.---- --------- I arion of AND INTER--ISLAND ADVERTISER. Onward/ Skye! Queen of the West! November 1951. Price 6d. No. 10. We do not, however, wish to gloat over the EDITORIAL. !lis of t~e past. This is our day, and it behoves everyone of us to rise as one to the opportunity Ere thls issue of " The Clarion " comes to th.e open to us to Jmpress upon the authorities in reader, the people of GTeat Britain wil-l have power the immedriate urgency of the stern reality decided by their votes who is to be the Govern­ of depopulation. At the same time, great expan­ ing P a-rty. Whatever party takes office, there will sion in light indus·try should follow the po•wer remain with us in Skye, if -not drastically atten­ now in course of being cir.cuited to each rural ded to,-yes, s-)r, if not seen to within the next village. Decentralisation must take place on a two years-DEPOPUL.A!TION, that gloomy ogre wide scale; vilLage hfe must be restoxed quickly of a century, whose tentacles, unsheathed, sweep and on a large scale. The schools must retaa n the rural provinces of this Is·land of its young the over twelves so that the young will not be men and . womanhood. Even if alone, "The encouraged to leave their hOiilles. Industry must Clarion of Skye " will from now on explore every be brought to them, not they to industry. The possible avenue by which this remorseless foe can Nabori's pride lies not in the streets of the mighty be brought to bay. Therefore, the Editor ,invites town but in the healthy ra-ce of the countryside. from inside and outside Skye expressed opinions of co nstructive means that will contribute towards Pessimists may say these suggestfons are fan­ brin g•ing the population up to at least 15,000 . tastic b\,lt there C•an not be a better investment than the preservation of the race of the Scottish At the last census, we did not have 10,000. North West, equally at home on the mountain There are some who argue that the Island can­ and sea, indispensa-ble to the defence of the great no t support more. Sheer nons~nse , it certainly country of which they are proud to be citizens­ can! Here are some annual figures which may Great Brita-i n! be news to so.me. The income f·rom. the Island's livestoc.k indus­ * * * try is estimated at £126,000, to which State subs-idies The " Clarion " wishes every success to the fol- a d ~ s~me £60,000--this is annually. Of the Is­ lowing former pupils of Portr.ee Secondary School, land 's 447 ,000 acres o£ agricultural land, 5600 are who have now entered Alberdeen University: -Mr tilled ; 17,000 acres ar e under rotation or perman­ Graham Macdonald of Edinbane (Medic·ine), Mr Ian ent grasses, and the rest, 424,000 acres, are rough Cam p bell of Portree (Planter's Course}, and also to graz,ings. Miss AH~ e Macleod of Rarasay, a former pupil of In 1924 there were 2256 crofts in Skye, of Inverness Academy. who has entered the Aberdeen which 2175 were rented at less than £8 per annum, Physical Tra ining College. the largest of these not carrying more than four cows and 50 sheep, with folLowers. There are 21 11 11 fal'ms of 100 acres or more. In the old days, The Stone of Destiny i·t is on record, 40,000 head of cattle used to be exported from S·kye each year. In 1755, the population · of Skye was 11,000 A CORRECTION and r.ose to 23,000 by 1840. In the years up to 'l'he Editor deeply regrets that the name of 1870, the evictions cleared people off the land. It Mr Seton Gordon, C.B.E., ap}Jea.red under this is remarka.ble to note that f•rom a couple driven article in No. 9 issue of "The Clarion." The from Suish.nish Strath to New Zealand in 1844, 11 a rticle was from the pen of the Editor, and Mr g ~ands o n s and 27 great grandsons took part in the Seton Gordon was in no way associated with F1rst and Second World Wars respectively. it. 2 THE CLARION OF SKYE Letters to the Editor ren to another school than pay a teacher? Judg·ing by the Iitberal ouHay on conveyance of children in Skye to Central Schools, I doubt it! Besides CLOSING RURAL SCHOOLS. what guaraJJJtee have Island parents that this ma; Sir.-As a parent, I have given this problem not be repeated In other areas before long? It much anxious thought. From general conversa­ used to be the case, I think, that while there were tions and various press reports, I have noticed that a:t least three or four children attending a school it was kept open. Who knows but that soon ~ many adverse gwurps are pertur:bed about the ulti­ school with eight to ten pupils or more may be mate effect of this scheme, obviously blue-printed considered redundant and •itS pupils be Whisked for urban areas. Like so many new schemes. it off to .so me central mass-·productioil unit, as the may loo·k good on pa.per and in official files, but overall schoo1 population dec!Lnes and s.pace be­ comes available in class-rooms and buses. How it flops pHifully when applied to rural l'lfe. If many more small schools will close in Skye and the grumbling dissaJ1Jisfaction which is growing elsewhere in the County in the next ten years say? more insistent and widespread weekly can be brought to bear strongly in the proper quarters­ Y.ou can work it out for yourself. At the and you. Sir, have started the baJIJ rolling in Skye­ Education Se~tion of the British Assoc~ation held the whole creaking structure may show even ·wider in Edinrburgh in August, the Inver.ness-shire Dir­ crackls. and how many parents would mourn Its ector i.s reported to have paid tribute to the teach­ final ddssolution? I1 seems that children are en­ ers in small rural schools, saying that the sole couraged to leave school as soon as they reach the teacher is without doubt the heroine of the Educa­ age of fifteen-happy birthday !-instead orf wait­ tional world. What a pity that he should also ing for the next holidays as we had to do. It have to state that in the past 14 years up to would seem that the "planners " have grown tired August, 1951, fifty schools hav.e been closed in of their own " pet " and would like to shorten Inv-erness-shire alone because of depopulation. the days! Now another has been added as already men­ tioned, within two months. What has happen­ The Director of Education for Caithness is re­ ed to all the heroines whose influence had to ported in the Press as saying that at fourteen, be withdra·wn from so many areas. Must an pupils are frustrated because they cannot lea-ve average of nearly four schools )ler year be closed school. If purphls don't want to stay on you won't in our county? Does the Educationa-l master­ pian of centralisation help to stem the tide? get thern to learn, he adds. That is the view of On the contrary, we know only too well Jt a very responsible official who has to work the has already aggrav-ated the Hl. Two-teacher scheme, and it seems poor praise from official schools have to be reduced to one-teacher, and quarters for the benefits of centraUsation! It one-tea·c her schools eventually closed, as the suggests that the extra year is worse than wasted older children are removed. As you say, the and causes harm at a very impressiona-ble age, as children lose their interest in their own immediate the following statement will prove. Where d.oes 1ocal surroundlings, and compete directly against the evidence come from now? From a very re­ their " ain folk" in many communal activities. sponsi•ble conference M the Scottish Society for The small schools are but shadows of their past Adult Education held in Inverness recently. A •Selves aJpart altogether ..from depQpulat.ion, while County Council de'legate g.ave it as hls considered the Central Schools are often overcrowded. In opinion that the raising of the school leaving age many areas older children leave their home be­ has retarded the interests of further educatjon by fore 8 a.m .. and are not prQperly settled back at at least m:,o years. It is a tremendous job in the horne till 5.30 p.m., a period much longer than the North of Scotland, he says, inducing people to come average man's working day. Think of them shiver­ back for more education after they leave school. ing in VV1inter at open road-crossings in heavy rain What a pitiful reflection on the efforts being made and tearing winds in the early morning dark. to induce our young folk to stay in the glens and The Head of a certain well-known school, recently islands by offering them classes of such varied suggested in a broadcast that this scheme ·should appeal in Further Education? How can these be given a ten-year trial. That may seem a life­ classes prosper if the youngsters are sickened of time sentence to a child of twelve! Do you educ.ation before they can leave the day schoo•ls? not think the idea has already been sufficiently Last week the Director of Education for tested at too great a cost.