Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-10
hURAL SCHOOLS IN RUSSIA.
Poverty of the Country School Master
Letters in Villages of the Car.

While children in America are prepar ring
Tor the opening Of their comfortable puhIic
schools, young Russians cannot entertain
similar agreeable expectations even IL tho
recent official report about the school eve
tenn in Russia did conceal a mart of tb.+
systems worst aspects. A general reorpani-
cation Of the public instruction was ordered
a few months ago by the imperial govern
ment. and numerous commissions of a.
quest nave been instituted. Their work of
investigation was relatively easy when N
referred to schools situated in towns but
it became very difficult when informant
had to be collected about the schools IN az
country. No official was anxjous 10 No.
coed to villages lost in the steppes. the FOR
estS or the swamps. Still, some persons
devoted to the cause of popular instruction
especially M. Ponomareff, inspector of prin
airy schools. have undertaken JOURNEYS more
fatiguing than explorations in Thibet or
Patagonia.
The report of NJ. Ponomareff in effect is
that in Russion villages the shepherd is han
pier than the male teacher, and the latter
happier than the female teacher The
moujik considers the teacher a man who
lives out at his expense, and he paws him
less than the shepherd. When snow has
fallen and the boys are without ANYTHING
to do, being unable on account of the win
ter to be OF help to their parents. the latter
think of their education. An "'outchietlr
or schoolmaster. is hired by the villagers.
who agree to feed and to pay him. The
price varies from 10 to so rubles (s9 to s40)
for the whole winter, which is very LONG
in Russia. As to the food, 1t is not so good
as that Of the shepherd; each family whose
children frequent the school feeds in its
turn the schoolmaster. The school building
is miserable hut, often contiguous IN the
house of the moujik where pigs hens and
cows are fed twice a day. 1t is the bust
ness Of the teacher to keep his school clean
says NJ Ponomaref in his official report
There is no ventilation; at the approach of
the cold weather all windows are herrreti-
cally closed with clay or glaciers putty
The moujik cannot understand that any
thing should be opened in winter time In
regard to the heating. it is quite primitive
Each scholar is bound to bring some pieces
Of wood to heat the school. When IT is
freezing too hard the pupils do not come
and the teacher, being compelled to remain
until the evening, envelops himself in his
touloupe, or sheepskin. and stays motionless
In corner of the "khata,'' school hut.
Such is the custom of poor villages. In
the rich villages the schoolmaster, instead
Of being a martyr becomes a tyrant. He
strikes the pupils brutually, tears of their
ears and pulls their hair and breaks their
teeth. for he is almost continually drunk
The Official report instances many cases in
which children were violently thrown on
the ground and bruised by the teachers
feet to such a point that blood gushed out
from their noses and mouths. But what is
most extraordinary, says NJ Ponomaref. is
that these queer schoomasters intrust the
task of teaching to the best scholars. These
fessors," and they are not above eight or
ten years Of age. While they try to teach
their little comrades the schoolmaster sits
down to drink in the next kabako."
The st. Petersburg correspondence which
gives this summary of M. PoSomaren's re-
port says that on receiving it the minister
Of public instruction sent numerous COM
u1isstoners 60 run over. incognito. every
ter. with mission to remedy tie evil and
punish the culprits.