Classic Audiobook Collection - The Burston Rebellion by Thomas George Higdon ~ Full Audiobook [history]

Episode Date: May 13, 2025

The Burston Rebellion by Thomas George Higdon audiobook. Genre: history In the Norfolk village of Burston in the years just before World War I, two outspoken teachers arrive with a conviction that schooling should serve the children of farm laborers, not the comfort of the local gentry. Headmistress Annie (Kitty) Higdon and her husband Tom, Christian Socialists with a deep belief in fairness and civic responsibility, quickly win the trust of their pupils and parents by challenging harsh conditions and advocating for working-class dignity. Their efforts, however, bring them into open conflict with the district's landowning and church authorities who dominate school governance and expect obedience, not reform. When the Higdons are dismissed from their posts on April 1, 1914, the village children respond with an extraordinary act of solidarity: led by 13-year-old Violet Potter, they walk out and refuse to return. What begins as a local protest becomes a test of endurance, community courage, and political awakening, drawing attention from trade unionists and reformers far beyond Burston. Told from Tom Higdon's perspective, this firsthand narrative follows the early battles of the strike and the determined creation of alternative classrooms as the community fights to keep education, and justice, in its own hands. For ad-free listening try our premium subscription Chapters (Approximate) (00:00:00) Chapter 01 (00:36:27) Chapter 02 (01:03:40) Chapter 03 (01:27:17) Chapter 04 (01:49:15) Chapter 05 (02:09:11) Chapter 06 (02:30:23) Chapter 07 (02:55:03) Chapter 08 (03:25:28) Chapter 09 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Burstyn Rebellion by Thomas George Higden Chapter 1 Two Pedestrian Strangers On January the 31st, 1911, at dusk, Two solitary individuals, a woman and a man, were observed walking through the fairy village of Burstyn, coming from the direction of Dirs. Pretty as the village is, with its windmill,

its bridge over the stream, its pink-washed cottages, its slopes, patches of green and plantation, and with, of course, its less beautiful spots of housing dilapidation and its church without a tower, the strangers appeared to take little notice of its scenery. They had done a four or five miles tramp from Dis railway station. the train from Norwich having taken them through the Burston Station without stopping, as it has a habit of doing. They passed the old carpenter's shop, now famous as the Burston Strike School, without heeding it.

Their eyes did, however, wander admiringly over the sweet bit of common, which the land-grabbers of bygone days had unwittingly left for the purpose, of latter-day demonstrations by the people of Burston against injustice, falsehood and religious hypocrisy. But neither of these two pedestrian strangers ken any more than did the inhabitants of Burston themselves, the pregnancy of the near future, with new and old revived ideas and ideals of truth, liberty, and justice. A gloomy outlook. Things looked dark enough to these two, though they knew not the really hard and difficult part

they would have to play. They knew what had happened at the village they had that day left behind them. It was all too painfully fresh on their minds, but they had learned by better experience to take life philosophically. Or, as Newman puts it thus, Keep thou my feet, I do not wish to see the distant scene.

One step, enough for me. They were school teachers, these two, the man and his wife, the latter being the certified head, the former the assistant, by virtue of an Oxford local senior certificate. These were the new teachers then. They had come in overnight to begin work the following morning, February 1st, 1911. National Union of Teachers rift. Their goods had not yet arrived.

The National Union of Teachers, or NUT, had offered payment for the removal of the same, but the dispossessed teachers had not been able, to see eye to barnacles with the NUT, far from it, and so had felt unable to accept the offer, and had declined the same. It was not for want of money, however, that the said goods had not been packed and dispatched in business-like respectable fashion, and the inhabitants of Burston, duly impressed by their arrival, but rather for the lack of any real heart of, but rather for the lack of any real heartiness of interest in this new appointment on the part of this pair of apparently purposeless wanderers themselves, who had so strangely and solitarily strayed into the village. Ah, they had recently had the

heart knocked out of them, and it was quite a toss-up with them that day when they left the village of Wood-Dorling near Reefer, whether they would go on to Burston at all or not. not. When they arrived at Norwich, it seemed as if it was the departing train itself, which after all decided for them that they must go on to Burston, and insisted upon taking them there, and ominously beyond. The fact was, the Burst and offer had not been definitely and conclusively accepted, and a call on the way at the county education officers at Norwich. with a view to getting the burst and arrangements cancelled had been more or less in contemplation. Memories of the place left behind.

Ah, twere a long tale to tell, that wood-dalling story. A story of remarkable self-sacrifice and social as well as educational enterprise on the part of Mrs Higden, Labour agitation by Mr Higden, by Mr Higden and of successful schoolwork by both, as shown by eight and a half years excellent government reports. A story of appreciation and affection on the one hand, and of long and bitter persecution on the other. Nay, the half of that story cannot be told here and now, only an inkling can be written. False accusations Suffice it here to say

that false complaints against the head teacher, Mrs Higden, were sent up to the Norfolk Education Committee by the chairman of the Wood-Dalling School Managers and landlord of the Jolly Farmers, and that the committee ultimately decided to remove the head teacher and her husband to Burstyn, where they would be employed

by the same county education committee, but be under a new set of local school managers. Alas, very much like the old. Where is there in rural England, a body of county council appointed school managers who will tolerate active propagandist socialist teachers, with a parish council reforming Democrat and Labourers' union agitator to boot? Given this type of teacher, which is not usually given, the same thing must happen in Russian as in Prussian England. England, thy name is liberty.

Protests against dismissal. There had been a great deal of agitation at Wood-Dorling with a view to retaining the services of the dismissed teachers, a petition having been signed by all the parents, except three. The three exceptions being two farmers and the village blacksmith, who shod their horses, repaired their implements, etc. But the small minority of farmer folk got it, the Norfolk Education Committee turning a deaf ear to the petitioners. The two parish school managers protested strongly against the dismissal of the teachers and sent a letter to the

Education Committee declaring the resignation of their seats unless the teachers were reinstated. Resolutions were sent from the parish council, of which council the dismissed assistant master was chairman. This chairmanship being a crime never to be forgiven by the old parish council chairman and then present chairman of the school managers, and landlord of the Jolly Farmy. farmers. A resolution of protest was sent to the Education Committee from the local branch of the Agricultural Laborers Union, many letters and appeals from parents and others, but all in vain. All alike failed to impress the Tory landlords, Parsons and farmers of the Norfolk County Council, and the non-conformist Liberal County Councillors and others of that kidney.

Farmers' complaints These socialist agitating teachers were to be got rid of to appease the farmer folk, amongst whom were the chairman and vice-chairman of school managers. Had not complaints from the managers been going up to the Education Committee for the past two or three years, and as fast as one list was disproved, another invented? Had not these local farmer fries made at their business to walk off the Norwich Market Hill into the education officers at the Shire Hall hard-buy,

and there vent their spleen by some more or less plausible false tale? One farmer was met on the steps of the committee officers by an official who handed him one of the committee's envelopes and invited him to send his complaint to, up in writing. But, alas, the envelope was not stamped, and so Farmer McNabs contented himself with having delivered himself and his complaints orally, and saved his penny. Messrs' chairman and vice-chairman, having, upon one occasion, been given a somewhat lengthy hearing, were also advised to go home and send their complaints up in writing, whereupon the wife of the chairman was sent by her lord and master from wood-dorling to ailsham a distance of seven or eight miles with instructions to the attendance officer and managers clerk to write the committee that mrs higden had at a certain meeting of managers which meeting had taken place about two months prior called the chairman and another manager liars Why had they been so long in making up their minds to bring this charge?

Mrs Higden was never more astonished in her life than when she received from the committee a copy of this complaint, though it was only a further example of the contemptuous falsehoods of the malicious persecution which had been going on for two or three years and of the evident intention of the defeated chairman of the old parish council and of his angry landlord and farmer supporters to carry out their many threats against the new chairman of the democratic labourers parish council and labourers union agitator Mr Higden.

The notoriously low character of the principal agent of the farmers in this matter should have been sufficient in itself to put him and his case against the teacher clean out of court and did put him out of court by all decent people. Liars, written in inverted commas. Mrs Higden had never uttered the word. She had, however, at the meeting referred to, reminded the chairman of the untruthfulness of certain statements and action. of his and his friends, and boldly and truthfully called those statements lies.

But as for calling the managers liars, never, though liars they were. However appropriately the word may have been applied to the individuals concerned, she did not employ it. Such language is not her want. Local inquiry. A farce. The usual farce of a local inquiry, adopted by the Norfolk Education Committee, followed. The NUT lawyer, a King's Council, or KC, arrived a few minutes before the inquiry commenced, and engaged himself with sending off a telegram about another case.

He then spared a few moments to speak with Mrs Higden. for the first time as to the line of defence to be pursued, which line was to be by way of apology. Apologise for a word I never uttered, indignantly exclaimed Mrs Higden. Whom do you suppose the committee will believe? Inquired the KC, your managers, or you.

Mrs Hickdon supposed, as the case seem to suppose. Then don't you think you had better admit that you used the word, and I will explain and apologise for you, was the kind advice of the KC. I did not call the chairman a liar, said Mrs Higden, looking at the lawyer pretty steadily. David said, all men are liars, argued the K.C. Then I am glad I am not a man, said Mrs Higden. And I would not make myself a liar, even to make the committee believe me. An impossible woman and a hopeless case.

For the sake of truth and conscience, Mrs Higden could not possibly agree with the lawyer mind. however advantageous to herself it might have been to do so. Apology being the only thing in the mind of the KC, he appeared to have come provided with no alternative. Mrs Higden had brought witnesses to prove that the statements and accusations of the chairman which she had referred to as lies had been aptly and none too amply described by her,

as such. The K.C., however, did not call these witnesses, but contented himself with lamely trying to smooth matters over, by no means ever hinting that the chairman had, or could tell lies. The result was that the charge against Mrs Higden was returned as fully proved. Victory for the farmers. The managers had scored this time beyond their expectations. They were observed fraternising joyfully with the county gentlemen who had come down to try the case, or rather to condemn the criminal, it being as apparent by speech and gesture, as it was evident by a certain sense other than sight, a sense which distinguishes between various kinds of flowers by their perfumes,

that at least one of the managers had found it necessary to fortify himself with a few scarcely extra glasses of whiskey that morning. Glasses jingled at the jolly farmers that night, but the pint mugs at the plough, frothed none too merrily, and language, was indeed used, for the wood-dalling labourers were wroth. The Wrench The labourers went sadly to bed and forgot their whistle on the way to the farm in the morning. Their women were troubled and sorely vexed, and the children at school seemed too dazed either for work or play.

All knew too well that Barabbas, instead of the Christ, had been released unto them by the hypocritical priests and pharaohs and pharise. A record of eight and a half years of such educational, and, by the way, social and truly religious work as Mr and Mrs Higden had put in, with all its associations. When it suddenly came to be broken off, was no light matter for these simple honest villages, who were now to be left alone, with all their trials and struggles against oppression, any more than it was a light matter for the persecuted and wrongfully dismissed teachers themselves, for whom it had recollections and ties, deep and dear. Ah, the memory of some of those scenes, depicting the joy, the sorrow, the pain, the poverty

of some of those cottage homes, the cottage homes of England, and with all the affection, the devotion of those poor people, the heartfelt grief of parents, children and teachers, those last scenes, those tender tokens, those parting words, those tears, scenes that must be written someday. Beware of friction. Beware, O ye sons and daughters of Socrates

that dwell in Norfolk, lest by some have anamus a parson, farmer or school manager, complain behind your back about you to the gods of education, assembled at the shire hall. And however aptly his complaint may be described as fiction, it be by the gods immediately dubbed friction. And whatever you may say or do to defend yourself against this falsehood, You be dismissed. The chairman of the Education Committee himself, Mr F. H. Millington, had at length in full committee proposed that Mr. and Mrs Higden be offered the Burston and Shimbling Council School.

Let it not be forgotten that friction with managers, calling managers liars, etc., are written down falsely, in the committee's books against Mrs Higden, and woe betide her, if ever breath of so-called friction, reach the ears of the Norfolk Committee again. And good Mr. Millington is not chairman of the committee now. Mr and Mrs. Higden will have to walk warily. There must be none of this parish council election business in Burstyn.

No labourer's union, agitating anywhere thereabouts. Mrs Higden too must not vex the managers by asking for better school conditions for the Burst and Laborers' children as she did at Wood Dawling, where practically a new school, at a cost of £400 or £500, was built by the Education Committee as the direct result of her agitations. The local managers actually boycotting the building operations after they had done all they could and failed to prevent the improvements being carried out. There must be none of this here. These Burst and Schoolchildren must sit in a cold, dark, damp, insanitary building, and no remarks must be made thereon or written down by the head teacher,

Otherwise, there will certainly be friction. There must be none of that familiar social and family intercourse with the villages either. If people are hungry, even little children, they must be given no meat, no bread. If thirsty, no drink. No stranger must be taken in, of whom the parson or local farmers do not approve. No socialist comrade or labour agitator. Mrs Higden must visit no one who may be sick or in prison, as she once visited poor Jimmy,

who had been locked up for stealing a bit of firewood, riding as she did, from Wood-Dorling to reef him, on her bike one dinner hour to pay his fine, plus a shilling for turning the key, to get him out of jail. She must no more attempt to do any work in the parish, which the parson's wife leaves undone, or the devil will be raised again. Is there a boot club, sir?

Asked a labourer's wife who has just come into the village. Only for those who attend church regularly, is the parson's reply. Apparently, only those people have feet, who know. make a practice of walking to church upon them. Ah, well, never mind. Mrs Higden must act the Good Samaritan still, so long as she has the tuppence wherewith to pay. Though the farmers do declare she is spending the rate-payer's money, and that she is far too handsomely paid. Did she only quietly and clandestinely bank her salary, or spend it in selfish luxury, not a grumble would be heard.

Ah yes, she must do as other school mistresses do. Keep herself to herself, go to church regularly, and all will be well, providing Mr Higden does likewise, and leaves off labour agitating. We don't want this supper gain. Cautioned the late Mr. Agar, N-U-T-co-opted member of the Norfolk Education Committee. This seemed to be the equivalent to saying, We don't want any more trouble or bother with you. Both the Education Committee and the NUT have had enough. But what did you say, Mr. Agar, in a letter which you wrote Mrs Higden?

Did you not express your opinion of the whole matter at Wood-Dorling as a case of persecution and victimisation and pen your deepest sympathy with Mrs Higden? And did you not declare that you would see to it that that particular chairman of school managers should not have the power to annoy any other teacher? Did you see to it? And do you not know that the majority of village school managers are tarred with the same brush, particularly where active socialist teachers are concerned. What then? We do not want this up again.

Of course not, sir, of course not. No more do we. If you care to do so at your own risk, said Mr. Pegram, N-U-T law clerk to Mr Higden at Wood Dalling, when speaking with him as to the advisability, or otherwise of his attending labourers' union meetings, fighting parish council elections, etc.

At your own risk? Quite so, Mr. Pegram, quite so. Indeed, Mr. and Mrs Higden have proved it so. Your union rules and regulations seem to be little more to you than German chancellors, scraps of paper in respect to your union's defence of socialist teachers. On your word, Mr. Pagram, do you really mean to say that the union acknowledges no responsibility or liability for its socialist members whose consciences will not permit them to hide their light

under a bushel? If this is what you mean, it seems you are right. The story of the Burst and School strike thoroughly bears you out. Then what is the use of a teacher, at least of a socialist teacher, being a member of the NUT? Thus the selfish, tyrannic and bigoted instincts and ignorances of self-appointed county council school managers must be humoured to slavish imbecility by the teacher. while every principle of liberty truth freedom justice true religion socialism and trade unionism must be suppressed bow down ye slaves bow down bow down say the n u t arise o socrates what a race of menial teachers are we raising of menial scholars educating Menial citizens begetting.

Keep smiling. Thus, Mr. Pegram. Mrs Higden had appealed to the NUT to investigate and rectify certain false complaints and decisions of the Burst and school managers. Re-closing school, rude conduct, and punishment of Bernardo children, lighting fires, etc.

see Casey's pamphlet, with a view to putting a stop to these beginnings of friction before worse came. Very unwise of her, no doubt. It would doubtless have been much wiser to have followed Mr. Pegram's advice and last word to Mr Higden as the train moved away from the Burston platform. Keep smiling on the managers. Ah yes, the burst and school strike, which began on April 1st, 1914, had its inner and real beginning, 40 miles yonder at Wood Dalling in about the year 1908, when the landlord and farmer persecution of Mr and Mrs Higden commenced. Had the NUT fought the good fight, with only a little of their might, then they could easily have won it, and there would have been no Burstown School strike now,

which perhaps would not have been so well after all. No needless, spasmodic and educationally unprofitable changes of teachers at either Wood-Dorling or Burston. There have been about a dozen times. changes of teachers at the latter place in less than as many years. Mrs Higden's two predecessors sent in their resignations before they had been three months at Burston. The spurt of persecution. Was it to be expected that Mr and Mrs Higden were now going to entirely suppress themselves

and their convictions and forsake their principles? Does not history prove that persecution has the opposite effect? It is not unlikely that, like a couple of wounded bears. Mr Higden and his wife were more dangerously than ever in the mood for some further socialistic effort should the opportunity occur, as it surely would occur and did. Housing and wage conditions When Mr Higden came to Burston, there were no labourers union branches anywhere in the district, and consequently the wages were lower than in the Wood-Dorling district.

Landlord, Parsons and Farmer held sway over the Burston area in many respects more completely than in the district left behind. Parsons and farmers ruled the Burstyn Parish Council. Housing conditions were extremely bad, over-crowding occurring seriously. The school premises were ill-lighted, ill-drained, badly heated and wretchedly ventilated. Thus there was much radical wrong, which, for very conscience's sake, as well as for all practical and healthful reasons must needs be faced. Indeed, on looking round and looking back, it seems as if to this place the Higdens had been providentially directed for these very special purposes. Persecutions would again arise, of course. But then,

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, yea, surely within, and beyond, beyond. Not at Burstern yet a while. Hobson's choice. The school managers appeared to have had little more choice than the teachers in the matter of this Burston appointment. the teacher's names having been sent to the managers as a recommendation,

which practically amounted to an instruction by the Education Committee. Curiously enough, Mr Higden had actually written on the foot of his application form that he desired to remain at Wood-Dorling, while at Mrs Higden's request, a friend in the Wood-Dorling district sent the Chairman of the Burstown managers a report of the Wood-Darling troubles with a view to preventing the Burst & Appointment under any false colours, and thus preventing it altogether, if possible,

with a view to remaining at Wood-Dourling. The present rector and chairman was not in Burstown then, though his advent was imminent. Two of the managers, who were farmers, soon proved themselves pugnaciously, disagreeable. The name, and some small fame of Mr Higden as a labourer's union agitator, had doubtless reached their ears. The old rector and the new. It was perhaps unfortunate

from the teacher's point of view that the then-rector, who seemed sympathetic towards the new teachers, was leaving the parish. Much would depend upon the new rector. Much would depend upon the new Rector. Alas, much. On his first visit to the school, the new Rector preemptorally demanded the registers to inspect them. This was Mrs Higden's first and only intimation of his appointment as a manager. Let it be clearly understood that a Rector, or Vicar, is not an ex-officio manager of a council school, yet he may as well be, it seems. It soon became apparent to the Higdens that they must proceed cautiously. They did, otherwise they would have been almost immediately returned, like bad pennies, to the Norfolk Education Committee. The Rector's Grievance

The Parson soon had his grievance. the non-attendance of Mr and Mrs Higden at church. Frequently he reminded them in the course of conversation that they ought to go to church for the sake of the example. He often complained to the teachers too of the godlessness of the villages, the inference being that the teachers should set them the example of attendance at church.

He seemed, However, more inclined to drive the people to church than to lead them there, and this driving propensity of his, they unmistakably resented. He also raised the burial fees, said the chapel ought to be shut up, likewise said, and did many other unpopular things. Mrs Higden had been a churchwoman all her life, and accordingly was in the habit of attending church when this rector first came to Burstyn. She soon felt, however, that she could not profit by his ministrations,

and therefore absented herself and went to chapel, which, as mistress of a council school, she had a perfect right to do. The place of the schoolmistress is at church, and the children will, her. The rector is reported to have said to one of the parents. End of Section 1 Section 2 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libra-Book's recording is in the public domain. Chapter 2 Part 1

The Parish Council Election Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Higden went there ways. For two years they stared a clear course, like the wisest of the wise people of the world, except in the matter of their staying away from church. A fatal exception that... In March 1913, the time for the parish council elections came round. The approaching event to arouse some interest amongst a few agricultural labourers and railway men in the village, and their thoughts turned to Mr Higden as their likely man. They wanted some old footpaths restored, bridges repaired, housing improvements, etc,

and they knew from past experience that the farmers would do none of these things. The only man on the old council who was willing to take the matter up was Mr Noah Sandy, a small holder and bricklayer or builder, as was his great namesake of the flood fame. Accordingly, he came to the schoolhouse one evening and asked Mr Higden if he would like to be nominated for the parish council. Mr Higden's thoughts immediately flew back to the Wood-Dalling Parish Council election, when, with the aid of the labourers there, he routed the farmers and set up a labourer's parish council. He related the event to Noah and told him how the new council soon stopped the farmer's game of handing over to the district rate the rents of some parish cottage property.

and instead spent it on necessary improvements and long overdue repairs for the benefit and comfort of the tenants. Noah, otherwise, Naur, blinked his heavy-browed eyes knowingly. A rare type of old rustic radical was Naua. He soon tumbled involuntarily to the new labour idea, and, what is more, showed. a ready willingness to give the whole revolutionary plan a trial at Burston, a willingness to advance in progressive thought and action, which has characterised the Burstern labourers throughout the long and hard struggle which was then about to begin. Mr Higden, happy again. Mr Higden thus found himself once more,

enthusiastically engaged in parish council democratic reform, a line of conduct somewhat opposed to his late, worldly wise inclinations, though in complete accord with his conscientious principles. He straightaway set about getting a sufficient number of labourers nominated, along with Naa and himself, to fill the council, thus opposing the rector and all the leading farmers, including two of the school managers. He knew the almost certain disastrous result that this perfectly legitimate action would bring upon himself and his wife as teachers here, as Edward Dalling.

Oh, this rural England of ours, this land of liberty! O ye Norfolk radicals, ye swearers by Gladstone, who gave you this parish councils act. The annual parish meeting. At the annual parish meeting, the council schoolroom was packed, much to the surprise, apparently, of the old council of farmers who sat ceremoniously at the front, waiting for their re-election, or rather awaiting the moment to reappoint themselves, the parson being amongst them as a new candidate in the sure and certain hope of his own preferment to a seat on the council. The names of the candidates were read out alphabetically. Those of the cabinet, so to speak, as represented by B, E, F, J, thus happening to,

come before the letters of the labour men, such as the P's, the W's and the S. Of the Labour Party, H only came before J. On the platform, surprise took the form of consternation, when it was observed that most of the earlier candidates failed to reach two figures. Surprise and consternation were plunged into the silent. rage of anger and despair when the figures leapt up to their zenith at H and down again almost to zero at J. J being the initial letter of the chairman of the old council, a leading farmer and a churchwarden. The P's, the W's and the S came close up behind H. It was clear the game was up

for the government. F, the letter representing a local farmer, who used not to be considered a bad sort, just managed to come in at the tail end of the list of elected members. The fact of this solitary farmer's election was not altogether to be regretted, as it has supplied the new government with an opposition sufficient to swear by.

F swears too occasionally, very audibly, typical churchwarden as he is, and as he is very hard of hearing, his solitary presence on the opposition side of the house has at times produced a good deal of loud shouting from the new ministerial benches. Defeat and dissatisfaction of the government This tragic and sensational parish meeting over,

the room was immediately vacated by Mr Higden and the labourers, the defeated Old Guard only remaining to confer and console with one another. Their forms and visagers now assume the woeful aspect of dead men, painfully and horribly coming to life, or of live men miserably dying. There was some talk amongst them of demanding a poll, but little consolation was found in the suggestion, as it was felt that the result of a poll could but be the same,

or nearly so, as that of the parish meeting. Besides, the meeting had been declared closed, and the time for demanding a poll, gone. the blame for what had happened was generally attributed to mr higden it was the schoolmaster who had done this thing and there were many ominous gestures lip curls and shakes of the head and fist Vailed threats and innuendos reigned fast and thick for days and weeks, and there were constant deep rumblings and vivid fork lightnings in the air until the storm actually burst right over the schoolmaster's head and over the head of his wife.

The Burstown Revolution The Crown Inn was crowded that night of the election, and great excitement prevailed in the village. The news spread into other villages. It rang through the town of Diss. Newspaper men visited Burston, frantically demanding particulars of what was described in one local newspaper as

the Burston Revolution. One news report referred to The Stormy Times, which Mr Higgins, Mr Higden had passed through at Wood Dawling, on account of similar happenings there, and hoped he would meet with fair play at Burston. Some foregone conclusions. A sympathetic old townsman of Disse inquired,

Who is Mr Higden? The Burston Schoolmaster, was the reply. Then, said he, his time at Burston will be getting short. He may as well pack up and go at once. You are gone to get your own back, said the Burston Miller, not the present miller, to Mr Higden with grim irony the day after the election. The miller had doubtless been talking to some of his farmer customers that day.

Quite so, Mr Miller. So. Some talk by the rector and churchwarden. The rector's manner towards Mr Higden underwent a complete change after the election. The two churchwardens swore dreadfully, a little more dreadfully than usual. The expletive never said anything to me about the parish council election, said one of them, referring to Mr Higden and his friends by their unchristian names. The churchwardens also used further language, such language as the man who reported it declared he had never heard in all his life. We must get rid of that expletive socialist, said another friend of the enemy.

It was clear that Mr Higden was to be got rid of in some way. But when his personal character and work at the school came to be considered, it had to be admitted. We find no fault in him. There is nothing whatever against Mr Higden, said the rector. It is his wife. You can always find some fault with the conduct. of a school if you want to, and therefore it is the easiest thing in the world to assail a head teacher.

I hear that Mr. and Mrs. Higden come to your house every evening. I should not like Mrs. Higden to be here when your daughter, calling her by name, is at home. For Mrs. Higden is not a fit person for a young girl to associate with, said the rector. The girl referred to was in service at the rectory. Her parents lived in the village. Mr. and Mrs. Higden have never been inside my house, was the astonished reply of the girl's mother. They never had. Neither of them. But, not a fit person for a young girl to associate with? Really, reverend, sir, what do you mean? Mrs. Higden, not Mr. Higden.

It is not Mr. Higden at all. I think he is a very nice man. The rector continued to declare, to many inquirers, respecting Mr and Mrs. Higden's dismissal. It is all through what Mrs. Higden has done. There is nothing whatever, against Mr Higden. All very well for putting the avenging hounds of justice off the sense.

But when, later, the rector was trying to get Mr. and Mrs. Higden turned out of the strike school, he said to their poor blind landlord, Mr. Ambrose Sandy, Mr. Higden is an agitator. He is dishonest. You will wake up one morning, and, find that he has gone away without paying the rent. An agitator, dishonest. Ah, here you have it. Upon another occasion, he said to this same poor blind man, I do not wish for a better tenant than you, and if you had not let that building to those bad wicked people, I should not have taken the Glebe Meadow away from you.

Bad wicked people. More anti-socialism. Some other slight contradictions. In view of the above statement as to the rector's reasons for taking the Glebe Meadow away from the blind man, it may here be stated that in a forgetful moment the rector wrote to a lady in Derbyshire, stating that his reasons for the Glebe evictions had nothing whatever to do with the Higdens, nor with the school strike. Thus, the Reverend Gentleman's statements, with regard to the character of Mr Higden and other matters,

appear to differ slightly as suits the occasion. They too provide a poor show of argument or proof that it was not Mr Higden who was being aimed at, with, complaints were levelled against his wife. For a statement of the complaints, see Casey's pamphlet on the Burst & School Strike. Doubtless it was both Mr and Mrs Higden who were being equally aimed at, for Mrs Higden's daily examples

of practical Christianity and socialism and her frank and fearless confession of principles to which the rector was bitterly opposed and intellectually or professionally incapable of comprehending, were perhaps even more distasteful to him than the gall and wormwood of his defeat at the parish council election. Ah yes, it was both Mr and Mrs Higden, for the rector is an avowed anti-socialist. Moreover, as a narrow-minded church-bigot and despotic parish priest, he had doubtless made up his mind to capture the council school, and the dismissal of these non-church-going socialist teachers

was the first thing to be done in order to accomplish this end. Church and Chapel Besides, as has already been stated, Mrs Higden sometimes went to chapel, the primitive Methodist chapel, that place which the rector said ought to be shut up. Where are you going now? demanded his reverence of Mr Higden, stopping suddenly as they were walking down the road together one Sunday evening. The rector's eye had suddenly caught the glare of the chapel lights,

ahead. Only a little way with you, was the reply. Whereupon the rector seemed somewhat reassured, for the moment. Confidences. The rector and his church warden, the defeated chairman of the parish council, were now seen walking and talking, parading and halting together a great deal after service on Sundays, between the gates of the rectory and the churchwarden's house, as if they could never part. The villagers declared that something was brewing. Others said that something was hatching. There was something, yes.

Everybody said so. Those Sunday after church tete tete's were unusually long, protracted and animated. An obtrusive visitor. Once upon a Sunday evening, immediately after one of these brewing or hatching processes, the rector left his dear devoted friend, the churchwarden, and called in at the schoolhouse.

This was very unusual. He had never visited there on a Sunday before, except once, and then in a state of agitation, not quite so well concealed as now. He had, on that prior occasion, heard that there had been a manager's meeting and was vexed because he had received no notice of it. There had been no managers meeting, but Mr Wade, the then chairman of school managers had happened to be driving along the road, and the mistress, seeing him, had obtained his permission for the repair of a school window. This small exercise by the chairman, of his own discretionary powers,

appears to have cast too great a slight upon the rector's dignity as a school manager. Upon the present occasion, Mr and Mrs Higden had been taking a refreshing Sunday morning walk and enjoying a quiet afternoon read when the rector, fresh from the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Churchwarden's dribble, paid this second-after-service visit to the schoolhouse. Why on Sunday after church? Why not on a weekday? He talked long and pertinently upon the importance of church-going. Someone, it would appear, had said that he, the rector, would not go to church if he were not paid for going.

But the rector zealously challenged that statement by declaring that he had always attended divine service when on holiday, and, therefore, when he was not paid for attending. Presumably he got his £10 a week all the same. The rector evidently very much desired to say something more, much more, but seemed unable to get it all out, and finally went away, leaving a rather uncomfortable impression behind him as to what was the real nature and meaning of his visit.

Mr Higden did not say much at this interview, but Mrs Higden fully discussed with him the merits and demerits of churchgoing. Very unwise of her, no doubt. How dare she? Ah, yes, it was both Mr and Mrs Higden, his reverence was given, his reverence was given, getting at. Though the farmers were, through the rector, aiming chiefly at the one, the schoolmaster,

the parson had his own particular grievance against the other, and against both their non-attendance at church. Yay, he appears to have conceived, and indeed confessed, that their influence and example was opposed to the attendance at church of other folk. I think we all ought to go to church for the sake of the example to others. Was his oft-repeated reproof to Mr and Mrs Higden? To another remissful pair, not socialists, the sentence ran, you ought to go to church as an example to the poor. As an example to the poor. So that the poor might be taught to be content to remain poor, eh, your reverence? As an example to the poor. An ecclesiastical family party of council school managers. Yes, yes, my reverend chairman of council school managers. Church, church. Church.

that teachers should go to church. Now the rector had his wife with him for a school manager, also the rector of Shimpling, to say nothing of a churchwarden and a Glebe tenant. The rector of Burstyn had seen to this immediately after the parish council election. The old chairman of school managers, Mr. Wade of Shimbling, in a return journey from Norwich, told Mr Higden that Reverend Eland and his party

had tried to get him, Mr Wade, to favour their proposals. But, said Mr Wade, I wouldn't lean to him. To your credit, Mr Wade, to your credit, sir. Consequently, when the rector's privately selected nominations were sent up to the Education Committee, Mr Wade had to clear out, chair and all. By the back stair, gentlemen, please. A veritable backstair wire-pulling schema, this parson. A Burst & friend had paid a visit to a brother parson of the rector's some miles away.

On this friend's return, the rector inquired whether Reverend D had secured a certain mission room he desired, and which was then in the possession of some persons who wished to keep it. The answer was no. Ah, said the Burst and rector, that is because he did not go the right way to work. He should not have applied to those people at all. He should have done, as I told him, and gone behind them. Of course, reverend sir, of course, as you went behind the poor blind man when you said to him, If you do not turn those bad, wicked people out of that carpenter's shop of yours, I shall take the Glebe Meadow away from you.

And as you went behind the school scavenger, whose children were on strike, and, without giving him any notice, put another man to do his work. Or, as you went behind the village shoemaker, when you said to him, if you do not go to the inquiry at the school and say what I wish you to say, you will lose my confidence, you and all your family. He refused to hand over to you his soul and his conscience, and you sent him notice to give up his glebe holding. You also wanted him to let his daughter Marjorie attend the inquiry to say she had seen things,

things which in common with all the other children she never had seen, didn't you? Was not this getting behind the schoolmistress and the schoolmaster? And you got behind the schoolmistress? too, when, without saying a word to her that anything had displeased you, and while she was most pleasantly assisting you at your lantern meetings, you wrote up to the Education Committee and asked the Committee to kindly remove her to a sphere more genial, because, forsooth, she had asked for certain very necessary improvements in the school premises. So you must get behind Mr Higden by getting at his wife?

The Christ injunction, gets thee behind me, Satan, is scarcely necessary where you come in. Scarcely necessary. End of Section 2. Section 3 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Librebox recording is in the post. public domain. Chapter 2, Part 2.

Line clear. So one can see backstair intrigue in the makeup of all these rectorial school managers, the object of which is only too apparent. Mr. Keppel, Justice of the Peace and County Council of Skoll, is responsible for the recommendation to the North Orfolk Education Committee of this ecclesiastic clique. Mr Keppel seems to have been as easily got at, or got over, as Mr Wade of Shimbling was got out.

Will Mr Keppel say how he came by these nominations? Two Parsons and a Parsons' wife on a body of six council school managers. Anyway, The line was thus made clear for the carrying cut of this anti-socialist, anti-Labor, anti-Parish Council election, anti-Higden business, and the false unfounded, lying and hypocritical complaints against Mrs Hickdon were soon being sent up to the Norfolk Education Committee. The council school was to be captured for the church and for privilege at all costs. A Sphere More Genial

Would the committee kindly remove Mrs Higden to a sphere more genial, as she had so many faults to find with the place? The Reverend Gentleman requested on November the 29th, 1913, the faults referred to, being her reports, re the bad lighting, bad heating, bad heating, bad ventilating, bad draining, etc. of the council schoolroom. The attendance officer-managers Clark probably wrote the word genial for congenial. On January the 23rd, 1914, the rector wrote the Education Committee a most remarkable letter, grossly untrue, and absolutely

full of unfounded charges. In which, letter, he declared that the managers had willingly acquiesced in certain alterations and improvements. Improvements relating to the identical faults referred to in his former letter, on account of which he had asked for Mrs Higden's removal to a sphere more genial. Oh, Reverend Charles Tucker Eland! Yet, when once you had got the teachers out of the council school, you seem to have forgotten all about that sphere more genial for them. For did you not say to someone, they will have to come to me for a testimonial, and I shall not give

them one. Then they will be on the rocks. Wanted, a waste paper basket. The problem. proper place for that letter of January the 23rd, as soon as it reached the officers of the Norfolk Education Committee, was the waste paper basket. When a copy of the letter was sent down to Burston, it was remarked, surely no committee of honourable men will ever take notice of that. There is such obvious malice on the face of it. Anybody who cares to apply to the right

of this book can see a copy of the letter referred to. Enquiries, but no inquiry. But lo and behold, a local inquiry by the Norfolk Education Committee, according to the regulations contained in the committee's handbook under the heading of complaints of managers against teachers, which paragraph appears to be designed by, the committee more with a view to inviting such complaints than with a view to justly disposing of them. Inquiries by local managers too. The Reverend Chairman running here and there beating up meetings of

managers once or twice a week, all illegal meetings, no proper notice being given to the managers, but with the rector and his wife making two, and with his ecclesiastic supporters, the rector and churchwarden of Shimpling, there was no difficulty in getting a quorum. Yet, quorum or no quorum, no matter. There were also brothers Fisher and witherly always at hand, the former of whom seemed to have forgotten or forgiven,

the rector's sectarian idea of shutting up the chapel. Besides, we know that the rector about this time threatened his glebe tenants with eviction if they did not do his bidding in these matters, and Brother Fisher was a glebe tenant. The tenants who did not truckle to the rector have since been evicted. But the end of that matter is not yet,

let us hope. Mock Managers' Meetings. That letter of January the 23rd too was quite out of order and unofficial, the meeting at which the Reverend gentleman claimed to have the support of the managers for complaints contained in the letter having been hastily beaten up at a few hours' notice. The clerk too was absent from this particular meeting, an altogether unusual occurrence. The clerk, having called at the school during the day, and said, they're going to have it all to themselves tonight. Further, it is not in the least likely that any of the managers, except the rector's own dear wife, ever saw this letter. The rector, having doubtless gone home to the rectory, and written it after the manager's meeting was over.

Oh, ye county council school managers! Bless ye Belfour's 1902 Education Act that brought ye into being. This backstair provision for the appointment of managers is one of the worst features of that act. Or one of the best, do I hear some of you say. Hippocrical allegations. Oh, habeas corpus! A clear day, prior to one of these manager's inquiries,

at which it was found in Mrs Higden's absence, she being absent under doctor's certificate, that there was good ground for the complaints of the Bernardo Foster Mother. Reverend Eland called at the schoolhouse, and failing to see Mrs Higden, saw Mr Higden, to whom, with much mock gravity, he related the Bernardo Foster Mother's story about what he alleged to be,

the rude conduct of a boy towards two Bernardo girls in the playground, and what he described as Mrs Higden's ill-treatment of these Bernardo girls by severely caning them. Mr Higden, in fact that. Mr Higden emphatically denied the whole story. The rude conduct allegation, having already been investigated by Mrs. Higden, and assured the rector that if he would visit the school in the morning,

he would find that there was not a word of truth in the complaints. The Reverend Chairman, however, seemed willfully and perversely adamant. He did not say he would come. He did not come. Why did he not come? Mrs Higden sent a special request to him, and still he did not come. She also sent to the rector of Shimbling,

and he did not come. Evidently they wanted inquiries, but no real inquiry. Corrupt tales of poor gutter waves. Mr. Higden reminded Reverend Eland that the little girl who had made the complaint about rude conduct had only been admitted to the school one day before these tales were started by her. Mr Higden also told the rector that upon the girl being questioned she had said it was in the school she had come from

where she had seen these things. What, per chance, had the poor child not seen somewhere? Ah, somewhere. Mr Higden also reminded the rector of the particularly unreliable and unsatisfactory character of the other girl, the girl with whom this new girl had come to stay. He also gave proof from the registers that the boy complained of was not present at school when the rude conduct was said to have taken place. While all the schoolchildren and teachers knew quite well that the mistress had not punished the girls at all, but that she had only questioned and admonished them upon their false stories about the boy. She had in fact sent for the boy's mother,

who came to school and saw and heard her boy completely vindicated, by the girls themselves, who turned upon one another, each accusing the other of hatching the story. But, said his reverence, Mrs. P., the Bernardo Foster Mother, cannot send the children to school, the children say they are afraid to come, and what are we to do? I think she will send them if you request her to do so, remarked. Mr Higden. The rector did not say he would.

He evidently did not wish her to send them. The children had been absent from school three or four days then, apparently under the rector's approval and under the approval of Brother Farmer Fisher, the foster father's employer. Absence from school under managerial approval on the pretext of having been dreadfully beaten, seemed to be part of the game.

It should be here remarked that Mr Fisher was more pronounced in his opposition to the labourer's union than any other farmer in Burston, and had been heard to say that he would never employ a union man. Mr Higden was a union man, and what was worse to Mr Fisher's mind, a union agitator, Scouring the parish for complaints Meanwhile, the rector was visiting Mrs P's cottage frequently and going to other cottages trying to get the parents of Burston to back up her, or rather his, complaints by endeavouring to get them to make others. Mrs P. P. too, was taking the Bernardo children about the village,

daily for a similar purpose, and relating to the astonished and unbelieving mothers of Burstern, the blood-curdling stories of these Bernardo fictions. It was declared by Mrs Pee that one of the girls had been sent home from school with wheels on her back, swollen face, etc, etc. There were witnesses who came to the so-called inquiry to prove, among other things, that Mrs. P. did herself beat these children, but these witnesses were not admitted. They waited outside in vain. Why were they not admitted? Mrs. Higden has never smacked a schoolgirl's face in her life, and she had certainly neither smacked nor cained either of these girls.

She is neither of the smacking nor the caning sort, as everybody who is acquainted with her knows well enough. All the children know too, that the girls were never touched. Consequently, all the parents know. Bernardo girls tell the truth at school. The girls themselves, when questioned at school, freely confessed that the truth, that's the truth. the boy had not been rude to them, and that they had not been beaten by the mistress. They said they were told to tell these stories, and that they were afraid their mother would beat them if they did not. All the assembled school heard this confession of the Bernardo children. They also made this confession to the infants teacher, Mrs. Ling,

when speaking to her alone. But neither the rector nor any representative of the Education Committee or of Bernardo's would ever come to the school to hear it. The truth again made a lie. This confession of the Bernardo children appears to have been very unpalatable to the rector, so much so that he and his own. instructed them that they were not to answer any further questions the mistress may put to them the children have had these lies drilled into them at school he declared to several persons right reverence sir the burston parents and children know where the lies were drilled and who drilled them even mrs p herself says that the rector came to her

her house every day and drilled the children in what they had to say. The Bernardo children back under the old tyrannical influence. In spite of Mr and Mrs Higden's appeal to Dr. Bernardo's home, however, the girls were continued under the care and influence of the Reverend Eland and Mrs. P. And consequently, when brought up again at the local, inquiry by the Norfolk Education Committee, they, of course, had to go through the same story as they told at the rector's managers meeting. For report of this inquiry, see Casey's pamphlet. Briefly, it runs thus. Discurtesy to managers. The rector, his wife and daughter.

No decision on alleged punishment on account of conflict of evidence. Condemnation of Mr. and Mrs. Higden for writing letters to Bernardo's. Teachers to seek other employment with as little delay as possible. No credit given for points on which Mrs. Higden was found innocent. No condemnation of managers or of the judge. Mrs P for making unfounded complaints? Ah no. What about the rude conduct? No mention. What about the lighting of that fire, contrary to the manager's instructions? No mention. What about those faults the mistress had found with the place, for which she was to be removed to a sphere more congenial?

No mention. Thus the report, besides being positively false and untrue, is also very misleading in its studied omissions. Despite the poor showing of the NUT, Mrs Higden was practically cleared of everything, but the report appears to have been faked up for the purpose of dismissing the teachers all the same. Mr. Herbert Day knew. The committee have made up their minds to dismiss you, I can assure you, said Mr Herbert Day, County Councillor, Member of the Norfolk Education Committee and then treasurer of the Agricultural Laborers Union to Mrs Hickdon some days before this much-forned inquiry took place. What then was the good of an inquiry at all. If the NUT had supported them, said Mr Day a year later, I should have supported them.

Is the NUT the keeper of your conscience then in these matters, Mr Day? This statement was made by Mr. Day at a Labourers' Union executive meeting, of which executive, Mr Higden, is a member and now treasurer, and who, being present, heard what was said. A queer notion of justice, Mr. Day. Mr. Day then went on to repeat the friction, slanders against Mrs. Higden, as if he believed they were God's truth. till Mr Higden indignantly interrupted him by exclaiming, Don't listen to him, it is all a lie.

Mr. Day is one of my greatest persecutors. Mr. Day defends the Education Committee at Mrs Higden's expense, and at the expense of the NUT. Mr. Day deliberately talked as, if Mrs. Higden had gone from school to school in Norfolk quarrelling with her managers at each place, and Mr Higden had to remind him that she had only had two schools in twelve years. That at Wood-Dourling the so-called friction was caused entirely by two of the managers, and that at Burstyn there had been no act, word or breath of friction,

on her part between her and any of the managers. That on the contrary, she had kept herself as she thought on the best of terms with the rector, willingly and wholeheartedly, assisting him at his magic lanterns, etc. Even while his secret letters of complaint against her were lying at the officers of the Education Committee at the Shire Hall. Very good, Mr Day. A bad excuse is better than no excuse at all, so they say.

But what said the labourers of Norfolk, when, on February the 12th at Fakenham, they elected Mr Higden, Treasurer of the Union, in your stead? You put yourself in a very similar position with regard to Comrade Higden at Wood-Dorling too, Didn't you, Mr. Day, when you wrote him that the language used by Mrs. Higden was not the language of a lady or a gentleman? And when you were informed that the language attributed to Mrs. Higden was never uttered by her, you declared that you could see no difference between calling the manager's statements

lies and calling the managers themselves liars. Well, most other folk could, if you could not. Good day, Mr Day, good day. Good day. What other county councillors knew? Other county councillors and education committee members besides Mr Day could be introduced if necessary, to show that the committee, or those few officials who constituted themselves, the committee, had made up their minds to dismiss Mr and Mrs Higden before ever the inquiry took place. As one county councillor put it, the committee had made up their minds to have no more to do with these teachers,

who, for the second time, had quarrelled with their manager, but had determined to clear them right out of the county. Exile, banishment. Wither, to Siberia? Nay, rather let it be to some wild New England shore. Except they remain at Burston. End of Section 3. Section 4 of the Burstyn Rebellion.

by Thomas George Heigden. This Libra Box recording is in the public domain. Chapter 3. Where did Justice come in? The reader scarcely need be reminded of the committee's letter to Mrs Heigden, which ran. I am to remind you that this is the second place in which you have come into conflict with the managers. What did this mean but dismissal, if another word of complaint, false or true, ever came from a school manager? Still, it is not to be supposed that each of those individual

38 ladies and gentlemen, whom the rector of Burstyn brought forward with such great gusto to show that Mrs Higden must have been culpable indeed to be dismissed. really knew what they were doing, or that they had made up their minds before the official few had made their minds up for them, by what process we know. It is well known amongst the Norfolk teachers too, who the bosses of the committee are. What, then, could be the object of this so-called inquiry, except to find some sort of pretext for the dismissal which was thus predetermined. What possible chance was there of justice, unless the NUT were prepared to make a good fight for it,

which they were not, and which they did not. According to Mr Day, they made no fight at all. NUT duplicity. Mr. Pegram, whom the NUT sent down from London to talk matters over with Mr and Mrs. Higden, after calling out, keep smiling on the managers, as his train was moving off from the Burst and Platform, returned to London, and sent back Mrs. Higden a letter, which she was to send to the Education Committee, assuring the committee that she had not punished the Bernardo girls excessively. She had not punished them at all, and had assured Mr. Pegram so.

She therefore, of course, refused to send this letter. She simply could not send such a letter, and thus diplomatically admit herself in the wrong, contrary to the facts, in order that she must. might be forgiven for what she had never done. This kind of thing may do for the NUT. It would not do for Mrs Higden. This was Wood-Dorling over again. No, no, Mr. Pagram.

Yet some hopes after all were raised that the N-U-T did intend to fight. A beautiful case. Two afternoons were given to the inquiry, a Monday afternoon and a Friday afternoon in the same week. Mr Cooper, the N-U-T Lawyers clerk, visited Burston and went round the parish collecting evidence. Mr Cooper was delighted with the signed statements he obtained and seemed confident a victory for Mrs Higden. A beautiful case, a beautiful case, he exclaimed. Mr King's Council too, at Monday afternoon's hearing, showed some spirit and did not do at all badly.

The subcommittee then found that the alleged discurtesy was very slight, but that a very serious view was taken at the Cane, of the Bernardo children. A very serious view, indeed. A serious view, of something which never existed, except in the poisoned minds of the committee. Shame.

Strange is it not, that these findings should have to be reconsidered on Friday when the full report of the inquiry had to be drawn up. Discurtesy, now taking the foremost place in the report, since it had been found that the alleged punishment could not be proved. Yet, not at all strange, gentlemen, not at all strange. Anything to accommodate the object in view. Mr Cooper's enthusiasm received a severe check at a visit which he subsequently paid to the shire hall. when he doubtless learned something of what the committee's intentions were. Mr King's Council, however, easily cleared Mrs Higden of the

firelighting contrary to instruction charge, and of the rude conduct allegation, and apparently established the view that the alleged discurtesy to managers was very slight. Had he not asked for an adjournment of the inquiry but finished the job off that afternoon, he might have scored other goals. But the President of the Inquiry, Mr. Sancroft Holmes, it seems, could not remain, so the adjournment asked for by Mr King's Council was granted. The Rector's Dilemma Reverend Eland, finding things going strongly against him on Monday, took counsel Air Friday and brought lawyer Reeves of Norwich

to bolster up his rotten case and to prosecute the schoolmistress for all it was worth, as if she had been a criminal. Mud was to be thrown at Mrs Higden and dust into the eyes of her already two biased judges. strange work this my thirty-eight ladies and gentlemen of the norfolk education committee is this how you reward an old servant for twelve years faithful service under you why such hard and bitter prosecution of an innocent county schoolmistress on her schoolroom floor it can be nothing this but persecution of the wickedest sort that some of you should lend yourselves to carry out the nefarious designs of others is no excuse for you. But what in the names of reason and justice should the managers want a lawyer for? This was not a police court, though it well might have been.

Indeed, it was something much worse, much more coarse, degrading and cruel. It was not a court of justice or inquiry in any sense of the term, but a mockery and travesty of justice, a hypocritical sham, an abominable farce. There you have it. One would think that the Reverend Eland, having laid his complaints against the teacher before the committee, would have contented himself by supporting those complaints in the usual. manner at an education committee or other ordinary inquiry. If his complaints were well-founded and reasonable,

why all this hard-driving and forced legal prosecution? What had he to fear? What to lose, that he should require the special aid of a lawyer? A pertinent observation. If Parsons generally only show, such zeal to establish the truth as their reverend brother of burston on this occasion showed with a view to establishing a set of wicked lies and falsehoods what a revival of religion there would be in the land the handshake of the hangman the newt king's council and lawyer

Reeves, chattered quite chummely in the school playground before entering the inquiry that Friday afternoon. For did not lawyer Reeves himself, also sometimes take up, National Union of Teachers' cases. How delightfully agreeable all round, this NUT, Norfolk Education Committee, Burst and School Manager business seems to have been. Mr Higden happened to cross the playground and Mr King's Council introduced him to Sandcroft Holmes' Esquire, chairman of the Norfolk County Council and president of this inquiry

who shook hands with Mr Higden, scarce fraternally. Rather was it the handshake of the hangman. Where have I seen you before? Preemptorily demanded Mr. Holmes, I don't think you have seen me before, replied Mr Higden. It was the name and the association that was familiar to you, Mr Holmes. That was all, not the face. You had in your mind a certain preconception of Mr Higden as a labourer's union agitator, no doubt,

a misconception aggravated by the obnoxious and false report, sent up to the committee about him and his wife. You know Mr Higden a little better now that he sits with you on the War Agricultural Subcommittee for the Depwide Union. He representing the Agricultural Laborers Union on that committee. Do you think sometimes when you meet him there of how you deprived him and his wife of their living and of their professional characters by your perverse judgment and your unjust decision. One of those two afternoons spent by you at Burston was the most unpleasant afternoon you had ever spent in your life, didn't you tell somebody? Don't wonder at it, sir. Don't wonder at it. No appeal this time.

So, it was not so very. delightful to you, after all, Mr Holmes. But you knew what you had been sent down to burst and to do, and when you found yourself confronted with an innocent woman in the person of the accused schoolmistress, you didn't half enjoy the business, did you? This, had you acted upon this finer impulse, would have been greatly to your credit. But, as the courteous and obloyal, chairman of the Norfolk County Council, you seemed, nevertheless, to quite understand what you had got to do, and that there was no getting out of it. The bosses had decreed it, and there seemed to be no going back for you now. There was to be no appeal beyond you. None of that would

dawling fuss and bother this time. No, no. But, but, But there may be such a thing as right and justice after all, Mr Holmes. There may yet be the possibility of appeal even beyond you. To the Board of Education? No. To the people. Perhaps. To heaven then.

Ah, yes, to heaven. To the bar of heaven. Witnesses not admitted. meanwhile a number of witnesses were waiting about one of whom waited all the afternoon to give most vital evidence as to the person most likely to have put those wheels on the bernardo children's backs if wheels there were and as to the many other slanders contained in the rector's indictment and out of it. But, alas, by order of Mr King's Council of the NUT, these witnesses were not to be admitted. The slander action ruse.

You understand, Mrs Higden, these witnesses are to be kept back for a slander action, was said to Mrs Higden immediately before entering the inquiry room. I hope you will get the slander action forward as soon as possible, said Mr Higden to the King's Council. Immediately the inquiry was over, that same afternoon. Oh, I don't know about that yet. I have not yet received instructions from my committee, was the King's Council's reply? This was scarcely reassuring, after shutting out Mrs Higden's witnesses too.

Besides, was it fair? Was it just? Was it honest? Apparently the King's Council has not up to the present received those instructions he professed to be waiting for. Parsons are to be allowed to say what they like about socialist teachers. it seems. The King's Council would not fight. Further, Mr King's Council put up no fight at all that afternoon. He attempted no cross-examination whatever, but allowed many most important points and false statements to pass unnoticed and unchallenged. Indeed, it seemed as if lawyer Reeves was by mutual consent, to be allowed to have things all his own way. The Bernardo children were thus put through their pieces again in the most

seductive manner possible, brother Farmer Fisher, smiling and nodding and bending and bowing towards them all the while, especially when the drilled lies were being repeated. This was evidently manner to his son. Did not the King's Council of the NUT know what a farce he was permitting? Why did the mistress cane you? said the president to one of these Bernardo girls. No answer. Puzzled. Was it for saying the boy was rude to you? Thus putting the words into the child's mouth? Yes, sir. Happy deliverance.

Yet it was not found that the boy had been rude to these children, and the point had been dismissed. Another girl was trapped by lawyer Reeves into saying, yes, by the lawyer putting a string of questions to her, which he knew would yield the answer yes, when the girl would otherwise undoubtedly have said no, to one of these questions, the one he wanted to. her to say yes to. This and much more of vital consequence to the case, Mr King's counsel let pass, which, together with the aforesaid apparent intentional omission of evidence, considerably gave the case away. Still, for all that, had the subcommittee had eyes that wished to see they could well have seen. They did see. The NUT saw. It was an agreed thing that the teachers were to be dismissed. Superfluous witnesses. The Parsons' witnesses, all the witnesses he had been able to scrape up, were two old women, one of whom was the mother

of several illegitimate children. Seven, they say. The other was the church warden's washerwoman, who had found herself bound to attend the inquiry when told to do so. But these witnesses were altogether superfluous to the case. They knew absolutely nothing whatever about it, and were not concerned in any way whatever. But, bar these, no other witnesses could be got. The former, dear old dame, came to say she had seen rude conduct in the playground by some infant boys. Rude conduct, indeed, madam, what about your own? The other crone had a fairly easy time of it in hypocritically whitewashing the Bernardo foster mother, whom she had formerly been in the habit of painting black. Bonardo boast of victory. The foster mother too,

who during the past few days had been lamenting the fact that she was forced by the rector, against her will, to go on with this business, and that she herself had nothing against against Mrs Higden had got a good lift up by the turn of events at this Friday's inquiry and was able to come out shouting, I'm not dead yet, I'm not dead yet. Her conscience, or her fears, had doubtless been finding her in the wrong. But now, apparently, much to her surprise and relief, the Norfolk Education Committee were justifying her.

as the rector and his wife and brother Farmer Fisher, her husband's employer, had done all through. Whether this county official and local priestly approval of her actions afforded her some quack balm to her conscience or not, heaven knows. At any rate, she now seemed less inclined to turn back from such a lead, but rather to go on to the stupid and sordid boast of victory, as displayed by her on a large placard attached to a pole in her garden on the day the teachers were dismissed.

Victory, indeed. It should make the bones of the good Dr. Bernardo, the friend of little children, turn in his grave. The Bernardo foster parents. The man to whom this woman was wedded, and who was present in support of his wife at the manager's meeting, at which Mrs Higden was first of all condemned unheard, had served a month in Norwich Jail for an offence which cannot be named, and was only let off so lightly on account of his mental deficiency. O ye bernardo people, ye subscribers to bernardoes,

religiously require that these refugee children should be taken to church or to chapel regularly, do ye not? For the rest, come to Burstown, and make inquiries for yourselves as to what the moral and religious training of these children really is. There is also a history of Bernardo children in Burstyn, in some respects worse than that which led to the school's strife. End of Section 4 Section 5 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libra-Book's recording is in the public domain. Chapter 4 Part 1

A Further Appeal to Bernardo's When you read this further appeal, you can, if you like, except you now think you have a serious responsibility to those children. Do the same with it as you did with the first appeal sent you by Mr and Mrs Higden. Send it back to Burstyn again to hear what the rector has to say about it. But why should you regard the rector of Burstyn as being infallibly right and all the parents, children, teachers and Burst and Burst and people generally wrong. If he were not a clergyman, would you not begin to suspect whether his reports were not possibly

incorrect? Parson's may, and sometimes do, unfortunately, tell untruths as well as other folk. Anyway, is it not your duty to find out who is. is responsible for the lies put into these children's mouths? If you will come down and consult the people of Burston, who know, you can easily assure yourselves. An N-U-T-secret report. But those letters to Bernardo's, for which Mr and Mrs Heigden, were condemned by the Norfolk Education Committee.

How strange, how irrelevant. Condemned and dismissed for sending letters to Dr. Bonado's. Mrs. Hickdon, a long-standing subscriber to Bonardo's too. See Casey's pamphlet. Oh, ye defenders of Bonado's! What about the health and morals of Bernardo children? This brings us back to Mr. King's Council again, his failure to admit evidence, to cross-examine, etc.

Was there not also a secret report shown to the Norfolk Education Committee, or to some of the members or officials thereof? Or, at any rate, were not the Education Committee informed of the contents of such a report? Was it to excuse his own failure to win the case that Mr King's Council reported falsely and untrually against the teacher? According to the King's Council, a letter of Mrs Higden to Bernardo's contained language difficult to justify. Do not be alarmed, gentle reads. Do not be alarmed, gentle reader. By language, Mr King's Council simply appears to mean the contents or substance of that letter. It only became known to Mr and Mrs Higden a short time ago that the King's Council had reported thus, the fact then being made known by a deputation to Burstyn of two National Union of Teachers'

gentlemen sent by their executive committee, one of which gentlemen read the said letter to the assembled strike parents, children and teachers. To the entire satisfaction of the deputation, every statement in the letter referred to was immediately justified up to the hilt by witnesses present at the meeting. The letter related to the evil influences by which the Bernardo children were surrounded at Burstyn. Stories they had been made to tell, etc. Mr. King's counsel had shut out of the inquiry the witnesses who could thus have fully justified the statements

contained in that letter. Language difficult to justify. Indeed. Condemned, unheard. Mr Higden is also condemned equally with Mrs Higden for statements made by him in a letter to Bernardo's. But Mr Higden, prior to the inquiry, was given to understand that there was no complaint whatever against him and that he was not required to attend the inquiry. He was therefore not present.

yet, in his absence, a letter of his to Bernardo's is read, and he is condemned and dismissed for writing it. Again see Casey's pamphlet. Thus, no opportunity whatever was given him for defending himself or for justifying the statements contained in his letter. He did not even know that any letter of his was to be read. His letter was simply a further appeal to Bernardo's for investigation with a view to the removal of one of these girls, whom he described as being somewhat mentally and morally deficient. The whole matter of this correspondence, produced by Reverend Eland, by what right one would like to know, was sprung by surprise upon Mrs Heard's. at the inquiry, so that she also was given no reasonable opportunity of defending herself with regard to it. While, instead of defending her, her own union lawyer reports secretly that her letter contained

language difficult to justify. It could, it can be, it has been justified. Discourtesy It appears that Mrs Hickdon did not bow to Miss Eland, the rector's daughter, as she whizzed past her on a bicycle one day during the Christmas holidays. That Mrs Higden gave Mrs. Eland a cold reception one afternoon when the latter visited the school,

notwithstanding, both shook hands with each other and said, good afternoon. And that Mrs Hickdon did not reply to Reverend Eland when he passed her in the road one day and said, Good day. This also was during the Christmas holidays 1913. The rector omitted to say that Mrs Hickdon was standing in the road with her back towards him as he passed along on the path behind the trees.

though he did say, with much scorn, that she was talking to an old woman with a pram. Yes, she was indeed talking to an old woman with a pram, sir. She was talking to the woman with a view to bringing the poor old lady and another a bit of Christmas cheer. And what if she did not reply to your salutation? Was she not on holiday? and might she not well have forgotten all about parsons, school managers and other officials or officious persons,

and perchance fail to recognise them without any intended discourtesy? But the rector was seeing to that. It was during those same Christmas holidays that he was so busy with this Bernardo business, and that, as a result of a hastily called scratch manager's meeting, Mrs Higden had been informed that the Bernardo children should return to school after the Christmas holidays and be treated as other children in the school. Presumably, therefore, there is some excuse for Mrs Higden if she did not recognise his reverence as he passed.

As to the necessity or otherwise for the instruction that these Bernardo children should be treated as other children in the school, the burst and parents know well whether Mrs Higden could ever be justly accused of favouritism or not. Besides, in Mrs Higden's absence, this same manager's meeting had professed to find just ground for the complaints of the Bernardo foster-mast. mother, which, with the rector and Bernardo Paymaster in the chair, and in the absence of the defendant, is not surprising. The rector had himself energetically worked up the bogus case for the prosecution, and as counsel for the same, he most kindly and seductively questioned his subservient witnesses, the Bernardo Paies, the foster mother and father. and the poor dear ill-used girls ah yes ill-used ardently assisted by his glebe-holding tenant brother farmer fisher the foster-father's employer the other two managers simply saying nothing

ere he the infallible and immaculate rector of burston proceeded to pronounce the false and hypocritical judgment above referred to discurtesy indeed not to recognise his reverence the rector or his wife and managerial supporter would indeed be excusable the enquiry by the norfolk education committee which followed was, however, brought about at Mrs Higden's own request. She felt bound to appeal against the absolute untrue and unjust decision of this managerial farce. She accordingly consulted the NUT, who asked the Education Committee for an inquiry, after cautiously warning Mrs Higden that the inquiry would be held at her own risk. The rector was soon busy again with his manager's meetings and his Bernardo correspondence, scouring the parish in a vain endeavour to find witnesses, etc.,

and otherwise preparing to present and bolster up his case before the Education Subcommittee of Inquiry, and thus to uphold, if possible, the decision to which he had committed the managers. This subcommittee was composed of Sancroft Holmes Esquire, J.P., chairman of the Norfolk County Council, landlord and farmer. Mr. Jessup, County Councillor, JCP, and Farmer.

And Mr Goldsmith, County Councillor and Farmer, appointed Justice of the Peace since the inquiry. In the eyes of these gentlemen, Laborers' Union agitating was bound to be a crime. Not that any such thing was mentioned at this inquiry. Oh no, of course not.

Hard up for grounds, but hey presto. Enough. Anyone reading the Inquiry report, again see Casey's pamphlet, can see how the committee were thrown back for grounds for dismissal upon the Bernardo correspondence when the rudeness and the caning failed to hold water. Upon discurtesy to managers, after the Friday's hearing, though this discurtesy had been found to be very slight on Monday,

and upon the general official terminology, that it is to the interests of elementary education in this parish, that the head teacher should seek other employment with as little delay as possible. The latter phrase looms and booms really large, as providing sufficient ground in itself for the dismissal of a host of teachers. Excellent gentlemen, excellent. An unpleasant afternoon. Ah yes, it was all managed very nicely,

though Mr. Sandcroft Holmes did have such an uncomfortable time of it. Never spent such an uncomfortable afternoon in his life, so he told someone. Was there some inner recognition of a feeble sense of justice in this man, after all, some slight sense or quarm of conscience it may be so it may not if there was a spark of any such sense it miserably failed him anyway and you messrs jessop and goldsmith hellfad ye felt ye ought of the finer senses striving i trow not the marse the marse-y ought of the finer senses striving i trow not the marr of cattle were more in your line than the meeting out of justice to a human soul. How were ye too so blind? Ah, the old saying again, none are so blind as those who will not see.

Still, even this may be doing your brain sight capacities too much credit. Perhaps this person really did get over. you and deceive you after all. And you, Mr Cox, you never once raised your eyes towards the criminal in the dock, did you? Why not? You were facetious enough with her a little time back, weren't you? Ah, Mr Cox, you soon know which way the wind blows, don't you?

To a very great extent, you seem to regulate it yourself, here in Norfolk. The sequel and discurtesy again. The head teacher to seek other employment with as little delay as possible. What reply should Mr or Mrs Higden have made to this urgent, though somewhat extraneous order? They had not the courtesy to reply to the

Committee, declared Mr. A. G. Copman, Chairman of the Norfolk Education Committee, at a committee meeting later on, when the case of Mr. and Mrs. Higden was again raised. Really, sir, it would be difficult to see what reply to make. The meekness and humility, or the pride, if you like, of suppressed, if eloquent silence, seemed more befitting than the most studied reply could have been. Still, if one must write up to the committee, Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, when sacked for good service and told to go elsewhere and look for another job,

and that, after one's character has been falsely sworn away. Here you have it, sir. Indeed, Mr Chairman, It seemed that the quintessence of courtesy was silence. The committee's excuses. They were asked to send in their resignations. They refused to do so, and were dismissed, declared another member of the committee.

Sir, is that so? The teachers themselves know nothing about any request to send in their resignation. they certainly never received any such request. That instruction of the committee to, seek other employment with as little delay as possible, was the only intimation of anything of the sort. This could scarcely be construed into a request,

courteous or otherwise, to send in their resignations. Still, anything by way of excuse, for your harsh, hard, cruel, unjust treatments of an innocent woman, ladies and gentlemen. Anything. An early visitor. A few days after the receipt of this Seek Other Employment document, Sunday March the 29th, 1914. In fact, Mr and Mrs Higden received two days' notice to leave the school on March the 31st. Mr. Eichin, assistant secretary, appeared at Burst and Schoolhouse early on Wednesday morning,

April 1st, with checks for salary in lieu of notice, which on being refused by Mr. and Mrs Higden were left by Mr. Eichin upon the schoolhouse table. Mr. Eichin rang the schoolhouse doorbell soon after 7 a.m. He having arrived from Norwich by an early train, but not long before the youngsters were about. They seemed to have been up particularly early that 1st of April morn, and were soon seen by Mr Eichen and Mr Higden from one of the schoolhouse windows, assembling on the village green, with strangely bright colours flying. It's later appeared to be part of Mr Eichin's mission to induce, if possible, the children to go into school. End of Section 5

Section 6 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libre book's recording is in the public domain. Chapter 4 Part 2 A courteous request. And, when would it be convenient for Mrs Higden to vacate the schoolhouse? Mr. Eichin wanted to know. Mrs. Higden could not say. Mr. Higden protested that Mrs. Higden was entitled to a three-months notice

and that she had been most unjustly dismissed. Points which Mr. Eichon did. not argue. What does that mean? inquired the Norwich official with surprise, real or assumed, as he looked on the bright array of children assembling on the green. It is possible the Norfolk committee had been informed by the rector or someone of what was likely to happen that morning. I don't quite know, replied Mr Higden, laughing. He did not quite know what it meant, truly. It soon became apparent, however, that the youngsters meant business, though not exactly business as usual. They meant keeping out

of school that day anyhow, unless their own teachers could go in with them. How the strike started. The scholars had apparently organised this business themselves, all unbeknown, to Mr and Mrs Higden. One of the first-class girls named Violet Potter, it appears, on the last day in school, had clandestinely taken down the names of the scholars who would like to go on strike, and she was now there at the crossing yonder, marshalling them together. Violet is, therefore, referred to by the children as their strike leader, which, indeed, she is. The sanction of their parents, however, was publicly vouchsafed at a meeting on the green overnight, March the 31st, which meeting is described farther on. Mr. and Mrs Higden at the time knew nothing of the children's initiative.

in this matter of the origin of the strike, though one little boy nearly gave the show away by writing in his exercise book, We are all going on strike tomorrow. Another ardent young William, looking knowingly up into the face of his governess, actually muttered something about going on strike, to whom his governess made the good-natured reply.

You get on with your work, Billy, or you'll get a strike you won't like. It appears, however, that some other scholars secretly wrote in their exercise books before passing them, We're going on strike tomorrow, and that they chalked on the blackboard the same striking announcement before finally vacating the school premises on that last day of March, 1914. A similar warning, it seems, was found on a slate hanging in the school porch, while the signpost on the village crossroads, and several gates in the neighbourhood of the rectory, bore the same ominous augury. Save that Mr Higden tore an offending page or two out of some of the exercise books

when he came to look them over after the children had gone, The teachers were, not in the know, so well and so professionally did these young strikers manage their terrible business. If the Education Committee inquirers had done their work half so intelligently, and with but an iota of the youngsters' notion of truth and justice, there would have been no need for this remarkable juvenile protest. But more anon. The new domicile. Things were happening now, which rather interrupted the train of thought necessary for deciding such little arrangements as seeking other employment, and a new domicile in any event. The committee think a fortnight sufficient time in which to vacate the schoolhouse, ran the ultimatum from the education

committee to Mrs Higden in the course of a few days. Her engagement carried with it a quarter's notice to quit school and schoolhouse. Still, no new domicile arrangements by Mrs. Higden, for was she not still teaching her Burst and scholars? though in the open air upon the village green in the flurry lanes and in a tiny vacant cottage in coal-shed and copper house and wherever space could be found or shelter from the biting april blast on a chance return to winter day Eviction. Then came a warning of eviction from the committee, followed by an eviction notice, and finally by eviction itself. Mr. W. E. Keefe of Norwich argued in vain before the dis-magistrates that the payment of salary in lieu of notice did not discharge the obligation to allow the usual three-month notice for vacancy.

the schoolhouse. He afterwards stated in The Laborer that had funds been forthcoming, he would like to have appealed against the decision of the Disbench. Mr Cox, the committee's secretary on oath, declared before the bench that Mrs Higden was given a three-month notice. He caused quite a sensation in court by so doing. How Mr Cox reconciles this to his conscience, it is hard to tell. Salary in lieu of notice cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be held to cover a three-month tenancy of a cottage. Yet such the Norfolk Education Committee, such the dispense, of magistrates.

House Riding Men, women, girls and boys, Miller's cart, donkey cart, wheelbarrows, all without fee, joined joyously and sympathetically in the enforced removal of the dismissed and evicted teacher's goods, to coal holes, two larders lacking their proper furniture,

to village stores, and diverse other places, wherever storage room could be found. A moonlight scene. Thus, what might have been a sorrowful and trying day, was turned into a glad and happy one by such loving, gratuitous and self-sacrificing service. It was a tiring day, nevertheless. Yet, at night, when Mr. and Mrs. Higden finally went back to the schoolhouse to lock up before going to their proffered lodgings at the mill.

They found a large number of villages gathered on the bit of moonlit lawn. Mothers, fathers, girls, boys, babies, bless them. When were they not there? Only when duty bound them elsewhere. And there they remained until midnight, in the last. light of that April morn, cheerful in jovial sympathising chat and

merry song singing, though of refreshment there was little, Mr and Mrs. Higden, not having known beforehand of their coming. Yet, amidst the rustic joke and jollity of that night,

many tears were shed. Yes, there, upon that patch of schoolhouse Green, the memory of which time and place must remain for ever, ever sacred. Sacred to the dear love-blent souls assembled there in bonds of fellow-feeling for the oppressed, for had they not all known oppression, the first meeting ever held on Burst and Common. This is but one of many interesting scenes, as when Mr George Derbidge, dealer, fish hawker, etc, appeared upon the Burst and Green on the evening of March the 31st, 1914, the day the teachers and scholars left the school.

Appeared there, according to a printed bill in large displayed type, which he had got out and amply posted in the village that day. to consider the school question and the steps which shall be taken. The blazing flare lights of his cockle stall, glaring in the dark, misty night, showing a large crowd of Worker Day rustics gathered round him, comely Norfolk women with set face, brave and determined, yet with all smiling and sympathetic, children clinging to their skirts or locked in the mother's hand, men with brawny arm, hard hand and rustic beard, eager groups of boys and girls who had made up their minds to go on strike tomorrow, in much too deadly earnest for laughter and play now, but chatting together like older heads.

Cloud swept by overhead, driven by the last keen night wind of March, the blast of justice that's was to trumpet in that first of April dawn. The chairman's words were short and sharp and keen, though jocular, as was the fisherman's want. No labour agitator or socialist was he, but an avowed conservative, as the majority of the other men were professed liberals. But all alike were sorely grieved and shocked by the declared gross injustice which had been committed in their midst, and by the shameful victimisation and dismissal of the teachers, of whom they, one and all, approved. Short-determined speeches were made by men and women who had never spoken publicly before, and fists were shaken by noble, revengeful

women, and beards by angry men. Evidence given publicly on the green. Abundant evidence was given publicly there on the green that night, which showed that falsehood had triumphed at the inquiry. The dismissed teachers, who were both present, but took no part, were cheered and cheered again, while the rector was hooted and groaned at in his absence. Absent, but well within the rector. hearing of those deep resounding waves of eternal justice.

Parish Council election, Laborers' Union agitations, socialism and non-attendance at church were declared to be at the bottom of the abominable pretext that had been found for the dismissal of Mr. and Mrs. Higden. Resolutions A resolution condemning the dismissal of the teachers and calling for a public inquiry was carried unanimously. Also a resolution declaring the intention of the

parents not to send their children to school before justice was done. Thus the children had triumphed. Their strike was to come off. The chairman's advice. Stick like glue. said Chairman Derbidge, as he closed the meeting, a piece of advice which was loudly applauded, and which has certainly been gluishly adhered to for two years by the majority of those present,

notwithstanding all manner of pressure, pains, penalties and persecutions, which have been brought to bear upon them. Only one Burston scholar, and that one, the son of a Gleeb renting farmer, besides three Bernardo children, remained in the council school after that 1st of April day. One other family of three from the neighbouring parish of Shimbling remained to bear them company, thus seven in all. Today, with a few blacklegs and some imported additions,

Bonardo and other borders, the total reaches about 20, while the strike school total is 50. Sunday afternoon, religious meetings. On the following Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people visited the strike village, and Mr John Sutton, the son of a Burst and farmer, but who works as an agricultural labourer, and who is a primitive Methodist local preacher. took advantage of their presence on the Green to preach the gospel to them,

much to the holy chagrin of Brother Farmer Fisher. Many people left the church and the chapel too in protest against the action of the rector and brother Fisher. These all joined the school strikers under the pastorate of Mr Sutton. It was computed that as many as 1,500 people assembled on the Green at one time in the early days of the strike. Speakers on Burst and Green

George Edwards, the founder of the Agricultural Laborers Union, Fred Henderson, the noted Norwich socialist speaker and writer, Comrades W. Smith and Garner of Wyndham. Seaghan and Periment of the Norwich British Socialist Party Joplin Anderson and Chapman of Loistoft The late Reverend John Gleason, Congregationalist and Mr. Wetman of Ipswich Mr Humphrey of Diss

Mrs Reeves of Norwich Mrs Stansfield of Cromer And many others attended and addressed Large crowds on the Green on Sundays or in the Strike School, the Strike Church and School. When winter drew nigh, the Strike Village flock,

as well as the Strike children, were safely folded and housed in the old carpenter's shop, since known as the Strike School, the parson and his burial fees. The Reverend J.G. Williams Free Methodist Minister of Diss, has officiated at all the strike funerals in the strike school and in the parish churchyard.

The rector of Burstyn handed in his bill, through his sexton, for the burial fees all the same. On the first occasion, the bill was paid, on the spur of the moment, by the parents of a deceased child. But the next time the father of an son, another deceased child refused to pay, the rector did not sue him in court for it. A worthy pastor The church and chapel dissenting members found in Mr Sutton a worthy pastor,

and he too soon found it necessary to leave the primitive Methodist body who, through the influence of Brother Fisher with the official heads of the circuit, condemned his action in preaching the Gospel of Truth and righteousness, as Mr Sutton calls it, upon the Burst and Green. At a meeting at the Burst & Chapel, over which the circuit minister presided, eight members resigned as a protest. Mr. Sutton has since joined the Free Methodists, but continues his ministrations to his Burst and flock in the Strike School, and administers the sacrament of baptism to all strike babies. Upon one memorable occasion, in the early days of the strike, he baptized on the green as many as 13 infants,

some of which were rather grown ones who had not before been baptized. Some other speakers During the summer of 1915, Meetings on the Green have been as popular as in the summer of 1914. Comrades George Lansbury, Philip Snowden MP, Bruce Glazier, John Scurr, G.F. Johnson, Holmes Wittard, E. B. Reeves and others of Norwich. R. B. Walker, General Secretary of the Agricultural Laborers Union,

W.G. Codling and James Coe. Laborers Union Organisers, and last but not least, W. Carter and other comrades of the National Union of Railwaymen and National Union of Vehicle Workers, having been amongst the special speakers. The biggest thing yet was the remarkable National Union of Railway Men and Amalgamated Laborers Union demonstration on Sunday, November the 10th, 1915, when nine London branches of the National Union of Railwaymen were represented with banners. Principal points contended for.

The reinstatement of Mr and Mrs Higden, the withdrawal of the Glebe notices, eviction order since granted, and the re-establishment of the principles of freedom and justice have been the chief. points contended for in the speeches that have been delivered and in the resolutions that have unanimously, ever unanimously, passed. End of Section 6 Section 7 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libre box recording is in the public domain. Chapter 5 Part 1

A Curious Assembly But to come back to that first of April morn The hour of school assembly drew nigh The Crown Common yonder was now picturesquely grand With a host of assembled villagers, old and young Mothers and senior sisters of scholars marshalling the juveniles, many of whom were brightly arrayed and carried little red flags, Union Jacks, etc., while many men also were standing about.

Mr. and Mrs Higden appeared on the patch of Schoolhouse Green, and upon being cited, were greeted with rounds of juvenile cheers, delightful, yet deeply affecting to hear. astonished school managers and officials. Mr Eichin said little, but looked alternately grave and amused as he watched the proceedings, while brother Farmer Charles Fisher and another school manager appeared at the school gate to greet the new supply teachers, head and assistant. The new head being a member of the NUT, thus the cloven foot of the National Union of Teachers.

This NUT black-legging has been carried on up to the present, an NUT headteacher being still in the school. The rector did not put in an appearance. How dare he pass that rabble on the green? Did not Brother Fisher have an uncomfortable time of it as he shamefacedly drew past, mid-mocking jeers of disgusted parents and villagers. A Posse of Police

The police inspector of Diss and two constables also came and stationed themselves beside the school gate. An hour later, the superintendent of police from Halston drove up in his tall cart, while it is said that as many as five constables were on duty in the village at one time during the day enough to overaw a few simple villages and children surely augustly and severely there the inspector and his two sturdy constables stood their faces alternating between austere authority and smiling confidence in their ample ability to nip this childish thing in the bud. The school bell and the procession.

The statutory bell rang, rang longer and more violently than usual. The procession started from the green at the signal of the school bell. Further than this, in their obedience to it that morning, The youngsters did not mean to go. On they came, marching to drill time, waving their flags and singing their school marching songs to the accompaniment of a concertina played by Violet Potter, the girl's strike leader,

while Master Jack Mullinger took the march in hand. Many of the children carried cards in front of them bearing the words, We want our teachers back. Justice, we want, etc. The procession was headed by a banner lent by Mrs. Bolton of the village shop, on which was inscribed, Justice.

Cheers again greeted the dismissed teachers, who stood in the schoolhouse garden watching the procession as it passed. while the girls, as they marched, wafted kisses across the playground to their governors. The march passed. A sweeter, prettier sight was never seen. Yonder on the green, groups of villagers stood watching,

while many a labourer looked or hedge and gate from neighbouring farm and field. Hook, hat or hoe was raised in welcome cheer. But would this fragile band of girl and boy truants dare pass that frowning array of police and council school magnates assembled at the school gates? The bell rang still more loudly and wildly as the juvenile procession approached nearer and nearer. School gates and doors were thrown wide open to give free and unimpeded admission. while police and school managers posted themselves on both sides and in the middle of the road below, with a view to intimidating the processionists and preventing their progress past the school. But the youngsters, doubtless feeling that there was strength in their numbers,

showed not the least sign of fear as they approached this imposing posse of police and education. education magnates, but marched confidently forward to the tune of, and singing, Come cheer up, my lads, tis to glory we stare, the prize more than all to an Englishman dear. Tis to honour, we call you, not to press you like slaves, for who are so free as the sons of the waves. Police and education magnates fell back, perforce, to let the daring rebels pass, never venturing, of course, to lay a hand upon them, and again wave after wave of cheers arose from the triumphant rebel band. A bit more Bernardo

Round the candlestick the youngsters marched. by triangular route of about a mile and a half round a portion of the village, past some of the principal residences, and past the Bernardo Cottage, in the garden of which the foster-mother had placarded on a post the word victory, in boast of abject triumph for the nonce of falsehood over truth, the sight of which drew scorn and mocking cheers, from the pure, truthful hearts of Burstons, girls and boys, onto the green, and crossing from whence they started,

where a real welcome awaited the processioness, as on towards the rectory gates they moved, whence booing sounds and hooting, rose and fell, and borne upon an April morning air, told over hill and Dale the rector's shame. Returning to the Crown Common, the March terminated, but was repeated in the afternoon, Mr Eichen and the police constables, still waiting about to see the upshot of the day, so far as attendance at school was concerned.

This processioning was continued for some days, during which period, newspaper correspondence, Daily Mirror and other photographers visited the village. Moonshine All moonshine. April Falls. Nine Days Wonder These were some of the rector's scornful philosophical remarks.

But as Mr Noah Sandy said some weeks afterwards, we've had another moon since the strike started, and that's where an hour. away good tidily. Yes, Noah, truly, twenty moons, and still they wax and wane. The rector on his own brood. Asked by the Daily Chronicle reporter, what the teachers were dismissed for, the rector replied that it was, for something known only to the Education Committee, and that it was a absurd to suppose they were dismissed because of the trivial complaints he, the rector, had made. See, the Daily Chronicle, April 24th, 1914.

What then? Those trivial complaints were made to serve as useful pretext anyway, reverend, sir. Were they not? Trivial complaints? Then why did you make them? And how hard you drove them. Persecution of parents The upholders of law and order, whose tyrannic and hypocritical actions had caused this rebellion, now wagged their heads and their tongues

in tragic and frightful warnings of what was soon going to happen to the foolish parents of these rebellious children. For example, the parents were to have to pay fines of one pound per child for each half-day's absence from school. They were to be put in prison, etc, etc. Few believed these wild stories, least of all the parents, whom they were intended to intimidate. But that the education authorities would be presumptuous enough

to think that a few summonsers would soon bring the recalcitrant parents, to their senses, nobody doubted. Consequently, in a few days, 18 summonsers were issued against as honest, hard-working, and loyal a lot of English Norfolk labourers and railwaymen as ever handled plough, spade or pick, and all because they could not set the seal of their honest consciences to that which they knew to be a set of the most besottedly

hypocritical lies ever invented for vindictive, malicious and victimising purposes. Yet, seeing the fell object and consequences of such serious and sordid lying and slander, what body of British men and women worth the name could have done other than protest, as these noble Burst and people have protested. Anything more, my 38 ladies and gentlemen of the Norfolk Education Committee? Anything more to oblige, the rector of Burstham? April 1914 at Burston. This was one of the finest April's ever known.

The weather was simply lovely, and the school strikers were all in good heart and splendid cheer. The Crown never did so much business in ginger beer, etc., nor the village shop, such a trade in sweets and chocolate. On Sundays the church was never so empty, the lanes and the common never so thronged with people from other villages. The weather on court day too was ideal, and never a lighter-hearted, Mary, throng, twixt flary banks and budding hedgerows went, than that pedestrian rustic band that walked, with mirth and laughing jest, and scraps of songs, as unto pageant, gala, fate or fair, to answer to those summonsers at Diss. Here follows the East Anglian Times report of the proceedings.

Burston School Strike Parents summoned and fined Scenes at Disse Demand for a Public Inquiry Another stage in the strike of scholars at Burston was reached yesterday When 18 parents appeared at Dis Police Court To answer summonsors

charging them with not sending their children to the elementary school in the village on April 7th. The proceedings aroused a great deal of interest in the town, and there was a large gathering in the vicinity of the courtroom to watch the arrival of the strikers and their parents. Proceeded by a little girl riding a decorated bicycle, and headed by a red banner bearing the words, We Want Justice, born by a couple of lads. The strikers, who numbered about 50, set out from Burston

with their parents shortly after 9 o'clock, and marched the three miles to the courthouse, which is part of the Cornwall buildings in Diss. Many of the children carried miniature union Jacks, whilst most of them had placards on which were inscribed the words, We want our old teachers back and justice. And some had even made an attempt to don fancy costume, one lad being conspicuous in a resplendent suit, which would have done well at a nigger minstrel entertainment. Several mothers were in the party around with collection boxes, and their appeals for support for the strike met with a fair amount of response. The arrival at the courthouse did not take place until about a quarter to 11, and the parents and strikers had to wait outside

whilst the bench disposed of several other cases. The defendants were John Aldrich, John Bridges, Joseph Cobb, George Derbidge, Joseph Ford, Walter Garnham, Henry Gottz, Edward Huggins, Harry Ling, John Potter, Senior, John Potter Jr, Robert Wilby, William Wilby of Burston, George Ketchpole of Shimpling, Thomas Mullinger, Robert Sturby, Robert Sturby, and, of Burstyn, Alfred Moore and James Wells of Dis, and they were summoned by Frederick Starr, school attendance officer of Longstraton, for each not sending a child to school at Burston on April 7th. The magistrates on the bench were Mr Francis Taylor as chairman, Mr T. Keppel and Mr. R. A. Bryant. Mr. H. C. Davies, the deputy clerk to the Norfolk County Council, stated that as each case would have to be dealt with separately, it would be as well that all the defendants should be present in court from the outset, as the few remarks he should make would apply to them all.

Aldridge was the first defendant to be called forward, and he pleaded not guilty. Mr Davies said it was common knowledge and he thought he might be allowed to refer to the fact that the cases all arose out of what had been dignified by the name of the Burstown School Strike. It was common knowledge that the engagements of the headmistress and assistant master at that school were terminated on the 31st of March. into the reason for that termination he did not need to go for two or three very good reasons. The first reason was that it did not affect the charge in the slightest degree, and the second was also a good reason, as he did not know the reason himself.

It was only fair to say that the public, through the press, had only so far heard one side, of the case. A public authority by its constitution was debarred from entering into a newspaper controversy. He believed the dismissal was decided upon at a private inquiry, but it was only fair to say that at that private inquiry, the assistant master and mistress had the benefit of the services of a solicitor and barrister, and therefore it was to be assumed that the case was put before the subcommittee, who held the inquiry as fairly and well as the case could be. Wrong! It was greatly to the credit of the teacher and her husband that they had endeared themselves to the children, but that had nothing to do with the case before the court.

Since the dismissal of the teachers, none of the children, whose parents were before the court, had attended school, and whether any reasonable cause for non-attendance could be brought forward, he could not say. If any case with any pretense at reason was brought forward, he should be prepared to meet the objection. But, so far as he could ascertain, there was no reason for non-attendance. Therefore, he would ask the bench to treat the cases as serious ones, because, as would be seen, it was an attempt to undermine the established authority. He would call attention to the fact that the case had been before the Education Committee of the County Council

and asked the bench to recognise that the position of that authority would be intolerable if one village, or any section of the parents in that village, could dictate as to what staff should be employed in teaching. On the day in question, the Burst and school was sufficiently staffed and ready to educate the children, Assuming for the moment that the old teachers were dismissed on absolutely frivolous grounds, even then he would ask the bench to say, that would be no cause whatever for the parents refusing to send their children to school. He did not like to contemplate the effect on discipline of those particular children,

owing to their being encouraged to break the law in this way. unless the authority were assisted by the magistrates in doing their duty in this particular case, he was afraid the effect on school discipline and management in the county and throughout England would be very seriously handicapped in the future. Another reason why he asked the magistrates to take a serious view of the cases was because every opportunity had been given the defendants to send their children to school before these proceedings were taken. Mr. Aldridge and the others were written to on the 1st of April by Mr. Starr,

the attendance officer, to the following effect. Take notice that unless your children at once return to school, proceedings will be taken before the magistrates to initiate's to introduce. enforce the law. Even up to that day, if a child had been sent to school, he was instructed to ask leave to withdraw the summons against the parents of any children who were at school yesterday morning. Of course, there were other children beyond those referred to in the summons who were not at school, but in each case the parent was summoned in respect to one child. The chief point he wished to draw attention to was this.

This was an attempt to run the education of the school and the staffing by a few local people who did not know all the facts and the information on which the committee acted, and who were apparently influenced mainly by what he ventured to say was their private affection and sympathy for the master and and mistress. That was not the point of view to be decided. The point he wished to impress was that the county council were the educational authority, and even assuming he was not able to go into the merits of the case. The dismissal of the teachers was absolutely uncalled for and unjust. That was not a matter for the bench to take into consideration. The point of the teachers'

was the parents had disobeyed the bylaws requiring them to send their children to the school, which was sufficiently staffed and ready to receive children if their parents would send them. That was the case in a nutshell, and he must ask the bench to support the constituted authority in the exercise of what, in that particular instance, was a very arduous and unpleasant duty. Mr Starr, the attendance officer, produced a certificate from the headmaster of Burstown School, showing that Winifred Aldridge was absent from school on April 7th. He sent a warning to the parent on the first instant. Aldridge told the bench that the only reason he had not sent the child to school

was because it was unfair to turn the teachers away. There ought to have been an inquiry into the matter. Two home children who went to school had caused the trouble, and they wished them to leave before the children were sent back. End of Section 7. Section 8 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libra Box recording is in the public domain. Chapter 5 Part 2

Continuing the East Anglian Times Court Proceedings Report of the Burst and School Strike. The magistrates consulted in private, and when the public were readmitted, the chairman said the bench considered the case proved against Aldridge. It was a case. which affected a good many persons in Burstyn, besides himself, and also many people outside Burstown. The Education Committee had taken a great deal of trouble over the whole question of education in Norfolk,

and was composed, he thought he could safely say, of members in whom the county had full confidence. The magistrates felt that they were bound to support the process. which had been ordered by the Education Committee. But at the same time, they fully recognise the fact that there was a strong feeling in Burstown of affection and regard for those who had been the mistress and assistant master at the school for some time past, and that the parents and children were distressed at the idea of parting with their old teachers. The bed was consequently willing to make allowances for what was not an unnatural feeling on the part of the parents and children. The Education Committee, however, had the management of the schools,

and they did it to the best of their ability, and did it in a most efficient way as a rule. The bench felt that it did not become individuals or an individual parish to deal with a case like this in the way Burson had done. Under those circumstances, they would make allowances for the feelings of parents and would not inflict a heavy penalty. But it must be understood that a recurrence of anything of the sort would be dealt with very differently. He suppose there would be no recurrence, but if there was, the bench would have to take into consideration the position of the Education Committee, and would have to inflict a more severe penalty. Defendant would be fined two shillings and sixpence, and the bench hoped the leniency would not be misunderstood. They were fully determined to support the Education Committee, but they had no wish to inflict a fine which could in any way be looked upon as vindictive.

They hoped by dealing with the case in that way, it might have the effect of smoothing over the feeling which had been aroused in the parish. They hoped parents and children would accept the situation, and that there would be no more trouble with Burston or any other school in the district. Defendant would be fined two shillings and sixpence, in default of distress, seven days. John Bridges admitted that his child was not at school and said he did not agree with the decision of the Education Committee. He should like a public inquiry to see into the matter, He was quite willing and ready for his child to attend school,

but wanted a public inquiry so they could know the truth. The chairman told him he could easily get advice as to that. He believed he had the power to invoke the aid of the Board of Education. He would be fined, two shillings and sixpence. Defendant asked for time to pay, which the best, laughingly, declined. Joseph Cobb pleaded not guilty, and asked for a public inquiry. The clerk, you say the same as Mr Bridges?

Yes. The chairman. The penalty will be the same. Mrs. Ketchpole represented her husband, and admitted that her daughter Elsie was not at school on April the third. 7th. She was fined two shillings and sixpence. George Derbidge said he could not say if his son Frank was at school or not. Mr. Starr proved to the case.

Defendant. How many times were Dr. Bernardo's children absent? I cannot say. Did you go to Dr. Bonardo's children? No. Will you tell us how many times they have been absent? No, we are dealing with this case. Why are you not instructed to deal with Dr. Bernardo's children?

I cannot say. Defendants said he had not sent his son because he thought the late teachers had been unfairly treated. Parents who had to clothe and keep their children and pay for their education, had an absolute right to know who was in fault and who was not. They were all satisfied

with the education and treatment their children were receiving, and he thought it was only right and proper that the parish should know why the teachers were dismissed. All they asked for was justice. If there was a public inquiry, and the parents were in the wrong, the children would be sent to school.

He had written to London to the National Union of Teachers, and he had received an answer that his letter would have attention. The Education Committee would not hold a public inquiry because they did not want the reasons put before the public. Until the parents were proved to be wrong, they would have to take their own course. Defendant was also fined two shillings and sixpence. Joseph Ford said he had sent his son Joseph to school and pleaded not guilty. He asked why Dr. Bernardo's children could go along the roads.

The clerk You must confine yourself to this case. Defendant I think it is very unfair. One child can do as he likes and another be punished. He believed the Bernardo children had been trained to do what they had done and his children were afraid to go to school where they were. He should not send his child to school unless there was a

public enquiry. The chairman, You say you sent him, and now you say you won't send him. We must deal with you the same as the others. Henry Gottz was represented by his wife, who admitted that their son had not been to school, although he had been up to the school every day since. Find, two shillings and sixpence. William Garnham also admitted the offence and was fined two shillings and sixpence. Edward Huggins was quite willing to send his son to school, but asked for a public inquiry. The chairman, we cannot order a public inquiry, we can only deal with this case. bind two shillings and sixpence.

Henry Ling said his daughter Marjorie went off to school at the usual time, and when she got there she joined the strikers. What was he to do? Was he to force the child into school against her will? The clerk. What would you do if she did anything else you did not want her to do? Defendant said he had a conscientious objection to the child going to school. She would sit all alone and fret and pine for the head teacher.

He was fined two shillings and sixpence. Alfred Moore admitted his son was not at school and was fined two shillings and sixpence. Thomas Mullinger also admitted, admitted that his son Jack was not there. The chairman. Any reason to give? Defendant. No.

Only he was on strike, and he dare not break the rules. To laughter in the court. The chairman, We must not break the rule. You will be fined, two shillings and sixpence. Further laughter. John Potter Senior was represented by his wife, who said she should not send her son unless there was a public inquiry, because she thought there had been injustice.

She did not see why they should be ruled by the parson. Cheers in the court. The clerk. That has nothing to do with the bench, and you must confine your remarks, to the charge. He was fined two shillings and sixpence. John Potter Jr. said his daughter Mabel was unwell, and he therefore pleaded not guilty. Mr Starr stated he had received no medical certificate. Defendant said the child suffered from asthma and he sent her to school when she was all right, but since the strike she would not go. He could not make her go, and on the seventh, she was ill. Thurza Moore, called by the defendant, said the child was ill on the 1st of April when the children struck, and was ill for several days afterwards. The chairman said it was evident

the defendant was speaking about the 1st of April. The case was with regard to the seventh. He would be fined, two shillings and sixpence. John Sturman said he sent his daughter Gladys to school. He had seven to work for, and could not afford to lose the time to take her there. Find, two shillings and sixpence. William Wilby, who hoped the bench would use their influence to make people, over the job was similarly fined. James Wells and Robert Wilby were also fined, two shillings and sixpence. After the cases were disposed of, the children were again formed up and, headed by their banner, marched through the town before proceeding back to Burstown. Backstair influence again. Thus, the magistrates appear to have been only too pleased to oblige the Norfolk Education

Committee and the Rector of Burston. Besides, the chairman of the bench, now deceased, seems to have been privately approached and influenced. It is known that the Rector of Burston visited the chairman's house, and that upon the chairman's wife seeing some of the Burstern mothers soon afterwards, she informed them that. If they knew all about Mrs Higden, they would be as much against her as they were now for her. This chairman of the Disbench also wrote to a lady of his acquaintance at Harrow, to the effect that when Mrs Higden first came to Burstyn, she took up the appointment as a

communicant of the Church of England, but soon after her appointment she ceased to attend church. Indeed, a communicant of the church, a condition of employment to the Burst and Shimbling Council School. Even the Norfolk Education Committee will repudiate this ecclesiastical and magisterial lying inference. Still, it may as well have been. been. But not only was there no such condition of appointment, and could not be, but no such thing as attendance at church or church communicantship was ever mentioned to, or by Mrs. Higden, at the time of her appointment. Yet, thus, the rector of Burstyn. Thus, the late chairman of the Dispench, who, for,

Fortified with all this private information, was to try the parents' cases, and a little later, the teacher's abiction from the schoolhouse. Ruining the Children Thinking of that Harrow Lady, Mrs Cobb, widow of a late Liberal MP, reminds one also of a letter she received from Mr. Lee Warner, one-time chairman of the Norfolk Education Committee,

in which letter Mr Lee Warner stated that Mrs Higden was ruining the children, and in the same letter Mrs Cobb was advised not to support Mrs Higden. Ruining the children, Mr Lee Warner. What do you mean by this slander? And where did you pick it up? from the same infallible secret source as the dis-chairman of magistrates received his information, no doubt. But somebody may want to know definitely someday.

Yes, socialism and school-striking does ruin the children, doesn't it, my one-time headmaster of rugby? What about ruining the Bernardo Bairns by four? forcing them to tell lies about their governess and to repeatedly rehearse the same. Ruinning the children. Indeed. Poison But so much for the poison of slander and falsehood laid about at Burston, at Disse, at Norwich, at Watton, at Harrow. Laid everywhere, poison.

The effects of which receive, their antidote only by the continuous demand of the Burstom people for a public inquiry, and by the faithful adherence to truth and conscience of the virtuous and brave parents now assembled in the court at Diss, where, too, some of this poison had been laid, honest, hard-working men and women, who, in the long run, were going to be more than a match for Mrs. Higden's, lordly self-righteous, ecclesiastic, lying and hypocritical, back-biting slanderers and victimizers. Never was innocent woman more falsely accused, more grossly misrepresented, more maliciously persecuted, as the staunch and firm

18 parents of Burstyn well new. What matter, oh ye N-U-T executive. Fine. Two and sixpence each. Seven days in which to pay. The necessary, two pounds and five shillings, was collected on the village green on the following Sunday, and the money duly paid, though many parents declared their willingness to go to

prison rather than pay fines, but for considerations of employment, home and family. The law, as administered, at dis. With regard to the justice or otherwise of the infliction by the dis magistrates of these fines, opinions may differ. The law, the law, cried the so-called upholders of law and order. The law must be obeyed, they said. The magistrates were bound to administer the law, etc., etc. Many who professed to be sympathisers with the strikers said this. Very good, but did the magistrates administer the law? Were the Education Acts passed with a view to inflicting penalties upon practically the whole of the school parents of a village at one sweep. Such parents having a very real and definite grievance at this time,

and all being most willing and anxious to send their children to school, if only that grievance were removed. Parents, who, for the most part, had never been summoned in their lives before, and who had never been, and certainly were not now, neglectful in any real sense of the word of their children's education? Certainly not. These were not cases for summonsers. They were not cases for a magistrate's bench to deal with at all. If the dis-magistrates had done their duty, they would have referred this uncommon,

extraordinary and persecutive business back to the Norfolk Education Committee whose business it was. Indeed, the chairman of the bench advised the parents to appeal to the committee to settle their grievance, but find them half a crown each

all the same. Law, indeed. A batch of 32 summonsers. Binds doubled. The parents did appeal to the committee, by resolution and by petition, but in about a fortnight's time, another batch of summonsers were issued, 32 summonsers this time. What would the chairman of magistrates and his colleagues say now?

A fine of five shillings each was imposed, a pull of eight pounds, not half a bad haul for this, considerate bench, to filch from the pockets of a poor labouring village population. Law again! Dislaw! Not enough, declared the rector of Burston. They would have had to pay much more, but for that old expletive, referring to his obliging and obsequious friend, the chairman of the bench. Such the rector's gratitude. Such the rector's tyrannical and punitive vindictiveness

upon his poor parishioners. Public opinion Indeed, local public opinion was so much against this summonsing business that it had to be henceforth dropped and has not since been attempted. so far as the strike parents are concerned. Had the summonsing proceedings been continued, Burst and Common would not have held the people who came there on Sundays and dropped their money into the strike boxes for the payment of the fines. Thus it became apparent that all the penalties the magistrates could inflict

failed to penalise. They did little or no harm or hurt, to those sturdy resistors, who simply went singing gaily home, all the villagers coming out to welcome them on their return. The magistrate's historical blunder. The outstanding fact remains that by this stupid, persecutive action, the dispensure magistrates lost the opportunity of their lives of rising to the ideal sense of their duties, in the administration of justice, and by this failure brought upon themselves eternal shame and disgrace. This they have added to by their recent Glebe evictions decision, a further malicious

persecution arising out of the school's strike. As showing that the parents were not neglectful of their children's education, it was pointed out to the bench by Mr. Keefe on the second appearance of parents, that the children were being taught on the green and in the carpenter's shop, now known as the Strike School. The Education Committee's lawyer also declared that the committee had nothing to say against the efficiency of the teachers. Still, the bench were not satisfied. The only place their minds could conceive of as being fit to educate children in, was the so-called council school, controlled by the parson, who had, by false accusations, turned out the socialist and non-church-going teachers.

Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep dislaw. Truly did Mr. Keefe, who defended the parents on this second occasion, described this prosecution as a persecution, managers and committee in a quandary. Seeing that these prosecutions, or persecutions, failed to produce the desired effect, the Education Committee were now in a quandary as to what to do further. Consequently, their attendance officer commenced a period of extra watchfulness over the Burst and Council school delinquents, appearing, as he often did, upon the green, watching the children into the strike school, looking at his silver watch, making notes in his pocketbook, visiting and

haranguing parents in a most unbecoming and uncivilised manner, while the parson and the policeman, upon one or two occasions, made savage assaults with their sticks upon stric. like school boys, for no offence whatever. This kind of thing went on till it was put a stop to by the energetic action of Mr Higden and some of the enraged parents, while the boys themselves were given a free hand should his reverence, the rector, dare to gratuitously assault them again. Further victimisation Another move of the rector and his committee was the dismissal, without notice, of two of the strike parents from their work of scavenging at the council school, for which work they had been regularly paid 15 shillings per quarter, another man now being put to do the job.

The school caretaker was also threatened with dismissal if she did not send her. her child back to the council school, while many other intimidations were attempted. But in all these cases, threats, intimidations and victimizations alike, failed to produce the desired effect. And, strange to say, the brave little woman caretaker continues her work at the council school to this day, though her child still attends the strike school. The infant's teacher was also warned by the rector not to speak to Mrs Higden. The Glebe evictions have already been noted and are still being fought, except in the case of the poor blind man, whom circumstances, mainly due to his victimisation,

have compelled to leave the village. Had not the rector taken the Glebe Meadow away from him, he would have had not the rector taken the Glebe meadow away from him, he would have purchased the cottage adjacent to it and remained in the village, every inch of which, though blind, he knew by heart and touch. Official inspection Next came sanitary inspector, medical officer of health, government inspector and other officials to inspect the strike school. Sanitary inspector passed arrangements as satisfactory.

Medical officer of health condemned the strike school building as unsafe and unfit to educationally house the children in. So he reported to the district council. But the district council declined to interfere, lest, as one of their members put it, they should burn their fingers, or, as yet another member said, Stir up a Hornet's Nest. A distinct score for the Strike School. Further, the chairman of the Depoy District Council, Mr. Everson, visited the Strike School on a very wet, cold day,

and reported to his council that, the room was warm and comfortable, and the children were happy at their lessons. The registers were regularly marked. And he added that in his opinion, the parents of Burston were but exercising their right to send their children to whatever school they liked. This was a distinct score for the strike school. This establishment of the parents' rights.

has never since been questioned. The government inspector also appeared to be quite satisfied with the educational work that was being done at the school, though no school or public report was issued by him. Anyway, the school has gone on for over two years since his visit, without interference or further inspection by the Board of Education. The If and When Committee Then the Norfolk Education Committee appointed that which has been jocularly referred to

as the If and When Committee. This was a committee composed of the chairman of the county council, the chairman of the Education Committee, and one or two others to take such steps as they may think fit. If and when they think they think. thought necessary. But for this fateful announcement, nothing further has ever been heard of this remarkable committee. End of Section 8. Section 9 of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden. This Libre box recording is in the public domain. Chapter 6. The Clamour of Labor Organisations

The last thing heard from the Education Committee was their rejection of Mr Henderson's proposal for a conference of three aside, and the scornful reference of Mr Towler, a member of the committee, to that offer as being the result of the clamour of labour organisations. Mr. Towler was himself at one time when election fever ran high, a member of the Agricultural Laborers Union, and may one day again be anxious to secure the votes of the labourers, either for himself or for some of his radical friends. Sox for the schoolmaster Time and space forbids one to tell of a recruiting meeting held at Burstyn,

to which a company of soldiers were invited from Disman, by a leading Burstam farmer, one of the churchwardens, and how some score or so of soldiers came armed with clubs to give that expletive schoolmaster socks, as they declared as they passed through the village on their way to the meeting. A corporal of the company confessed the whole business to Mr Higden a day or two afterwards, and expressed on behalf, of his comrades and himself their deep regret for having been misled by their informant.

Who had, he said, let the schoolmaster down to the lowest, and said that he was opposed to recruiting, etc, etc. Thus they had come to the meeting, expecting to find the schoolmaster as an interrupter, instead of which they found him in the chair, For, notwithstanding the presence at the meeting of the rector of Burstyn and the rector of the neighbouring parish of Gissing, the Burstern folk assembled would have no one but the schoolmaster to preside over the meeting. The principal organiser of the meeting, a well-known Norwich socialist, had also fixed upon Mr Higden as chairman of the meeting.

Thus the soldiers found no occasion for the use of their clubs. The churchwarden was not present, for fear of the blows he had hoped to bring down upon other heads than his own. A disgusted coroner. Yet another dastardly attempt to wreck the strike school was made by a mean and spiteful endeavour to fasten the death of a little girl upon the. her attendance at the strike school, notwithstanding the doctor's evidence to the contrary.

The child had died of meningitis. An adjournment was demanded by the farmers present at the inquest, and a post-mortem examination was ordered, much to the pain and mortification of the parents. The plot utterly failed, and brought nothing but contempt upon the authors of it. I have attended many inquests in my time, but never one like this before, said the coroner to Mr Higden as he left the village. This child, a dear little girl, belonged to Mr George Derbidge, the jovial chairman of the first meeting ever held. on Burst and Common. Derbidge is now in the Army Service Corps. Further attempted evictions. Of victimisations and evictions, there have been no end, yet nothing like so many as there would have been if the rector could have had his way. It is a well-known fact that the rector

wrote to the owner of the cottage occupied by Mr Noah Sandy with a view to getting Mr Sandy turned out and that the rector also asked to be allowed to take over a row of three cottages occupied by strikers and strike sympathizers and supporters with a view to turning all these people out his object from first to last appears to have been to turn by compulsion the whole parish into a sort of church colony

of grovelling imbeciles, in perfect civility and subserviency to his own despotic and idiotic will. A solitary and pathetic figure. To the accomplishment of this object, the dismissal and banishment of the Higdens was first of all necessary. The parents, children and people have burst in generally, with the exception only of a few farmers, having by the school strike stood between him and his victims, and thus prevented their exile, his plan has largely failed. This failure, with all the falsehood, slander, spleen, menace to liberty and justice, etc., connected with it, has covered its author with shame, hatred and contempt.

Even his one-time ardent and angry farmer supporters are now forsaking him as rats leave a sinking ship. A solitary and pathetic figure, indeed, he looks as he appears in the precincts of the Dispolice Court to press his application for an order for the eviction of the tenants Ling and Garnham, whose sons are fighting in the war. A Girl Hunt His later act in asking for and obtaining a warrant for the arrest of the girl Edith Moore, aged 16, of late in service at the rectory, in order that she may be locked up and brought to court

to give evidence of service of notice on the tenants, speaks for itself. Neither the brave girl nor her noble parents desired to assist the rector in the eviction of the tenants from their holdings, and were so determined not to assist him that to evade arrest the girl had taken refuge in flight. The mother of another girl in service at the rectory, when she heard that the rector had taken her daughter to court, immediately set off, walked. to diss and brought the girl out of court. An all-round fight for freedom. The fight for the glebe, with all its incidents and details, both tragic and amusing, and in all its stages and bearings upon freedom, justice, religion and the rural problem,

will make a fairly complete story in itself when that fight is ended. It cannot further be written here now, except to add that since the girl Moore could not be found to give first-hand evidence, the magistrates on January the 12th, 1916 at Disse fell back upon the secondary evidence they had previously rejected, and granted the rector's application to evict in 21 days. As in the case of the dismissed teachers, directly out of which case this Glebe case has arisen, all the principles of socialism are involved. Both fights should therefore be well fought out to the end. Since the above was written, the tenants, Ling and Garnham, have each been allowed by the county court judge, a claim of 10 shillings damages against the rector for illegal entry prior to obtaining an eviction order. The rector's party had entered the holding at night and thrown the tenant's goods and chattels onto the roadside. Widespread Revolt

The Burst and School Strike has been referred to as a village in Revolt. It is that, and more than that, much more than that. That which really made the school strike possible, and that which, underneath and at the bottom of other sources or beginnings of the strike, actually brought the strike about, was Mr Higden's labourer's union work, work which extended over a very large district, embracing many villagers.

The feeling of revolt was widespread. The work left behind in the Wood-Dorling District was simply taken up by Mr Higden and continued in the Burston District. From the time that Mr Higden, cycling over from Wood-Dorling to Burston, on the first Sunday after his removal to the latter place, called in at the Farrier's Arms, Carlton Road,

for rest and refreshment. And finding some labourers there, talked to them about the labourers' union, and undertook to come over from Burston and help them to form themselves into a branch, which, with the cooperation of Comrade Smith of Wyndham, he did. This agitation went on until labourers' union branches were formed at Carlson Road, Burston, Shellfinger.

Winfarting, Gissing, Tivetchall, Kenninghall, Old Buckingham, Tibbonham, Billingford, Hoxon, Mulbarton and Diss, Mr Higden having arranged for the formation of the greater number of these branches, and been present and spoken at the inauguration of each of them. The work did not stop there, but resolutions demanding increases in wages, have, from time to time, been put through these branches and reported in the local newspapers, the whole district at the same time, seething with unrest and agitation, until these demands have been met. According to many local reports from the members of these branches, Mr Higden has been generally regarded by the farmers as being the cause and originator of all this disconnect.

and agitation, and has been frequently referred to by them as that bloody or damned schoolmaster from Burston. The labourers must rule. Mr Higden has always in his speeches to the labourers made a great point of the workers taking matters into their own hands, becoming their own masters and governors, capturing the parish councils, district councils, county councils and parliament for themselves, a point which has met with much response. Consequently, when the trouble arose at Burstown, the blood of the labourers, not only at Burstown, but over a very wide area, and indeed throughout Norfolk generally, was up. and had the officials of the labourers' union given the rank and file a lead in the matter,

the fight would have been a big one, a fight involving all the fundamentals, issues and opportunities of rural trade unionism, for which the union stands. The burst and school strike has certainly shown the way, and by so doing, has come into tangible grip, with all the petty tyrannies, oppressions, religious hypocrisies, individual and class privileges, which exist in the country districts. Though the inhabitants of other villages flocked to Burstown on Sundays, no attempt was made to carry the fight to their doors. Consequently, this greater upheaval did not take definite shape, but it was there all the same. Deep, deep, down in the labourer's hearts and lives and in their slavish conditions.

Well, they know that the victimisation of Mr and Mrs Higden, Messrs Ling, Garnham and others at Burston, is their own victimisation also, and they are still only waiting for the word of action from their leaders. Labourers Parish Council's constructive work. Meanwhile, Mr Higden has, for two years since the strike began, gone on with his voluntary work in the Labourers' Union, on the Burst & Parish Council, and in the Strike School, just as if nothing unusual had happened. There have been meetings held in the Council Schoolroom, on housing, charity trustee reform, etc., at which the rector has been beaten, or, along the line, until, so far as these parish meetings are concerned, he has been beaten, clean off the field, and now never dares to venture out to any such meeting.

His recent wretched victory over his gleeved tenants will not help him much. Thus, in the matter of housing, housing scheme sanctioned by local government board after a long and stiff fight, upkeep of footpaths, bridges, etc, charity committee democratic reform, by which the rector and churchwardens were removed from such committee, as well as in the matter of education. The work at Burston has been, if somewhat of a destructive nature, nevertheless of a very constructive kind. Beautiful Some of the most beautiful things in this struggle

have been the wonderful endurance, self-sacrifice and devotion of the parents who, from their own small stores and at considerable expense to themselves, especially during the first year of the strike, brought vegetables, bread, eggs, cakes, confections, furniture and books for the school, etc. Thus sparing expense to the teachers in order that they might be able to hold out longer.

Laterally, the letters and subscriptions of sympathising comrades in other parts of the country have been a source of deep inspiration and great encouragement. The letters, many of them written by working men and women, are marvels of human sympathy

and intelligence, moving one to tears, and tears again, to read. These letters deserve to go down to history as full and sufficient proof of the already largely accomplished redemption and regeneration of mankind, and of the deep, unselfish sympathy of the human heart. The Great Issues Ah! it is this miracle of endurance, wrought by hardship and heaven, of these dear brave working men and women of Burstyn,

which has inspired the writers of these beautiful letters. It is this same miracle of endurance, which must at length appeal to a sufficient number of people to make this conscientious stand against falsehood, injustice and oppression, finally effective, and successful in its object. There is not a principle or practice of truth or true religion, of common or individual justice,

of personal or political liberty, of trade unionism or socialism, which is not involved in the issues of this fight. While the whole rural problem of the land and the labourer, and consequently of education, social and industrial progress generally, will be largely and vitally affected by the results of this Burst and School strike and Glebe Evictions fight. Thanks infinite and inexpressible are due to our good friend

and comrade Casey of the Labour leader who has so nobly championed the Burst and cause during the past year. And to Mr George Lansbury, editor of the Herald, who, with his well-known generosity and goodness of heart, has also ably assisted us in obtaining funds,

as well as to Mr. W. Carter of the N-U-R, who, with his noble band of railwaymen, has done wonders in popularising the strike, also to several broads, of the Laborers Union, whose members have voluntarily subscribed. And now, chiefly through the efforts of Mr. Frederick Roberts of Northampton, a national committee has been formed with a view to initiating a scheme for the continuance of the work on a sound basis.

God Save the People End of Section 9 End of the Burst and Rebellion by Thomas George Higden.