CHORUS Wish we could be kids again Playing out upon the green, And its for those carefree days we often yearn, Then the skies were ever blue. For our hearts were always gay But the happy past that's gone can ne'er return. By Robert Emmett MacDonald , , who was killed in action during World War II. SCHOOL HISTORIES Early schools in Prince Edward Island held little resemblance to the schools of today. Proprieters of the lots were required to make provisions for schools as well as churches. Few kept these promises and since the poor settlers could not pay a teacher's salary, only the children of the rich attended school, and these schools were either on the mainland or back in the home country! The situation was severe and in 1789 Bishop Charles Inglis noted that there was no school on the Island, although the population was about five or six thousand. This neglect of public schooling continued until 1825 when the Assembly passed money to start schools all over the Island. In 1833, there were seventy- four schools and the total had reached 121 in 1841. These early schools were built of logs. They had board floors, small windows in each wall, and little in the way of supplies. The children sat on plank benches and used slates on their knee. There were few books, maps, or pictures. They were heated by wood stoves in the center of the school which broiled those next to the stove and gave little comfort to those seated a distance away. The early teachers were generally retired soldiers who were little qualified for the job. The salary of $60/half year may have been attractive to them since they had no other way to earn money. Free school for all was provided in 1852 using taxpayer's money. This meant the salaries were increased, therefore attracting better qualified teachers, and enabling the schools to become both more numerous and better equipped to educate the children in the area. The one room schools provided a system of education until 1966 when consolidation led to the closing of the area schools. The one room schools were established three miles apart. They were built by the people of the community who supplied both the labor and the materials. The schools were usually built as close to a spring as possible. This would mean the students would not have to carry the water supply a long distance. The lo¬ cation was usually as central as possible for the area. The distance the children lived from the school often determined the age at which they started. The longer the walk, the longer the mothers waited before sending the child. Often an older child waited an extra year for the company of a younger sister or brother. 40