Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-07-27
Copyright 1901, by Frank @. carpen-
teri

Copyright, 1901, by Frank c. carpen-
ter)
Sydney. New South Wales, l9N.--
find curious letters from our
American boys in the departments OF
public instruction In Australia, Some
Of our school teachers interest their pu-
pills in geography by having them cor
respond with school boys all over the
world. The school boy writes a letter
telling about his home and life In the
United States, and IN return asks the
Australian boy to reply with a letter
about his home and how things are go
Ing on on the other side OF the world.
One such letter. which have before me,
comes from Archie Ashmore, a thirteen
year-old boy Of Maitland. Neb. II has
been answered by one Of the Sydney
school boys, and young Archie already
knows how boys live In Australia.
Here are few sentences from his letter
on how he lives at Maitland He says
II live In Maitland, Neb., on the
Northwestern railroad. Not many years
ago there was scarcely anybody living
here, but some time ago people began
20 move here from foreign countries,
some OF them from Sweden. Norway,
Germany, Denmark and Bohemia, This
Is a fine place, only dry and windy at
times.
Next will tell you what we grow
here. We use plows 10 stir up the
ground and harrows to level II on We
plant oats and corn with a machine
called a corn planter. We cultivate the
corn with cutlvator three times. We
cut the oats with binder shock II up
and when II Is dry II is hauled to the
house and stacked. In the fall when
the corn gets ripe we have 70 husk IL
and crib It up 10 keep It for our stock or
sell II II we want to.
"Our school begins at o'clock In the
morning and closes at o'clock In the
afternoon Then we go home and do
our chores and get ready for supper
After supper help IN my fathers store.
"Most OF the girls help their mothers
do housework. When they think they
get old enough they get married II they
can find somebody TO suit them. Wen,
] guess l viii close.
Yours truly, ARCHIE ASHMORE.
AUSTRALIANS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
find that the Australians have
good public school system. Every coll
ony has Its own books and It's own
methods. In Victoria the board OF edu-
cation publishes school papers which
come out once month 10 take the place
OF the reading books used In our schools
These papers are composed OF extracts
and such original matter as the teach
ers think will benefit the children. They
contain frequent references to the news
OF the month, and the articles published
are on current topics and on matters
Australian. There are now many artl-
Giles about the Beers and the Chinese
and the wars which have been going on
among them. There are papers on how
plants grow. stories of geography
poems and songs The papers are H.
lustrated and seem very attractive.
Some OF the poems are PAROLES, and
one OF the songs which was published a
few weeks ago has the words and air
OF Columbia" beginning:
britannia, the pride Of the ocean.
The home OF the brave and the free"
The remainder OF the song Is about the
same as our Columbia, the Gem OF the
Ocean,"
THE SCHOOL POLICEMEN.
In nearly all the colonies education is
compulsory. and that Notwithstanding
the children have TO pay for attending
school. The charge is never more than
s cents a week per pupil, and never
more than q shilling, or % cents. per
week per family. In New South Wales
II children between FIVE and fourteen
are kept out OF school during the school
season, or during any pay Of their
parents are fined 81 .25 for the hrst Of
Tense and s. or seven days imprison-
ment for each subsequent offense.
There are school officers who so around
and hunt up the pupils, and the tru-
ants are sure 20 be caught There are
compulsory school laws In Victoria.
Queensland and also In New Zealand
and Tasmania. The system II not as
well developed IN Western Australia,