Notes

The Newtown and Welshpool Express Tuesday February 10th 1874

Trefeglwys

Meeting of the School Board

A meeting of the Board was held on Thursday last, Mr E. W. Savage, the vice chairman presiding. -The minutes of the preceding meeting were taken as read, and signed. -Mr Savage, in opening the proceedings, said that he deeply regretted the circumstance which compelled him to occupy the chair upon the present occasion, that the gentleman who so ably and faithfully filled the same from the commencement (nearly three years ago) up to the present time was now prevented from attending due to a severe indisposition; that it was an undeniable fact that much credit is due to Mr Bennett for the candid and straightforward manner in which the business of this Board has hitherto conducted. It is gratifying to behold that the means of education were placed within the reach of every child in the parish. The Staylittle school had been opened on the 26th ultimo under the most promising auspices. A great number of grown up young men attended the evening school, among the number were several married men. Even one married woman availed herself the opportunity of attending the day school. This may appear rather strange, as it is unusual; but the woman is right enough at last. She accepted of a husband when she had the chance, and she does the same with education. No one can deny but that she had gone to school sooner had there been one in reach. Now that all the schools in the parish were in full working order, the next duty devolving the Board was to convince careless parents that it was their duty to cause their children to attend. -Mr E. Richard, the school warden, was called in to report for the first time on the attendance of the children at the school. The officer explained that he had not visited any houses in the neighbourhood of Staylittle, as the school had only been opened a few days ago. His book had recorded that he had visitied the parents of 68 children not attending school, 16 of which have attended since and the greatest part had promised to do so as soon as circumstances would permit. Some could not be sent until supplied with new shoes, coats &c. Some desired leave for their children to attend every other week, their services being required to nurse baby, or a sick mother. One parent was willing for the children to go to school when they had othing else to do. Another complained that he could not find proper clothing for all the children to appear decently at school, while it is known that he found the means of paying for a gun licence and the tax upon a game dog. Edward Evans of Cwmpellaf attended the meeting to show cause why his children did not attend school, he having being served by the officer with a notice, which contained a footnote to the following effect - "That if he desired to give any reason or explanation, for not complying to attend a meeting of the Board to do so, and that full consideration would be given to any statement he might think fit to make". Accordingly he attended to inform the Board that he had five children between the ages of six and twelve years, that he was too poor to properly clothe any of them so as to be fit to appear in society, and besides he could not spare any of them. He occupied a few acres of land, kept a cow or two, and the fences were imperfect, and he wanted the children to take care of them and to keep the sheep and cattle of his neighbours off the land. He was himself bound to go from home to gather food for them. As a rule the family was supplied with bread by appealing to the benevolence of the neighbouring farmers for corn. The clothes, or rather rags, that covered the kids came from a similar source. He had never been able to find anyone of them with a new suit of clothes at once; consequently not one of them had ever been to Sunday School, although there is one ketp at a cottage in the immediate vicinity. Not one of them had ever attended a place of worship from the time of their birth and he most emphatically declared that, unless he was allowed to keep his children in his own way, without at all being interfered with, he would be bound to become a pauper at once. He could not even promise to send one to school under present circumstances, although he admitted that it would be well if the the children were educated. -The Board was startled at the disclosure, and found no difficulty in unanimously passing a resolution that his case merited their most earnest attention. Such cases as this had been the means of calling the Education Act into existence, and if this be allowed to pass the power to deal with others will be lost. The Board is resolved to do the work it is undertaken to do, irrespective of the consequences taking for granted that the indigency of the parents will be looked into by the proper authorities.