The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1879.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 109, 15 March 1879, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, MARCH 15, 1879.

" It would be it decided, advantage to Masterton if the parents'o'f the cliUilren v. the pvWjc school a mere active interest in'its progress, and by their sympathy, and if need be, aid, assisted to place it in the position wjiicli it ought to occupy. The Masterton School is the largest one in tlie Wiii'arapa, and it mighttiaturally be expected to take the first place in public estimation, Public opinion, however, assigns > this honor—and very rightly too iniour opinion—to-' the l r eatherston Sqllool. ' It is not too much to say that atjthe • latter township-thc-children; are better taught—both in the school' and playground—than 111 any other part of itlie district,' and the reason of this being (the case is not hard to discover. Mr. Gmr is not only a .teacher of great ability, .. al§o,.of. great, experience ■ bably no other schoolmaster in the province is able to do as great an amoijnt of tlie all-round work, incidental to the charge of a large mixed school, as he j&' Both school and . teacher, "h'owevpr, possess .another advantage: They carry with therii the active sympathy and Cooperation of every settler iii the neifjh-., borhood; and this helps the school not a little to make tlie school what it js. We venture to assert that a, stronger ' public interest is felt m the welfare of children at Featherstou, and a greater , pride manifested in their achievement's tlmii in any oftior, pavt of the Valley. We would,, therefore, be glad to see,'! Masterton take; a' leaf'biit' of Feather- : book, ...,'Mastertoii ; has an able. teaching staff, :■ and. a:-larger pecuniary •resources 'than feathe'rstpri, and ought' j not to lag : b'(ihiiid;it\at;'any:,gi'eat dis- ••' tarilie, or for .iuiy length .oF time. It is, J .of course, well known'that at the late } examination the school passed wonder] ■ • fully well in ,the;standards; but tW \ standards are not everything. Singing] ! music, and drill) and possibly a dozoi] t other things, are a part of the routine 1 s ! at the Feathoratbii' School, and help to| i make the flhijdren, there the best educa-i .ted youngesters iirthc district... If we! 1 were askedwhich"' ; Wi3■would - '- prefer -aj a boy, who haApassed the fifthstanUird-j j. yet could neither sing, march, nor play d music--'6r <Srie'in ; 'tW?Qurtli Standard! h wko could do'all tliree-we would un- '•«

doubtedly give the latter a decided preference. There are too (outside of the standards). other branches' of learning which, in a town like Masterton, are necessiiry'for some of more advanced.; children. In order, lidffever, tliatthesis should be taught it ii desi^blpcthajl ? 110 i b #s«'» oo ili o «l)e|rnei|nti *a liip seliool. wei<forirs children in it would be taught froniv their ABC up to the top standard just the same as r .theyjiie at, piiesent,. The only difference would be that those who desired it would be taught putside J! l .® .standards—iuid- r bop...miglit. ,jbe. Increased exiiense' would by providing, a superior education of this kind; but the town has an educationalendowment which may be roughly esti-' mated at nearly £4OO per annum, and which is yearly increasing, The question we would put to every man in the borough is: whether it woul| not be wise to give say <£2oo a year to raise .the character and extend the usefulness of their school, to give their children a chance of an education which 'will, fit .them,- not-'only for the Towerjrungg of life's ladder, but for the top ones? II the men who live in Mastertonisiiy that. .£2OO, more or less, shall be devoted to such a purpose, there is nothing to hinder them from having their owii way a> the while of the trust revenjie is in their hands. Next month the! annual,, meeting of the trust takes placp, and at it every adult within a certain firea has a voice and a vote. Wo hope every.; parent in Masterton will attend this ; meeting, and that before it cdmes oil. they will talk over the cjuestioij of how the money can best be spent, and who they will put in as trustees to spend it. Before that meeting conies off,jwe will take an opportunity of again recurrinc to this subject—a subject indeed in which every mail, woman and child in ftlasterton ought to feel a deep interest,