{"@context":{"@language":"en","AIPUUID":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/terms#identifierAIP","AggregatedSourceRepository":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/dataProvider","AlternateTitle":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/alternative","CatalogueRecord":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isReferencedBy","Collection":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/isPartOf","Creator":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/creator","DateAvailable":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","DateIssued":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/issued","DigitalResourceOriginalRecord":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/aggregatedCHO","FileFormat":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/elements\/1.1\/format","FullText":"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2009\/08\/skos-reference\/skos.html#note","Genre":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/hasType","Identifier":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/identifier","IsShownAt":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/isShownAt","Language":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/language","Provider":"http:\/\/www.europeana.eu\/schemas\/edm\/provider","Publisher":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/publisher","Rights":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/rights","SortDate":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/date","Source":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/source","Title":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/title","Type":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/type","Translation":"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/description"},"AIPUUID":[{"@value":"2f6afbda-f81b-4ea1-b1d7-d924e1e780c0","@language":"en"}],"AggregatedSourceRepository":[{"@value":"CONTENTdm","@language":"en"}],"AlternateTitle":[{"@value":"CORRESPONDENCE CAMPBELL'S CREEK SCHOOL.","@language":"en"}],"CatalogueRecord":[{"@value":"http:\/\/resolve.library.ubc.ca\/cgi-bin\/catsearch?bid=1198198","@language":"en"}],"Collection":[{"@value":"Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia","@language":"en"}],"Creator":[{"@value":"British Columbia. Legislative Assembly","@language":"en"}],"DateAvailable":[{"@value":"2014-11-28","@language":"en"}],"DateIssued":[{"@value":"[1898]","@language":"en"}],"DigitalResourceOriginalRecord":[{"@value":"https:\/\/open.library.ubc.ca\/collections\/bcsessional\/items\/1.0063841\/source.json","@language":"en"}],"FileFormat":[{"@value":"application\/pdf","@language":"en"}],"FullText":[{"@value":" 61 Vict.      Correspondence Campbell's Creek School. 881\nRETURN\nTo an Order of the House for all correspondence between the Department of Education and any other party or parties, in connection with the re-opening of Campbell's Creek School.\nJAMES BAKER,\nMinister of Education.\nEducation Office,\n24th February, 1898.\nKamloops, June 18th, 1897.\nS. D. Pope, Esq.,\nSuperintendent of Education, Victoria, B.C.\nDear Sir,\u2014Although the matter of this school has been well ventilated in the Legislature of the Province and in the local press, I have only now been able to see the affair in its\ntrue light; for this reason I am desirous of having some method of publicly explaining the\nactual position of the matter.\nIn the first place, as you are no doubt aware, the school at Campbell's Creek was opened\nfor the accommodation of several children, who, by reason of the distance to the Ducks School-\nhouse, would otherwise be deprived of any chance to procure the rudimentary education which\nis by law the right of any child resident in the Province. The school-house was built and\nfurnished by me at my own expense, and what is more, I have also at my own expense kept\nthese orphan children who would otherwise be denied any opportunity of learning those simple\nthings which are so necessary in the present struggle with the world.\nThis school has now been closed by the Department of which you are the head, and why 1\nBecause you are in receipt of letters which contain charges against the scholars, against the\nplace, and against myself. These charges certainly warrant an investigation; to say the least,\nI should be allowed an opportunity to defend myself and my children against the unfounded\nindictment preferred by an hysterical, woman and another party, the latter of whom has no\ninterest at stake whatever. By the way, under date of April 15th, you were in receipt of a\nletter over the signature of one J. Wilson, who, for your information, appends a memo, to the\neffect that he is the Superintendent of the Canadian Pacific telegraph lines in B. C. For my\nown information, I would like to know wherein Mr. Wilson's position as Superintendent of\nthe C. P. R. telegraph lines in B. C. confers authority upon him to interfere in any way with\nthe rights of the children resident in any particular portion of the Province. Moreover, for\nyour own information, I may be permitted to say that I am a heavy ratepayer of the Province, and as such am entitled to some consideration, Mr. J. Wilson, Superintendent of the\nCanadian Pacific telegraph lines in B. C, to the contrary notwithstanding.\nEven if this Mr. Wilson was a ratepayer, an old resident, I would have reason to resent\nhis interference, but as a new-comer, absolutely unaccquainted with the facts, as well as with\nthe requirements of the case, I have greater reason for my resentment.\nAs to the specific charges preferred by Miss Swan, and reiterated by Mr. Wilson, the first\nwas, that one of the largest boys after drinking half a glass of water, deliberately threw the\nbalance in the face of the teacher\u2014note that Mr. Wilson says half a pitcher. I say positively,\nand I am prepared to prove every statement made by me herein, that this charge is absolutely\nuntrue, and one thing will go far towards establishing the truth of my statement, i. e., there\nhas never been a drinking vessel of any kind in the school-house since it was built. The other\nspecific charge, that of smearing the teacher's hand with blood, is in effect just as untrue as\nthe first one. Mr. Wilson also says that the trustee, Mr. Campbell, has forbidden her to punish the smaller children;   this is untrue.    I never at any time prevented her from punishing 882 Correspondence Campbell's Creek School. 1898\nany scholar in the school, but on one occasion I did speak to her in reference to the brutality,\nI can use no other expression, of some of her corrections. One afternoon my youngest child,\na delicate girl of ten years came home crying, and on my inquiring the cause, I was told that\nthe teacher had struck her on the arm with the edge of a heavy book, the arm was injured to\nsuch an extent that to this day she has not entirely recovered the use of it. A few moments\nafterwards one of the smaller boys came crying to the house with blood streaming from a gash\nin his head, which had been caused by Miss Swan breaking a slate upon his head as a punishment for some trivial offence. Again the same afternoon another came in with his knuckle\nand hand skinned and bruised by the teacher's so-called punishment (sic). That day I did\nspeak to her, and strongly condemned her methods of punishment. I do not in any sense of\nthe word object to corporal punishment, but I do in every sense of the word object to brutality on the part of those in authority over children. Miss Swan says she could not punish the\nlarger children, as they were larger and stronger than she. She could have expelled them or\nsuspended them, or she might at least have intimated to me that they required punishment,\nand I would have spared no pains to make it fit the offence, if it laid in my power to do so.\nMr. Wilson says the treatment Miss Swan received from the scholars was very hard to stand\nfrom a lot of half-breeds. There is not a half-breed in the school, but even if there were, their\nrights are as much to be respected as another person's, and such slurs are unbecoming to the\npen of even the Superintendent of the Canadian Pacific telegraph lines in B. C.\nSo much for the charges against the scholars, the school and the trustee. I, too, have\ncharges to prefer against the teacher. In the first place she was absolutely incompetent. To\nsupport this charge I will only mention one occurrence; it will be sufficient to substantiate my\ncomplaint. One of the boys came to me with a complaint that the teacher refused to show him\nhow to work out a certain class of problem in arithmetic. I spoke to Miss Swan of this and\nshe replied that the boy could do this himself quite easily. I then asked her to show the\nsolution as she was in duty bound to do. The problem was one involving the calculation of\ninterest (an every day commercial transaction) and Miss Swan, after two hours work, confessed\nto me that she could not do it. Her method of life was not such that would be conducive to\nher mental alertness or her physical well-being. At eight o'clock she would leave her house,\nwithout lighting fire or breaking her fast, and go directly to the school-house, where she would\nremain until dark; then she would leave for her house and, on reaching it, she would lock herself in, and without even fire or light, except on rare occasions, would stay till morning. She\ncomplains of being lonely ; she gave herself no opportunity to be anything else. As to her\nphysical and mental condition, neither body nor mind could be normal when she abused herself in the way of eating as she did. In a month and a half she used a pound of butter, three\npounds of soda biscuits, less than a pound and a half of bacon and about three pounds of flour.\nWhen she came to the house she got half a cord of wood, and when she went away there was\nstill three-quarters of the original pile there, that, too, during six weeks of the most severe\nweather we had during the winter. As to the supplies, I know what she got as she got them\non my account, and I know what she used from the amount left after she quit the school.\nMens sana in corpore sano in a teacher, of all people, is essential. Could anyone, living as I\npositively state Miss Swan lived, be the possessor of such? I think not, and I think you will\nbear me out in my opinion. My own impression is that owing to her method of existence (I\ncannot say life) Miss Swan had become a victim of hysteria in an aggravated form, and that\nthis peculiar mental condition was responsible for the unfounded charges brought against all\nwith whom her duties brought her in contact. I am willing to believe so, I wish to think so,\nbut I do not think I should be the sufferer by reason of it.\nI have been put to a great deal of trouble and a great deal of expense in this matter. I\ndo not wish to see the school remain closed when, if a competent teacher be procured, the roll\ncould always be kept above the legal requirements. I am willing to undertake that it will, but\nbefore anything else, above anything else I ask that an investigation be instituted inquiring\ninto the matters of which I speak. It is due to me as a ratepayer who has been maligned in\nthe House and through the press ; due to the scholars who have to bear the undeserved stigma\nof brutality, disobedience and discourtesy; due to the parents of these children and due to the\nDepartment itself, in order to fix the blame where it belongs.\nTrusting that my communication will receive the consideration to which it is entitled.\nI am, etc.,\n(Signed)        Lewis Campbell. 61 Vict. Correspondence Campbell's Creek School. 883\nEducation Office,\nVictoria, 6th July, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014In reply to your communication of the 18th ult., allow me to state that an\nInspector will be visiting schools in your neighbourhood after the close of the summer vacation\nand that he will be instructed to hold an investigation, as requested by you, in regard to the\ntreatment of your late teacher, Miss Swan, by the pupils of the school.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        S. D. Pope,\nSuperintendent of Education.\nL.  Campbell,  Esq.,\nCampbell's  Greek, Kamloops.\nEducation Office,\nVictoria, 14th September, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014The Honourable G. B. Martin, Chief Commissioner, has handed in your let\nter of the 31st August addressed to him, and which he did not receive until his return to this\nCity.\nAs to the re-opening of Campbell's Creek School there are no objections, provided the\nrequirements of the Regulations in regard to assisted schools will be carried out.\nAllow me to point out that there must be an enrolment each month of not less than ten\npupils, and the average daily attendance must not be less than eight. If these requirements\ncan be complied with, any application you make in the matter will, with pleasure, be referred\nto the consideration of the Honourable the Minister of Education.\nI enclose blank form for list of children who will attend the school regularly in case it is\nre-opened.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        S. D. Pope,\nL.   Campbell,  Esq.,\nSchool Trustee,  Campbell's Creek,\nKamloops.\nSuperintendent of Education.\nCampbell's Creek,\nSeptember 21st, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014Yours of the 14th September is to hand. I enclose a list of scholars who\nwill be able to attend the Campbell's Creek School. There are eight that reside who will be\nable to attend school every day and, with the others, there will be no trouble to keep the number on the Register.\nI would like you to use your influence with the Honourable Minister of Education to get\nour school re-opened as soon as possible.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        Lewis Campbell.\nS. D.  Pope, Esq.,\nSuperintendent of Education,\nVictoria. 884\nCorrespondence Campbell's Creek School.\n1898\nChildren of School Age, between six and sixteen years, resident within the limits\nof the proposed School  District at Campbell's Creek.\nSurnames of Children.\nChristian name or names.\nAge last\nbirthday.\nDistance from\nnearest School.\nName of parent or\nguardian.\nShaver \t\nAlvie Lewis....   \t\nMartha Jane   \t\nLena\t\nReid\t\nNettie\t\nEvandar\t\nWillie\t\nDavid\t\nreside at the school.\nNettie\t\n13\n12\n10\n14\n10\n8\n7\n7\n12\n10\n8\n11\n9\n8\n8\n6\nHere, C. C.\nMrs. Shaver.\n\"\n'\nL. Campbell.\nW. McLeod.\nLew Leonard.\nR. Pratt.\nMcLeod\t\nLeonard   \t\nThe above eight\nKnapp\t\nIt\n2Jm\n2i    \/\n2J    ,\n3     ,\n3     ,\n3     ,\n6     ,\n6     ,\nles\nB\nMcGregor\t\nBud\t\nChester\t\nL. C. McGregor.\nMcLeod\t\nMary\t\nMinnie\t\nJohn McLeod.\nThe first eight will be able to attend the school every day.\nThere is no danger but what we can keep up the required number of scholars.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        Lewis Campbell.\nEducation Office,\nVictoria, 23rd September, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014Having referred to the Honourable the Minister of Education, the  application made in yours of the 21st inst., with the names of  sixteen children  furnished  by you as\nprobable pupils of the school, I am directed to state that authority is granted to the Board of\nTrustees to appoint a teacher, and to re-open the school.\nI have tbis day notified the Secretary of the Board.\nUnder section 50 of the \" Public School Act,\" the appointment of teacher must be made\nby a majority of the Board of Trustees at a meeting held for that purpose. It is the duty of\nthe Secretary to immediately notify this Department of the appointment made.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        S. D. Pope,\nSuperintendent of Education.\nL. Campbell, Esq., School Trustee,\nDucks School District, Kamloops.\nEducation Office,\nVictoria, 23rd September, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014Mr. L. Campbell, School Trustee, having made application for the re-opening\nof Campbell's Creek School, and furnished this Department with a list of sixteen children of\nschool age, permission has been granted by the Honourable the Minister of Education to your\nBoard to appoint a teacher and re-open the School.\nAs soon as the appointment of teacher is made, you will please notify this Department.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        S. D. Pope,\nSuperintendent of Education.\nJ. M. Kinnear, Esq., Secretary Board of Trustees,\nDucks Station. 61 Vict. Correspondence Campbell's Creek School. 885\nEducation Office,\nVictoria, 25th September, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014Inspector Burns has made a report of the evidence taken on September 1st\nat Campbell's Creek in regard to the ill-treatment of the late teacher, Miss Swan. He has\nalso reported the evidence given by Miss Swan to him after his return to this office.\nFrom the evidence taken at Campbell's Creek it is not apparent that the ill-treatment\ncomplained of by Miss Swan was accorded to her while, on the other hand, Miss Swan's evidence is in corroboration of her former statements.\nAs permission has been granted for the re-opening of Campbell's Creek School, I trust\nthat for the future there will be no want of harmony between the teacher and pupils. It is\nneedless to say that it is a waste of public funds to support a school in which proper order and\ndiscipline are not maintained. If the teacher is not performing his work satisfactorily to the\nTrustees they have authority, under section 50 of the \" Public School Act,\" to dismiss him at\nany time by giving him thirty days' written notice of dismissal, and stating the cause. This\nnotice must be signed by the Secretary of the Board, or by the other two Trustees.\nOn the other hand, if the teacher is performing his work satisfactorily, it is the duty of\nparents to encourage him in every way in their power, and to strongly advise their children to\nstrict obedience and diligent study.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        S. D. Pope,\nSuperintendent of Education.\nL.  Campbell, Esq.,\nCampbell's Creek, Kamloops.\nMonte Creek P. O.,\nDucks, October 10th, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014I beg to inform you that Miss E. L. George has been appointed by the Board\nof Trustees of Ducks School, as teacher of Campbell's Creek Public School. Miss George has\nbeen notified that the Board desires the School to be opened on Monday, 18th of October.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        John M. Kinnear,\nSecretary Board of Trustees, Ducks.\nS. D. Pope, Esq.,\nVictoria, B. C.\nMonte Creek, P.O.,\nOctober 23rd, 1897.\nDear Sir,\u2014I beg to notify you of the opening of Campbell's Creek School on the 18th\ninstant.\nMiss George wishes me to ask for four Monthly Reports to be sent to her as soon as\npossible.\nYours truly,\n(Signed)        John M. Kinnear,\nSec. Board of Trustees, Ducks.\nVICTORIA, b. C :\nPrinted by Richard Wolfenden, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1898. ","@language":"en"}],"Genre":[{"@value":"Legislative proceedings","@language":"en"}],"Identifier":[{"@value":"J110.L5 S7","@language":"en"},{"@value":"1898_39_0881_0885","@language":"en"}],"IsShownAt":[{"@value":"10.14288\/1.0063841","@language":"en"}],"Language":[{"@value":"English","@language":"en"}],"Provider":[{"@value":"Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library","@language":"en"}],"Publisher":[{"@value":"Victoria, BC : Government Printer","@language":"en"}],"Rights":[{"@value":"Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia","@language":"en"}],"SortDate":[{"@value":"1898-12-31 AD","@language":"en"},{"@value":"1898-12-31 AD","@language":"en"}],"Source":[{"@value":"Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia","@language":"en"}],"Title":[{"@value":"RETURN To an Order of the House for all correspondence between the Department of Education and any other party or parties, in connection with the re-opening of Campbell's Creek School.","@language":"en"}],"Type":[{"@value":"Text","@language":"en"}],"Translation":[{"@value":"","@language":"en"}],"@id":"doi:10.14288\/1.0063841"}