The solicitor for the defence questioned the School Attendance Officer, who admitted that he had made no inquiries to ascertain whether the children were attending another school.
By the way, what did that well-known writer say, whose name I do not know? “Man is an animal that looks above, behind, but never beneath his nose.”
The attendance officer had nothing to say on behalf of the Education Committee as to the efficiency of the old teachers.
The magistrates heard one case. The Burston Brave proved that her little son had regularly attended a school conducted by the late mistress and master, so the bench inflicted a fine of five shillings upon her and 29 more women. These are hard wooden benches, aren’t they? I wonder what fine would have been inflicted if the children had not attended school!
But, knowing their antipathy to blacklegging, they could not do otherwise than stick to their old teachers.
In the certificate of membership, issued by the National Union of Teachers, is the following:
Professional Conduct.
The following is a list of the actions already declared to be unprofessional:
1. For any member to take an appointment from which, in the judgment of the N.U.T. Executive, another member has been unjustly dismissed.
How could the children attend the Council School then, when the N.U.T.E. had allowed this case to go by default? However, the Braves and Babes of Burston marched back to the school, pondering on Diss Law.
Speaking without bias, as the bowler said, I am thoroughly in favour of magistrates being chosen by the shape of their heads, instead of by the size of their wallets. Fancy mulcting poor labourers’ wives (to some of whom one sovereign is a princely week’s salary) of 5s. each.