THE FORGOTTEN PARENT
Sis,—May I take up one of the points made by Mr. Brett-James in his etter of August 7th? In that he suggests that in Boarding Schools most Masters, almost all Housemasters, and all Headmasters should be arried men with families."
With the third part of that recommendation few, people, I imagine, ill disagree. Apart from the question ad the Headmaster's continuing nity, there are obvious advantages in his being married and great dis- dvantages if he is not. But I am not so sure about the other two parts. e wife of a Housemaster can be a great help to her husband in his ork. No less she can ruin it. It depends on the wife. There have n splendid Ikousemasters who were married and to whose success eir lives greatly contributed, and there will be more. But there ave been many also for whom their House and its boys took the place wife and child, and some of these are among the very great House- sters of their time.
As to the first part of Mr. Brett-James' suggestion, from my own xperience, I believe that a school flourishes most, scholastically and therwise, when its staff has a good proportion of youngish bachelors. ere are several reasons for this. In the first place, a young School- aster who takes his job seriously and wants to learn it thoroughly ust have his interest in it undistracted, and should not think of mar- age much before the age of thirty. Secondly, it is the bachelors who the time and the energy for the innumerable out-of-school jobs Inch are necessary and which a married man is more reluctant to tile—games, the Training Corps, school plays, &c. The third reason financial. Schoolmasters are not highly paid and they have long tdays during which it is desirable that they should travel and in other aYs enlarge their experience and improve their qualifications. A man ho has undertaken family responsibilities young simply cannot do this. e can seldom move from his home, which may be in a village or small Often he cannot even buy books. The risk of mental stagnation hich is common to all, is infinitely greater in his case.—Yours, &c.,
Headmaster's House, Dean Close School, Cheltenhatn.
HUGH ELDER.
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