were obliged to
expend in response to the requirements of the Education Department,
and finding the consequent rates a burden, began to think of economy
and nothing but economy, so that though I had expected them to be only
too anxious to provide the very best possible education for their own
children, it came as a surprise that this was quite a subordinate aim
to that of keeping down the cost. And this was the more unexpected, as
the main cost fell upon the large ratepayers, like myself and the
railway company and the owners of land and cottages rented rate-free.
At the next election several of these economists became candidates,
with the result that many of the original members including myself
were not returned, in spite of the fact that our well-planned and
well-built schools were erected at a lower cost per child than any in
the neighbourhood. I was not sorry to escape from the monotony of
listening to interminable debates as to whether a necessary broom or
such-like trifle should be bought at one shilling or one and
threepence. For this was the kind of subject that the Board could
understand and liked to enlarge upon, while really important proposals
were carried with little consideration. As a matter of fact, members
of a School Board are no more than dummies in the hands of an
inflexible Department, and are appointed to carry out orders and
regulations without the power of modification, even when quite
unsuitable for a country village school.

There was some little excitement at the election; one of the members
of the old Board had been called "an ignoramus," in the stress of
battle, and being much concerned and mystified asked a neighbour what
the term signified, adding, no doubt thinking of a hippopotamus, that
he believed it was some kind of animal! His knowledge of zoology was
probably as limited as that disclosed by the following story:

A menagerie was on view at Evesham, to the great joy of many
juveniles as well as older people, for such exhibitions were
not very common in the town. Very early next morning, a
farmer, living about two miles from Aldington, was awakened
by a shower of small stones on his bedroom window. Looking
out he saw his shepherd in much excitement and alarm. "Oh
master, master, there's a beast with two tails, one in front
and one behind, a-pullin' up the mangolds, and a-eatin' of
'em!" The farmer hurried to the spot and saw an African