils who e~xcelled
were recommended to, and graduated from,
a higher school at Antigua, as teachers.
Such a school he himself entertained an
idea to have established here, had all
things worked successfully, and as preli-
mlnary to 1t, he began to train a young
man, but matters were discouraging and it
was Knocked on the head. After the
teacher (NIr. BaCheIor) left, the school fell
into the hands of his assistant, the present
teacher; the effects of the change told
dreadtuIly on the school, it dwindled down
to mere nothing, the infant department had
to be transferred to the Juvenile, in order
to make a respectable number not all the
ministerial influence could cOunteract the
retrograde movement. The new teacher
experienced much Encouragement but
with a deal OF patience and perseverance,
he succeeded to r~e-establish the conf
dence which it had lost. The institution
was fairly patronized again, the work
moved onward, and it nearly attained its
former efficiency, which position it held
for several years but it is now declining
it is not in the same fourishing condition
thatit was two years ago ; the attendance
is at present, comparatively, not as good as
that Of the public school, the condition of
which ismuch improved. This is quite con-
trary to Ph.'s assertion. The teacher, / be-
lieye, will agree with me that regular atten-
dance cannot be established withoutcompul-
sorymeasur,s. | feel convinced that the fall
ing off of the school could never be attribu-
ted to the teacher, for he is as Jealous as
ever; but we must trace the cause
to the childrcn's homes, the Indifference of
some of the poor uneducated parents, who,
for the merest trifie will detoin them at
home, f. i. to play with another "to keep
it quiet" to "send of a message" to earn
a cent, aud for many other frivolous things
of the same nature surely, such u~nfOrtu-
nate parents, compulsion by law only, will
Obligc them to send their children regular
ly to school for the fact is, the generality
of such parents are only nominalIy church
members, over whom the ministers have
very little control. Do you think, Mr..
Editor, after what / have here stated,
''that the clergy will be the better and the
more effectualIy compulsatory agents"
I am sure you don't.
The Lutheran sympathy has always
been with the public schools, as was prov
ed by the noble stand which Rev.
Wlllemoes took to defend them in the Co.
lonial Council.
[ too have read Judge SarauW's lawyer
like proposal, with its averages, quarterly
torfeitures and Government warnings, etc.,
and I have also noticed the miserable sti-
pend of $50 pr. M. so precariously held
out to the poor teacher, since, in the event
of his not being able to force an attendance
of 40 scholars, he f%orfeits his quarters sa-
larry what then =? why a smash of course.
No the community requires something
more substantial.
I am quite astonished that Phi. did not
read and examine thoroughly 81 S Broad
Outlines of a Plan of Public Schools of
st. Croix" published in a Supplement to
No. 81 of the Avis. The plan is not per-
feet, | am inclined to say something about
it but as z. has said it is only a loose
sketch, subject to rectifcation, | shall not
quarrel with him but [ must say, of all
the talk and plans, it is the only one sui
ted to the age in which we live. In it I
n cui+ohlo ,orouicionc n,odo for oil TIL