School, Education etc (1918)

Post date: Feb 04, 2014 2:49:2 PM

Extract from Parish magazine of March 1918

After eight years of faithful service as assistant teacher in the Girls' Department of Wateringbury Schools, Miss May S. Harvey, Certificated Mistress, has left and taken a similar post in All Saints' Schools, Maidstone. A woman of very high principle, untiring industry and quiet, persuasive manner of speech, she must have impressed her mark upon a whole generation of our village girls, sowing seed that will bear good fruit in time to come. At a little function arranged by the head mistress at the school, for the purpose of bidding Miss Harvey farewell, Miss Hinton, with a few feeling remarks (her maiden speech, she afterwards averred !), presented Miss Harvey with a gold Benson wrist-watch, subscribed for by the, girls, teachers, some of the managers, and a few friends of the schools, which Miss Harvey acknowledged in a graceful little speech (also a first effort!), The Vicar then explained that the reason for Miss Harvey's departure was the fact that her home being at Loose the long bicycle ride every day was a great tax upon her strength and limitation of her spare time, which would be avoided in her new post. In spite of those difficulties Miss Harvey had undertaken and successfully accomplished the recent organization of the Schools War Savings Association side by side with the Old Penny Bank which she has managed for many years. Though she had rolled to and fro between home and school day by dav, Miss Harvey (the Vicar said) was no rolling stone, for she had gathered moss—the moss of affection out of the hearts of her pupils and fellow-teachers and the gratitude and esteem of all who knew her and had learned the value of her character and work. Her energies saved would under easier conditions doubtless be expended in various directions of fresh voluntary works.

It has proved impossible to find a teacher to take Miss Harvey's place. In fact in all three departments of the Schools the teaching staff is now short-handed, owing to the war, so that the strength and energy of the heads and their assistants is taxed to the uttermost.

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The advance and extension of education will form one of the chief aims of social reconstruction after the war. A beginning is already being made. The Parliamentary Session which has just begun will, doubtless, see the passage of a Bill which is intended to enforce the full-time attendance of children until they reach the age of 14 (which may be extended to 15). Only those children who attend full-time till they reach the age of 16 will then be altogether released from school. Otherwise they will have to attend half-time continuation schools till they reach the age of 18. No children under 12 will be allowed to be employed in other work. School children over 12 will only be able to be employed on school days after school hours. Provision will be made for nursery schools, holiday and school camps, playing fields, physical training and medical inspection. All this is most important. There has been too much in-door work in our educational system, and too little care for the physical development of our children. You cannot successfully develope the mind of an undeveloped child. Mens sana in corpore sano. The Boy Scout movement has taught the nation invaluable lessons. And the war has taught us lessons equally valuable. Thank God the nation has at last got rid of the false and selfish notions that decried the value of education and exploited child-labour. Weak spots in our educational system, long-suspected by experts, have been made manifest to all. Not that a system which proved consistent with the immense effort made by the nation during the last three years can be wholly wrong. It is imperative, however, that its weak spots should be eliminated. The chief aim of education is to build up character—to "draw out" (e — ducate) spiritual qualities of energy and industry, of reverence and brotherhood, of all that is meant by "faith, hope and charity"—in a word, to create a national soul; then, to draw out, again, and foster the national powers of mind and body—powers of observation and imitation, of study and technique, of memory and making things—not to force the growing mind into a preconceived groove (that will turn the majority of the children into, say, clerks and type-writers, as has been the tendency of our system in the past); not to cram the little brains with snippets of knowledge which might indeed be useful in after-life if remembered; but to bring out general intelligence, and to cultivate brain-power, leaving it to the children to realise for themselves as they grow up their special bent, and, in the continuation school, to specialise, using the brain-power they have required in their training for the trade or profession which their individual ability and inclination lead them to adopt. The cultivation of intelligence and brain-power must precede any special application of it. A young apprentice would not be set straight away to make a box or a coffin: he would first have to learn the use of tools, the plane and the chisel, and the nature of wood.

The raising of the school age to 14 or 15 and the institution of continuation schools will be invaluable. If it does not put a stop to the old blind-alley employment of young lads as mere messengers, boot-boys, goods-carriers or paper-sellers, it will at least give them a chance of preparing themselves for some permanent occupation and means of livelihood. It is to be hoped that experimentalchemistry will occupy an important place in their curriculum—it reveals the wealth that is hidden in the earth or is allowed to run waste in farm and factory, and it opens up many occupations of usefulness upon which the future prosperity and welfare of the nation depend.

And, lastly, the new Education Bill opens up a vista of hope for the teaching profession, the members of which have too long struggled nobly with all kinds of discouragement, disadvantages and disabilities. The standard of the profession will be raised and the conditions of life and work bettered.

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We have received from Mr. W. W. Blest the following supplementary list of subscriptions for supplying food and comforts to the Kentish Prisoners of War, making the grand total up to £41 0s. 5d. : —

Hermitage Farm List: T. A. Adams, 3/-; P.M.P., 2/- : Humphrey, Acottand Petchy, each 1/-; Winter, Kirby, Russell, A. Shepherd, Travis, Diprose,Kimbs, Marden. Smythe and Wilson, each 6d. ; total 13/-.

We have received from Mr. Walter Phillips the following list of subscriptionsto the Wateringbury Platoon of the 5th Batt. Kent Volunteer Regiment: —

Lieut.-Col. A. C. Borton is Colonel of the Regiment.

The present strength of the Wateringbury Platoon is 56; the O.C. is 2nd Lieut. W. Phillips; and the following are provisional N.C.O.'s: Platoon Sergeant, Horace French ; Sergeant, F. G. Cronk ; Corporals, H. S. Tapping, G. Owen Smith, A. Reader and W. E. Bennett; Lance-Corporals A. E. Relf. W. J. Burton, E. D. Dickerson and H. F. Green. The provisional officers and the men are expected to pass their efficiency tests at the end of March. Drills are held on Wednesdays (evening) and Sundays (morning). The Church Rooms are used as an orderly room and drill hall. Rifle practice takes place on a miniature range in the Home Farm malthouse and twice a month (March 10th and 24th) at the range at Boarley beyond Maidstone. The minimum amount of drill required previous to passing efficiency is 14 hours per month, afterwards 10 hours. On Sunday, Feb. 24th, the Platoon paraded at 7.30 a.m. and went by train to Ashford to take part in an inspection of Kent Volunteers by Field Marshall Lord French. They arrived at the inspection ground, Ripton Farm, two miles from Ashford Station, about 11 o'clock, and went through a rehearsal by Col. Lord Harris, County Commandant. The inspection took place at 1 o'clock, lasting about an hour, and concluded with a march past of about 5,000 Volunteers, including some 400 from Sussex. Addressing the officers afterwards Lord French complimented them on the steadiness of their men. The Wateringbury contingent reached home about 5.30 p.m. A full account will appear in the local papers.

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We hear, with surprise and shame, that on two or three occasions lately the vases placed in front of the shrine on the road side near the church have been robbed of their flowers. Early snowdrops, specially obtained fromDevonshire, were taken the day after they were placed there. For the good name of the village this must cease. If not, steps will be taken to punish those who are guilty of this mean and sacrilegious theft.

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An examination of Mrs. A Leney's Egg book, containing an account of the eggs she has contributed to the National Egg Collection for the Wounded from the date of the last analysis (May 25th, 1917. which see Parish Magazine for July, 1917) to February 21st, being 38 weeks, reveals the following particulars. Mrs Leney herself has supplied 39 dozen eggs and 1; Mrs. Lemmens, 30 doz. and 6 ; Miss Hinton has sent 1\2 doz. every week from herself and Gertrude Lankstead—to which contribution Mrs. J. W. Harris, Mrs. Dubben, and Miss Harvey occasionally made additions; and Miss Goodwin also has supplied eggs occasionally. The following have contributed money for the purchase of eggs :—Mrs-Flint and Miss Fremlin, 16s.; Mrs. Livett, £1 ; Mrs. W. Jude, £2 7s.; Mrs. H. S. Stevens, 2s. ; Mrs. Bingham Stevens, 5s.; Miss Lilian Green, £1 6s.; and Miss Lambert, £1. The total number of egg-sent up is 1,645, including 2 boxes each of 6 dozen received from Mrs. J. P. Thompson, of Long Parish Hants. This makes an average weekly dispatch of about 3 1/2 dozen.