THE HASTINGS SCHOOL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3757, 31 July 1883, Page 3

THE HASTINGS SCHOOL.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir, —N«t being a Professor of Dead Languages I can scarcely follow the drift of Mr Whip-straw's letter, which appeared in your issue of the 27th instant. One quotation, however, I can just make out, namely, that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Now, Sir, allow me to remark that in this instance he certainly has not shown any of the proverbial timidity attributed to angels, but upon finding his little game seen through, and placed in its right light before the public, and being" unable to contradict the statements made in my letter, he rushes into print with an article of the most scurrilous personality, but which, nevertheless, is quite worthy of the man, and •hows how utterly unfit ho is to hold the position ho occupies. As Mr Whip-straw's ideas seem to havo been too much obscured by animosity to read my letter correctly, lot mo, now that ho has had time to cool down, recommend him to read cai - ef ully the following paragraph in the Inspector's general report for tho ytuvr ending 31st December, 1882, page 19, viz.—"With much of the work in some of the schools I am ablo to express my entire satisfaction. Theso schools in tho order of merit arc— Gisborne, Napier, Taradale, Takapau, Wallingford, Makatoku, Port Aiiuriri, Ormond, Te Onga, Onga, Havelock, Waipawa, Wairoa, and Kaikora." Now, Sir, as the Inspector has not included Mr W.—Ah! I beg pardon, the Hastings school among those with which he expresses himself satisfied, are we to infer that ho has placed it among theso latter, of which ho says, " Several of the other schools aro in fair working order, but it is when the really good schools arc placed in contrast beside those where the work and gonoral tone are unsatisfactory that one is inclined to think it would bo an advantago to keop eohools closed rather than place them in tho hands of half-hearted and incompetent teachers."—l am, otc,

Paterfamilias

. [Our correspondent is laboring under an trroneous impression as to the authorghip of Whip-straw's lettor.—Ed. D.T.]