s that one often finds a Roman Catholic, a
Church of England, a Methodist, and a Salvation Army school, all in
one little village--and no school whatever in the adjoining place.

The denominational spirit, fostered by these sectarian schools and
societies, is so emphasized that Catholic and Protestant have little
in common. Some preferred to let their children or themselves suffer
pain and inefficiency, rather than come for relief to a hospital where
the doctors were Protestant. This has in some measure passed away, but
it was painfully real at first--so much so that once a rickety,
crippled child, easily cured, though he actually came to the harbour,
was forbidden to land and returned home to be a cripple for life.

The salaries available offer no attraction to enter the teaching
profession in this island; and there is no compulsory education law to
assist those who with lofty motives remain loyal to the profession
when "better chances" come along. Gauged rightly, there is no such
thing as a better chance for fulfilling life's purposes than an
education; and modern conditions concede the right of a decent living
wage to all who render service to the world in whatever line.

In the little village where are our headquarters there was already a
Church of England and a Methodist school when we came there, and a
Salvation Army one has since been added. Threats of still another
"institution of learning" menaced us at one time--almost like a new
Egyptian plague, with more permanency of results thrown in.

If the motor power of the school boat is dissipated in sectarian
religious education, not to say focussed on it, the arrival of the
cargo must be seriously handicapped. The statistical returns may show
a majority of our fishermen as "able to read and write"; but as a
matter of fact the illiteracy and ignorance of North Newfoundland and
Labrador is the greatest handicap in the lives of the people.

My first scholar came from North Labrador, long before we aspired to a
school of our own. He was a lad of Scotch extraction and name, and
came aboard the hospital ship one night, as she lay at anchor among
some northern islands, with the request that we would take him up with
us to some place where he could get an hour's schooling a day. He
offered to work all the rest of the time in return for his food and
clothing. To-day he holds a Pratt certificate, is head of our machine
shop, has a sheet-metal working factory of his own w