CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 March 1919, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

TRIFLES. To the Editor. Sir, —Time, a few minutes past two; a scorching hot afternoon, and a busy mother ironing in a hot kitchen the dozen and one articles required for Tom, Dick, Harry, and Mary, so that they may go clean and tidy to school. A patter of footsteps—surely it cannot be the children already home from school! There now, it is, and with a clatter they burst in: "Teacher's gone to Chautauqua and we got out early!" Mother inwardly says: "Yes, very early," and aloud: ''How nice for teacher! Since she Ims a holiday, you may also run off and play." Evening, 7.30, tea is just over, for mother and the children had to do most, of the milking, because father was away at work. "Come, Mary, let us put away the tea-things." Here Mary whimpers, while Tom, Dick, and Harry bring out a pile of school books. Three or four pages of geography, a sum, a reading lesson to prepare, and spelling to learn. Again mother remarks: "How nice for teacher!" and puts away the teathings, and then, sitting down" with the children, does her little best to teach them what she always understood before J,hey were taught at school. Foolish mother! How could you be so stupid as to imagine that for a miserable pittance of £l2 or £ls per month, for working five days a week and five hours a day, that teacher should teach your children! No, leave it to father or mother; they have only a small farm, and work anything from twelve to fourteen hours a day, seven days in the week, and besides, the average farmer's wife gets about as much money for herself in twelve months as the poor hard-worked teacher gets in one. Buck up, mothers! If dad wants to read the paper send him into the scullery with a candle. The children want the kitchen table and the lamp until half-past nine at least. After that mother has Tom's pants to mend; he tore them this afternoon while teacher was at Chautauqua.—l am, etc., INDIGNANT. Omata, March 20.