Monitress Merle

itchel

an entirely new one, especially when those responsible for the former régime have not absolutely retired. To a certain extent the Misses Pollard had given their teacher a free hand, but she realised that at first it would be wise to go slowly and not make the changes too drastic. She did not yet know what stuff she had to

ign. It will be a question of public opinion. A girl may shirk her lessons in school and her classmates don't much care, but if she shirks the work she has undertaken to do for a society they will be very indignant. These clubs are an elementary object-lesson in commu

f management was to trust everything in the hands of a few girls whom she k

teaching, and fixed a very high standard of efficiency. She expected great concentration, and exacted hard work, especially in the matter of home preparation, but she was a

can apply them they are undigested mental food and of no use. What I want to do is to find out how far each girl understands

s act the scene, using their own words, and trying as far as possible to reproduce the atmosphere of the period. Free criticism was allowed afterwards, and any anachronisms, such as tea in the times of Queen Elizabeth, or tobacco during the Wars of the Roses, were carefully pointed out. Most of the girls liked this new

idney,' she has turned mere names into real personages, and will be no more likely to confuse them than to mix up her friends. By supplying her own dialogue she shows exactly how much she knows of the character, and I am able to judge how far the lesson has been assimilated. Fifteen years hence I venture to think Scottish Mary or Queen Elizabeth will still be vivid remembrances to her; but would she be able to tell the date of the battle

put her theories into action. As taught in man

some conception of the different countries on the face of God's earth. Instead of making it learn the exports of Italy, show it pictures of

n her pupils were somewhat accustomed to these she would test their knowledge by exhibiting one and asking them where it was, whether in a hot or cold country, what kind of people lived in such a place, what fruits, flowers, and animals would be found t

ce a little pathway up the hill among some trees. If you could walk up that path what would you be

come to class armed with information about the birds, flowers, or native customs of some particular country. By visualising the place, imagining themselves to be there, and

ed to live there. Before the term is over I think you'll realise what British women are doing all over the globe. Climatic conditions have

ds and build them into sentences, like babies learning to talk. She used English as little as possible, trying to make them catch ideas in French without the medium of translation. Thus, in a beginners' class she would hold up a book and say, "le livre," then placing it on the table or under the table would extend her sentence to show the use of the prepositions. The girls soon began to grasp the method, and learnt to repl

anxious to introduce some of the leading features. Her theory was that most girls learn to play the piano, a few practise the violin, but hardly any are taught to understand and appreciate music, apart from their own often unskilful performances. She arranged, therefore, to hold a weekly class at which a short lecture

rature by reading the best authors, not by trying to write poetry yourself! Learning an instrument is a go

o the masterpieces of Beethoven, Chopin, or Schubert, and were enco

selves, and then I hope some of you will surprise me. You must all practise hard, b

itchell did not neglect the athletic side. The school did not yet possess a gymna

to stir themselves. Maude Carey hardly knows how to run. I believe she thinks it's unladylike! And Nesta wou

girls who took much trouble over home lessons, and had been accustomed to leave her own till the last possible moment. It was certainly a new phase to find her getting out her books immediately after tea, or practising for half an hour before breakfast. She was ready to do anything to win notice from Miss Mitchell, and was decidedly jealous that Iva and Nesta, being boarders, were able to see more of her, and thus establish a greater intimacy. Merle always wanted to 'go one better' than the other monitresses. The status of all four was exactly equal, and so far there was no head girl at 'The Moorings.' Merle had indeed taken a most prominent

em now!" object

they'll ha

Games Captai

r hostel

asked me to see

tice. I've instructions to see that all the boarde

ace. She felt that Nesta was inte

like until tea-time. Nesta needn't plume herself upon being prime favourite with Miss Mitchell. She m

ned one day that there ought to be a general record of the various soc

time for reference," she said. "It would be a far simpler

she decided to type it. There was a little typewriter in Uncle David's consulting-room, which he allowed her to use, and though she was so far from being an adept at it that it actually took her longer than using pen and ink

one afternoon when Muri

you give me the names

can't just reme

them for?" asked

Mitchell! She was asking

Nature Club. She'd be able to tel

! I'll ask he

at Muriel had hit upon exactly the same idea as herself, and inte

forestall me, though! However artistic my list is, it will fall very flat if Muriel gives hers in fi

home she set to work upon the book-back, and toiled away at it, utterly ignoring her

d 'Merchant of Venice' and beastly Latin verbs! I'll glance through them at breakfast-time and trust to luck. Surely

you? I've fini

nt it to be entir

being an appropriate design. She stitched the typed sheets, fastened the whole together, and tied it with a piece of saxe-blue ribbon (saxe was emphatically Miss Mitchell's pet colour), then she printed upon the back of it,

ok over my Latin

in school, I should like to know? That's what teachers are paid for, isn't it? I've no patience with this continual writing in the evenings. A nice bit of sewing would be more to my mind. You've not done more than an inch of that

preparation, but she was sleepier than usual next morning, and

ring the hot water. It

l the world to be left

let Muriel give her list to

d, sat up, and began t

wind out of Muriel's

n this particular morning, however, as fate would have it, the study was unoccupied. Merle peeped in many times, went to the hostel, asked the boarders if they had seen Miss Mitchell, but was utterly unable to find her. She seemed to have mys

nd closed her books with relief. She hoped to manage a little better in 'The Merchant of Venice,' which was at least an English subject. The girls were supposed to learn the notes, and were questioned upon them and upon the meaning of the passages

e example for a monitress to set to the rest of the form! Come to the

monitress entered the study at '

you suddenly slacked off?" asked her inquisitor, who believed

her desk, said nothing, and only looked unutterably miserable. Matters, therefore, were at ra

up fearfully late last night doing it for you, and that's why she didn't do h

the parcel and looked cr

omes first, and that they have to set an example to the rest. Don't let a thing like this happen again! I thought you would have had more discretion. The list could have waited a day or two. I was not in such a hurry for it as all that. It was kind

dressing-room, inwardly

on her desk, so she'll always have something of mine right under her eyes. She fingered that saxe-blue ribbon rather lovingly! It exactly matches her sports coat! I'll make her a calend