There were others famous in the land besides the two above mentioned; Brookfield, Bellairs, Fitch, many more. There were also some very inefficient persons. A clergyman who dislikes the profession which he has adopted, is not necessarily the best man for the profession which he chooses for his second string. A layman who sees no prospect of success in the learned professions, need not be the best critic of the teaching profession. On the whole I think it safe to say that if we have fewer men of remarkable talent, we have fewer men of remarkable unfitness.
There were many anecdotes of the giants of old. In one county stories of the eccentric Mr. Goodheart still survive. A country rector told me some:
“Mr. G. frequently stayed here for the inspection of my school. In those days there was no such system of pupil-teacher examinations as you have now (he referred to the monthly examinations, long since dropped): the Inspector examined the candidates at their own schools, or at any convenient centre, and set his own questions. He always came to the parish school here on a Monday: slept here that night, and took St. George’s school next day, examining the pupil-teachers where he could. One year he asked me to allow the P.T.’s of both schools to come up to the Rectory at 6.30 to be examined, and of course I agreed. I was only thankful that he didn’t fix 6.30 A.M. When they came, he put them in my study; gave them questions on paper in Arithmetic, Grammar, Geography, and History; and then joined me at dinner.”
“What?” said I; “and left them in the room with all your books?”
“Oh yes: he wouldn’t trouble himself about a little thing like that. Well, we dined, and we had some wine that he liked, and then he told stories about My Lords: you all do that, don’t you? And time went on. About ten o’clock the study bell rang, and the parlourmaid came in with a grin, and a message: ‘Please might the teachers go home?’ Old Goodheart had forgotten all about them.
“At St. George’s his proceedings, which never varied year by year, would have surprised you. He went first to the Boys; heard some Reading; picked out some pieces for Dictation; and gave the master a lot of Arithmetic cards to deal out. Then he went to the Girls, and did the same. Lastly he went to the Infants, where he chatted with Miss Buxom, who was a great favourite of his, till 12 or so. He wound up by returning to the Boys’ and Girls’ schools, and collecting all the Dictation and Arithmetic which had been done in his absence: also he marked the slates. The school was done.”
This took away my breath for a minute. Every “pass” was worth four shillings up to 1876, and the teachers usually got half the grant. They would not help the children, as a rule, though I have twice seen that done; but would they prevent copying?
The Rector’s eyes twinkled: “Well, we used to get better grants and better reports too from old Goodheart than we do from you.”
Odd trick: honours easy.
There were many legends also in three districts of the Rev. Mr. Bluffer, H.M.I. He was of the common-room don type: formerly, and still gourmet: formerly rough to undergraduates; now rough to managers, teachers, and children; but withal combining a certain human element and a liberal hand in spending his own money. “Why,” I once asked, “did not the managers rise up, and demand Bluffer’s head on a charger?” And the answer was, that the old sinner would at times wash down his advice and criticisms with cheques in aid of struggling schools.