SINGLE SCHOOL DESKS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2090, 27 May 1907, Page 1

SINGLE SCHOOL DESKS

Mr. C. H. A. T. Opio, of Sockburn, recently visited 'Wanganui, whoro ho saw the single dos'ks installed in the Queen’s Park school, and also had an

interview with Mr F. Pirani, Chair■man of ‘ tho Wanganui Education Board. Mr. Pirani is Bonding down to Mr. Opio a single dosk, and the

latter gentleman has presented it to the Canterbury School Committees’ iAssociation. The executive passed a ; hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Opio for his generous gift. It is intended to pass tho desk round the various .schools for practical nso. Mr. Opio has also received the following letter on the single desk question from Mr. Pirani, which ho has handed over to the Association:—“lt is all bunkum about tho objections to single desks. Wo find no difficulty except to got them made fast enough, and to obtain tho funds. Wo havo no other desks made now. The ones jwe are making now are an improvement on those you snw. They have iron frames (cast in Dunedin) and rimu bodies, and cost 15s each. They seem equal to the best Canadian, and our Inspector thinks very highly of them. I believe they are on tho Otago pattern, but we would ho only too glad to send one down to you if you cared to have it‘. We were persuaded to adopt the single desk by Mr. .W. Gray, our last Chief Inspector, who studied the question during a visit to America, and found that it improved tho discipline, facilitated, work, prevented copying, and was healthier for tho children. I really think that we have reason to be proud of our educational work, but its position is mainly’, if not entirely, due to the excellent Chief Inspectors we have had, who have shown a great power of initiative. We encourage them as much as possible, are very careful to show them that we value

their suggestions very highly in tho only way—by adopting them—and leave nothing undone to smooth their path. After all, tho members of the Board are really liolpless without the ■existence of such powers of initiative iin tho Inspectors. I will aSk our secretary to forward you some of our publications, to show you the work we are doing.”

HIDDEN TREASURES

So very little is known by Aucklanders about the treasures in the Auckland Library that it is interesting to learn, on the authority of the Tierakl, that something is to be done to bring home to citizens} tho great value and- interest of the works now jhidden away in presses, or at the 'most exposed to view in glass cases, open at the same pagesj year after year. Twenty years ago something was done by Mr. Devore when he was ■Mayor, but it apparently had not much offect. The present Mayor is having an illustrated catalogue prepared to assist those who do not care •to bother the Librarian, for these treasures can only be handled under that official’s supervision. Tho Herald describes some of the .valuable old books, just to whet the appetite of the cultured public -for more. One of the most prized is !a Mazarin Bible, so called because a copy was found in Cardinal Mazarin’s library in Paris. It was printed prior to the introduction of printing into England by Caxton, by Guttenburg, who is generally held to have invented the art in Europe.; Caxton and Wynken de Worde are represented in the collection, and there is a new Testament written out in 1460 by the famous Thomas a Kempis, whose “Imitation of Christ” has consoled thousands. The script is wonderfully neat, and as clean as print. There are other extremely rare vellum and parchment books —missals, Holy Scripture and poetry. The illuminating of these medieval works is wonderfully beautiful. “From this beauful work,” says the Herald, “one cannot refrain from turning to the illuminated addresses presented today to some public servant or prominent citizen, with their flourishes of blue and crimson foliation, quite in mediaeval”mode, with the addition,in doubtful taste, of scenes showing houses with corrugated iron roofs and churches plastered with Portland cement.” The gold used centuries ago in these illuminations has kej)t its color splendidly, whereas that used now turns black in a few years. In addition to these old works thero are rare books of travel of later date. Volumes might be written on the books of this magnificent collection, given to the city by Sir George Grey, and volumes more on tho letters from iieople like Carlyle, Lady Franklin, Florence Nightingale, Rajah Brooke, Froudo, Max Muller, and Gladstone.' At present they lie almost untouched in the cases, and it is doubtful if Auckland —or indeed any other New Zealand centre—possesses a cultured public large enough to maintain a continual interest in them.

ECHOES OF A FAMOUS CRIME.

HOW CAREY WAS KILLED. By the death of ex-Inspector Thomas Simons, of the Dublin (police force, is recalled the terrible story of the Fenian Invincible movement in Ireland, and the dramatic end of Carey, the informer. Mr. Simons took a leading part in the capture of the murderers, who, in Phoenix Parle, on the evening of May 2, 1882, stabbed to detah Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Buf&e, as they were walking to dinner. It also fell to his lot to convey Carey, the informer, through whose evidence the live murderers were hanged, to South Africa.

It was a task of no small magnitude, for Carey, who in the box had given away the whole secret -of the Invincible Society, of which lie was a member, was marked down for destruction by those he had betrayed, h If any one man could defeat the Fenian machinations and get Carey, to Africa safely that man was Inspector Sjmpns. But, as all the world knows, even he failed. Nothing was left undone to put the Invincibles off Carey's track. Only a few of the higher officials knew of the arrangements for his departure. Carey himself did not know till two hours before he started where and how he was going,?

The Fenians, however, in some mysterious way picked up the trail. When Inspector Simons and_ Carey

went on board the Kinfanup/ Plastic, which reached Capetown on July 27, a man named Patrick O’Donnell also .became a passenger. At Capetown passengers for Pori Elizabeth, Carey’s destination, were : transferred to the Melrose. On the lattor vessel two days later O’Donnell shot Carey dead. Inspector Simons, who entered the Dublin force in 1866, retired on pension in 1896, and up to the time of his death had devoted himself to agricultural pursuits.

LORD ROSEBERRY AND “C. 8.”

It is easy to see (sayp fsi r. ;\Y. H. Lucy) that the object of Lord Rosebery’s particular personal antipathy is tho Premier. Lord Rosebery lias one link in common with the iLefficper of tho Opposition in tho Commons. He “can’t abear” C.-B. If other than lu> had formed the Liberal Ministry last year, tho ex-Premier would have been content and pleased to take a seat in the Cabinet. C.-B. was inevitable. Achilles accordingly retired to Ins tent, and has sulked ever since. It cannot be supposed that the Premier urgently desired to have in his Cabinet a colleague of the potency and occasional moods of Lord Rosebery. But, undoubtedly, had the latter pleased, lie might in the new Ministry have returned to his old post at the Foreign AJffice. There was an epoch when misunderstanding and disagreement seemed on the verge of settlement. At tihe time when the fall of the Balfour Ministry was imminent, Lord Rosebery received friendly intimation from C.-B. of desire to look in to luncheon at Berkeley square. The suggestion was cordially mot. The guest duly arrived, luncheon for two was served and nothing was said. Whether C.-B. had arrived with formal proposition of friendly alliance, and whether, in presence of his esteemed host, he abandoned intention of communicating it, is not known. However it bo, ho chatted about the weather, the inconvenience of having the streets np, and cognate interesting matters, leaving his mystified host without even passing reference to the political situation.