The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1912. SPLENDID MUNIFICENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 53, 20 July 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 20, 1912. SPLENDID MUNIFICENCE.

lAt its meeting on Wednesday the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High | School expressed some surprise that no applications had been received for the position of junior assistant at the school. The duties demanded of the'position are not wholly that the applicant shall be possessed of the necessary scholastic attainments to permit of his taking hi» proper share of the teaching of the boys, but he is also expected to act as housei master and take charge of the boys at night and generally out of school hours. If we except the principal, there is probably, from many points of view, no more important position on the staff. That inI tangible quantity, the "spirit" of a school, depends a great deal more on the char- . acter of its masters than it does upon the character of the boys and the particular member of the staff to whom falls the general supervision of the boys out of school hours must be a man of tact, diplomacy and unerringly fine principle. IFe must understand boys—a subject infinitely more difficult of acquirement than languages or higher mathematics—and he must combine firmness with approachability and be prepared to temper justice with mercy. These are attainments that are not easily procurable, and they are made even more remote when it is proposed to remunerate them at the princely salary of £BO a year and "foHnd." This is roughly the equivalent of £l3O a year, and is no more than the wages paid to a road laborer or a wharf lumper. They hardly, in fact, constitute interest on the cost of a satisfactory modern college education. For this magnificent honorarium the junior master is expected to at least maintain the outward semblance of a gentleman, and sustain a certain social standing villi credit to the school and [ himself. Presumably he must have at least two pairs of socks and three handkerchiefs, must change his collar once a week, eschew •■dickies" and be able to alternate his hoots on occasion. He has to keep in toiieh with "'modern inveiition.i ' and modem literature bv more expensive methods (hau a subscription to lit -Hit s or the perusal of .1 borrowed copy of Funny Cuts. Franklv. his social and domestic duties cannot be properly IsuMained on a salary of this sort, nor I can he he conceived to be even passing rich on CSO a year. We are not surprised tint the Board did not receive any applications for the utterly inade-quaiely-rewarded situation. We should 1 have been surprised if they had done no. and we should view with grave suspicion the qualification of any applicant who would be prepared to accept such a salary for the services required. There has j

been considerable discussion lately con- s cerning the shortage of teachers in the '' Dominion, but if richly-endowed institu- j tions are not prepared to offer better in- < ducements for educated men to enter the profession they must not be surprised to find their schools inadequately staffed by ' incompetent teachers. The New Plymouth High School Board cannot plead poverty, and it should have a (sufficient appreciation of the fact that the scholastic profession and the Church, outsid« a few plums of service, are the worst paid in the country, and should, as a rich and representative body, do something towards removing this reproach. In tie meantime the Board has decided to advertise for fresh applications, omitting Taranaki. We take this as a compliment to the district, and sincerely hope that the Board will not receive any applications.