Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-07-10
Miscellany.
OUR SCHOOLMISTRESS.
CHAPTER l.


lam mfddle-aged lady, living quite
by myself in the little town of St Bridg-
cts where ithappened, and | know the
whole story from beginning to end, and
the beginning was this:
| was paying a morning visit to dear
old Mrs Ambrose, our Wears wife, when
the Vicar himself marched into the room
with his wide-awake on, and said:
Bother
| will do him the justice to say that he
took off his wide-awake as soon as he saw
me, and met the requirements of the occa-
sion by addressing me.
Mrs. Acton, here's bother"
what" we exclaimed, hurriedly, for
we saw there was something serious.
"Fhat-that prig of an inspector says
we must have certifcated mistress - re-
piled the Vicar; and then he sat down,
and we all looked at each other in solemn
silence for full three minutes.
4 certifcated mistress at St Bridget's /!
That meant turning out the dear old wo-
man who had kept the school for the last
tiye.and-twenty years, and had taught our
girls 10 hem and stitch and darn so beau
titully that they got places as working
women far and wide And she had
taught both girls and boys the best man
ners of any children in SOuthshre, and
had trained them up TO be honest God
fearing men and women, besides teaching
them some reading and writing, and the
first four rules of arithmetic. Nearly all
the children who had stayed long enough
at the school could read easy words in
large print and several of the clever ones
had been known to write out the Lords
Prayer from memory and to say the null
uphcatlon table quite perfectly What
could anybody want more? No wonder
NJ. Ambrose called the inspector prig
called him something much worse, but
as my thoughts were not put into words,
they need not be repeated.
oh, dear, dear" cried poor Mrs. Am
brose, as the full meaning of the inspectors
decision broke upon her "What shall we
dos Poor Mrs. Todkins will break her
heart"
"And that's not the worst of it. The
school will be ruined-good for nothing
In the world exclaimed the Vicar, get
ting up and tramping about the room
Inc children Will be stuffed with facts ::
but they won't get the education they do
now. As if knowledge and education
were the same thing. | suppose some
fools think they are" he added. kickinc a
stool as yiciously rs if it had been the in
spector himself.
Il don't know about education,n | re-
plied-which was quite true for didn't;
but no one will teach sewing like Mrs
Todkins, / am sure, and the certiticated
mistresSes | have seen have been such
very grand young women that, if they are
all alike, | shall be afraid to 90 into the
school,
"Oh, they are alf alike, my dear" sighed
Mrs. Ambrose: ''they wear chignons and
silk dresses, and feathers, and they are
dreadful
Cant we get out Of it?' I asked, faint
ly But the Vicar shook his head. and
Gid not repeat the question. Even at St
Budgets We knew something of the Ed
Qcation act, which was driving scores of
laatenSive incumbents mad and upset
Ing the peace of half the parishes in
L4-.and. ! dare say it is a very wise and
necessary act, but il is dreadfully tire
S'-4s one; and as we sat in the drawing
.tA that day, we did not know which
.as .-,a worse, losing an old mistress or
1@.a- new one; but we did hate the in
.Slof with hatred that was not quite
01-rs-s,ent with our religious principles.
mere. was a terrible stir in the town
~1s4 Inc news was whispered about, and
s1E time | went to the vicarage Mrs
+>5iLgsose had some fresh trouble to con-
III q me. Who broke the news 10 Mrs.
II-4tAl4s | never heard, but suppose the
'9't alQ IT. | did not go near the school