The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-14
POOR
 IN EDUCATION

Dublin May 13.-(Special)-At the re- cent congress of the National Public School Teachers, held at Bangor, the na- tional president, Edward Mansfield, de- nounced the British government for it's neglect of Irish educational interests.
 The Protestant primate of Ireland, who preceded him. said:
 "If wise legislators realized what was best for the country, and least expensive. they would count no amount of money too great to be expended on education, remembering the force of the old lines, TO work. to work with joy and hope; let us be doing all we can. Better build school rooms for the boy than cells and gibbets for the man.
 Interested officials are wont to sheer at our fears, to preach content, to those without the gates. to lull us into false se- curity while the giant robber from across the border. aided by his ally within the fold is gathering into his granaries the grain he sowed not. But while the Irish teacher is forced to breathe the atmos- phere of slavery while buildings are the shame of a great empire, In many cases
 mere novels, death-traps to pupils and teachers; while the programmes, plagiar- ised from the waste paper baskets of
 England are not only unsuted to the
 needs of our people, but are, from being
 overloaded, absolutely impossible; while
 the inspectors in many cases mere glad flies are simply worrying the teacher and hindering instead of helping the work Of education, when the teachers are now | notwithstanding promises, more than ever the slaves of inspectors, and the inspec- | tors the slaves of the office: while profes- sing democrats advocate policy that will provide, at the public expense, for the higher education of mediocre boys of we'll l to-do parents leaving the talented son Of | the poor man to toll because his father toiled. while, in other words, brilliant l boys are compelled to sweep the roads
 over which boobies whirl in motors, pur-
 chased at the common charge; while the | teacher sees, at the end of. his long ana | rugged road, the state holding in one hand | a miserable dole which in mockery it labels pension, and indicating with the l finger of the other the position of the work house ward: in short, while Irish education is in it's present relatively un- satisfactory condition, I cannot be blamed l If, instead of asking you to sheathe your only weapon-prudent. persistent agita- | tion."
 Joseph Devlin. M P, said the present position of the national teacher in Ireland with regard to salaries pensions and civil rights was disgrace to any civilized country. It constituted a grave indict-
 ment of the manner in which the educa- tional affairs of Ireland were admin istered. There was not parallel in Eu- rope for a system which placed the teachers of Ireland on lower level than policemen.
 Referring to the salaries of Irish teach ers he said Lloyd George admitted that they were paid far less than the English navy, and when, after 25 years service, l the teacher happened to break down in | health he was awarded the magnificent pension of cents day. less than $50 | a year.
 l The Irish members of parliament are l noted for their regularity at the house | of commons. Out of 134 votes which were taken ip the house from February to April 12 ". Abraham participated in 129. Many had scores of 100. Twenty scored over 75.
 l The olden time apples were grown in large quantities in Ireland, but owing chiefly to bad cultivation and packing, the trade declined steadily, and ceased to be source of profit. During recent years successful efforts have been made | to- resuscitate this important branch of agriculture