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BY
most of us, our schooldavs, in retrospect, are apt to be idealised. We are
rather inclined to magnify the significance
of what we, in person, or our classmates did in those disciplined days.
Especially so if these achievements refer to breaches of discipline ; now
and again when we are pedantic enough, if they refer to attainment in
specific subjects of instruction. But, in general, our recollection now is
one of happy carefree days, and perhaps that memory of happiness and
freedom from care is proportionate to the anxieties that have been
encountered by us since. In the great War, limited to a tiny front of
warfare, I knew nothing of activities in even fairly adjacent sectors: so
in my reminiscences of schooldavs I must try to recapture truthfully the
recollection of my own epoch. When one enters a school around five years
of age one cannot be expected to know anything of its previous history ;
when one leaves to enter another school at twelve and then a university at
seventeen one's impressions of the old school may tend to become blurred
by later scholastic contacts. Unlike all my classmates I have never
succeeded in freeing myself from schools : for over forty years now, in
turn as scholar, student, teacher and administrator, I have been
associated with schools. Such experience utters unique opportunity for
dissertation on the
progress—or otherwise—of Education. But that is not my task in this
contribution. Suffice it to say that my observation of education to-day
and my educational experience enable me to look back with honest pride and
pleasure on my period as a scholar of Stewarton Public School, and also to
congratulate the present Headmaster and his Staff on maintaining at such a
high level Stewarton's educational prestige in the County.
A form of nursery school care must have prevailed in those days, for at
the early age of four+ , when I was found to be rather a nuisance at home,
I was escorted to Miss Miller, the Infant Mistress, who, after looking me
up and down—a very short range of vision— agreed to make what she could of
the material delivered to her. With a whole host of companions I was
registered in the " Penny " in 1895. The roll of Stewarton Public School
then was approximately 500, and the Headmaster, whose memory so many of us
revere, was Mr. A. Leslie Watt. The effort to deal with midgets like
myself and some of my companions must have sorely tried our foster-mother,
Miss Miller, for I read that shortly after I left the Infant Department,
namely, in July, 1897, Miss Miller tendered her resignation and received
the warm approbation of the School Board after her twenty-four years'
service. It has been a great joy to her former pupils that Miss Miller has
been spared to enjoy her retirement to this day, and to extend her
beneficent influence in the community: in a very special degree our
thoughts are with her at this celebration. " The Sixpenny " —whose teacher
in my time was Miss Agnes Watt, daughter of the Headmaster—marked the end
of the early school stage prior to the " Standards," and is remembered by
me as the class in which I learned and then inflicted on others that
classic " Wee Willie Winkie." Progress through the Standards 1. to VI. was
for the most part automatic, for then, as now, accommodation, to some
extent at least, governed educational progress, and then entry was made by
the survivors to the sacred " Ex-Sixth "—the last class of the school, the
sanctum of the " great big fellows " and equally' " great big girls " who
had not started work. It was the stage—let us whisper it—of the Merit
Certificate ! My experience in that group was short as I soon passed on to
Kilmarnock Academy.
What lessons were we learning in these classes ? There was a strong
insistence on the three R's, reading, writing, and arithmetic: loud
simultaneous reading as well as individual; copying of copperplate writing
in " Times " copybooks ; all the usual operations of counting, with all
the tables and plenty of mental arithmetic. Who will ever forget the "
cards " and the struggle to get the privilege of holding the " answers "
to check our companions' efforts later ? There was abundant exercise in
essays and letter-writing; grammar, with detailed parsing and analysis of
even Shakespeare's soliloquies; history with its acute memory tests of
dates of battles, Acts of Parliament, and reign periods ; geography with
its equally detailed memory test of capes,
peaks, rivers, towns and products ; a little singing, a little drawing
—introduced for the first time in September, I895—and a little physical
instruction when the weather was good. Religious instruction, involving
more memory work of the Shorter Catechism, etc., was important, for it was
examined. About the Fifth or Sixth Standards early attenders at school had
lessons in such subjects as French and Latin. In the ex-Sixth I have a
recollection of struggling with Euclid and algebra.
Who were our teachers ? They were really divided into three main
categories,—recognised or certificated teachers, ex-Pupil Teachers and
Pupil Teachers. As the staff had to be increased the School Board was fond
of appointing ex-P.T.'s rather than fully certificated teachers. In
September, 1896, the School Board advertised for two P.T's; there were six
applicants: three were disqualified because they were under fourteen years
of age. The others sat an examination—the external examiner for all such
purposes in those days was Mr. Rattrav, of Dunlop. When a teacher was to
be appointed a leet was selected to teach before the School Board, and the
candidate making the best " appearance " was —other things, including
wire-pulling, being equal—appointed. Each of us cherishes his own
recollections of individual teachers, that recollection being conditioned
by a great variety of circumstances. I shall always hold in the highest
esteem the memory of my headmaster, Mr. Watt, a gentleman of refinement
and culture. As I write I see him vividly with his sharp features,
well-trimmed beard, spare figure clad in clerical grey morning coat and
striped trousers, square hat, tripping lightly for his years from
classroom to classroom with a red handkerchief peeping out of tail-pocket
and the " tawse " in evidence in another—a reminder never excessively
employed. His eyes betrayed his sense of humour even when his face was
impassive; when he smiled it was an invitation to us all to be happy. It
is a great privilege to me, whom he launched upon my career per the Ayr
County Council Bursary, to pay this sincere tribute to Mr. Watt. Miss
Miller watched us long after we left the Infant Room, and the stern,
efficient and really kindly Mr. Barton was our mentor in the Fifth
Standard. Mr. James Bowie, whose loss to Ayrshire was Glasgow's gain,
performed with credit a Herculean task in the Sixth and Ex-Sixth. A power
in the staff of my time too was Mr. Matthew Paton, but he died in 1898
before I reached his class. It has been a pleasure to me to meet recently
my former teachers in the persons of Miss Jack (Mrs. Crawford), Irvine,
and Miss Stewart (Mrs. Wilson), Largs. Another old friend of this period,
Mr. John Thomson, who used to join us at football in the playground, is
now headmaster of Catrine. We must not forget our Compulsory Officer who
was also janitor and cleaner of the school. Mr. Ewing Taylor was appointed
to this threefold post in September, 1880, and held it till his death in
March, 1898, when the Board recorded its deep appreciation of his
excellent service which included deputising for absent teachers. He was
succeeded by Mr. John A. Thomson
(" Buff Jock "), who struck terror into our hearts in our earliest years
at school only to become our friend and confidant in later times. His
discipline at drill periods—he was also physical instructor —was Prussian
: in dumb-bell and arm exercises he showed us what to do : in all bending
exercises he told us what to do. In his last illness I used to visit him
in Dunlop Street, and listened with the utmost interest to the
reminiscences of a versatile and a faithful servant of the School Board.
And who were the School Board in those days ? What excitement at the
elections when the lame, the halt and the blind were coaxed, dragooned,
and " omnibused " to the poll ! Had the law permitted, the resurrections
would have been commissioned to assist. Many a. story could be told of
electioneering in those days, I am sure. Amongst many who rendered yeoman
service in the School Board in my time were such stalwarts as Dr.
Cunningham, David Sim, David Whiteford, William Mackie, Andrew Bower, John
Russell and Robert Baird. I have had the privilege of reading the minutes
of Stewarton School Board from 1879—the first election was in 1873—until
1919, with the exception of the period 1898-190C. What a history is
unfolded in these pages! But space forbids! National history was unfolding
too during this period. It is interesting to read that on the motion of
its chairman, Dr. Cunningham, it was agreed in June, 1897, to send an
address of congratulation from Stewarton School Board to Her Majesty Queen
Victoria on the attainment of Her Diamond Jubilee. The address, prepared
by Dr. Cunningham and the Clerk, Mr. Love, was sent to and acknowledged by
the then Secretary for Scotland, Lord Balfour. What memories are
associated with this Diamond Jubilee Celebration in Stewarton, and shortly
afterwards during the Boer War from 1899 to 1902 with the relief of
Mafeking, Ladysmith, Kimberley, all providing whole or half holidays and
much bell ringing ' Our local heroes—1 think of Bandmaster Eaglesham,
Andrew Maltman, and Andrew Borland for example— had a great send-off and
an equally great welcome on their return. I can still hear " Wull ye no
come back again ? " from the crowds at Stewarton Station, and " Good-bye,
my Bluebell "—the " Tipperary " of that day—on their return. What a solemn
day was that of the funeral of Queen Victoria with the mass service in the
Laigh Kirk ! And then all the joyousness of the Jubilee reproduced at King
Edward's coronation. Stewarton had its own Cavalcade !
And what of the pupils of those years ? Perhaps they were " wilder " than
the present generation: they certainly played truant more, and the
Corsehill was a haven on those occasions; the ex-Sixth boys in retrospect
seemed huge fellows and their fights for championship oi the school were
gladiatorial combats;
attendance. Football with a red fourpenny ball was a perpetual ]oy at
intervals and long after school hours. Chestnut " billying," " bools," and
" buttony " offered their own seasonal thrills, and a few devotees sought
the Quoiting Ground. What did the girls do ? Frankly, beyond peevers and
skipping rope, I don't know. I was too young to observe them—much!
And what indoor pastimes ! Who can forget the kinderspiels of Mr.
Ballantyne and Mr. Lochhead? "Maritana," "The Midshipmite," " The Three
Musketeers," " The Magic Ruby," etc., etc. " The Band of Hope " and the "
Sunbeam " invited us with their dialogues, songs and recitations. How many
of us came under the beneficent influence of the eve'r-genial John L.
Mackie in these efforts ! What fun at the practices ! What a thrill at the
performances ! There is room for another volume on these alone. Limelight
views with " Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress " as a favourite theme enthralled
us: " Uncle Tom's Cabin," usually in the Templars' Hall, had us tearful at
the death of little Eva, to be restored in spirits by the distribution of
lottery prizes at the end —the inevitable painted ball for a boy and doll
for a girl. It was a bit of a scramble to get the necessary half-penny for
admission but we usually managed! Observe ye sophisticated youngsters of
to-day with your wireless, talkies, and other organised entertainment ! !
! And we were so thoroughly happy . . . I think.
Community effort was evident in that greatest of all carnivals, the
Cadgers' Fair. Think of meeting the " Shows," helping to " fix up " the
hobby horses in the Avenue, and the free ride on the Friday night : the
restlessness of tlie Sunday', and then " The Great Day " with its tiny
Horse Fair in tlie morning, its Races in the afternoon, and Football Match
followed by Shows and a Dance at night.
And the Sunday School trip Saturday—another day of days— to South Beach,
for example, saw us in procession to the station —" Auld Kirk weather
"—circle on the grass, poke and tea, races, " paddling," more tea and
poke, football on the sands—home, singing, singing all the time. Or the
Foundry Roys' Jaunt in carts —what a colourful procession with Willie Hall
and his colleagues leading us all the way! Singing, singing, always
singing!
Arc these true pictures, my contemporaries ? Or the " idealised "
reflections of a middle-aged man ? Cavil not overmuch at sentimentality,
ye cynics ' Look around you and see whether greater mental contentment is
forthcoming either from. your observation of things as they are or
threaten to be in world evolution, or in those harmless memories of 30
years ago in a typical wholly worthy Ayrshire village.
I am the more tempted to recapture those days once in a while, when I
remember that my generation has suffered more than any
other from the disaster of the Great War, when I look round in vain in
search of so many of my contemporaries who answered the call in 1914 and
thereafter. I plead for your indulgence, therefore, my seniors, whose
memories must lie in so many respects richer than mine, in that progress
was on the way before I was a witness ; I crave tolerance, my juniors, who
in your modern environment will ask, " Why all this bother about elemental
activities and simple joys ? " In this celebration as true sons and
daughters of Stewarton, we can in one refrain salute our old School and
bid God-speed to its present and future pupils and staff.
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