Page:Hints for the improvement of village schools and the introduction of industrial work.djvu/25

17 boarded room with a high-pitched roof, fitted with washing troughs, kitchen range, boiler, brick oven, dresser, and dinner table; the other, a rough cheap building about 18 ft. by 11 ft. with brick floor, intended only to be used as a laundry, fitted with mangle, ironing stove, and ironing board. The cost of two rooms, such as I have described, inclusive of the requisite fittings and the architect's commission, would be about £235; but it is right to mention that my industrial class-room is panelled round with the old pews from the church, the best use perhaps to which such unseemly erections can be applied.

The Committee of Council will usually contribute a sum equal to whatever sum is raised by local contributions. The National Society would probably contribute from £10 to £15. And in this diocese from £15 to £20 might be expected from the Canterbury Diocesan Board of Education; so that the sum necessary to be raised by the promoters of an industrial school through private subscription would he just about £100.

Surely, many parishes, if once convinced of the benefit of an industrial school, might manage to raise this sum, especially as a considerable portion of it may be given in the shape of materials, such as stone, wood, tiles, sand, or lime—things which many landowners have on their estates, and would willingly give for building an industrial school, when they might not be conveniently able to give actual money.

The following list of things which were required for fitting up our industrial school, with the prices we paid for them, may perhaps be a guide to those about to embark on a similar undertaking:—

We find in practice, that the working of the industrial school interferes but very slightly with the regular school work, and I believe that our standard of education is considerably higher than in any of the neighbouring schools. We arrange that the twenty-four industrial girls shall take turn (four or five at a time as they are wanted) in the industrial school under the industrial mistress. Each girl receives about six hours' industrial instruction in the course of the week. The cooking consists in preparing dinner twice a week for six of the industrial girls and the mistress, (I allow 1s. worth of meat for each dinner, which