THE WATWERA SCHOOL CASE.

Clutha Leader, Issue 210, 19 July 1878, Page 3

THE WATWERA SCHOOL CASE.

Sir, — When we took up your paper last week to peruse Mr Jolly's communication We fully expected to meet with virulent abuse and misrepresentation, but we were entirely unprepared for the utter disregard for truth that pervades the whole letter. The spectacle of a would-be exemplary Christian setting the moral law so completely at defiance, gives indeed a very instructive "insight into the depravity of human nature." To reply to Ms passing " wonderful epistle " in full would trespass too far on your space, and abuse your readers' patience, and besides, it would serve to no purpose, as it would only be answering a fool according to his folly. In taking, then, the bull by the horns, or rather the aaa by the ears, we shall be as brief as possible, noticing only those points that require explanation : — He says " The doings and actions of the Committee are well known in the district. " We should think they ought to be. (The distinction between doings and actions is not very obvious). The majority of the present members, the "Cabal" as he facetiously calls us, have been continuously on the Committee for the last nine years, and that circumstance, coupled with the fact that no complaint was ever before made against us, is proof surely that we have in the main given satisfaction in the discharge of our duties. As to the " how much," or " how little " reliance is to be placed on our statements, we can only say that we are prepared to verify all our statements if need be. It is true, he says, that on one occasion two of our number did not get notice to attend a meeting of Committee in time, and it is also true that that was none of his business, but as he has Mmself made the matter publio, an explanation is necessary. When the present Secretary accepted the appointment, it was on the distinct understanding that all notices to attend meetings were to be served through the medium of the scholars at school, and if the children of any members were absent from school no complaint was to be made' though it might happen that they did not get notice in time (though of course when there is any important business to transact care is always taken that all members do get notice in time). On the occasion referred to the children of tha two members were not at school, and as they live some five or six miles from the Secretary's residence, no chance occurred of sending notice till too late ; but it was of little consequence, as all the business on hand was of a very ordinary kind (nothing was known of the flogging case till after the meeting took place). These two members are both perfectly satisfied. These being the facts of the case it willbe evident that Mr Jolly in Ms anxiety to cast dirt at us has been making a mountain of a mole hill. We pass next to the expressions he puts into our mouths when we made enquiries into the flogging. If these expressions are not purely his invention, he has at least contorted our words that they are beyond our recognition. But if any of us had said " Oh, poor boy," it was surely no great tMng ; it would have indeed-been wonderful if men with common sympathies had not used some such exclamation when the boy's back was exposed to view all black and blue, and literally covered with bruises ; or was it any great wonder if our indignation was aroused; when we sawsaw him (Mr Jolly) complacently looking at his. handiwork and saying with the utmost uhconcen it was not enough. „ And as for the hardsMp" of being deprived of 'hiis' Condoling, it was not great surely when ;;ihe' Inspector admits that the whole school has been .going backwaxdjsihce his arrivaL He charges the -Secretary with making, im-

proper remarks in his boy's presence. It is a fact that the Secretary actually did reprove Mr Jolly himself for doing that same thing. It is a fact, he says, that but for our endeavours a publio prosecution would not have taken place. In spite of tliat assertion, with its semblance to truth, it is true that the Committee had nothing whatever to do with the prosecution ; oo advice was asked or offered on the part of the Committee. Yet if it had not been for his insolence in trying to tlu*ow all blame on us we would have stopped proceedings at the eleventh hour, not for hia sake but for the sake of the school. Still, in doing what he did Mr Brooks has rendered a great public service. He denies using offensive language towards the boy's father. We would have been surprised if he had not. Ho seems, however te be not very sure if offensive language was used on the occasion, and generously gives tho benefit of the doubt to Mr Brooks by laying the blame upon him. Wo need only say Mr Brooks retired during the interview, and that exonerates him. Next comes a list of what he calls reasonable requests •. it is, however, veiy incomplece, as it originally contained a demand for a complete set of new desks, &0. , bufc as he has not mentioned these, we suppose they may be fairly set down as unreasonable. We estimated at the time that to comply with Ms requests would cost L4O, and we had scarcely as many shillings in our possession, a fact which Mr Jolly very well knew. Take his reasonable requests in detail, — lst, there is the fire grate ; there was ono as good aa new, which cost Ll 5s two years before. Another closet ; there were two very convenient ones, one of which was for a long time used by Mr Jolly for a pigstye— little need for another surely. The bookcase or something of the kind was needed, and we put up seventy feet of shelving. The black-board ; there was one, yet we gave him another. The water tanks ; were beyond our means, and not needed, as there is a never-failing spring of pure water at the door. The closets needed repair, and we effected that. Now, when the state of our funds is taken into account, no one can deny that we did respond to his reasonable requests to the utmost of our means. Here follows what is no doubt meant for a grave charge against the Committee. He says he wanted, from " motives of economy," to repair the closets himself, but the Committee would not give him the job but did it themselves, and two of them spent nearly a day over it, and got paid for it besides. Oh, naughty Committee ! Here we reply that Ms " motives of economy " could only have reference to Number One, as he did not offer to do the work for nothing, and in reckoning the time he evidently measures other people's corn in his own bushel measure, as one man did all he offered to do in about three hours, and if he got paid for it let us hope he gave better value for his money than Mr Jolly gave for his fees. The Committee very properly wanted to get the repairs done in a workmanlike manner, and that of itself would have justified it in declining his services, but really there was no choice in th© matter, as the work was let some months before, as Mr Jolly well knew. We are next told that all the timber removed from the stable was a " piece of timber used to fasten horses to. " Some of the timber taken away has now been replaced, but there is still over thirty feet of boards and scantling missing. He says he took it to make a bail. There was a good bail in' the stable before he came, and if it had needed repair (as it might have done for anything we know) why did he not include that among Ms other reasonable requests. Supposing he did use part of the timber aa he says in repairing (not in making) a bail, surely none but a shiftless fool would pull down the rafters of Ms house to make a bedpost. Next comes a letter from the Secretary, wMch he introduces with a flourish of trumpets, and triumphantly asks how does that tally with our statement that with one solitary exception we never interfered with him. Wo answer it fits in most admirably. We said we had remonstrated with him for removing timber from the the stable, and otherwise damaging the school property. Now the obstruction alluded to in the letter among other things is precisely what we designated by the plirase " other ways damaging property. " On or about the date of the letter was the only time we ever interfered with hrrn, and the rest of our remonstrance being delivered orally. So it is true after all that we only once remonstrated, and remonstrated only for damaging property under our charge. So the letter, instead of giving damnatory evidence _ against us as was intended, is a most important witness in our favour. And now a word about the swing. Mr Jolly some time ago, in a way insulting to the Committee, took upon himself to erect a swing — by no means at his own expense, for if rumour is correct he made a good thing out of it. We took no notice of the matter till complaints were made by the parents of the children that common decency was being grievously outraged by the way matters were being conducted at the swing. That being the state of affairs, it was surely high time for the Committee to interfere. And here let us explain for the benefit of all concerned. We have no prejudice whatever against swings, but as we know that the cause of complaint was owing principally to the unruly state of the school, we have decided to dispense with swings till somethiag like order and discipline is reestablished ; then, if the ' teacher so desires, we are prepared to erect swings in a proper manner. It only remains to point out that the " Cabal " is not a ": Committee of five," as he says, but of six. And now when he has fairly exhausted Mmaelf at Ms congenial amusement of casting dirt, it will no doubt be surprising to most of your readers to . see how little of it sticks. " He has not succeeded in disproving a single statement of ours, nor yet in bringing home to us a single action that will not stand the blaze, of day. But supposing w;e were all that he says — the embodiment of all that is bad and the very essence of stupidity--, what has that to do "with This casej Two blacks. will nbt make a wMte, and no amount of dirt cast jat^us^-will make'him; clean. ' We made several serious charges ag^in^t him— directly or, by implication—"as ~a '"'teacher,... which he ; has, not even attempted to disprove, hor yet to show that we have in anyway^interfered wfth'Hs duties*; or are* M'iany way respbhaiblefor the present; 'state of the scliodL i- All the.

" interferences and annoyances " he com-" plains of, even by his own showing, amounts to nothing more than on one occasion finding fault with Mm for damaging the school property. Instead of trying to make the place " heartily disagreeable " to him, it is well known in the district that aa neighbours we have shown him every kindness, and some of us have put ourselves to a good deal of trouble to oblige him. Even now we have no illfeeling towards him. He is more an object of pity than of ill-will. The present quarrel is entirely of his own seeking, and had he possessed an ordinary share of common sense ho would have resigned quietly when he found matters (the result of his own shortcomings) going against him, and we would never have breathed a word to his discredit. Apologising for occupying so much of your spaco, wo are, &c. , " The Cabal."