The Children's Hour was a periodical of 16 pages produced by the Education Department of South Australia for distribution in the State's primary schools, first published in 1889.[1] Oliver David Jones (died 1933) was principal contributor and editor from March 1892 to April 1912.[2] The magazine was started at the instigation of John Anderson Hartley (died 1896), South Australian Inspector-General of Education, and price per copy was one halfpence,[3] soon increased to one penny ("still cheaper than an English import"). Assistant Inspector-General Charles Lawrence Whitham (died 1908) was the first editor of the magazine,[4] which was generally well received.[5]

The magazine was intended for supplementary reading and recreation, supplying impeccably-written up-to-date information on current events appropriate to schoolchildren, with an emphasis on patriotism and good citizenship,[6] as well as stories, plays and poems, often introducing unfamiliar words to extend the child's vocabulary. Also included were a pot-pourri of jokes, puzzles and anecdotes of an "improving" nature. The editor was the source of most material and inclusion of contributions by schoolchildren was exceedingly rare. A reproduction of a famous painting was usually printed on the cover, otherwise it contained no illustrations.[1] Aquila Monk (1851–1914), headmaster of the Goolwa school, provided chess problems.[7]

Bertie S. Roach (died 1944), lecturer in history and literature and headmaster at Walkerville school and much else,[8] also served as editor from 1906 to 1915, when he was appointed Inspector of Schools.[9]

Phebe Watson was editor from 1931. When Adelaide Miethke retired as Inspector of Girls' Schools in June 1941, she took up editorship the following month.[10]

In the 1950s a braille version of The Children's Hour was made available to blind children at Townsend House slightly ahead of the printed version to other schools.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "Catering For 50,000 Young". The Advertiser (Adelaide). South Australia. 18 August 1937. p. 8. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove.
  2. ↑ "Mr O. D. Jones". The Border Watch. Vol. LI, no. 4995. South Australia. 30 December 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "The Education System". The Weekly Times (Melbourne). No. 1, 338. Victoria, Australia. 30 March 1895. p. 27. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ ""The Children's Hour"". The Herald (Adelaide). Vol. X, no. 443. South Australia. 4 April 1903. p. 9. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ ""The Children's Hour"". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LVIII, no. 17, 954. South Australia. 29 April 1916. p. 13. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "The Children's Hour". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXVI, no. 20, 143. South Australia. 3 June 1911. p. 12. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Notes". The Observer (Adelaide). Vol. LXIV, no. 3, 447. South Australia. 26 October 1907. p. 48. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove. Properly spelled Monks, he was a member of the pioneering Monks family of Littlehampton and Mount Barker.
  8. ↑ "The S.A. Treasurer". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXXIX, no. 26, 103. South Australia. 25 August 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "Appointment of School Inspector". Port Pirie Recorder and North Western Mail. No. 244. South Australia. 29 January 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via Trove.
  10. ↑ "New Editor". The Mail (Adelaide). Vol. 30, no. 1, 514. South Australia. 31 May 1941. p. 7. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ "Good Morning". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. 96, no. 29, 824. South Australia. 17 May 1954. p. 2. Retrieved 31 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
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