Living such a free, wild life as they did, and with so much idle time on their hands, it is not to be wondered at that the young people, unaided, would turn their attention to books, and seek to educate their minds in the knowledge to be gained from them. This fact caused much anxiety to two, at least, of their number, Sarah McCoy, the oldest girl, and also her brother. These two young people had been members of Mrs. Selwyn’s class during their two years’ stay on Norfolk Island, and nothing had caused them more regret on leaving that place than the fact that they were by their removal cut off from so many of the educational advantages obtained there, having just experienced enough of the pleasures of knowledge to make them long for more. Urged by the necessities of the case to do what they could, these two young persons collected what books they thought would help them, which they found in the old schoolroom, together with slates and pencils, and opened a school in Mr. Nobbs’ former study, for a class of six or seven girls and one boy, giving them lessons in reading, writing, and spelling, teaching them also addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
But searching for hens’ eggs, taking care of chickens, running with a wheelbarrow down some steep hill, swinging on the long hanging roots of the great banyan trees, and other employments of a like nature, were far more congenial to the tastes of the lively, healthy, and active-limbed children than to sit droning lazily over their books and drawling out “Ab-ba, father,” and so on; and when for some misbehavior the youthful teacher would remonstrate, he would be greeted with a derisive laugh; or should he attempt to administer the rod, he would be met with such a spirit of defiance that his attempts at punishment would be useless. Such scenes usually ended in the unruly scholar climbing with the agility of a cat up the posts of the house, where he would look down upon his teacher and feel secure from the well-merited punishment.
CHILDREN AND WHEELBARROW.
In spite of such untoward behavior from the older children, the long-suffering teachers succeeded in accomplishing what they had set themselves to do, and had the satisfaction of seeing their trying pupils accomplish the task of learning to write, in addition to their being able to read. They also learned to spell fairly well, and were able to master the simpler rules in arithmetic. In October, 1860, H. M. S. Calypso visited the island, staying a few hours. The chaplain of the ship came on shore, and manifested much interest in regard to the religious instruction of the children and their right bringing up. On leaving, the kind visitors supplied the little school with books, slates and pencils, copy books, pens, penholders, and ink, a gift which was thoroughly appreciated and most thankfully received.
On Sundays the two families met for worship in Moses Young’s house, each of the two men at times taking part in conducting the services, but more frequently the master of the house officiated, and in strict accordance with the Church of England liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer.
Moses Young, who owned a fife, on which he often discoursed sweet music, was also an excellent performer on the fiddle. To the ability he possessed of playing with considerable skill on these his favorite instruments, was added a limited knowledge of written music, gained under the able leadership of Mr. Hugh Carleton. This knowledge he tried to put to the best account, and formed a class, composed of the four adults, including himself, and as many of the young people as wished to come, to whom he taught the gamut. Having drilled his little class in “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do,” and learning the skips, ad infinitum, he made a sudden advance to a few of the old standard church tunes, and succeeded in reviving, for the benefit of his youthful learners, the old tunes of Truro and Clarendon, and teaching them an entirely new tune besides. He did not accomplish more of his laudable undertaking, probably because his pupils did not give him the needed encouragement, or else he himself checked their ardor, as he did in the following instance. One night at the close of the usual drill, and before the class was dismissed, the teacher proposed that they should sing the National Anthem. Sundry efforts were made before the proper pitch was obtained. At last the tune was fairly started, and the anthem sung. The closing lines,—
“Shed o’er her heart a ray
Of wisdom’s glorious day;
Loved be Victoria’s sway—