tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51999174409486110782024-02-20T13:11:38.148-08:00Blog Pusat SumberBermulanya 1957Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-5889768455686437872011-09-21T21:57:00.000-07:002011-10-12T22:43:01.482-07:00NKRABab 5<br />MEMBANGUN DAN MENGEKALKAN MODAL INSAN BERTARAF DUNIA<br /><br />Modal insan merupakan pelaburan terpenting bagi pembangunan sesebuah negara dan menjadi teras kepada inovasi dan ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi yang produktif. Tidak ada negara mampu mencapai kemajuan tanpa memiliki modal insan cemerlang yang berkemahiran tinggi, boleh bertindak balas dengan pantas dan kreatif terhadap perubahan ekonomi, dan berpaksikan kepada penjanaan dan penggunaan pengetahuan. <br />Oleh itu, membangun, menarik dan mengekalkan modal insan bertaraf dunia merupakan prasyarat penting bagi mencapai hasrat negara.<br /><br />Kelayakan pendidikan yang tinggi bagi menyokong pembangunan pengetahuan dan inovasi, tahap kemahiran yang tinggi dalam bidang teknikal dan profesional, serta paras produktiviti yang tinggi adalah antara ciri utama modal insan dan tenaga kerja negara berpendapatan tinggi. Berdasarkan ciri ini, usaha perlu ditumpukan bagi mencapai tahap modal insan bertaraf dunia menjelang tahun 2020. Carta 5-1 menunjukkan tahap modal insan Malaysia pada masa kini berbanding dengan beberapa negara berpendapatan tinggi berasaskan ciri tersebut.<br />Carta 5-1<br />Keperluan Malaysia untuk merapatkan jurang perbezaan bagi mencapai ciri modal insan bertaraf dunia.<br /><br />Tenaga buruh mahir: 2%, 2008<br />Produktiviti pekerja: US$ PPP3’000 setiap pekerja, 2009<br />Tenaga buruh dengan pendidikan tertiari: 1%, 2007 <br />Negara Malaysia (2009)<br />Singapura<br />Republik Korea<br />Finland<br />Amerika <br />Syarikat<br />Australia<br />United Kingdom<br />Hong Kong<br />Purata OECD = 37.6 <br />Purata OECD = 27.4 <br />Purata OECD = 64.8<br /> <br />Pendidikan tertiari adalah tahap pendidikan selepas menamatkan pendidikan menengah, iaitu selepas 11-12 tahun persekolahan wajib. Kolej, universiti, institut kemahiran/teknologi dan politeknik merupakan institusi utama yang menyediakan pendidikan tertiari.<br />Pengurusan, profesional dan pekerjaan mahir lain<br /><br />Pelarasan ke atas Pariti Kuasa Beli <br />SUMBER: Statistik Pendidikan Bank Dunia, Economic Intelligence Agency, Pertubuhan Buruh Antarabangsa, Korea International Labour Foundation, <br />Singapore Ministry of Manpower, US Bureau of Labour Statistics<br />23.4 <br />28.0 <br />26.6<br />60.8<br />52.9<br />66.5<br />92.9<br />71.7<br />67.2<br />78.6<br />51.0<br />29.3<br />43.8<br />36.3<br />42.9<br />42.5<br />36.0<br />35.9<br />35.0<br />34.8<br />34.1<br />32.7<br />31.9<br />25.6195<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br /><br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia <br />Masih terdapat jurang yang luas untuk Malaysia mencapai modal insan bertaraf dunia dan risiko untuk ketinggalan semakin bertambah. Beberapa kajian antarabangsa menunjukkan prestasi pelajar Malaysia merosot berbanding dengan pelajar negara lain. Mengikut Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)<br /><br />2007, lebih kurang 20% daripada pelajar Malaysia gagal mencapai tanda aras minimum dalam Matematik dan Sains, berbanding dengan hanya <br />5% dalam Sains <br />7% dalam Matematik <br />pada tahun 2003. <br /><br />Di samping itu, tenaga kerja secara relatifnya adalah tidak mahir. Sebanyak 77% daripada tenaga kerja hanya mempunyai pendidikan asas selama 11 tahun, iaitu Sijil <br />Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) atau setaraf dengannya dan hanya 28% daripada guna tenaga dalam kumpulan pekerjaan berkemahiran tinggi.<br />Kekurangan modal insan mahir akan menjadi lebih meruncing dalam persaingan global yang sengit memandangkan modal insan berkualiti <br />TIMSS menyediakan perbandingan dalam pencapaian Matematik dan Sains di peringkat antarabangsa dari semasa ke semasa bagi pelajar yang mengikuti lapan tahun persekolahan. Pada tahun 2007, sebanyak 59 buah negara menyertai kajian ini dan akan tertarik ke negara yang menyediakan peluang paling baik. Negara Asia seperti Republik Korea dan Singapura telah berjaya menjadi negara maju dalam tempoh satu generasi. Kejayaan ini adalah hasil daripada penentuan yang jitu dan teliti terhadap sektor keutamaan yang perlu diberi fokus di samping memberi tumpuan kepada usaha membangun, meningkatkan kemahiran dan menghasilkan modal insan yang diperlukan bagi <br />memacu pertumbuhan sektor ekonomi tersebut. <br />Pembangunan modal insan bertaraf dunia di Malaysia memerlukan usaha yang comprehensif dan bersepadu daripada sektor awam dan swasta serta masyarakat. Sehubungan ini, kolaborasi antara pelbagai kementerian dan sektor swasta perlu diperkukuhkan untuk meningkatkan keberkesanan pembangunan modal insan dan memanfaatkan semua lapisan masyarakat. Pendekatan holistik akan memenuhi <br />keperluan setiap rakyat Malaysia di sepanjang peringkat kehidupan.<br /><br />Carta 5-2<br />Rangka kerja pembangunan modal insan yang bersepadu bagi Malaysia<br />Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak<br />Prasekolah Pendidikan Asas<br />Pendidikan Tertiari<br />Universiti / Kolej<br />Politeknik<br />Kolej Komuniti<br />Institusi Pendidikan<br />Teknikal dan Latihan Vokasional (TEVT)<br />Alam Pekerjaan<br />Pesara/ Kerjaya Kedua<br /><br />Tema ▪ Mengarusperdanakan dan memperluas TEVT ▪ Meningkatkan kompetensi siswazah<br />▪ Mempercepat penyusunan semula pasaran pekerjaan<br />▪ Menarik dan mengekal bakat terbaik<br />▪ Meningkatkan kemahiran tenaga kerja sedia ada<br />Umur 0+ 4+ 5+/6+ 17+ 20+<br />Merombak sistem pendidikan untuk meningkatkan prestasi pelajar dengan signifikan<br />Meningkatkan kemahiran untuk meningkatkan kebolehpasaran <br />Menyusun semula pasaran pekerjaan untuk mengubah Malaysia ke arah negara berpendapatan tinggi<br /><br />SUMBER: Unit Perancang Ekonomi<br />▪ Memastikan setiap kanak–kanak boleh berjaya<br />▪ Menjadikan sekolah bertanggungjawab terhadap prestasi pelajar<br />▪ Membuat pelaburan ke atas pemimpin unggul di setiap sekolah<br />▪ Meningkatkan daya tarik profesion keguruan dan menghasilkan guru terbaik<br /><br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh <br />(2011-2015), Kerajaan akan mengguna pakai rangka kerja pembangunan modal insan yang <br />bersepadu, seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta 5-2. Rangka kerja ini akan meningkatkan <br />pengetahuan dan kemahiran rakyat di sepanjang kitar hayat, bermula daripada pendidikan awal kanak-kanak, pendidikan asas, pendidikan tertiari sehingga ke alam pekerjaan dengan melaksanakan strategi berikut: <br />• Merombak sistem pendidikan untuk meningkatkan prestasi pelajar dengan signifikan; <br />• Meningkatkan kemahiran rakyat untuk meluaskan kebolehpasaran; dan<br />• Menyusun semula pasaran pekerjaan untuk menjadikan Malaysia negara berpendapatan tinggi. <br /><br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br /><br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br /><br />Pengalaman mengagumkan tentang pertumbuhan dan pemodenan Republik Korea melalui pembangunan modal insan Pada masa kini, Republik Korea merupakan sebuah negara maju dalam semua aspek. Ekonomi Republik Korea mencecah satu trillion dolar dan merupakan ekonomi yang ke-13 terbesar di dunia. KDNK per kapita menyaingi kebanyakan negara maju yang lain. Republik Korea juga maju dalam bidang teknologi dan kadar penembusan jalur lebar yang tertinggi di dunia, iaitu lebih 90%. Prestasi pelajar Republik Korea juga sentiasa berada di kedudukan terbaik dalam kalangan negara yang mempunyai pencapaian tertinggi dalam penilaian pelajar di peringkat antarabangsa seperti Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) dan Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) dan Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).<br />Pencapaian ini amat menarik. Namun apa yang lebih menakjubkan ialah kepantasan Republik Korea membangun daripada sebuah negara yang musnah akibat peperangan kepada negara kuasa besar ekonomi. Setengah abad lalu, Republik Korea yang mempunyai ramai tenaga kerja berkos murah telah menjadikan pendidikan dan pembangunan modal insan sebagai satu kerja berkos murah telah menjadikan pendidikan dan pembangunan modal insan sebagai satu cara meningkatkan produktiviti bagi melonjak pembangunan dan mencapai status negara maju. Republik Korea menyedari bahawa untuk bersaing di peringkat global, perlu diwujudkan sistem pendidikan yang dapat memastikan semua pelajar disokong dan boleh berjaya tanpa sistem pendidikan yang dapat memastikan semua pelajar disokong dan boleh berjaya tanpa mengenepikan pelajar yang berprestasi rendah.<br /><br />Bagi mencapai matlamat ini, Republik Korea memberi tumpuan kepada pengukuhan pendidikan di semua peringkat, dari sekolah rendah sehingga universiti dan latihan kemahiran. Inisiatif yang diambil termasuk bukan sahaja menjadikan pendidikan sekolah peringkat menengah sebagai pendidikan wajib, tetapi mempercepat pengukuhan pendidikan teknikal dan latihan menerusi kerjasama erat dengan chaebol dan syarikat-syarikat besar di Republik Korea seperti menubuhkan universiti korporat sebagai institusi pembelajaran sepanjang hayat. Pelaburan yang besar telah dibuat dalam pendidikan tertiari. Pada masa kini, jumlah enrolmen di institusi pengajian tinggi awam dan swasta dianggarkan seramai 3.6 juta pelajar. Di samping itu, Kerajaan <br />Republik Korea merekayasa keseluruhan sistem pendidikan untuk menyediakan modal insan yang diperlukan oleh industri yang diberi keutamaan.<br /><br />Malaysia telah mencapai kemajuan besar dalam sistem pendidikan dengan kadar literasi dalam kalangan orang dewasa sekitar 92% dan enrolmen pendidikan rendah yang universal serta merupakan antara negara yang menikmati kadar pertumbuhan enrolmen <br />sekolah menengah yang terpantas. Pendidikan bukan hanya merupakan hak asasi manusia, <br />malah amat penting kepada perkembangan ekonomi. Prestasi pendidikan yang rendah <br />memberi kesan negatif kepada masa depan negara memandangkan tahap pendidikan yang <br />tinggi berkait rapat dengan kadar pertumbuhan ekonomi. Sekiranya tahap pendidikan negara tidak ditingkatkan ke peringkat piawaian antarabangsa, serta jurang pencapaian sekolah tidak dikurangkan, Malaysia akan ketinggalan dalam pendidikan dan kehilangan daya saing pada masa hadapan.<br />Prestasi pelajar akan terus ditanda aras dengan penilaian dan piawaian antarabangsa. Bagi memastikan pencapaian dan peningkatan pelajar diukur secara objektif dan konsisten dengan negara lain, Malaysia akan mengambil bahagian dalam Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) di samping meneruskan penyertaan dalam TIMSS. TIMSS dan PISA adalah dua alat pengukuran perbandingan pencapaian pelajar yang diiktiraf tinggi di peringkat global. Dalam penilaian terkini, 59 negara telah menyertai TIMMS pada tahun 2007, dan 65 negara menyertai PISA pada tahun 2009. Dalam tempoh Rancangan, Kementerian Pelajaran (KPM) akan menjalankan penilaian dan kajian semula sistem pendidikan secara komprehensif dengan memberikan tumpuan khusus kepada peningkatan keberkesanan pelaksanaan program pendidikan.<br /><br />Usaha untuk merombak sistem pendidikan akan berpandu kepada Falsafah Pendidikan Negara yang diperkenalkan pada tahun 1989 dan menjadi asas kepada semua usaha transformasi pendidikan. Matlamat Falsafah ini adalah untuk membangunkan potensi individu secara holistik dan bersepadu bagi melahirkan individu yang seimbang dari segi keupayaan intelek, rohani, emosi dan jasmani. Bagi memperkukuh hasrat Falsafah ini, penekanan yang lebih akan diberi kepada penglibatan dalam aktiviti sukan dan ko-kurikulum sebagai usaha ke arah memupuk pembangunan sahsiah pelajar. Sistem pendidikan negara akan terus menekankan penerapan nilai dan etika yang menjadi asas penting kepada pencapaian Wawasan 2020. Penggunaan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi di sekolah akan dipergiatkan bagi memupuk kreativiti dan inovasi pelajar ke arah melengkapkan mereka dengan kemahiran dan keupayaan terkini yang diperlukan oleh negara berpendapatan tinggi.<br /><br />MEROMBAK SISTEM PENDIDIKAN UNTUK <br />MENINGKATKAN PRESTASI PELAJAR DENGAN <br />SIGNIFIKAN 199<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Kotak 5-2<br />Mempertingkat kualiti pelajar adalah satu daripada enam <br />Bidang Keberhasilan <br />Utama Negara (NKRA) <br />Enam NKRA telah dipilih sebagai bidang keutamaan negara dan rakyat Malaysia. <br />NKRA ini merupakan kombinasi keutamaan jangka pendek dan isu-isu jangka panjang <br />yang memberi kesan kepada rakyat. <br />Bagi membayangkan kepentingannya, NKRA dimiliki secara bersama oleh Jemaah Menteri dan pelaksanaannya dipertanggungjawabkan kepada menteri kanan yang dilantik dan dipantau oleh kanan yang dilantik dan dipantau oleh Perdana Menteri.<br />NKRA pendidikan bertujuan meningkatkan prestasi pelajar dan berteraskan kepada <br />empat bidang: kadar enrolmen prasekolah, sekolah berprestasi tinggi, program <br />Penyaringan Literasi dan Numerasi (LINUS)dan Bai’ah kepada Guru Besar dan <br />Pengetua.<br />Pendidikan adalah satu daripada Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA). NKRA <br />pendidikan merupakan landasan dan titik permulaan dalam usaha menambah baik prestasi <br />pelajar dalam sistem pendidikan peringkat sekolah secara menyeluruh, serta membolehkan mereka mendapat akses kepada pendidikan yang berkualiti.<br />Sistem pendidikan adalah penting untuk memperkukuh daya saing negara dan membangunkan 1Malaysia. Status sekolah kebangsaan akan terus diperkukuhkan bagi <br />menjadikannya sekolah pilihan kepada semua rakyat Malaysia melalui peningkatan piawaian dan merapatkan jurang prestasi antara sekolah kebangsaan.<br />Untuk mempercepat penambahbaikan prestasi pelajar secara berkesan, berterusan dan <br />menyeluruh, Kerajaan tidak akan hanya memberi tumpuan kepada pembangunan fizikal tetapi akan lebih menumpukan kepada aspek yang memberi impak besar kepada prestasi pelajar seperti kualiti guru dan kepimpinan di sekolah. Selaras dengan pengalaman pelaksanaan sistem pendidikan terbaik dunia dan keperluan untuk menghasilkan peningkatan prestasi pelajar yang signifikan, empat strategi akan diguna pakai dalam tempoh Rancangan ini:<br />Memastikan Setiap Kanak-kanak Boleh Berjaya Dalam setiap sistem pendidikan yang unggul, kejayaan setiap pelajar sentiasa menjadi keutamaan. Matlamat ini boleh dicapai melalui dua pendekatan. Pertama, meletakkan sasaran pencapaian yang sama tinggi kepada semua pelajar tanpa mengira latar belakang atau tempat. Pendekatan kedua pula, menerima hakikat bahawa sebahagian pelajar memerlukan sokongan yang lebih untuk mencapai piawaian prestasi yang ditetapkan, terutama bagi mereka daripada kalangan isi rumah 40% terendah. <br />Sehubungan ini, Kerajaan akan terus memainkan peranan yang besar dan memberi komitmen yang sepenuhnya untuk menyerlahkan potensi diri setiap kanak-kanak di Malaysia. <br />Penyediaan Asas Pendidikan yang Kukuh kepada Lebih Ramai Kanak-kanak Pendidikan awal memainkan peranan penting dalam pembinaan minda kanak-kanak dan dapat membantu mengurangkan masalah pembelajaran semasa dan pencapaian pada masa hadapan. <br />Peringkat awal pembelajaran kanak-kanak merupakan tempoh kritikal yang menjadi penentu kepada perkembangan minda individu <br />• Memastikan setiap kanak-kanak boleh berjaya. <br />• Menetapkan harapan yang tinggi kepada semua pelajar tanpa mengira latar belakang dan menyediakan bantuan dan sokongan yang sistematik terutama kepada mereka yang ketinggalan dalam pembelajaran;<br />• Menjadikan sekolah bertanggungjawab terhadap prestasi pelajar. Memberikan autonomi kepada beberapa aspek pengurusan sekolah sebagai ganjaran ke atas peningkatan signifikan pencapaian pelajar;<br />• Membuat pelaburan bagi membangun kepemimpinan unggul di setiap sekolah.<br />Membuat pelaburan yang besar bagi meningkatkan prestasi kepimpinan sekolah sebagai pemangkin utama perubahan menerusi kriteria pemilihan yang ketat, latihan dan Pengurusan prestasi yang mantap berdasarkan prestasi pelajar; dan<br />• Meningkatkan daya tarikan profesion keguruan dan menghasilkan guru terbaik.<br />• Menjadikan profesion keguruan lebih menarik supaya lebih ramai individu berkebolehan tinggi berminat menyertainya, meningkatkan kualiti latihan praktikum, dan Memantapkan pengurusan prestasi serta pembangunan profesional bertaraf dunia yang berterusan.<br /><br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan BertAraf Dunia dan bersifat kumulatif. Sehubungan itu, Kerajaan akan memberi tumpuan untuk meningkatkan dan memperluas pendidikan awal bagi menyediakan asas yang kukuh kepada lebih ramai kanak-kanak supaya mereka boleh berjaya.Pada tahun 2011, program pembangunan awal kanak-kanak berumur empat tahun dan ke bawah (PERMATA), iaitu program bagi melahir dan mendidik ‘permata’ masa hadapan negara, akan diletakkan di bawah tanggungjawab KPM dengan tujuan untuk menyelaras dan mengintegrasikannya ke dalam sistem pendidikan formal. Tumpuan PERMATA adalah kepada kanak-kanak daripada isi rumah berpendapatan bawah RM1,500. Selepas kejayaan program perintis PERMATA yang dilancarkan pada tahun 2007, sebanyak 181 buah pusat PERMATA akan dibina dengan peruntukan RM36 juta dalam tempoh Rancangan. <br />Peningkatan Enrolmen dan Kualiti Prasekolah Kanak-kanak yang mengikuti program prasekolah lebih komited terhadap pendidikan dan memperoleh pendapatan yang lebih tinggi pada masa hadapan2. Pada masa ini, kadar enrolmen prasekolah dalam kalangan kanak-kanak berumur empat dan lima tahun hanyalah sekitar 67%. Memandangkan kepentingan pendidikan prasekolah dan keupayaan negara meningkatkan kadar enrolmen, pendidikan prasekolah telah dijadikan fokus utama di bawah NKRA Pendidikan. Seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam Carta 5-3, program ini bertujuan meningkatkan kadar enrolmen kepada 87% pada tahun 2012 dan 92% pada tahun 2015. Pada masa yang sama, kualiti pendidikan prasekolah akan terus dipertingkatkan. <br />Dalam tempoh 2010–2012, sebanyak RM2 bilion diperuntukkan untuk program ini.<br />Merendahkan Umur bagi Permulaan Persekolahan Dengan pelaksanaan program pembangunan <br />pendidikan awal kanak-kanak, lebih ramai kanak-kanak akan bersedia untuk memasuki sekolah pada umur yang lebih rendah berbanding amalan sekarang. Dalam tempoh Rancangan, umur bagi memulakan persekolahan akan dikurangkan daripada 6+ kepada 5+. <br />Langkah ini adalah selaras dengan amalan di negara maju. Pelaksanaannya akan Dilakukan secara berperingkat dan akan dimulakan dengan sekolah di kawasan luar Bandar dan perladangan terutama di sekolah kurang murid, bagi membolehkan pelajar dari kawasan ini mendapat manfaat daripada asas pendidikan yang kukuh pada peringkat lebih awal.<br />2 <br /> High Scope Perry Pre-School Study, the United States of America (2005)202<br />di peringkat awal sangat penting kerana tanpa kemahiran ini mereka akan menghadapi Kesukaran <br />mengikuti pembelajaran di peringkat selanjutnya. <br />Program Penyaringan Literasi dan Numerasi <br />(LINUS) adalah bertujuan untuk memastikan <br />semua pelajar menguasai asas kemahiran <br />literasi dan numerasi selepas tiga tahun pertama <br />pendidikan sekolah rendah. Bagi melaksanakan <br />program ini, peruntukan sebanyak RM400 <br />juta disediakan dalam tempoh tiga tahun, iaitu <br />2010–2012. Seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta <br />Memastikan Penguasaan Literasi <br />dan Numerasi<br />Peningkatan kadar literasi dan numerasi adalah <br />penting untuk mengurangkan kadar keciciran <br />pelajar berpunca daripada ketidakupayaan <br />mereka untuk mengikuti pembelajaran. Dengan <br />penguasaan kemahiran literasi dan numerasi <br />asas yang kukuh pada peringkat awal <br />persekolahan, kemungkinan berlaku keciciran <br />pelajar daripada sistem persekolahan dapat <br />dikurangkan. Penguasaan literasi dan numerasi <br />Carta 5-3<br />Sasaran jumlah penyertaan dalam<br />kumpulan umur 4+ dan 5+ tahun, %<br />Kadar enrolmen kanak-kanak prasekolah berumur 4+ dan 5+ <br />disasar mencapai 87% pada tahun 2012<br />Jumlah kelas prasekolah yang telah<br />dimulakan 2010<br />315<br />488 500<br />1,353<br />929<br />18,000 kanak-kanak<br />telah mendapat<br />manfaat daripada<br />prasekolah baru<br />SUMBER: Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Pelaksanaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri<br />Sasaran tahun 2010<br />Pencapaian terkini<br />70<br />87<br />80<br />72<br />67<br />Sehingga<br />Jan 2010<br />2011 2010 2009 2012 Swasta Jabatan<br />Perpaduan<br />Negara dan<br />Integrasi<br />Nasional<br />Jabatan<br />Kemajuan<br />Masyarakat<br />Jumlah Kementerian<br />Pelajaran<br />414 315 50 195<br />929203<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />5-4, Program LINUS memberi tumpuan kepada <br />intervensi awal dengan menempatkan fasilitator <br />dan guru pemulihan terlatih di sekolah. Sehingga <br />kini, seramai 15,500 fasilitator dan guru pemulihan <br />telahpun dilatih.<br />Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu <br />dan Memantapkan Penguasaan <br />Bahasa Inggeris <br />Kerajaan akan melaksanakan program <br />Memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu dan <br />Memantapkan Penguasan Bahasa Inggeris <br />(MBMMBI) dalam tempoh Rancangan. Program ini <br />bertujuan memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu sebagai <br />bahasa rasmi dan memantapkan penguasaan <br />bahasa Inggeris untuk memperkukuh daya saing <br />negara. Program ini akan mengguna pakai <br />pendekatan modular yang bersepadu dalam proses <br />pengajaran dan pembelajaran Bahasa Melayu dan <br />akan memperluas pengajaran Kesusasteraan <br />Melayu di peringkat sekolah rendah.<br />Program MBMMBI akan juga memperkukuh <br />Carta 5-4<br />Program LINUS di seluruh negara bertujuan meningkatkan<br />kemahiran literasi dan numerasi murid sekolah rendah<br />1 Program ini memfokus kepada intervensi awal<br />(Tahun 1-3) untuk kemahiran literasi dan<br />numerasi. Program sebelumnya hanya menumpukan<br />kepada kemahiran literasi (KIA2M) atau kepada<br />kanak-kanak di Tahun 4-6 (PROTIM)<br />Meningkatkan nisbah guru pemulihan<br />daripada seorang guru bagi sebuah sekolah<br />kepada seorang guru bagi 15 murid<br />2<br />Pengurusan dan penyeliaan diturun kuasa<br />kepada Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah & <br />dipantau oleh Inpektorat Sekolah. Sebelum ini, <br />dipantau secara berpusat<br />3<br />Guru terbaik akan ditempatkan di Tahun 1 <br />dan 2 iaitu, Program LINUS (bukannya pada<br />tahun peperiksaan iaitu, Tahun 6)<br />4<br />Sokongan profesional untuk guru LINUS<br />melalui fasilitator khusus (FasiLINUS)<br />5<br />100 95 90<br />2010 2011 2012<br />15,500 guru pemulihan<br />dan fasilitator program <br />LINUS dilatih pada<br />tahun 2010<br />Perbezaan program LINUS berbanding program <br />sebelum ini<br />Sasaran Pencapaian Program <br />Literasi dan Numerasi selepas 3 <br />tahun di sekolah rendah<br />%<br />SUMBER: Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Pelaksanaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri204<br />pengajaran dan pembelajaran bahasa Inggeris <br />melalui kurikulum baru dengan memberi <br />penekanan kepada lima bidang utama kemahiran <br />iaitu membaca, mendengar dan berucap, <br />menulis, tatabahasa, dan seni bahasa. Masa <br />yang diperuntukkan untuk pengajaran bahasa <br />Inggeris ditambah daripada 4 jam kepada 5.5 jam <br />seminggu untuk Tahap 1 (Tahun 1 hingga 3), dan <br />daripada 3.5 jam kepada 5 jam untuk Tahap 2 <br />(Tahun 4 hingga 6) di peringkat sekolah rendah.<br />Sebanyak empat daripada 27 buah Institut <br />Pendidikan Guru (IPG) akan menumpukan <br />kepada pengajaran dan pembelajaran bahasa <br />Inggeris kepada guru. Kerajaan akan menilai <br />dan memantau keberkesanan program secara <br />berterusan dan melaksanakan inisiatif untuk <br />meningkatkan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris <br />dalam kalangan pelajar.<br />Akauntabiliti Sekolah <br />Terhadap Prestasi Pelajar<br />Sistem sekolah berprestasi tinggi menetapkan <br />harapan besar kepada sekolah dalam aspek <br />peningkatan prestasi pelajar, pemantauan <br />jurang prestasi dan penyediaan sokongan <br />yang sewajarnya apabila sasaran tidak <br />tercapai. Seterusnya, rombakan kepada sistem <br />pendidikan akan memberi tumpuan yang jelas <br />terhadap prestasi pelajar, dan sekolah akan <br />dipertanggungjawabkan ke atas pencapaiannya.<br />Meningkatkan Prestasi Semua <br />Sekolah melalui Program <br />Peningkatan Kualiti Sekolah Secara <br />Menyeluruh<br />Program Pembangunan Prestasi Sekolah yang <br />dilancarkan pada April 2010 merupakan usaha <br />yang menyeluruh dengan harapan dan cabaran <br />yang tinggi, serta meningkatkan motivasi dan <br />sokongan kepada semua sekolah awam untuk <br />mengukuhkan prestasi pelajar, khususnya sekolah <br />berprestasi rendah yang amat memerlukan <br />bantuan. Program ini mengandungi elemen-<br />elemen berikut:<br />• Penyenaraian Kedudukan Prestasi Sekolah:<br />Setiap tahun semua sekolah akan dinilai dan <br />disusun mengikut kedudukan pencapaian <br />prestasi. Penjelasan terperinci berkenaan <br />penarafan prestasi akan dimaklumkan kepada <br />sekolah untuk meningkatkan pemahaman dan <br />204205<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />ketelusan terhadap kaedah penilaian yang <br />dibuat. Langkah ini bertujuan mendorong <br />sekolah untuk mencapai prestasi yang lebih <br />baik dan membolehkan KPM menyalurkan <br />sumber kepada sekolah yang amat <br />memerlukan sokongan; dan<br />• Pelan dan Instrumen Penambahbaikan <br />Sekolah: Pelan dan Instrumen <br />Penambahbaikan Sekolah akan dilaksana <br />di semua sekolah awam sebagai alat <br />sokongan untuk membantu sekolah membuat <br />penambahbaikan. Instrumen ini akan memberi <br />gambaran menyeluruh kepada guru besar <br />dan pengetua tentang prestasi sekolah <br />masing-masing untuk menentukan isu yang <br />perlu ditangani mengikut keutamaan serta <br />menyediakan pelan tindakan selanjutnya. <br />Sekolah akan merangka pelan penambah-<br />baikan sebagai asas bagi memantau <br />kemajuan dan membantu KPM menyediakan <br />sokongan yang sesuai untuk menjayakan <br />pelan tersebut. <br />Infrastruktur dan kemudahan asas seperti bekalan <br />elektrik, air, sanitasi dan alat bantuan mengajar <br />adalah asas kepada peningkatan prestasi pelajar. <br />Kerajaan komited bagi menyediakan kemudahan <br />dan infrastruktur asas ini kepada semua <br />sekolah. Sebagai sebahagian daripada Program <br />Pembangunan Prestasi Sekolah, Kerajaan <br />akan terus memberi fokus kepada penyediaan <br />kemudahan dan infrastruktur di sekolah yang <br />amat memerlukan sokongan, khususnya sekolah <br />di luar bandar di Sabah dan Sarawak. <br />Peningkatan Prestasi Sekolah <br />melalui Program Sekolah <br />Berprestasi Tinggi<br />Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi (SBT) ditakrif sebagai <br />sekolah yang mempunyai etos dan identiti <br />unik yang boleh mendorong pelajar mencapai <br />kecemerlangan dalam semua aspek pendidikan. <br />Sekolah ini mempunyai budaya kerja yang <br />kukuh dan sentiasa berusaha ke arah mencapai <br />kemajuan berterusan di samping mempunyai <br />jaringan antarabangsa yang kukuh. SBT akan <br />berusaha meningkatkan piawaian sekolah setaraf <br />dengan sekolah terbaik di dunia dan menjadi model <br />kepada sekolah lain serta memberi sokongan <br />melalui rangkaian bimbingan dan latihan.<br />Sejumlah 100 SBT akan dibangunkan menjelang <br />2012 dengan peruntukan sebanyak RM140 <br />juta. Sebanyak 20 SBT telah dikenal pasti <br />seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta 5-5. Sekolah ini <br />diberi status SBT berdasarkan pencapaian dan <br />prestasi mereka yang tekal. Sekolah ini terdiri <br />daripada pelbagai kategori termasuk sekolah <br />rendah, sekolah menengah, sekolah harian dan <br />sekolah berasrama penuh.206<br />Membuat Pelaburan ke atas <br />Pemimpin Unggul di Setiap <br />Sekolah<br />Sistem sekolah berprestasi tinggi memanfaatkan <br />guru besar dan pengetua sebagai penjana <br />perubahan melalui proses pemilihan ketat dan <br />latihan intensif untuk mereka, dan seterusnya <br />memastikan mereka memainkan peranan <br />sebagai pemimpin instruksional yang berkesan. <br />Peningkatan pencapaian guru besar dan <br />pengetua mempunyai kesan positif yang <br />signifikan ke atas pencapaian pelajar. Mereka <br />juga memainkan peranan yang penting dalam <br />merancang, menyelaras dan memantau <br />pengajaran dan pembelajaran di sekolah. <br />Guru besar dan pengetua juga memastikan <br />suasana pembelajaran yang kondusif dengan <br />mengurangkan tekanan dan gangguan luaran, <br />serta mewujudkan persekitaran yang teratur di <br />dalam dan di luar bilik darjah.<br />Carta 5-5<br />Kolej Melayu Kuala Kangsar Perak 1<br />Sekolah Seri Puteri, Cyberjaya Selangor 2<br />Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah W.P Putrajaya 3<br />Kolej Tunku Kurshiah Negeri<br />Sembilan<br />4<br />SMK (P) St. George Pulau Pinang 5<br />Sekolah Tun Fatimah Johor<br />SM Sultan Abdul Halim Kedah 10<br />SMK (P) Sri Aman Selangor 11<br />SMK Sultanah Asma Kedah 12<br />SMS Tuanku Syed Putra Perlis 13<br />14 SMS Muzaffar Shah Melaka<br />Program Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi (SBT): 20 SBT perintis telah<br />diumumkan pada Januari 2010<br />Bil. Sekolah Menengah Negeri<br />Bil. Sekolah Rendah Negeri<br />1 SK Seri Bintang Utara W.P. Kuala <br />Lumpur<br />2 SK Zainab 2 Kelantan<br />3 SK Bandar Uda 2 Johor<br />4 SK Bukit Damansara W.P Kuala <br />Lumpur<br />5 SK Convent Kota Perak<br />6 SK Taman Tun Dr. Ismail 1 W.P. Kuala <br />Lumpur<br />Sasaran bilangan SBT untuk 3 tahun<br />100<br />50<br />20<br />2012 2011 2010<br />SUMBER: Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Pelaksanaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri<br />9<br />Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah 6<br />Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak<br />SMK Aminuddin Baki<br />7<br />8<br />Selangor<br />Negeri<br />Sembilan<br />W.P. Kuala <br />Lumpur207<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Memperkenal Bai’ah atau <br />Tawaran Baru bagi Guru Besar dan <br />Pengetua Sekolah<br />Pendekatan baru dalam pengurusan pencapaian <br />(Tawaran Baru) untuk guru besar dan pengetua <br />yang dimulakan pada 2010 akan memberi <br />ganjaran kewangan dan bukan kewangan bagi <br />mereka yang berprestasi cemerlang. Tawaran Baru <br />ini adalah terpakai kepada semua guru besar dan <br />pengetua di semua sekolah awam di Malaysia.<br /> Pencapaian semua sekolah akan dinilai dan ditaraf <br />mengikut prestasi tahunan berdasarkan kepada <br />markah komposit. Seperti ditunjukkan dalam <br />Carta 5-6, markah komposit ini terdiri daripada <br />Gred Purata Sekolah berasaskan prestasi <br />sekolah dalam peperiksaan awam dan Standard <br />Kualiti Pendidikan Malaysia yang mengukur <br />kualiti pengajaran dan pembelajaran, pengurusan <br />organisasi, pengurusan program pendidikan dan <br />prestasi pelajar dalam aktiviti ko-kurikulum.<br />Carta 5-6<br />Kedudukan sekolah rendah dalam julat prestasi<br />Bai’ah Untuk Guru Besar: Semua sekolah rendah di Malaysia telah<br />diberi penarafan berdasarkan prestasi sekolah<br />Bilangan sekolah rendah<br />Julat prestasi ditetapkan berdasar kepada markah komposit<br />46<br />163<br />509<br />115<br />5<br />45-55<br />6<br />35-45<br />7<br /><35<br />4<br />55-65<br />1,825<br />1<br />>85<br />2<br />75-85<br />1,493<br />3<br />65-75<br />3,465<br />Ringkasan pendekatan<br />penarafan sekolah<br />Gred Purata Sekolah<br />(GPS)<br />Kewajaran 70%<br />SKPM1 Penilaian<br />Sekolah<br />Kewajaran 30%<br />Markah Komposit<br />(Indeks)<br />1 Standard Kualiti Pendidikan Malaysia (SKPM) adalah instrumen piawaian untuk menilai sekolah berasaskan 4 aspek utama (visi dan misi; <br />pengurusan organisasi; program pengurusan pendidikan; dan prestasi murid)<br />SUMBER: Unit Pengurusan Prestasi dan Pelaksanaan, Jabatan Perdana Menteri208<br />Sebanyak 2% guru besar dan pengetua <br />dianggarkan layak menerima ganjaran di bawah <br />program ini pada tahun 2010, dan disasarkan <br />sebanyak 5% pada tahun 2012. Mereka akan <br />diberi ganjaran sekiranya mencapai markah <br />komposit yang telah ditetapkan atau menambah <br />baik pencapaian sekolah. Program ini memberi <br />peluang kepada guru besar dan pengetua untuk <br />menerima ganjaran tanpa mengambil kira prestasi <br />awal sekolah mereka, asalkan sekolah berkenaan <br />menunjukkan peningkatan yang signifikan <br />dalam senarai penarafan prestasi. Di samping <br />itu, dianggarkan 10% guru besar dan pengetua <br />berprestasi rendah akan diberi latihan kemahiran <br />pengurusan sebagai usaha untuk meningkat <br />prestasi mereka. Peruntukan sebanyak RM160 <br />juta akan disediakan untuk program ini dalam <br />tempoh 2010-2012. <br />Peningkatan Sokongan dan <br />Bimbingan kepada Guru Besar dan <br />Pengetua<br />Kepimpinan sekolah memainkan peranan penting <br />dalam memastikan peningkatan prestasi pelajar. <br />Kerajaan menyedari pemimpin adalah kritikal <br />dalam membuat perubahan, oleh itu akan <br />terus mengukuhkan latihan kepimpinan serta <br />memberikan dorongan kepada mereka untuk <br />meningkatkan prestasi. Institut Aminuddin Baki <br />(IAB) adalah institut latihan kepimpinan asas untuk <br />warga pendidik termasuk pengetua, pentadbir <br />dan pegawai pendidikan. IAB menyasarkan <br />untuk melatih sekurang-kurangnya 14,000 orang <br />pemimpin sekolah dan pegawai pendidikan setiap <br />tahun dalam tempoh Rancangan berbanding <br />dengan 8,000 orang pada tahun 2009.<br />Kaedah penyampaian latihan di IAB akan <br />berubah daripada berasaskan syarahan kepada <br />penekanan terhadap pembelajaran berdasarkan <br />pengalaman. Kursus pendidikan dan pengurusan <br />akan dijalankan di kampus dan secara atas talian <br />menggunakan platform e-learning, serta dilengkapi<br />repositori pengetahuan digital. Selain daripada <br />latihan, IAB akan menyediakan perkhidmatan <br />konsultasi dan bimbingan kepada pemimpin <br />sekolah untuk meningkatkan prestasi. Selaras <br />dengan Program Pembangunan Prestasi Sekolah, <br />pakar pembimbing pengetua akan menyediakan <br />bimbingan kepimpinan tambahan dan sokongan <br />kepada sekolah berprestasi rendah.<br />Meningkatkan Daya Tarikan <br />Keguruan dan Menghasilkan <br />Guru Terbaik <br />Kualiti guru merupakan penentu utama kepada <br />prestasi pelajar seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta <br />5-7. Pengalaman daripada sistem sekolah <br />berprestasi tinggi global menunjukkan bahawa 209<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />prestasi pelajar akan hanya boleh ditingkatkan <br />dengan meningkatkan keberkesanan pengajaran <br />dan pembelajaran di bilik darjah. Sistem sekolah <br />berprestasi tinggi berupaya menarik dan menerima <br />hanya calon terbaik sebagai guru, meningkatkan <br />prestasi mereka secara berterusan serta memupuk <br />budaya berprestasi tinggi di sekolah. Dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan, Kerajaan akan mengambil <br />pendekatan yang sistematik untuk meningkatkan <br />kualiti guru baru serta menambah baik kualiti dan <br />profesionalisme guru sedia ada.<br />Mempertingkatkan Kualiti Guru <br />Baru Secara Signifikan<br />Setiap tahun, KPM menerima lebih 175,000 <br />permohonan untuk menyertai profesion keguruan <br />dan 20,000 orang ditempatkan di sekolah. Ramai <br />pemohon tidak mempunyai sikap dan aptitud yang <br />sesuai untuk menjadi guru. Daripada permohonan <br />kemasukan ke program latihan perguruan di IPG <br />pada tahun 2010, hanya 7% mendapat 7A dan ke <br />atas dalam SPM. Bagi Kursus Perguruan Lepasan <br />Carta 5-7<br />▪ Kualiti sistem pendidikan tidak<br />dapat mengatasi kualiti guru<br />▪ Berdasarkan sistem sekolah<br />terbaik di dunia, menambah<br />baik kaedah pengajaran<br />dalam bilik darjah adalah cara<br />terbaik meningkatkan<br />pencapaian pelajar<br />▪ Kualiti guru merupakan<br />penentu utama mengatasi<br />faktor-faktor lain termasuk saiz<br />kelas<br />Kualiti guru merupakan penentu utama prestasi pelajar<br />Kualiti guru lebih mempengaruhi prestasi pelajar<br />berbanding pemboleh ubah lain<br />1 Di antara 20% guru terbaik<br />2 Di antara 20% guru prestasi rendah<br />SUMBER: Kesan Kumulatif dan Sampingan ke atas Pencapaian Pelajar pada Masa Hadapan, Sanders & Rivers; Bagaimana Sistem Sekolah dengan<br />Pencapaian Terbaik Menduduki Tempat Teratas, McKinsey and Co <br />Prestasi pelajar<br />Umur 8 <br />tahun<br />90 peratusan<br />37 <br />peratusan<br />100 peratusan<br />0 peratusan<br />53 mata<br />peratusan<br />Pelajar dengan<br />guru terbaik1<br />Pelajar dengan guru <br />prestasi rendah2<br />Umur 11 <br />tahun<br />50 peratusan<br />Dua pelajar<br />dengan prestasi<br />yang sama210<br />Kotak 5-3 <br />Ijazah pula, hanya 3% pemohon mempunyai <br />purata gred terkumpul 3.5 dan ke atas daripada <br />4.0. Ini menunjukkan profesion keguruan bukanlah <br />pilihan calon cemerlang.<br />Profesion keguruan di Australia atau Singapura <br />sentiasa menjadi pilihan utama siswazah. Di <br />Program ‘Teach for Malaysia’:<br />Kempen untuk menarik pelajar cemerlang<br />‘Teach for All’ adalah enterpris sosial berangkaian global yang beroperasi di beberapa negara yang <br />merekrut siswazah cemerlang dari universiti terkemuka dan pemimpin muda daripada pelbagai disiplin <br />dan kecenderungan kerjaya untuk berbakti sebagai guru selama dua tahun di kawasan mundur. <br />Program ini akan dapat menyediakan lebih ramai guru kepada pelajar yang berlatarbelakangkan <br />sosioekonomi yang rendah mendapat peluang pendidikan yang sepatutnya. Kini, program ‘Teach for <br />America’ telah berkembang dan disertai oleh lebih daripada 20,000 peserta. Rangkaian ‘Teach for <br />All’ juga meliputi pelbagai negara seperti India, Australia, United Kingdom, Jerman dan Peru.<br />Malaysia bercadang untuk melancarkan program Malaysia bercadang untuk melancarkan program ‘Teach for Malaysia’ ‘Teach for Malaysia’ yang berprofil tinggi untuk yang berprofil tinggi untuk <br />menarik siswazah cemerlang dan terbaik mengajar di sekolah yang berprestasi rendah atau di luar <br />bandar selama dua tahun. Siswazah cemerlang di bawah tajaan korporat akan digalakkan untuk <br />menyertai program ini, sebelum berkhidmat dengan majikan mereka. Peserta akan ditempatkan di <br />sekolah berprestasi rendah memandangkan sekolah ini amat memerlukan motivasi, inspirasi dan <br />guru yang berkualiti tinggi.<br />Peserta akan menyertai program latihan intensif menggunakan kaedah pengajaran terkini. Mereka <br />juga akan diberi bimbingan dan sokongan secara berterusan daripada rakan sejawat. Di samping <br />itu, pendedahan kepada latihan pembangunan kepimpinan akan diberi melalui latihan pengurusan <br />dan peluasan jaringan dengan syarikat korporat terkemuka. Selepas dua tahun berbakti, peserta <br />akan memahami dengan mendalam isu utama pendidikan di Malaysia, dan diharap dapat membawa <br />perubahan sama ada dari dalam atau luar sistem pendidikan.<br />Republik Korea dan Finland pula, kelayakan untuk <br />memohon program latihan perguruan hanya <br />terhad kepada 10% dan 15% siswazah terbaik <br />daripada setiap kohort. Syarat kemasukan yang <br />ketat membantu meningkatkan imej profesion <br />keguruan sebagai profesion yang hanya menerima <br />calon terbaik. 211<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Menjadikan Profesion Keguruan <br />Pilihan Utama<br />Menarik siswazah cemerlang menyertai profesion <br />keguruan adalah kritikal. Dalam tempoh <br />Rancangan, Kerajaan akan melancarkan kempen <br />profil tinggi untuk meningkatkan kesedaran tentang <br />keguruan sebagai profesion yang berprestij. <br />Kerajaan akan menjadikan profesion keguruan <br />sebagai kerjaya pilihan dengan menekankan <br />empat perkara berikut:<br />• Ganjaran kewangan: Profesion ini <br />sebenarnya merupakan antara profesion <br />awam yang menyediakan gaji permulaan <br />yang tinggi;<br />• Pembangunan kerjaya: Melalui Tawaran<br />Baru untuk guru, prospek kerjaya guru akan <br />menjadi lebih menarik dengan peluang <br />pembangunan profesionalisme yang lebih <br />luas selain daripada peluang kenaikan <br />pangkat yang lebih cepat kepada guru yang <br />cemerlang;<br />• Berprestij: Sebagai kerjaya elit, profesion <br />keguruan akan menggunakan kriteria <br />pemilihan dan proses penilaian yang ketat. <br />Hanya calon cemerlang akan diterima dalam <br />profesion ini; dan<br />• Pembangunan nusa bangsa: Profesion <br />keguruan bertanggungjawab membentuk <br />generasi pemimpin masa depan dan penting <br />dalam membawa Malaysia menjadi negara <br />berpendapatan tinggi.<br />Pengukuhan Latihan Perguruan <br />Melalui Latihan Praktikum <br />Pengalaman praktikum merupakan elemen <br />penting dalam latihan perguruan kerana <br />dapat memberi pengalaman pengajaran dan <br />pembelajaran sebenar di bilik darjah. Dalam <br />sistem persekolahan terbaik seperti di Finland dan <br />New Zealand, latihan dan pengalaman praktikum <br />guru pelatih, dari segi kualiti dan kuantiti, <br />sentiasa dipertingkatkan. Oleh itu, Kerajaan akan <br />mengambil langkah untuk meningkatkan kualiti <br />dan ketekalan latihan praktikum kepada guru <br />pelatih, seperti memanjangkan tempoh latihan <br />praktikum, dan meningkatkan kerjasama guru <br />berpengalaman yang mempunyai kemahiran <br />membimbing yang tinggi untuk menyelia guru <br />pelatih. <br /> <br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, latihan praktikum <br />kepada guru pelatih akan ditingkatkan melalui <br />langkah berikut:<br />• Kursus Perguruan Lepasan Ijazah akan <br />dilanjutkan daripada satu tahun kepada 212<br />satu tahun setengah untuk meningkatkan <br />pengalaman praktikum guru pelatih; <br />• Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri akan menyelaras <br />penempatan guru pelatih di sekolah yang layak <br />melaksanakan program ini dan memantau <br />pematuhan oleh guru pembimbing;<br />• Guru berpengalaman akan diberikan kursus <br />pembimbing untuk meningkatkan kebolehan <br />membimbing mereka; dan<br />• Program praktikum akan menjadi sebahagian <br />daripada penilaian prestasi sekolah dan guru <br />pembimbing. <br />Penghapusan Jaminan <br />Penempatan Guru Pelatih<br /> <br />Pada masa ini, guru pelatih IPG dan Institut <br />Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) dijamin pelantikan <br />sebagai guru tanpa mengambil kira prestasi <br />mereka. Jaminan pelantikan ini akan dihapuskan <br />dalam tempoh Rancangan. Dengan ini, hanya <br />guru pelatih yang memperoleh pencapaian <br />terbaik dan berkelayakan akan ditawarkan <br />jawatan guru. Penghapusan jaminan pelantikan <br />ini bertujuan memastikan penetapan keperluan <br />kualiti minimum bagi guru baru.<br />Peralihan kepada ‘Sistem Terbuka’ <br />dalam Latihan Guru <br />Pelaksanaan latihan perguruan akan diperluaskan <br />kepada universiti swasta berbanding hanya <br />daripada IPG dan IPTA. Langkah ini akan <br />meliberalisasikan sistem latihan guru dan beralih <br />kepada ‘sistem terbuka’ bagi menambah sumber <br />guru terlatih. Dengan pertambahan ini, lebih <br />ramai guru pelatih yang cemerlang dapat dilantik <br />sebagai guru di sekolah rendah dan menengah. <br />Pendekatan ini akan meningkatkan persaingan di <br />kalangan guru pelatih dan menambah baik kualiti <br />sistem pendidikan secara keseluruhan. <br />Tawaran Baru untuk Semua <br />Guru bagi Meningkatkan Kualiti <br />Perkhidmatan<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, Kerajaan akan <br />melancar dan melaksanakan Tawaran Baru yang <br />menyeluruh kepada semua guru bagi menjadikan <br />profesion keguruan lebih menarik serta <br />meningkatkan profil dan profesionalisme kerjaya <br />ini. Di samping itu, Kerajaan akan meningkatkan 213<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />guru berijazah di sekolah menengah daripada <br />89.4% dalam tahun 2009 kepada 90.0% <br />menjelang tahun 2015. Bagi sekolah rendah pula, <br />kadar ini akan ditingkatkan daripada 28% dalam <br />tahun 2009 kepada 60% menjelang tahun 2015.<br />Tawaran Baru ini mengandungi tiga elemen: <br />• Peluang kenaikan pangkat yang cepat <br />berdasarkan kecekapan dan prestasi;<br />• Meningkatkan pembangunan profesional <br />berterusan (CPD) secara sistematik kepada <br />semua guru; dan <br />• Kaedah pengurusan prestasi baru yang lebih <br />mantap.<br />Kemajuan Kerjaya Lebih Cepat <br />Berasaskan Kompetensi<br />Kemajuan kerjaya yang perlahan merupakan <br />antara sebab utama siswazah di Malaysia tidak <br />memilih kerjaya perguruan. Sepanjang 30 tahun <br />perkhidmatan, kebanyakan guru menikmati <br />hanya satu atau dua kali kenaikan pangkat sahaja. <br />Mengikut dasar kenaikan pangkat berasaskan <br />tempoh perkhidmatan, pada kebiasaannya guru <br />mengambil masa selama 10 tahun untuk dinaikkan <br />daripada gred permulaan ke gred jawatan yang <br />seterusnya. <br />Kemajuan kerjaya yang cepat untuk guru <br />berprestasi tinggi adalah penentu untuk <br />menjadikan profesion keguruan lebih menarik <br />terutama kepada calon guru yang berpotensi <br />tinggi. Pendekatan ini juga membolehkan lebih <br />ramai guru berpeluang mencapai gred yang lebih <br />tinggi dalam masa yang singkat dan dengan ini <br />boleh membimbing guru baru lebih awal.<br />Melalui inisiatif Tawaran Baru, pergerakan <br />gred yang lebih cepat berasaskan kompetensi <br />dan prestasi akan dilaksanakan. Laluan cepat <br />untuk kenaikan pangkat secara automatik <br />akan diberi kepada semua guru tanpa <br />mengira tempoh perkhidmatan dan keperluan <br />memajukan permohonan. Sistem laluan <br />kerjaya baru dijangka bermula pada tahun <br />2011 dan dilaksana sepenuhnya menjelang <br />tahun 2015.<br />Pembangunan Profesional yang <br />Berterusan yang Bersesuaian <br />bagi Menyokong Pembangunan <br />Keupayaan dan Kemajuan Kerjaya <br />Latihan yang berfokus kepada bidang tugas baru <br />berdasarkan kenaikan pangkat dan memberi <br />penambahbaikan kepada kebolehan pengajaran <br />akan memberi faedah kepada guru. Pada masa <br />ini, tiada pendekatan yang sistematik berkaitan <br />CPD dalam sistem pendidikan. Pendekatan CPD 214<br />yang menyeluruh akan dilaksana pada tahun <br />2011 dan mengandungi elemen berikut:<br />• Modul CPD yang bersesuaian mengikut <br />keperluan dirangka untuk setiap gred jawatan <br />bagi melengkapkan guru dengan peranan <br />baru selepas kenaikan pangkat;<br />• Modul ini memberi lebih fokus kepada peluang <br />pembelajaran di sekolah; dan <br />• Pelbagai modul CPD seperti kursus latihan <br />formal, pengajian pasca siswazah, pengajian <br />jarak jauh dan aktiviti bimbingan akan <br />membolehkan guru membuat pilihan terbaik <br />untuk pembangunan kerjaya mereka tanpa <br />mengganggu pengajaran dan pembelajaran. <br />Pelaksanaan Instrumen dan <br />Proses Baru untuk Penilaian dan <br />Penaksiran Guru<br />Kaedah penilaian semasa ke atas guru adalah <br />sama dengan penilaian penjawat awam yang <br />lain. Kaedah ini tidak mengambil kira prestasi <br />pelajar, keupayaan sebenar pengajaran atau <br />kecekapan utama yang diperlukan dalam <br />profesion keguruan. Skor penilaian untuk guru 215<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />akan menjadi lebih bermakna sekiranya ia <br />dapat mengukur prestasi sebenar guru, kurang <br />subjektif dan berasaskan bukti.<br />Satu pendekatan baru yang selari dengan amalan <br />di sekolah berprestasi tinggi akan dilaksana <br />pada tahun 2011 untuk memastikan penilaian <br />dibuat secara tekal, objektif dan dapat memupuk <br />budaya cemerlang di sekolah. Pendekatan ini <br />akan mengandungi instrumen baru bagi menilai <br />guru yang menggunakan kombinasi berwajaran <br />beberapa aspek utama seperti penekanan kepada <br />pengajaran dan pembelajaran, nilai profesional, <br />aktiviti di luar kelas dan sumbangan kepada <br />sekolah dan masyarakat. <br />Transformasi Keberkesanan <br />Penyampaian<br />Sistem penyampaian yang cekap dan berkesan <br />sangat diperlukan untuk meningkatkan prestasi <br />pelajar. Pendekatan yang lebih inovatif akan <br />diguna pakai untuk memastikan penyampaian <br />dilaksanakan dengan efektif. <br />Pengukuhan Penyampaian <br />Perkhidmatan untuk Menyokong <br />Kemajuan Sekolah<br />Penambahbaikan mekanisme penyampaian <br />kepada sekolah memerlukan perubahan dalam <br />proses kritikal yang memberi kesan secara <br />langsung terhadap sekolah seperti penempatan <br />guru, pengurusan prestasi sekolah dan juga <br />peranan Kementerian, Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri <br />dan Pejabat Pelajaran Daerah. Untuk memastikan <br />perkhidmatan disampaikan secara optimum, <br />KPM akan melaksana ‘Service Line’ iaitu <br />perkhidmatan khusus untuk membantu sekolah <br />yang amat memerlukan, antaranya bimbingan, <br />bina upaya dan kemudahan peralatan yang <br />sewajarnya. Di peringkat prasekolah, Kerajaan <br />akan terus mengharmoni dan menambahbaik <br />kualiti semua prasekolah awam yang disediakan <br />oleh pelbagai agensi Kerajaan. Pendekatan ini <br />memerlukan peningkatan produktiviti sumber <br />manusia dan kewangan, serta pengukuhan <br />kemampuan penyampaian.<br />Pelaksanaan Kurikulum Baru untuk <br />Memupuk Kreativiti dan Inovasi<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, kurikulum baru <br />untuk sekolah rendah dan menengah akan <br />diperkenalkan. Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah <br />Rendah akan diganti dengan Kurikulum Standard <br />Sekolah Rendah pada 2011 dan ini akan diikuti <br />dengan kurikulum baru untuk sekolah menengah. <br />Kurikulum baru berbentuk modular ini akan <br />memberi peluang kepada setiap pelajar melalui <br />proses pembelajaran mengikut kemampuan <br />sendiri, memupuk sikap bertanggungjawab <br />215216<br />terhadap pembelajaran sendiri menerusi aktiviti <br />eksplorasi yang dapat menyerlahkan potensi <br />mereka. Kurikulum ini juga akan menekankan <br />kreativiti, inovasi dan keusahawanan merentasi <br />semua mata pelajaran. <br />Penerapan nilai dan etika di peringkat awal amat <br />penting dalam pembinaan sahsiah individu. <br />Kurikulum yang bakal diperkenalkan akan <br />menerapkan prinsip 1Malaysia bagi pendekatan <br />pedagogi dalam penyampaian pendidikan. <br />Sebagai usaha untuk membentuk pelajar yang <br />seimbang dari segi akademik dan kesukanan, <br />kurikulum baru ini akan menjadikan Sukan <br />sebagai satu subjek mata pelajaran bermula <br />tahun 2011. Dasar ‘1Murid, 1Sukan’ mewajibkan <br />setiap pelajar mengikuti sekurang-kurangnya <br />satu aktiviti sukan. Setiap pelajar dikehendaki <br />mengikuti aktiviti sukan pilihan masing-masing <br />selama 90 minit seminggu bagi sekolah menengah <br />dan 60 minit bagi sekolah rendah. Peruntukan <br />untuk geran sukan bagi setiap pelajar akan <br />dinaikkan daripada RM2.40 kepada RM4 bagi <br />sekolah rendah dan daripada RM4 kepada RM6 <br />bagi sekolah menengah. <br />Pendidikan Asas dan Prasekolah <br />Swasta<br />Pendidikan yang ditawarkan oleh sektor <br />swasta semakin diterima oleh Kerajaan dan <br />orang ramai. Sehubungan ini, pihak swasta <br />akan digalak untuk menyediakan pendidikan di <br />semua peringkat bermula daripada prasekolah <br />sehingga pendidikan tertiari. Kerajaan akan <br />melaksana pelbagai kaedah perkongsian awam-<br />swasta seperti dalam pengurusan sekolah dan <br />pembiayaan yuran pelajar. <br />Perkongsian Awam-Swasta dalam <br />Pembangunan Prasekolah <br />Kerajaan akan memanfaatkan penyediaan <br />pendidikan prasekolah oleh sektor swasta untuk <br />menampung kemudahan yang disediakan oleh <br />agensi Kerajaan. Insentif akan disediakan kepada <br />pengusaha swasta bagi mempercepatkan <br />penyediaan prasekolah untuk mencapai objektif <br />meningkatkan enrolmen pelajar di peringkat ini. <br />Insentif ini akan membolehkan pihak swasta <br />mendapatkan geran bagi pembinaan prasekolah <br />di kawasan yang kurang membangun di luar <br />bandar. Sektor swasta dijangka akan membina <br />488 buah prasekolah pada tahun 2010, sebanyak <br />1,000 buah pada tahun 2011 dan 1,145 buah <br />pada tahun 2012. <br />Skim pembiayaan bersama bagi meningkatkan <br />permintaan terhadap pendidikan prasekolah <br />akan dilaksanakan dalam tempoh Rancangan. <br />Usaha ini juga boleh membantu isi rumah <br />berpendapatan rendah mengurangkan bebanan 217<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />pembiayaan pendidikan prasekolah. Bantuan <br />sehingga RM150 sebulan diberikan kepada <br />mereka untuk pendidikan kanak-kanak berumur <br />4+ dan 5+ tahun di prasekolah swasta. <br />Perkongsian Awam-Swasta dalam <br />Pendidikan Asas<br />Perkongsian awam-swasta dalam pendidikan <br />asas memberi autonomi signifikan kepada <br />pengendali sekolah, sebagai tukaran kepada <br />penambahbaikan yang spesifik dalam prestasi <br />pelajar sebagaimana dipersetujui dalam kontrak <br />rasmi. Sebagai contoh, charter school di Amerika charter school di Amerika charter school<br />Syarikat, specialist school dan specialist school dan specialist school academy school <br />di United Kingdom dan independent school di independent school di independent school<br />Sweden. Model serupa juga telah diguna pakai <br />di sekolah persendirian Cina di Malaysia. <br />Kerajaan akan memperkenalkan rangka kerja <br />Sekolah Amanah kepada sekolah awam yang <br />terpilih. Sekolah Amanah adalah sekolah awam <br />yang ditadbir bersama oleh pihak swasta dan <br />pemimpin sekolah awam. 218<br />Kotak 5-4<br />Sekolah Amanah: Perkongsian awam-swasta dalam pendidikan <br />untuk merapat jurang prestasi<br />Sekolah Amanah adalah sekolah awam yang diurus secara bersama di antara pihak swasta <br />dengan pemimpin sekolah kerajaan, di bawah kawal selia Kementerian Pelajaran. Sekolah Amanah <br />akan diberi lebih kebebasan dalam membuat keputusan dan dengan itu dipertanggungjawabkan <br />bagi meningkatkan prestasi pelajar. Sekolah Amanah bermatlamat untuk membawa perubahan <br />kepada prestasi sekolah tanpa mengira pencapaian semasa: daripada sederhana kepada baik, <br />baik kepada lebih baik. Sekolah Amanah akan dipilih daripada sekolah kerajaan dan sekolah <br />bantuan kerajaan sedia ada di seluruh negara (contohnya, rendah dan menengah, bandar, <br />pinggir bandar dan luar bandar). Sekolah yang dipilih merangkumi sekolah berprestasi rendah, <br />sederhana dan cemerlang dengan harapan untuk meningkatkan prestasi di semua peringkat. <br />Sekolah Amanah bertujuan untuk mempercepatkan proses penambahbaikan dalam melahirkan <br />pelajar dan sekolah yang cemerlang tanpa mengira tahap permulaan. pelajar dan sekolah yang cemerlang tanpa mengira tahap permulaan.<br /> <br />Sekolah Amanah akan mempunyai lebih autonomi dalam membuat keputusan berkaitan kurikulum, <br />kewangan dan sumber manusia bagi menggalak inovasi dan menjadi lebih responsif terhadap <br />keperluan komuniti sekolah. Autonomi yang diberi merangkumi kebebasan memilih kandungan <br />kurikulum, pengagihan peruntukan mengikut keperluan, penyediaan insentif berasaskan prestasi, <br />dan pemilihan guru dan kakitangan bukan guru. Sekolah Amanah dikehendaki mencapai <br />prestasi yang telah ditetapkan dalam tempoh lima tahun. Pihak Kementerian akan mengambil <br />alih pengurusan dari penaja sekiranya sekolah gagal mencapai prestasi yang ditetapkan.219<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />MENINGKATKAN KEMAHIRAN RAKYAT MALAYSIA <br />UNTUK MELUASKAN KEBOLEHPASARAN<br />Dalam beberapa dekad yang lalu, Malaysia <br />telah membuat pelaburan yang besar dalam <br />pendidikan lepasan menengah dan tertiari. <br />Pada masa kini, Malaysia telah menubuhkan 20 <br />universiti awam dan 26 universiti swasta serta <br />405 institusi latihan kemahiran awam dan 584 <br />institusi latihan kemahiran swasta. Pada tahun <br />2009, institusi pendidikan tinggi dalam negara <br />telah mengeluarkan lebih daripada 181,000 <br />siswazah. Daripada jumlah ini, lebih daripada <br />81,000 siswazah adalah lepasan institusi <br />pendidikan tinggi swasta. Institusi latihan <br />kemahiran pula mengeluarkan lebih daripada <br />120,000 pelatih pada tahun 2009. Seramai <br />30,000 pelatih adalah daripada institusi latihan <br />kemahiran swasta. <br />Pada masa kini, hanya 23% sahaja daripada <br />jumlah tenaga kerja di Malaysia mempunyai <br />pendidikan tertiari berbanding dengan kadar <br />purata bagi negara Pertubuhan Kerjasama <br />Ekonomi dan Pembangunan (OECD), iaitu <br />hampir 28% dan mencecah 35% di Singapura <br />dan Finland. Pada tahun 2009, sebanyak 27% <br />daripada siswazah institusi pengajian tinggi <br />tempatan masih menganggur dalam tempoh <br />enam bulan selepas menamatkan pengajian. <br />Bagi yang berjaya mendapat pekerjaan pula, <br />29% daripada mereka pada tahun 2006 dan <br />33% pada tahun 2009 hanya memperoleh <br />pendapatan kurang daripada RM1,500 sebulan.<br />Majikan dan persatuan industri sering mengaitkan <br />kekurangan soft skills seperti etika kerja <br />yang positif, kemahiran berkomunikasi, kerja <br />berpasukan dan kebolehan membuat keputusan <br />serta kepimpinan sebagai faktor utama yang <br />menjejaskan kebolehpasaran siswazah Malaysia. <br />Memandangkan terdapat jurang yang besar <br />antara tahap kompetensi siswazah Malaysia <br />dengan piawaian antarabangsa, isu ini perlu <br />ditangani bagi memastikan negara mempunyai <br />siswazah yang berkemahiran, serba boleh dan <br />kebolehpasaran yang tinggi.<br />Pada masa yang sama, dianggarkan seramai <br />100,000 atau 22% pelajar Malaysia memasuki <br />pasaran pekerjaan sebaik sahaja menamatkan <br />11 tahun persekolahan, iaitu dengan hanya <br />memiliki kelayakan SPM. Kumpulan pelajar ini <br />mungkin lebih cenderung kepada kemahiran <br />teknikal, oleh itu mempunyai peluang yang besar <br />untuk meningkatkan kemahiran mereka dalam <br />bidang teknikal. <br />Malaysia perlu memesatkan pembangunan <br />modal insan bertaraf dunia bagi mencapai <br />status negara berpendapatan tinggi. Justeru, <br />peningkatan kemahiran secara radikal perlu <br />dilaksana bagi meningkatkan kebolehpasaran <br />dengan memberi tumpuan kepada strategi <br />berikut:220 220<br />• Mengarusperdanakan dan memperluas <br />akses kepada pendidikan teknikal dan latihan <br />vokasional yang berkualiti; dan<br />• Meningkatkan kompetensi siswazah sebagai <br />persediaan untuk memasuki pasaran <br />pekerjaan.<br /> Mengarusperdanakan dan <br />Memperluas Akses kepada <br />Pendidikan Teknikal dan <br />Latihan Vokasional yang <br />Berkualiti <br />Malaysia berhasrat meningkatkan ekonomi dalam <br />rantaian nilai untuk menjadi ekonomi berpendapatan <br />tinggi. Oleh itu, enrolmen dalam pendidikan <br />teknikal dan latihan vokasional (TEVT) perlu <br />ditambah dan kualiti latihan secara keseluruhan <br />dipertingkatkan untuk meningkatkan dengan ketara <br />tahap kemahiran tenaga kerja. TEVT bertujuan <br />menambah bekalan modal insan berkemahiran di <br />Malaysia melalui penyediaan pendidikan berkualiti <br />kepada pelajar yang mempunyai kecenderungan <br />dan keupayaan dalam bidang teknikal dan <br />vokasional. TEVT menjurus kepada penyediaan <br />kemahiran yang boleh digunakan dengan segera <br />dalam pasaran pekerjaan. <br />TEVT menjadi pilihan pendidikan perdana di <br />kebanyakan negara maju. Model binari atau <br />dwi-laluan pendidikan yang fleksibel diguna <br />pakai di kebanyakan negara berpendapatan <br />tinggi. Model ini membolehkan pelajar menukar <br />aliran antara akademik dengan teknikal atau <br />vokasional yang mempunyai prospek kerjaya <br />yang setara. Kadar purata enrolmen pelajar <br />yang memasuki aliran teknikal dan vokasional <br />di peringkat menengah atas bagi negara OECD <br />adalah 44%, berbanding hanya 10% di Malaysia. <br />Penambahbaikan peluang, akses dan kualiti <br />TEVT untuk laluan teknikal adalah sama penting <br />dengan penambahbaikan laluan akademik <br />pendidikan tertiari.<br />Pendekatan dwi-laluan pendidikan yang sedang <br />diusahakan akan memberi peluang kepada <br />pelajar untuk menukar aliran antara TEVT dengan <br />akademik seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam 221<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Carta 5-8<br />Mengarusperdanakan Pendidikan Teknikal dan Latihan<br />Vokasional: Dwi-laluan ke arah mendapat pekerjaan Peralihan Laluan<br />1<br />Institusi TEVT termasuk Institut Kemahiran MARA, Institut Latihan Perindustrian dan Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara<br />2 <br />Institusi TEVT Peringkat Tinggi termasuk Institut Jerman-Malaysia, Institut Teknikal Jepun-Malaysia dan Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA<br />SUMBER: Unit Perancang Ekonomi, Kementerian Pelajaran dan Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi<br />Sekolah Rendah dan Menengah Rendah<br />Tingkatan<br />Enam Matrikulasi<br />Institusi<br />TEVT1<br />Sekolah Menengah<br />Politeknik<br />Universiti<br />Sekolah Menengah Teknik<br />Aliran<br />Kemahiran<br />Aliran<br />Teknikal<br />Aliran<br />Vokasional<br />Kolej<br />Komuniti<br />Institusi<br />TEVT2<br />Peringkat<br />Tinggi<br />PEKERJAAN<br />Laluan<br />Teknikal<br />Laluan<br />Akademik<br />Carta 5-8. Carta ini juga menunjukkan pelbagai <br />komponen dalam TEVT serta pilihan laluan <br />daripada TEVT kepada akademik dan sebaliknya. <br />Pendidikan TEVT di peringkat sekolah menengah <br />mempunyai dua aliran utama, iaitu teknikal dan <br />vokasional. Aliran teknikal mempunyai lebih <br />banyak komponen akademik, manakala aliran <br />vokasional mempunyai lebih banyak komponen <br />hands-on. <br />Kemahiran TEVT memberi manfaat secara <br />langsung kepada majikan, pekerja serta sektor <br />industri yang berkaitan. Faedah yang diperoleh <br />bergantung kepada gabungan kemahiran <br />pekerja. Oleh itu, kos berkaitan TEVT perlu <br />dibiayai bersama antara Kerajaan, majikan, <br />industri dan pelajar berdasarkan kepada faedah <br />yang diperoleh.222<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, empat strategi berikut <br />akan diguna pakai untuk mengarusperdanakan <br />dan memperluas akses kepada TEVT yang <br />berkualiti:<br />• Menambah baik persepsi terhadap TEVT dan <br />menarik minat lebih ramai pelajar;<br />• Membangunkan tenaga pengajar TEVT yang <br />lebih efektif;<br />• Mempertingkat dan mengharmonikan kualiti <br />kurikulum TEVT selaras dengan keperluan <br />industri; dan<br />• Memperkemas penyampaian TEVT.<br /> Menambah Baik Persepsi Terhadap <br />TEVT dan Menarik Minat Lebih <br />Ramai Pelajar<br />Terdapat banyak peluang untuk penyedia TEVT <br />awam dan swasta menarik lepasan sekolah yang <br />tidak melanjutkan pengajian untuk mengikuti <br />latihan TEVT dan meningkatkan bilangan <br />pekerja berkemahiran dalam pasaran pekerjaan. <br />Bagi tujuan ini, penekanan akan diberi untuk <br />meningkatkan nilai dan daya tarikan TEVT kepada <br />pelajar, penyedia latihan dan industri.<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, kempen media <br />di peringkat nasional akan dilaksana secara <br />berterusan untuk meningkatkan kesedaran <br />dan menambah baik persepsi terhadap TEVT. <br />Kumpulan sasar utama adalah pelajar yang <br />berpotensi dan ibu bapa mereka. Kempen <br />akan memberi penekanan terhadap manfaat <br />memasuki pasaran pekerjaan dengan kelayakan <br />TEVT, seperti gaji permulaan, jenis pekerjaan dan <br />laluan kerjaya serta pengiktirafan Sijil Kemahiran <br />Malaysia (SKM) untuk lebih banyak jawatan dalam <br />sektor awam. Pelbagai saluran penyampaian <br />seperti televisyen, radio, majalah dan selebriti <br />akan diguna untuk menyampaikan maklumat <br />tersebut kepada kumpulan sasar.<br />Kaunselor di sekolah akan diberi tanggungjawab <br />untuk membimbing dalam tempoh yang <br />panjang bagi membantu pelajar, bermula <br />daripada tingkatan 4 berterusan sehingga <br />pelajar berkenaan memasuki pendidikan tertiari. <br />Langkah ini adalah untuk memastikan lebih ramai <br />pelajar meneruskan pelajaran ke peringkat tertiari. <br />Bagi meningkatkan keberkesanan bimbingan, <br />kumpulan kaunseling yang terdiri daripada <br />kaunselor sekolah akan dibentuk di setiap daerah. <br />Kumpulan kaunseling ini akan bertanggungjawab <br />untuk menjalinkan hubungan yang erat dengan <br />institusi TEVT dan majikan, serta meningkatkan <br />penyelarasan antara pihak berkepentingan melalui <br />pertukaran maklumat. Kumpulan ini juga akan <br />bertanggungjawab untuk menyediakan panduan 223<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Kotak 5-5<br />Sistem Pendidikan Teknikal dan Latihan Vokasional (TEVT) <br />di Jerman: Peningkatan kemahiran tenaga kerja di negara <br />ekonomi terbesar di Eropah<br />Sistem TEVT dianggap satu daripada kekuatan utama sistem pendidikan di Jerman yang mana <br />sebanyak 60-70% daripada pelajar (lebih daripada 1.6 juta) memasuki sekolah vokasional. <br />Latihan ini menyediakan banyak program latihan merangkumi hampir 340 pekerjaan dan sangat <br />popular dalam kalangan lepasan sekolah di Jerman. Sistem latihan ini sangat berjaya dengan <br />kadar pengangguran siswazah dalam tempoh setahun selepas tamat pengajian adalah rendah,<br />iaitu 3%.<br />Pendidikan vokasional yang paling banyak dilaksanakan adalah sistem latihan perantisan. <br />Perantis dilatih oleh majikan dalam bidang pekerjaan yang akan diceburi (3-4 hari seminggu) dan <br />mendapat pendidikan teori di sekolah vokasional (1-2 hari seminggu). Di samping memperoleh <br />kelayakan yang diiktiraf (sijil dikeluarkan oleh dewan perniagaan) apabila tamat pengajian, perantis <br />juga mendapat gaji daripada majikan. Melalui sistem ini, pelajar terlibat dalam pekerjaan bergaji <br />dan menerima latihan yang diiktiraf selaras dengan keperluan pasaran pekerjaan. Peratus pekerja <br />tidak mahir dan pengganguran dalam kalangan belia di Jerman adalah rendah.<br />Sektor swasta (menyediakan lebih kurang 80% pembiayaan) dan sektor awam terlibat dalam Sektor swasta (menyediakan lebih kurang 80% pembiayaan) dan sektor awam terlibat dalam <br />pembiayaan dan penyampaian TEVT. Di samping penyediaan dan pembiayaan latihan, sektor <br />swasta terlibat dalam penambahbaikan kurikulum latihan, pindaan peraturan latihan, khidmat <br />nasihat dan penyeliaan latihan serta urusan pentadbiran peperiksaan. Pada masa yang sama, <br />kerajaan terlibat dalam menggubal peraturan latihan, menetapkan kurikulum dan membiayai <br />tenaga pengajar di sekolah vokasional. Kerajaan juga memainkan peranan yang sangat aktif <br />dalam penyelarasan penawaran dan bilangan tempat TEVT.224<br />kerjaya yang komprehensif kepada pelajar dan <br />ibu bapa mereka khususnya mengenai pelbagai <br />pilihan dalam TEVT.<br />Aliran vokasional dan kemahiran di sekolah <br />teknik akan dijenamakan semula bagi <br />menyediakan lebih banyak peluang kepada <br />pelajar berkecenderungan teknikal dan <br />meningkatkan kesedaran berkaitan TEVT. Bagi <br />memberi tumpuan yang lebih tinggi kepada <br />bidang vokasional yang lebih menitik beratkan <br />kepada latihan hands-on dan menyediakan <br />lebih banyak kursus yang sesuai, sebanyak <br />69 daripada 88 sekolah teknik akan ditukar <br />menjadi sekolah vokasional dan enam sekolah <br />vokasional baru akan dibina menjelang tahun <br />2015.<br />Pendekatan pembelajaran berasaskan <br />pengeluaran dan berasaskan projek akan <br />diperkenalkan untuk meningkatkan kualiti <br />dan daya tarikan program TEVT kepada <br />majikan dan pelajar. Pendekatan ini akan <br />menggalakkan penyertaan industri secara <br />langsung dalam program latihan kemahiran, <br />di samping mengoptimumkan penggunaan <br />kemudahan dan peralatan di institusi TEVT. <br />Pendekatan ini akan menggandakan enrolmen <br />di sekolah menengah aliran vokasional dan <br />kemahiran pada akhir tempoh Rancangan <br />yang mana enrolmen semasa adalah seramai <br />32,000 pelajar. Peningkatan ini akan memberi <br />sumbangan yang ketara dalam menambah <br />bilangan pekerja mahir dan separa mahir. <br />Kerajaan akan menggalakkan syarikat berkaitan <br />Kerajaan menyediakan program sangkutan <br />industri dan pekerjaan kepada pelajar lepasan <br />institusi TEVT.<br />Membangunkan Tenaga Pengajar <br />TEVT yang Lebih Efektif <br />Laluan kemajuan kerjaya tenaga pengajar TEVT <br />akan diperkemas untuk menjadikannya sebagai <br />kerjaya pilihan yang menarik kepada tenaga <br />pengajar yang berprestasi tinggi. Tenaga <br />pengajar yang memenuhi syarat kompetensi <br />yang jelas di setiap gred boleh dinaikkan <br />pangkat tanpa bergantung kepada kekosongan <br />jawatan.<br />Personel industri yang berpengalaman tinggi dan <br />mempunyai kemahiran praktikal di tempat kerja <br />akan digalak menjadi tenaga pengajar di institusi <br />TEVT. Untuk memudahkan pengambilan ini, <br />laluan kemasukan ke profesion tenaga pengajar <br />vokasional yang fleksibel akan diwujudkan, dan <br />syarat yang menyukarkan kemasukan di peringkat <br />pertengahan akan dihapuskan. Langkah ini akan <br />meningkatkan kapasiti latihan dan membantu <br />untuk memastikan tenaga pengajar mempunyai <br />pengalaman di tempat kerja.225<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Penambahan bilangan tenaga pengajar yang <br />cemerlang akan dilaksanakan melalui peluasan <br />program tenaga pengajar sambilan. Langkah <br />ini akan menarik mereka yang berminat untuk <br />menjadi tenaga pengajar di samping terus <br />kekal bekerja di industri. Tenaga pengajar yang <br />memiliki pengetahuan terkini tentang teknologi <br />dan perkembangan industri akan memberi latihan <br />yang paling relevan dan seterusnya meningkatkan <br />kebolehpasaran pelatih.<br />Kerjasama antara institusi TEVT dengan industri <br />dalam pertukaran personel akan diperkukuhkan <br />bagi membolehkan tenaga pengajar vokasional <br />menjalani program penempatan di industri <br />bagi mendapat pendedahan dan pengetahuan <br />teknologi terkini. Pada masa yang sama, tenaga <br />pengajar vokasional dari industri ditempatkan <br />di institusi TEVT bagi memperkukuh kemahiran <br />pedagogi mereka. Bagi memperkukuh <br />penyampaian latihan dan meningkatkan <br />pengambilan tenaga pengajar, kapasiti Pusat <br />Latihan Pengajar dan Kemahiran Lanjutan <br />akan dipertingkatkan dengan menggunakan <br />metodologi dan pendekatan latihan yang baru. <br />Sebuah pusat latihan tenaga pengajar yang baru <br />akan dibangunkan bagi menambah kapasiti <br />latihan sebanyak 800 setiap tahun. Selain <br />daripada itu, Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran <br />akan menyelaras program latihan pengajar di <br />institusi latihan kemahiran awam yang lain.<br />Mempertingkat dan <br />Mengharmonikan Kualiti Kurikulum <br />TEVT Selaras dengan Keperluan <br />Industri<br />Pembangunan kurikulum TEVT dilaksana oleh setiap <br />agensi penyedia latihan dengan keupayaan, kapasiti <br />dan agenda tersendiri. Amalan ini menjejaskan <br />kualiti penyampaian TEVT. Langkah akan diambil <br />bagi menyeragam dan mengharmonikan kurikulum, <br />mengurangkan kos pembangunan kurikulum, dan <br />memastikan kurikulum selaras dengan keperluan <br />terkini industri. Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran <br />akan dilantik sebagai agensi untuk membangun <br />dan menyeragamkan kurikulum TEVT mulai tahun <br />2011.<br />Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran akan <br />memastikan kurikulum yang dibangunkan <br />memenuhi piawaian minimum dan selaras dengan <br />bidang ekonomi yang diberi keutamaan. Kurikulum <br />TEVT akan mengandungi komponen kemahiran <br />asas berkaitan dengan literasi dan numerasi <br />serta penguasaan pelbagai bahasa. Kemahiran <br />asas ini penting sebagai sokongan kepada <br />kemahiran praktikal serta pembinaan kemahiran <br />dan keupayaan individu untuk menyesuaikan diri <br />dengan perubahan suasana kerja. Di samping <br />itu, Jabatan Pembangunan Kemahiran akan <br />membangun bank kurikulum untuk menyimpan <br />semua kurikulum yang dibangunkan. 226<br />Agensi penyedia TEVT mengeluarkan sijil <br />tersendiri dan sijil TEVT ini belum diiktiraf <br />sepenuhnya sebagai sijil yang melayakkan calon <br />memasuki institusi pengajian tinggi. Penerimaan <br />sijil TEVT dalam kalangan pelajar, ibu bapa dan <br />majikan dapat diperluas dengan menghapuskan <br />keraguan terhadap kualiti latihan yang diberikan <br />oleh pelbagai agensi. Pada masa ini, SKM, <br />Diploma Teknologi dan Sarjana Muda Teknologi <br />tidak diiktiraf sepenuhnya oleh institusi pengajian <br />tinggi dan Lembaga Jurutera Malaysia.<br />Untuk penyeragaman dan pengiktirafan persijilan <br />TEVT, SKM akan diguna pakai sebagai persijilan <br />kebangsaan bagi TEVT. Langkah berikut akan <br />diambil bagi memperkukuh pengiktirafan sijil <br />TEVT:<br />• Mengiktiraf dan menyeragam pelbagai tahap <br />SKM dengan kesemua sijil yang dikeluarkan <br />oleh penyedia TEVT menjelang tahun 2012;<br />• Mewajibkan pekerja dalam pekerjaan terpilih <br />memiliki SKM atau sijil yang setaraf. Syarat ini <br />akan dilaksanakan secara berperingkat mulai <br />tahun 2012; dan <br />• Memperluas penerimaan SKM sebagai syarat <br />kelayakan masuk ke dalam skim perkhidmatan <br />awam, dan ke institusi teknikal dan vokasional <br />di peringkat tinggi dan ke institusi pengajian <br />tinggi menjelang tahun 2011.<br />Lembaga Teknologis Malaysia akan ditubuh <br />untuk mempercepat pengiktirafan sijil berkaitan <br />kemahiran dan teknologi. Pengiktirafan ini akan <br />menggalakkan institusi pengajian tinggi termasuk <br />institusi TEVT menawarkan kursus berkaitan <br />teknologi selaras dengan keperluan ekonomi <br />berpendapatan tinggi. <br />Selaras dengan hasrat untuk membangunkan <br />pendidikan teknikal dan keperluan industri, <br />Malaysia-Japan International Institute of <br />Technology akan ditubuh sebagai institusi <br />berautonomi di bawah Universiti Teknologi <br />Malaysia dengan matlamat memperkukuh <br />kerjasama dan rangkaian dengan Jepun dalam <br />bidang teknikal dan kejuruteraan. Institut ini <br />berupaya memberi pendedahan kepada pelajar <br />dan meningkatkan keberkesanan kos dalam <br />menyediakan latihan tentang pembangunan 227<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />teknologi terkini di tempat kerja, etika kerja dan <br />amalan pengurusan Jepun. <br />Pada masa ini, terdapat keperluan untuk <br />mengurangkan pertindihan kursus yang <br />ditawarkan oleh pelbagai institusi latihan bagi <br />mengoptimumkan penggunaan kapasiti TEVT <br />dan mengelak pembaziran sumber. Dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan, perkara ini akan diberi <br />perhatian memandangkan kadar enrolmen di <br />institusi TEVT dijangka akan meningkat. Institusi <br />TEVT akan mengkaji semula, merasionalisasi dan <br />memperkemas penyelarasan kursus menjelang <br />akhir tahun 2011.<br />Memperkemas Penyampaian <br />TEVT<br />Kaedah pembiayaan semasa akan dikaji <br />semula untuk meningkatkan keberkesanan <br />dan kecekapan institusi TEVT awam. Bagi <br />menggalakkan persaingan dalam kalangan <br />institusi TEVT awam, penyediaan peruntukan <br />akan berdasarkan kepada prestasi institusi. <br />Kerajaan juga akan menyediakan bantuan <br />kewangan kepada pelajar di peringkat SKM <br />Tahap 3 dan ke atas di institusi TEVT awam <br />yang berprestasi tinggi. Bagi mencapai <br />matlamat ini, sistem penarafan untuk menilai <br />prestasi institusi awam dan swasta akan <br />diperkenalkan.<br />Pencapaian dalam sistem penarafan institusi <br />TEVT akan menjadi asas kepada Kerajaan <br />untuk membiayai pelatih di institusi TEVT <br />swasta. Pendekatan ini akan dipertingkat <br />dan diperluas dalam tempoh Rancangan bagi <br />mengoptimumkan penggunaan kapasiti latihan <br />di institusi TEVT awam dan swasta. <br />Pelajar tercicir adalah sumber tenaga kerja <br />yang besar dan berpotensi untuk diberi latihan <br />kemahiran. Jika diberi latihan dan dilengkapkan <br />dengan kemahiran yang tepat, mereka akan <br />meningkatkan dengan ketara bilangan pekerja <br />mahir. Pada tahun 2007, seramai 20,000 <br />pelajar tercicir daripada sistem pendidikan <br />asas dan jumlah ini meningkat kepada 30,000 <br />orang pada tahun 2008. Liputan Sistem Latihan <br />Dual Nasional (SLDN) akan diperluaskan bagi <br />menyediakan latihan yang khusus untuk <br />memenuhi keperluan golongan ini. Peruntukan <br />tambahan juga akan disediakan bagi membiayai <br />kos latihan dan elaun perantisan. Dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan, sebanyak RM150 juta <br />akan diperuntukkan dan seramai 20,000 pelajar <br />tercicir akan mendapat manfaat.<br />SLDN menekankan penglibatan langsung <br />industri dalam latihan dan menetapkan 70% <br />daripada latihan perlu dijalankan di tempat <br />kerja. Dalam tempoh Rancangan, latihan di <br />tempat kerja akan digalak dan dijadikan sebagai 228<br />sebahagian daripada pendidikan formal TEVT, <br />kerana latihan ini menyediakan:<br />• Persekitaran pembelajaran yang <br />kondusif. Tempat kerja mewujudkan <br />persekitaran pembelajaran yang baik <br />melalui pengalaman sebenar. Kemahiran <br />praktikal dan soft skills yang diperoleh akan <br />meningkatkan kebolehpasaran;<br />• Aliran maklumat untuk meningkatkan <br />kecekapan pengambilan pekerja. Majikan <br />mengetahui perkembangan prestasi pelatih <br />dan perantis, justeru memudahkan mereka <br />membuat keputusan menggaji pekerja; dan<br />• Sumbangan produktif. Pelatih menjalankan <br />tugasan yang memberi manfaat kepada <br />majikan, ini menjadikan TEVT berfaedah <br />kepada pelatih dan majikan. <br />Melalui SLDN, pekerja industri yang <br />berpengalaman akan diberi peranan sebagai <br />pembimbing kepada perantis. Bagi mencapai <br />tujuan ini, pembimbing mesti cukup terlatih <br />untuk memberi latihan yang berkesan di tempat <br />kerja. Tenaga pengajar di institusi TEVT pula <br />perlu mempunyai kemahiran tinggi untuk <br />melatih pembimbing. Sebanyak RM7.5 juta <br />akan diperuntukkan kepada SLDN untuk melatih <br />pembimbing dan tenaga pengajar.<br />Meningkatkan Kompetensi <br />Siswazah bagi Menyediakan <br />Mereka Memasuki Pasaran <br />Pekerjaan<br />Ekonomi berasaskan pengetahuan dan inovasi <br />memerlukan sebilangan besar pekerja yang <br />berpengetahuan seperti ahli sains, jurutera, ahli <br />profesional, agen paten dan usahawan berasaskan <br />teknologi. Institusi pengajian tinggi mempunyai <br />peranan yang penting dalam menghasilkan modal <br />insan berkemahiran tinggi dan berkeupayaan <br />untuk mencipta, menginovasi, menghasil <br />dan mempelopori pengetahuan baru serta <br />mengaplikasi dan membangunkan teknologi. <br />Usaha untuk menarik pelaburan langsung asing <br />dan memacu pertumbuhan sumber domestik <br />yang baru memerlukan bilangan siswazah yang <br />mencukupi dan kompeten. Walau bagaimanapun, <br />tahap kebolehpasaran, kekurangan dan <br />ketidakpadanan kemahiran siswazah masih <br />menjadi isu utama dalam pembangunan modal <br />insan. Banyak kajian mendapati siswazah Malaysia <br />kurang kompeten dalam kemahiran teknikal yang <br />diperlukan oleh industri, dan lemah dalam soft <br />skills termasuk etika kerja profesional, kemahiran <br />berkomunikasi, kerja berpasukan, membuat <br />keputusan dan kepimpinan. Oleh itu, usaha <br />bersepadu akan diambil untuk mempertingkat 229<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />kompetensi siswazah dan keberkesanan <br />pembiayaan kos pengajian tinggi, iaitu dengan:<br />• Memperkukuh kerjasama industri dan <br />penyelidikan;<br />• Memberi lebih autonomi kepada universiti dan <br />memperkukuh budaya berprestasi tinggi;<br />• Memperkukuh kurikulum kursus pengajian <br />bagi menyeimbangkan kandungan akademik <br />dan soft skills; dan <br />• Melantik dan mengekalkan staf akademik yang <br />terbaik.<br /> Memperkukuh Kerjasama Industri <br />dan Penyelidikan<br />Latihan industri adalah penting untuk membantu <br />siswazah mempersiapkan diri bagi memenuhi <br />keperluan industri yang sentiasa berubah <br />dan aktiviti ekonomi baru. Penglibatan sektor <br />swasta dalam penyediaan pendidikan melalui <br />perkongsian awam-swasta akan dipertingkat <br />bagi menggalakkan penyertaan industri dalam <br />penyediaan kursus dan latihan industri. Di <br />samping itu, kursus berorientasikan pasaran <br />akan ditambah bagi memudahkan transisi <br />pelajar ke dalam pasaran pekerjaan dan <br />meningkatkan kebolehpasaran pelajar secara <br />keseluruhannya. <br />Rangka kerja dasar yang standard bagi <br />program latihan industri yang berstruktur <br />akan dilaksana oleh institusi pengajian tinggi <br />dengan kerjasama industri untuk meningkatkan <br />keberkesanan program. Program ini dirancang <br />untuk diperluas kepada kursus selain daripada <br />kursus yang mewajibkan latihan klinikal seperti <br />perubatan, pergigian dan kejururawatan. Di <br />samping itu, program latihan industri untuk <br />staf akademik akan dipergiat bagi memastikan <br />tidak kurang 15% daripada staf akademik <br />mengikuti sekurang-kurangnya enam bulan <br />latihan industri bagi setiap lima tahun tempoh <br />perkhidmatan. <br />Bagi memperluas pengalaman industri kepada <br />staf akademik, program Knowledge Transfer <br />Partnership (KTP) akan diperkenal pada <br />tahun 2011 untuk meningkatkan kerjasama <br />antara industri dengan universiti berkaitan. <br />KTP bertujuan memudahkan pemindahan <br />kepakaran dan hasil kajian melalui projek <br />inovatif yang dikendalikan bersama oleh <br />staf akademik dan rakan kongsi perniagaan <br />daripada industri. Di samping itu, KTP juga <br />menyediakan latihan berasaskan industri <br />kepada siswazah bagi meningkatkan <br />pengetahuan dan pengalaman, kemahiran <br />keusahawanan serta kebolehpasaran semasa <br />menjalankan projek berkenaan.230<br />Universiti akan digalak untuk mewujudkan <br />kerjasama strategik dengan institusi penyelidikan <br />antarabangsa dan universiti luar negara <br />untuk meningkatkan aktiviti penyelidikan dan <br />pembangunan (R&D), terutama dalam bidang <br />teknologi baru. Antara langkah yang akan diambil <br />adalah:<br />• Melaksanakan lebih banyak program <br />sangkutan bagi membolehkan staf akademik <br />berkongsi pengetahuan, meneroka idea baru <br />bagi meningkatkan kualiti penyelidikan dan <br />menggalakkan pertukaran staf akademik;<br />• Mengukuhkan pengurusan harta intelek yang <br />dibangunkan di universiti bagi menambahbaik <br /> tadbir urus aktiviti penyelidikan; dan<br />• Mengukuhkan pusat kecemerlangan <br />di universiti melalui kerjasama industri <br />dalam aktiviti R&D bagi menyokong dan <br />mempercepat pengkomersialan inovasi dan <br />teknologi baru. <br />Memberi Lebih Autonomi kepada <br />Universiti dan Memperkukuh <br />Budaya Berprestasi Tinggi<br />Di negara lain, universiti awam bekerjasama <br />dengan penggubal dasar bagi membangunkan <br />kaedah untuk membantu institusi pendidikan <br />tertiari mencapai kecemerlangan. Pemberian <br />autonomi, ketelusan dan akauntabiliti terhadap <br />prestasi cemerlang merupakan elemen kritikal bagi <br />membolehkan universiti di Malaysia setanding <br />dengan institusi terbaik dunia. Universiti awam <br />perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap prestasi yang <br />dicapai memandangkan sebahagian besar <br />keperluan kewangan dibiaya oleh peruntukan <br />awam. Di samping itu, ketelusan yang lebih tinggi <br />dalam pencapaian prestasi akan memudahkan <br />Kerajaan membuat penambahbaikan dan <br />memberi sokongan dalam bidang yang diperlukan.<br />Menginstitusikan Autonomi dalam <br />Universiti<br />Universiti terbaik dunia berupaya meningkatkan <br />inovasi dan prestasi serta menggalak <br />kecemerlangan melalui autonomi yang signifikan <br />dalam bidang berikut:<br />• Peruntukan. Keupayaan untuk mengagih <br />peruntukan mengikut keperluan, menentukan <br />keutamaan bidang pembiayaan, dan <br />menetapkan yuran pengajian dalam had yang <br />ditetapkan;<br />• Fakulti. Bebas untuk menarik dan <br />mengekalkan staf akademik terbaik melalui <br />insentif yang menarik dan ganjaran yang <br />kompetitif;231<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />• Tadbir urus. Tanggungjawab yang lebih <br />besar dan hak membuat keputusan <br />penting tentang universiti termasuk hala <br />tuju strategik, keutamaan dan pengagihan <br />sumber serta mendapat hak yang lebih <br />besar dalam membuat keputusan; dan<br />• Pengambilan pelajar. Meningkatkan <br />kawalan terhadap kualiti dan profil pelajar <br />yang akan diambil.<br />Di bawah Accelerated Programme for <br />Excellence (APEX), universiti APEX akan <br />diberi autonomi dalam bidang tadbir urus, <br />sumber manusia (lantikan anggota sokongan, <br />staf akademik dan pengurusan atasan), <br />kewangan dan pengambilan pelajar. Program <br />ini diperkenalkan pada tahun 2008, dan <br />Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) telah dipilih <br />sebagai universiti pertama diberi status APEX. <br />Pada masa ini, USM mempunyai autonomi <br />dalam pengambilan pelajar. Autonomi dalam <br />bidang lain hanya akan dipertimbangkan <br />setelah USM memenuhi beberapa prasyarat <br />yang ditetapkan. Pemberian autonomi akan <br />diperluas kepada universiti penyelidikan dan <br />universiti awam lain yang mencapai tahap <br />kesediaan yang ditetapkan. <br />Mengukuh Budaya Berprestasi <br />Tinggi di Universiti<br />Sistem Penarafan Institusi Pengajian Tinggi <br />Malaysia (SETARA) telah diperkenalkan kepada <br />universiti awam dan akan diperluas kepada <br />semua institusi tertiari swasta yang menawarkan <br />pengajian di peringkat ijazah. SETARA bertujuan <br />membuat penilaian yang jelas dan seragam bagi <br />meningkatkan ketelusan serta memberi tekanan <br />ke atas prestasi, dan seterusnya meningkatkan <br />kualiti keseluruhan sistem pendidikan tinggi. <br />Penarafan mengenai pencapaian prestasi <br />institusi dari aspek kebolehpasaran siswazah <br />akan dihebahkan kepada umum. Penarafan <br />ini akan diperluas untuk meliputi aspek seperti <br />kaedah pengajaran dan pembelajaran serta <br />khidmat sokongan kepada pelajar. Dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan, sistem penarafan ini <br />akan merangkumi setiap jabatan di institusi <br />berkenaan.<br />Naib canselor bertanggungjawab ke atas prestasi <br />universiti dan pembaharuan kontrak mereka <br />bergantung kepada prestasi yang dicapai. <br />Prestasi yang rendah boleh menyebabkan kontrak <br />tidak disambung. Petunjuk prestasi utama (KPI) <br />yang jelas bagi naib canselor telah disediakan, <br />termasuk KPI bagi kebolehpasaran siswazah. <br />Dengan ini, naib canselor akan memastikan <br />semua staf bertanggungjawab terhadap prestasi 232<br />mereka dan seterusnya meningkatkan budaya <br />akauntabiliti di institusi. <br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, pembiayaan <br />berasaskan prestasi institusi tertiari awam akan <br />dilaksana bertujuan menyediakan mekanisme <br />pembiayaan yang telus untuk memangkin <br />peningkatan prestasi. Pendekatan baru ini akan <br />mengandungi komponen berikut:<br />• Pembiayaan Kerajaan berasaskan <br />prestasi yang dikaitkan dengan SETARA.<br />Pembiayaan kepada universiti akan dikaitkan <br />secara langsung dengan prestasi jabatan <br />dan institusi secara keseluruhan. Kaedah ini <br />menyediakan mekanisme yang telus dalam <br />penyediaan pembiayaan dan peningkatan <br />akauntabiliti dalam perbelanjaan peruntukan <br />awam. Mekanisme pembiayaan ini mempunyai <br />dua komponen, iaitu komponen tetap dan <br />komponen berubah. Komponen tetap <br />merangkumi item operasi asas seperti gaji staf <br />akademik dan kos utiliti, dan pembiayaannya <br />tidak bergantung kepada pencapaian prestasi. <br />Komponen berubah pula bergantung secara <br />langsung kepada prestasi yang diukur melalui <br />SETARA. Universiti yang menerima penarafan <br />yang rendah akan menerima peruntukan yang <br />lebih kecil. Komponen berubah ini termasuk <br />pembangunan intelektual dalam R&D dan <br />aktiviti ko-kurikulum pelajar; <br />• Peralihan kaedah pembiayaan daripada <br />berasaskan-penawaran kepada <br />berasaskan-permintaan. Kerajaan akan <br />mengharmonikan kapasiti pendidikan tertiari <br />dan mewujudkan keserataan persaingan bagi <br />institusi pengajian tinggi awam dan swasta <br />dalam mengukuhkan budaya berprestasi <br />tinggi serta meningkatkan kualiti dan <br />daya saing pendidikan tertiari di Malaysia. <br />Pendekatan sedia ada, iaitu pembiayaan <br />awam langsung dan pemberian geran <br />kepada institusi awam akan beralih kepada <br />pembiayaan berasaskan-permintaan melalui <br />pinjaman dan biasiswa selaras dengan <br />pendekatan yang lebih berasaskan-pasaran; <br />dan<br />• Pengurangan kadar pembiayaan Kerajaan<br />kepada universiti. Universiti awam perlu <br />menambah dana melalui sumber kewangan <br />alternatif termasuk sumbangan daripada <br />perbadanan, sektor swasta atau alumni. <br />Pendekatan ini akan memperkukuh kerjasama <br />antara universiti dan industri, dan seterusnya <br />meningkatkan kesesuaian serta kualiti <br />pengajaran dan penyelidikan.233<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Memperkukuh Kurikulum Kursus <br />Pengajian bagi Menyeimbangkan <br />Kandungan Akademik dan Soft <br />Skills <br />Kualiti dan kesesuaian kursus dan kurikulum <br />adalah faktor penting yang mempengaruhi <br />kebolehpasaran siswazah. Dalam tempoh <br />Rancangan, institusi pengajian tinggi akan <br />menyemak semula kurikulum dan kursus <br />serta menyelaras pencapaian program dan <br />pembelajaran selaras dengan keperluan industri <br />dan majikan. Sebanyak 2,730 program sedia <br />ada akan disemak semula bagi memastikan <br />pematuhan kepada Kerangka Kelayakan Malaysia <br />(MQF). Semakan semula ini adalah berdasarkan <br />kepada prinsip berikut: <br />• Kandungan kursus yang ditawarkan akan <br />ditanda aras dengan kriteria dan piawaian yang <br />dipersetujui di peringkat nasional dan selaras <br />dengan amalan terbaik antarabangsa; dan<br />• Penerapan domain yang ditetapkan dalam <br />MQF yang merangkumi soft skills seperti etika <br />kerja positif, kemahiran berkomunikasi dan <br />membuat keputusan, kerja berpasukan dan <br />kepimpinan.<br />Selaras dengan pertambahan permintaan <br />bagi pekerja mahir dan profesional, semua <br />politeknik di Malaysia akan disusun semula untuk <br />menawarkan kursus di peringkat diploma dan <br />ijazah serta mengurangkan secara berperingkat <br />kursus di peringkat sijil menjelang akhir tempoh <br />Rancangan. Politeknik akan meningkatkan <br />pengkhususan dalam bidang tertentu untuk <br />menjadi pusat kecemerlangan. Tiga politeknik <br />sedia ada akan dinaik taraf kepada politeknik <br />premier bagi melaksanakan penyelidikan gunaan <br />melalui kerjasama dengan industri berkaitan untuk <br />memupuk inovasi dan membangunkan teknologi <br />tempatan dalam bidang baru.<br />Kurikulum institusi pendidikan tertiari <br />perlu memberi lebih penekanan terhadap <br />pembangunan soft skills pelajar selaras dengan <br />maklum balas yang diterima daripada majikan. <br />Atribut Umum Pelajar yang kini dikenali sebagai <br />Skala Soft Skills Malaysia (My3S) merupakan <br />ujian penilaian kendiri untuk menilai kompetensi <br />siswazah dalam soft skills. Ujian ini akan dilaksana <br />mulai Julai 2010.<br />Agensi Kelayakan Malaysia (MQA) akan terus <br />memainkan peranan penting dalam pelaksanaan <br />MQF sebagai asas jaminan kualiti pengajian tinggi <br />dan pusat rujukan kriteria dan piawaian kelayakan <br />nasional. MQA akan memperluas kerjasama <br />dengan agensi jaminan kualiti luar negara melalui <br />pemeteraian Memorandum of Arrangement <br />sebagai usaha menetapkan tanda aras yang 234<br />piawai dan membantu meningkatkan keupayaan <br />anggotanya.<br />Melantik dan Mengekalkan Staf <br />Akademik yang Terbaik<br />Usaha akan dipergiat untuk menambah bilangan <br />staf akademik berkelayakan PhD. Peratusan staf <br />akademik berkelulusan PhD di semua universiti <br />awam pada tahun 2009 adalah 35.9%. Menjelang <br />akhir tempoh Rancangan, staf akademik <br />berkelayakan PhD di universiti penyelidikan <br />disasarkan sebanyak 75%, manakala universiti <br />awam lain 60%. Bagi mencapai sasaran ini, <br />program MyBrain15 menetapkan matlamat untuk <br />meningkatkan jumlah pemegang PhD kepada <br />18,000 pada tahun 2015 dan 60,000 pada <br />tahun 2023. Program ini akan menyediakan lebih <br />ramai calon untuk dilantik sebagai staf akademik. <br />Sejumlah RM2.26 bilion akan diperuntukkan <br />bagi menyediakan biasiswa kepada 16,800 staf <br />akademik melanjutkan pengajian di peringkat PhD. <br />Proses pelantikan staf akademik juga akan <br />diperhalusi dan dijadikan lebih telus untuk menarik <br />calon terbaik. Ganjaran akan dijadikan lebih <br />kompetitif supaya setanding dengan faedah yang <br />ditawarkan oleh sektor swasta serta menyediakan <br />manfaat bukan kewangan seperti waktu mengajar <br />yang fleksibel.<br />Sokongan kemajuan kerjaya staf akademik <br />akan diberi keutamaan. Modul latihan asas akan <br />diwajibkan kepada semua staf akademik baru. <br />Bagi memastikan mereka mendapat panduan dan <br />sokongan yang mencukupi pada awal kerjaya, staf <br />akademik baru akan diletakkan di bawah seliaan <br />staf akademik kanan yang bertanggungjawab <br />membimbing dan memberi nasihat kemajuan <br />kerjaya secara berkala. Di samping itu, dalam <br />tempoh tiga tahun pertama sebagai staf akademik, <br />tugas mengajar akan dikurangkan untuk <br />membolehkan mereka membangunkan portfolio <br />penyelidikan yang mantap dan memperoleh geran <br />daripada sumber luar.<br />Sebagai usaha penambahbaikan kualiti staf <br />akademik, mereka yang telah bersara dan <br />pensyarah luar negara akan digalakkan untuk <br />berkhidmat di universiti awam secara kontrak. <br />Pensyarah sambilan dan pensyarah pelawat <br />terutama daripada industri juga akan digalakkan <br />untuk mengajar di universiti awam. Bagi tujuan <br />ini, pakej ganjaran yang lebih menarik dan <br />kompetitif telah disediakan. Di samping itu, <br />skim perkhidmatan pensyarah akan disemak <br />semula untuk membolehkan mereka dinaikkan <br />pangkat ke gred yang lebih tinggi dalam skim <br />perkhidmatan yang sama tanpa perlu memegang <br />jawatan pentadbiran seperti dekan atau ketua <br />jabatan.235<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />MENYUSUN SEMULA PASARAN PEKERJAAN <br />UNTUK MENJADIKAN MALAYSIA NEGARA <br />BERPENDAPATAN TINGGI<br />Matlamat menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara <br />berpendapatan tinggi akan dicapai, antara <br />lain, melalui pewujudan pasaran pekerjaan <br />yang efisien untuk membangunkan, menarik <br />dan mengekalkan modal insan berkepakaran. <br />Kekurangan kemahiran yang diperlukan akan <br />menghalang transformasi negara kepada <br />ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi berasaskan <br />pengetahuan dan inovasi. Usaha penyusunan <br />semula dan pengukuhan pasaran pekerjaan perlu <br />untuk memastikan kecekapan pemadanan antara <br />permintaan dengan penawaran, meningkatkan <br />keupayaan mengekalkan modal insan terbaik <br />serta memperkukuh daya tarikan Malaysia kepada <br />pakar asing dan diaspora Malaysia.<br />Kepelbagaian tenaga kerja Malaysia terus <br />kekal sebagai aset negara. Rakyat Malaysia <br />mempunyai silang budaya yang kukuh dan <br />mudah menyesuaikan diri. Sikap keterbukaan <br />dan keupayaan menguasai pelbagai bahasa <br />membolehkan modal insan negara mewujudkan <br />rangkaian yang kukuh di peringkat serantau dan <br />global. <br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, Kerajaan komited <br />untuk memperbaharui pasaran pekerjaan dengan <br />penekanan khusus ke atas peningkatan mobiliti <br />pekerja dan peningkatan kemahiran tenaga kerja <br />semasa, terutama dalam kalangan isi rumah <br />40% terendah. Pembaharuan pasaran pekerjaan <br />adalah penting bagi menyedia landasan kepada <br />negara untuk terus berkembang ke arah ekonomi <br />berpendapatan tinggi. Tumpuan pembaharuan <br />akan diberi kepada tiga bidang utama:<br />• Menjadikan pasaran pekerjaan lebih fleksibel;<br />• Mempertingkat kemahiran dan keupayaan <br />tenaga kerja sedia ada; dan <br />• Memperkukuh keupayaan Malaysia menarik <br />dan mengekalkan modal insan terbaik.<br />Menjadikan Pasaran <br />Pekerjaan Lebih Fleksibel<br />Sistem pasaran pekerjaan yang cekap <br />merupakan faktor penting dalam mengurangkan <br />kos menjalankan perniagaan, mempengaruhi <br />iklim pelaburan dan mewujudkan lebih peluang <br />pekerjaan. Berdasarkan laporan Doing <br />Business 2008 oleh Bank Dunia, Malaysia <br />menduduki tangga ke-43 dalam aspek <br />pemudahan penggajian pekerja. Di samping <br />itu, kebergantungan yang tinggi terhadap <br />pekerja asing tidak mahir bergaji rendah telah <br />mengurangkan kadar upah dan melambatkan <br />syarikat beralih kepada aktiviti bernilai tambah <br />yang tinggi, serta menyumbang kepada <br />pengaliran keluar berterusan modal insan <br />tempatan.236<br />Mengkaji Semula Rangka Kerja <br />Perundangan dan Institusi bagi <br />Menyediakan Kaedah Penggajian <br />dan Pemecatan yang Fleksibel<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, usaha akan <br />diambil untuk mengkaji semula undang-<br />undang perburuhan supaya selaras dengan <br />ekonomi berasaskan pengetahuan dan cabaran <br />globalisasi. Kajian semula ini akan memastikan <br />hubungan industri kekal relevan dengan <br />persekitaran semasa perniagaan, mengimbangi <br />kestabilan sosial serta memudahkan mobiliti <br />tenaga kerja. <br />Kerajaan akan mengambil langkah untuk <br />meningkatkan kecekapan penyelesaian pertikaian <br />pekerja di Malaysia. Dalam kes lebihan pekerja, kos <br />pemecatan pekerja di Malaysia secara relatifnya <br />lebih tinggi berbanding negara Asia Tenggara yang <br />lain. Secara purata, majikan di negara ini perlu <br />membayar pampasan sehingga 75 minggu gaji <br />kepada pekerja yang telah berkhidmat selama 20 <br />tahun semasa penamatan kontrak, berbanding <br />hanya 56 minggu di Thailand dan empat minggu <br />di Singapura. Di samping itu, masa yang panjang <br />diambil untuk menyelesaikan pertikaian kerja. <br />Sehubungan ini, undang-undang perburuhan <br />akan dikaji semula dalam tempoh Rancangan <br />bagi mengoptimumkan keseimbangan antara <br />fleksibiliti pasaran pekerjaan dengan kestabilan <br />pekerjaan serta mempercepat penyelesaian <br />pertikaian pekerja.<br />Bilangan pekerja yang diberhentikan meningkat <br />akibat daripada perubahan struktur ekonomi <br />negara dan pendedahan kepada kejutan luaran. <br />Jumlah pemberhentian pekerja yang meningkat <br />mewujudkan keperluan bagi penyediaan jaringan <br />keselamatan sosial untuk membantu mereka. <br />Jaringan keselamatan sosial juga memberi <br />fleksibiliti kepada syarikat untuk mengurus tenaga <br />kerja ketika dalam kesukaran. Tabung Bantuan <br />Kehilangan Pekerjaan akan diperkenalkan <br />bagi menyediakan bantuan kewangan kepada <br />pekerja yang diberhentikan dan tidak mendapat <br />pampasan sewajarnya daripada pihak <br />majikan semasa pemberhentian. Pekerja yang <br />diberhentikan dan layak menerima bantuan akan <br />diberi RM600 sebulan bagi tempoh maksimum <br />enam bulan, dengan syarat mereka masih belum <br />mendapat pekerjaan dalam tempoh tersebut. <br />Sebanyak RM80 juta akan diperuntukkan kepada <br />Tabung ini dalam tempoh 2010-2012.<br />Memperkukuh Perkhidmatan <br />Pekerjaan bagi Meningkatkan <br />Mobiliti Pekerja<br />Komponen penting bagi pasaran pekerjaan yang <br />fleksibel adalah keupayaan membuat pemadanan <br />pekerjaan secara efektif untuk menyelesaikan 237<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />ketidakpadanan penawaran dan permintaan <br />tenaga kerja. Terdapat peluang yang besar untuk <br />mewujudkan kerjasama industri dan perkongsian <br />awam-swasta ke arah mengukuhkan perkhidmatan <br />pekerjaan kepada tenaga kerja Malaysia bagi <br />menghapuskan herotan dalam pasaran pekerjaan.<br />Kerajaan akan mengukuh dan memodenkan <br />perkhidmatan pekerjaan awam melalui <br />penaiktarafan pusat pekerjaan awam sedia ada. <br />Langkah ini akan meningkatkan penyampaian <br />khidmat nasihat kerjaya, menyedia perkhidmatan <br />pemadanan dan penempatan yang dipacu oleh <br />industri, dan melaksanakan program pendidikan <br />atau jangkauan komuniti yang berterusan mengenai <br />arah aliran pekerjaan dan kerjaya. Pencari kerja <br />dan masyarakat akan dimaklumkan tentang <br />peluang pekerjaan yang wujud dan potensi laluan <br />kerjaya. Majikan akan mendapat faedah daripada <br />akses kepada platfom tambahan bagi memenuhi <br />keperluan pekerja mereka. Bagi mencapai matlamat <br />ini, pusat pekerjaan awam yang berkesan dan <br />cekap yang dikendali secara bersama oleh sektor <br />awam dan swasta perlu diwujudkan.<br />Memperbaharui Dasar Pekerja <br />Asing Tidak Mahir<br />Pekerja asing tidak mahir telah meningkat lebih <br />dua kali ganda semenjak tahun 2000 kepada <br />1.9 juta orang, seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta <br />5-9. Kebanjiran pekerja asing tidak mahir berkos <br />rendah telah melambatkan pelaburan dalam <br />mekanisasi dan inovasi, terutama dalam sektor <br />pertanian dan pembuatan, dan seterusnya <br />mengurangkan pertumbuhan produktiviti dan <br />menjejaskan aspirasi negara untuk beralih kepada <br />ekonomi dalam rantaian nilai lebih tinggi. Sektor <br />yang sangat bergantung kepada pekerja asing <br />tidak mahir mempunyai produktiviti yang rendah, <br />seperti ditunjukkan dalam Carta 5-10.<br />Kebergantungan kepada pekerja asing tidak <br />mahir akan dikurangkan secara berperingkat. <br />Walau bagaimanapun, sektor yang menghadapi <br />kekurangan tenaga kerja, seperti pembinaan dan <br />perladangan akan dibenarkan menggaji pekerja <br />asing berdasarkan keperluan. Langkah akan <br />diambil untuk memastikan majikan menambah <br />baik persekitaran kerja dan kebajikan pekerja <br />termasuk penyediaan perumahan dan <br />kemudahan asas.<br />Sistem levi multi-tier akan dilaksana ke atas multi-tier akan dilaksana ke atas multi-tier<br />majikan yang mengambil perkerja asing tidak <br />mahir. Melalui sistem ini, syarikat akan terdorong <br />untuk meningkatkan kemahiran pekerja mereka <br />atau menggaji pekerja asing yang berkemahiran <br />tinggi. Sehubungan ini, penggajian pekerja asing <br />akan dapat diurus dengan lebih baik berikutan kos <br />penggajian pekerja asing berkemahiran hampir <br />sama dengan menggaji pekerja tempatan.238<br />Carta 5-9<br />Carta 5-10<br />Peningkatan ketara bilangan pekerja asing di<br />Malaysia sejak sedekad yang lalu<br />1 Merangkumi sektor perladangan<br />SUMBER: Unit Perancang Ekonomi dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri<br />500<br />2,500<br />2,000<br />1,500<br />1,000<br />0<br />16.7%<br />2009<br />1,918<br />2008<br />2,063<br />2007<br />2,045<br />2006<br />1,869<br />2005<br />1,815<br />2004<br />1,470<br />2003<br />1,337<br />2002<br />1,068<br />2001<br />850<br />2000<br />807<br />1999<br />410<br />Kadar Pertumbuhan<br />Tahunan Purata,<br />2000-2009, %<br />Bilangan pekerja asing mengikut sektor (‘000)<br />Pembantu rumah<br />Pembinaan<br />Pembuatan<br />Perkhidmatan<br />Pertanian1<br />21.0<br />18.7<br />19.8<br />15.6<br />10.3<br />Sektor yang sangat bergantung kepada pekerja asing<br />tidak mahir mempunyai produktiviti yang rendah<br />1 Terdapat 42,500 pekerja dalam sektor perlombangan, semuanya adalah pekerja tempatan<br />SUMBER: Unit Perancang Ekonomi dan Laporan Produktiviti 2008, Perbadanan Produktiviti Malaysia<br />Lain-lain <br />Perkhid-<br />matan<br />Kewang-<br />an<br />Perda-<br />gangan<br />Pem-<br />buatan<br />Perta-<br />nian<br />Pem-<br />bina-<br />an<br />Perlom-<br />bongan<br />Utiliti Pengang-<br />kutan<br />Taburan pekerja mengikut sektor dan<br />warganegara1<br />Juta pekerja, 2009<br />Tahap produktiviti1 dan pertumbuhan mengikut<br />sektor ekonomi<br />RM’000, 2008<br />Pem-<br />binaan<br />Pembua-<br />tan<br />Pekerja<br />tempatan<br />Perkhid-<br />matan<br />Pekerja<br />asing<br />Perta-<br />nian<br />Sektor dengan<br />produktiviti rendah<br />6.5<br />6.0<br />0.5<br />3.5<br />3.0<br />2.5<br />21%<br />3.2<br />61%<br />39%<br />0.8<br />93%<br />7%<br />6.2<br />0<br />1.0<br />1.5 1.4<br />36 %<br />2.0<br />64%<br />79%<br />950<br />50<br />200<br />0<br />100<br />1,000<br />150<br />27<br />124<br />40<br />71<br />163<br />975<br />21<br />57<br />26239<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Sistem levi baru ini bertujuan mengawal kemasukan <br />pekerja asing tidak mahir kerana levi akan dibayar <br />oleh majikan dan bukannya pekerja. Penetapan <br />kadar levi adalah berasaskan kepada tiga prinsip, <br />iaitu bayaran levi berkadar langsung dengan nisbah <br />pekerja asing kepada jumlah pekerja, kadar akan <br />meningkat setiap tahun, dan berbeza mengikut <br />tahap kemahiran pekerja asing.<br />Meningkatkan Penyertaan Tenaga <br />Kerja <br />Arah aliran isi rumah dengan dua sumber <br />pendapatan meningkatkan keperluan terhadap <br />kaedah bekerja yang lebih fleksibel. Sehubungan <br />ini, Kerajaan akan memperkenal Peraturan <br />Kerja Separa Masa di bawah Akta Kerja 1955 <br />dalam tempoh Rancangan. Inisiatif ini bertujuan <br />menggalakkan penyertaan lebih besar dalam <br />kalangan penduduk yang berada di luar tenaga <br />kerja seperti suri rumah, pesara dan orang <br />kurang upaya. Kaedah bekerja dari rumah, <br />teleworking, dan separa masa atau masa anjal <br />akan digalakkan. Di samping itu, penyertaan <br />tenaga kerja tempatan dapat ditingkatkan dengan <br />memanfaatkan sepenuhnya golongan wanita di <br />luar tenaga kerja. Oleh itu, langkah akan diambil <br />untuk meningkatkan kadar penyertaan wanita <br />dalam tenaga kerja daripada 46% pada tahun <br />2010 kepada 55% pada tahun 2015. <br />Jangka hayat rakyat Malaysia kini setara dengan <br />negara maju. Pelaksanaan dasar dan amalan <br />bekerja secara fleksibel dan separa masa akan <br />menggalakkan rakyat Malaysia yang bersara untuk <br />terus menyumbang kepada ekonomi, terutama <br />dalam sektor dan pekerjaan yang memerlukan <br />kepakaran mereka. <br />Meningkatkan Kemahiran <br />dan Keupayaan Tenaga <br />Kerja Sedia Ada<br />Pada masa ini, hanya 28% daripada jumlah <br />tenaga kerja di Malaysia bekerja dalam pekerjaan <br />berkemahiran tinggi. Peratusan ini menunjukkan <br />sebahagian besar tenaga kerja mempunyai tahap <br />pencapaian akademik yang rendah. Peningkatan <br />kemahiran dan latihan semula tenaga kerja sedia <br />ada amat diperlukan ke arah meningkatkan <br />ekonomi dalam rantaian nilai yang lebih tinggi. <br />Kerajaan menyasarkan 33% tenaga kerja dalam <br />kategori pekerjaan berkemahiran tinggi menjelang <br />tahun 2015, dan 50% menjelang tahun 2020. <br />Pencapaian matlamat ini memerlukan penglibatan <br />yang lebih besar daripada sektor swasta. 240<br />Menggalakkan Perkongsian Kos <br />Latihan<br />Liputan Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan <br />Kemahiran akan diperluaskan untuk <br />menggalakkan peningkatan kemahiran dan <br />latihan semula tenaga kerja. Tabung ini akan <br />memperluas bantuan kewangan daripada <br />lepasan sekolah kepada pekerja. Menyedari <br />bahawa tidak semua pekerja mampu untuk <br />membiayai latihan, pinjaman pada kadar faedah <br />yang rendah akan disediakan oleh Tabung <br />ini untuk membiayai kos latihan peningkatan <br />kemahiran. Sebanyak RM500 juta akan <br />diperuntukkan untuk menyediakan pinjaman <br />kepada pekerja, dan jumlah yang sama juga <br />disediakan kepada lepasan sekolah.<br />Enterpris kecil dan sederhana (EKS) memainkan <br />peranan penting dalam memacu pertumbuhan <br />ekonomi. Perbadanan Perusahaan Kecil dan <br />Sederhana Malaysia (SME Corp.) akan membantu <br />dalam pembangunan EKS yang berkeupayaan <br />dan berdaya tahan serta mampu bersaing <br />di pasaran global. Di samping menyediakan <br />kemudahan infrastruktur, bantuan kewangan, <br />khidmat nasihat, akses kepada pasaran dan <br />program sokongan yang lain, SME Corp. akan <br />terus melaksanakan Program Peningkatan <br />Kemahiran. Program ini bertujuan meningkatkan <br />kemahiran dan keupayaan pekerja EKS di <br />peringkat teknikal, penyeliaan dan pengurusan <br />terutama dalam bidang kejuruteraan elektrikal <br />dan elektronik, teknologi maklumat serta reka <br />bentuk industri. Di bawah program ini, SME Corp. <br />akan membiayai 80% daripada kos latihan yang <br />ditanggung oleh majikan untuk melatih pekerja <br />mereka di pusat latihan bertauliah.<br />Perkongsian kos latihan akan dipergiatkan <br />melalui peluasan liputan Tabung Pembangunan 241<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Sumber Manusia Berhad daripada 44 kepada 70 <br />subsektor. Tabung ini adalah kumpulan wang yang <br />disumbangkan melalui levi oleh majikan untuk <br />melatih semula dan meningkatkan kemahiran <br />pekerja mereka. Dalam tempoh Rancangan, <br />sebanyak RM50 juta akan diperuntukkan bagi <br />meneruskan pembiayaan geran sepadan untuk <br />latihan dan peningkatan kemahiran pekerja EKS. <br />Di samping itu, RM50 juta akan diperuntukkan <br />untuk membiayai program perantisan yang <br />melibatkan lebih 8,000 perantis. Peruntukan ini <br />akan digunakan bagi membiayai elaun perantis <br />dan yuran latihan vokasional. <br />Kerajaan menggalakkan semua peringkat tenaga <br />kerja untuk terus meningkatkan kelayakan dan <br />keupayaan ke peringkat lebih tinggi. Dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan, program akan diperkenal <br />bagi menggalakkan penyertaan industri <br />supaya bersama menaja pekerja mereka <br />untuk melanjutkan pengajian ke program PhD <br />perindustrian. Program ini akan melibatkan <br />latihan dan penyelidikan projek berkaitan dengan <br />pekerjaan serta berfokus kepada keperluan industri. <br />Program ini akan dilaksana secara bersama <br />oleh syarikat dengan universiti. Pendekatan ini <br />akan menggalakkan inovasi dan perkongsian <br />pengetahuan yang dapat menyumbang kepada <br />pertumbuhan dan pembangunan enterpris, <br />menjana pengetahuan baru di universiti, dan <br />menggalakkan penyelidikan yang berkaitan <br />dengan industri dalam negara. Bagi tujuan ini, <br />sebanyak RM50 juta akan diperuntukkan.<br />Di samping itu, Kerajaan akan meneruskan <br />pelaksanaan program di bawah pakej rangsangan <br />ekonomi 2009 dengan menyediakan peruntukan <br />bagi membiayai sebahagian daripada kos <br />pengajian di peringkat PhD di universiti tempatan. <br />Sebanyak RM350 juta akan diperuntukkan dalam <br />tempoh Rancangan yang akan memanfaatkan <br />5,000 pelajar PhD.<br />Menggerakkan Industri bagi <br />Meningkatkan Kemahiran Tenaga <br />Kerja <br />Penyediaan latihan secara langsung oleh <br />syarikat dalam industri tertentu akan memastikan <br />kandungan latihan menepati keperluan industri. <br />Bagi tujuan ini, latihan vokasional akan diselaras <br />dan diterajui oleh sektor swasta. Kerajaan akan <br />mempergiat dan menggalakkan sektor swasta <br />untuk membangunkan program latihan dalaman <br />yang diiktiraf dan memperluas program tersebut <br />dengan menyediakan latihan kepada pelatih yang <br />bukan hanya terdiri daripada pekerja mereka <br />bagi memenuhi keperluan industri. Kerajaan juga <br />akan melaksanakan pendekatan pembiayaan <br />tempat latihan bagi program latihan dalam <br />bidang kemahiran khusus untuk sektor yang <br />diberi keutamaan. Kursus ini akan dipersijilkan 242<br />sama ada di bawah Sistem Persijilan Kemahiran <br />Malaysia atau badan persijilan antarabangsa. <br />Program Peningkatan Kemahiran Perindustrian <br />(INSEP) merupakan program latihan untuk <br />meningkatkan kebolehpasaran siswazah <br />dalam bidang seperti kejuruteraan, ICT dan <br />pengurusan. Program bridging ini dilaksanakan <br />oleh 11 pusat pembangunan kemahiran negeri <br />dengan kerjasama majikan. Tujuan program ini <br />adalah untuk menyediakan siswazah yang baru <br />tamat pengajian dengan kemahiran khusus dan <br />kompetensi yang sesuai dengan keperluan industri <br />untuk meningkatkan kebolehpasaran mereka.<br />Kerjasama dalam pembangunan kerjaya dan <br />bimbingan antara universiti dan industri akan <br />digalakkan. Skim Pengurusan Kebolehpasaran <br />Siswazah (GEMS) yang diuruskan oleh <br />Jawatankuasa Syarikat Berkaitan Kerajaan <br />Berprestasi Tinggi Putrajaya akan terus <br />dilaksana dan diperluaskan bagi meningkatkan <br />kebolehpasaran siswazah yang menganggur. <br />Inisiatif ini bertujuan memudahkan pemadanan <br />antara siswazah dengan majikan, melengkapkan <br />siswazah dengan pengetahuan, kemahiran dan <br />sikap yang menepati keperluan industri dan <br />jawatan yang disasarkan, dan meningkatkan <br />asimilasi serta integrasi siswazah dengan tempat <br />kerja. Selain daripada syarikat berkaitan Kerajaan, <br />program ini juga disertai oleh EKS, agensi <br />Kerajaan dan syarikat swasta. Sejak inisiatif ini <br />dimulakan pada bulan Mac 2009, GEMS telah <br />berjaya melatih 5,000 siswazah.<br />Program Pengiktirafan Pencapaian Terdahulu <br />(RPL) bertujuan mengiktiraf pengalaman terdahulu <br />dan kepakaran pekerja, serta menggalak dan <br />memberi ganjaran terhadap pembelajaran <br />sepanjang hayat dalam kalangan tenaga kerja <br />akan diperluas. Program ini akan meningkatkan <br />dengan ketara prospek kemajuan kerjaya 243<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />tenaga kerja dengan menganugerahkan SKM <br />kepada pekerja yang memperoleh pengetahuan, <br />pengalaman dan kemahiran di tempat kerja tetapi <br />tidak mempunyai latihan formal. Program ini <br />dijangka memberi manfaat kepada lebih 60,000 <br />pekerja setahun. Bantuan kewangan kepada <br />pekerja untuk menjalani latihan bagi melayakkan <br />mereka menerima SKM akan mula dilaksana pada <br />tahun 2011. Di samping itu, bank kredit kemahiran <br />akan ditubuhkan oleh Jabatan Pembangunan <br />Kemahiran untuk menyediakan pangkalan data <br />bagi merekod latihan dan mempermudah persijilan <br />tenaga kerja mahir.<br />Menaik Taraf dan Memperluas <br />Akses kepada Kolej Komuniti<br />Sistem kolej komuniti di Malaysia menyediakan <br />pendidikan lepasan menengah dalam pelbagai <br />kursus teknikal dan vokasional mengikut <br />Kerangka Kelayakan Malaysia. Kolej komuniti <br />di seluruh negara yang berjumlah 59 buah <br />memainkan peranan penting untuk menyediakan <br />latihan peningkatan kemahiran dan latihan semula <br />kepada masyarakat dalam pelbagai disiplin. Kolej <br />ini juga menggalak pembelajaran sepanjang <br />hayat kepada semua lapisan masyarakat dan <br />kumpulan umur.<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, Kerajaan akan <br />memperkenal pendekatan yang lebih inovatif <br />bagi kolej komuniti melalui pelaksanaan program <br />modular yang membolehkan pelajar mengikuti <br />pelbagai modul jangka pendek berasaskan <br />keupayaan mereka. Modul boleh digabung <br />untuk melayakkan pelajar dianugerahkan SKM. <br />Hampir 70% daripada kandungan modul ini akan <br />dilaksana secara latihan praktikal di industri atau <br />di tempat kerja. Secara khususnya, program <br />ini akan menyediakan peluang peningkatan <br />kemahiran kepada pelajar yang cenderung <br />kepada bidang teknikal atau vokasional tetapi <br />tidak dapat melengkapkan 11 tahun pendidikan <br />asas. Pendekatan modular yang lebih fleksibel <br />ini akan menawarkan 135 kursus yang berlainan <br />menjelang tahun 2015 berbanding dengan 52 <br />pada tahun 2010. Sasaran jumlah enrolmen <br />kolej komuniti akan meningkat daripada 31,000 <br />pelajar pada tahun 2010 kepada 120,000 pelajar <br />menjelang tahun 2014.244<br />Menarik dan Mengekalkan <br />Modal Insan Berkepakaran <br />Globalisasi telah meningkatkan mobiliti modal <br />insan berkepakaran ke negara perindustrian <br />yang didorong oleh upah, suasana pekerjaan <br />dan kualiti hidup yang lebih baik. Modal insan <br />berkepakaran tinggi berupaya menyesuaikan diri <br />di pelbagai suasana pekerjaan di seluruh pelusuk <br />dunia. Terdapat banyak persaingan untuk menarik <br />dan mengekalkan modal insan berkepakaran <br />tinggi ini. Usaha bersepadu akan diambil untuk <br />meningkatkan daya tarikan Malaysia sebagai <br />destinasi modal insan berkepakaran tinggi bagi <br />warga tempatan dan asing. Malaysia juga akan <br />secara aktif berusaha mendapatkan modal insan <br />berkepakaran yang kritikal untuk negara.<br />Mempermudah Prosedur dan <br />Menyedia Insentif Lebih Baik <br />untuk Menarik Modal Insan Asing <br />Berkepakaran <br />Kerajaan akan menambah baik prosedur semasa <br />penggajian modal insan berkepakaran dari <br />luar negara dengan mengurangkan kesulitan, <br />peringkat pemprosesan dan bilangan agensi <br />penguatkuasaan. Penambahbaikan ini bertujuan <br />memudahkan prosedur pengeluaran permit kerja <br />supaya lebih liberal selaras dengan amalan negara <br />berpendapatan tinggi. Sehubungan ini, amalan <br />semasa akan dikaji semula dan diselaraskan. <br />Insentif dan suasana pekerjaan akan ditambah <br />baik sebagai langkah meningkatkan lagi daya <br />tarikan kepada modal insan asing berkepakaran. <br />Langkah ini termasuk membenarkan modal <br />insan asing berkepakaran bertukar kerja dengan <br />persetujuan majikan yang didaftarkan, membawa <br />pembantu rumah asing serta memberi kebenaran <br />kepada pasangan untuk bekerja walaupun masih <br />memegang pas tanggungan. <br />Bagi meningkatkan fleksibiliti dan mobiliti <br />modal insan asing berkepakaran, had masa <br />visa pekerjaan akan dimansuhkan kepada <br />mereka yang berpendapatan melebihi RM8,000 <br />sebulan. Visa terbuka akan dikeluarkan kepada <br />profesional asing yang berkemahiran tinggi <br />tanpa dikaitkan atau disyaratkan bekerja <br />dengan syarikat atau majikan tertentu. Mereka <br />juga dibenarkan membeli unit kediaman yang <br />berharga RM250,000 dan ke atas.<br />Malaysia amat memerlukan peningkatan <br />kemasukan modal insan asing berkepakaran <br />dalam sektor perkhidmatan profesional <br />untuk menampung kekurangan modal insan <br />tempatan. Sehingga kini, Pertubuhan Negara-<br />negara Asia Tenggara (ASEAN) telah memeterai <br />Peraturan Pengiktirafan Bersama bagi pengamal 245<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />kejuruteraan, kejururawatan, seni bina, perubatan <br />dan pergigian. Manakala, Rangka Kerja ASEAN <br />Mengenai Peraturan Pengiktirafan Bersama bagi <br />pengamal ukur bahan dan perakaunan telah <br />ditandatangani. Usaha akan dilaksana dengan <br />mengambil kira objektif bagi mempermudah <br />mobiliti golongan profesional ASEAN. Menjelang <br />tahun 2015, di bawah Perjanjian Rangka Kerja <br />ASEAN bagi Perkhidmatan (AFAS), Malaysia <br />bersama negara anggota ASEAN yang lain <br />akan meliberalisasi kemasukan golongan <br />profesional. Pembangunan industri perkhidmatan <br />di Malaysia dapat dipertingkatkan sekiranya <br />Malaysia berupaya menarik lebih ramai modal <br />insan berkepakaran dalam sektor perkhidmatan <br />profesional dari negara ASEAN yang lain.<br />Menjadikan Bandar Lebih Menarik <br />kepada Modal Insan Berkepakaran<br />Kualiti hidup sesebuah bandar merupakan faktor <br />utama bagi modal insan berkepakaran di peringkat <br />global memilih destinasi untuk tinggal dan <br />bekerja. Kuala Lumpur merupakan bandar ke-11 <br />di Asia yang selesa untuk didiami, dan berpotensi <br />untuk menjadi antara lima bandar terbaik. <br />Secara umumnya, Kuala Lumpur berada dalam <br />kedudukan istimewa sebagai bandar raya yang <br />sangat selesa dan kosmopolitan yang merupakan <br />mikrokosma kepada Asia. Bagi menarik modal <br />insan berkemahiran dari luar negara, Kuala Lumpur <br />akan digambarkan sebagai sebuah bandar raya <br />bagi mereka yang mengutamakan kualiti dan <br />kepelbagaian gaya hidup, bercirikan alam semula <br />jadi, kaya dengan budaya, dan metropolis moden <br />dengan infrastruktur canggih. <br />Di samping itu, usaha bersepadu akan dilaksana <br />untuk menjadikan bandar raya lain seperti <br />Georgetown, Johor Bahru, Kuching dan Kota <br />Kinabalu lebih menarik dan selesa untuk didiami. <br />Inisiatif yang akan dilaksana di bandar raya <br />tersebut termasuk peluasan ruang terbuka seperti <br />taman, dataran awam dan laluan pejalan kaki, <br />memulihkan waterfronts dan memperindah lokasi <br />kesenian dan kebudayaan serta meningkatkan <br />tahap keselamatan, kecekapan pengangkutan <br />dan perkhidmatan penjagaan kesihatan. <br />Mewujudkan Kesinambungan <br />Pembangunan Modal Insan <br />Berkepakaran untuk Masa <br />Hadapan<br />Walaupun pelbagai inisiatif telah diambil bagi <br />menarik modal insan berkemahiran dari luar <br />negara, mereka yang masih berada dalam sistem <br />pendidikan belum dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya. <br />Pelajar asing yang belajar di universiti tempatan, <br />terutama dalam bidang kritikal merupakan <br />potensi sumber modal insan berkemahiran. Bagi <br />mengekalkan pelajar ini, prosedur sedia ada yang 246<br />mewajibkan mereka kembali ke negara asal <br />sebaik sahaja tamat pengajian akan dikaji <br />semula bagi memudahkan mereka bekerja di <br />Malaysia, terutama dalam pekerjaan kritikal <br />yang terpilih.<br />Biasiswa akan diberi kepada pelajar terbaik <br />dari seluruh dunia untuk melanjutkan <br />pengajian di peringkat pasca siswazah dan <br />pasca kedoktoran di Malaysia dalam bidang <br />kritikal yang spesifik selaras dengan keperluan <br />negara. Sebaik menamatkan pengajian, <br />mereka akan diberi peluang untuk bekerja di <br />Malaysia. Mereka yang memilih untuk tinggal <br />dan bekerja di Malaysia akan meningkatkan <br />bilangan modal insan berkepakaran. <br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, 5% daripada <br />pelajar terbaik Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia <br />akan disediakan biasiswa untuk melanjutkan <br />pengajian di universiti tempatan setiap <br />tahun. Kerajaan juga akan mengenal pasti <br />pelajar terbaik Malaysia yang sedang belajar <br />di universiti terbaik di luar negara dan akan <br />menyediakan biasiswa bagi membiayai yuran <br />pengajian tahun akhir dengan syarat mereka <br />kembali ke tanah air. Di samping itu, langkah <br />akan diambil untuk memastikan rakyat <br />Malaysia yang belajar di luar negara dengan <br />biasiswa kembali ke Malaysia sebaik sahaja <br />menamatkan pengajian mereka. <br />Penglibatan Diaspora Rakyat <br />Malaysia <br />Kepelbagaian dan saiz komuniti rakyat <br />Malaysia di luar negara adalah aset unik <br />yang boleh dimanfaatkan untuk melonjakkan <br />Malaysia ke arah ekonomi berpendapatan <br />tinggi. Dianggarkan lebih daripada 700,000 <br />rakyat Malaysia bekerja dan tinggal di luar <br />negara, kebanyakan daripada mereka <br />adalah profesional berkemahiran tinggi. <br />Kerajaan akan mengambil usaha yang <br />tekal untuk mengenal pasti rakyat Malaysia <br />yang berbakat di luar negara, untuk terlibat <br />dengan mereka dan mendorong mereka <br />menyumbang kepada negara melalui <br />tindakan berikut: <br />• Mengekalkan hubungan. Diaspora <br />Malaysia akan dilibatkan secara aktif <br />dalam membina dan memperkukuh <br />hubungan mereka dengan Malaysia. <br />Kerajaan secara aktif akan mengenal <br />pasti, mempertemu dan membentuk <br />jaringan. Pangkalan data diaspora <br />yang lengkap mengandungi maklumat <br />seperti pakar dalam sektor ekonomi <br />utama dan latar belakang kemahiran <br />akan diwujudkan dan diselenggara <br />supaya mereka dilibatkan dalam bidang <br />bersesuaian; 247<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />• Mengesah dan mengiktiraf sumbangan.<br />Anugerah dan acara yang bersesuaian akan <br />diwujudkan untuk mengiktiraf dan meraikan <br />pencapaian penting ahli komuniti diaspora <br />Malaysia. Di samping itu, persatuan diaspora <br />Malaysia akan diwujudkan bagi menyediakan <br />peluang rangkaian melalui saluran atas talian <br />dan pertemuan bersemuka di bandar raya <br />yang menjadi tumpuan rakyat Malaysia di luar <br />negara untuk menyediakan aktiviti dan peluang <br />yang lebih besar untuk mereka menyumbang <br />kepada negara;<br />• Mendapatkan idea dan nasihat. Dialog <br />berkala akan diwujudkan antara wakil Kerajaan <br />dengan diaspora Malaysia di bandar raya utama <br />yang membolehkan ahli diaspora bertukar <br />idea dan memberi input untuk penggubalan <br />dasar terutamanya yang berkaitan teknologi <br />dan perindustrian. Di samping itu, diaspora <br />Malaysia terkemuka akan diiktiraf sebagai <br />autoriti dalam bidang tertentu seperti sektor <br />ekonomi yang utama. Mereka ini akan dirujuk <br />dan ditawarkan untuk menganggotai lembaga <br />penasihat; dan<br />• Sumber pelaburan modal. Kerajaan akan <br />menggalak diaspora Malaysia untuk melabur <br />di Malaysia. Mengambil kira kepakaran <br />mereka, diaspora akan ditawar untuk melabur <br />dalam projek khusus dengan kerjasama entiti <br />perniagaan tempatan atau agensi sektor awam <br />melalui usaha sama.<br />Menubuhkan Talent Corporation <br />bagi Membekalkan Negara dengan <br />Modal Insan Berkepakaran yang <br />Diperlukan<br />Usaha menarik pelaburan telah dijalankan <br />oleh Lembaga Kemajuan Pelaburan Malaysia <br />dengan jayanya, tetapi tiada agensi yang <br />bertanggungjawab dalam menarik modal <br />insan berkepakaran yang bertaraf dunia bagi <br />merapatkan jurang kemahiran serta membekalkan <br />modal insan yang sangat diperlukan dari dalam <br />dan luar negara. Oleh itu, Talent Corporation (TC) <br />akan ditubuhkan pada tahun 2011 di bawah <br />Jabatan Perdana Menteri dengan mandat <br />untuk menarik, memotivasi dan mengekalkan <br />modal insan berkemahiran yang diperlukan bagi <br />mencapai status ekonomi berpendapatan tinggi. <br />TC akan mempunyai tiga peranan utama: <br />• Sebagai pemangkin. TC akan meneraju <br />dan memacu inisiatif dalam usaha untuk <br />menarik dan membangunkan modal <br />insan berkepakaran bertaraf dunia melalui <br />pengurusan modal insan berkepakaran <br />kebangsaan dengan kerjasama sektor <br />awam dan swasta. Inisiatif ini merangkumi <br />usaha untuk melibatkan diaspora Malaysia, 248<br />mengenal pasti dan mengumpul modal <br />insan berkepakaran yang berpotensi, <br />dan mencungkil bakat dan mempergiat <br />pembangunan pemimpin pelapis;<br />• Sebagai pemudah cara. TC akan <br />membantu industri dan sektor swasta <br />dalam mewujud, memotivasi dan <br />mengekalkan modal insan berkemahiran. <br />Pihak berkepentingan dari pelbagai agensi <br />dan syarikat akan diketemukan untuk <br />mewujudkan keselarasan dan koordinasi <br />kukuh kepada pengurusan modal insan <br />berkepakaran kebangsaaan. Di samping <br />itu, peranan ini akan dilengkapkan melalui <br />penyediaan insentif dan sokongan untuk <br />menghubung dan mengagih modal insan <br />berkepakaran; dan <br />• Sebagai penyampai. TC akan <br />bertanggungjawab memastikan inisiatif <br />utama negara tentang pembangunan <br />modal insan di semua peringkat <br />dilaksanakan bagi membangunkan dan <br />mengekalkan modal insan berkepakaran <br />di Malaysia dan merapatkan jurang yang <br />besar serta menangani halangan dalam <br />pembangunan modal insan berkepakaran. <br />TC juga akan bertanggungjawab terhadap <br />pelaksanaan program dan mengenal <br />pasti program dan menilai kesan inisiatif <br />utama pembangunan modal insan <br />berkepakaran. <br />Rangka Tindakan Modal Insan Berkemahiran <br />Kebangsaan yang bersepadu akan <br />dibangunkan oleh TC dengan kerjasama <br />sektor awam dan swasta pada tahun 2011. <br />Rangka tindakan ini akan mengenal pasti <br />dan membuat unjuran keperluan modal insan <br />berkepakaran dalam sektor ekonomi utama <br />dari semasa ke semasa, dan membangunkan <br />inisiatif yang khusus bagi mempercepat <br />bekalan modal insan berkepakaran yang <br />kritikal. Rangka tindakan tersebut akan: <br />• Menyediakan analisis menyeluruh bagi <br />menangani isu modal insan berkepakaran <br />bermula daripada peringkat prasekolah <br />hingga persaraan, dan akan dipacu <br />oleh permintaan dengan kerjasama <br />industri bagi memastikan kesesuaiannya <br />dengan keperluan pasaran dan ekonomi <br />berasaskan pengetahuan; dan<br />• Mengandungi maklumat terperinci <br />mengenai keseluruhan peringkat <br />pembangunan modal insan bagi <br />memenuhi keperluan sektor yang diberi <br />keutamaan dan Bidang Ekonomi Utama <br />Negara (NKEAs), jurang permintaan <br />dan penawaran modal insan semasa 249<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />dan pada masa akan datang serta portfolio <br />inisiatif bersepadu untuk memastikan program <br />dilaksana dan ditadbir urus dengan berkesan. <br />Selaras dengan peningkatan persaingan modal <br />insan berkepakaran di peringkat global, langkah <br />yang proaktif diperlukan bukan sahaja untuk <br />menarik, malahan untuk mengenal pasti modal <br />insan asing yang berkemahiran. Pendekatan yang <br />akan diambil adalah sama seperti pendekatan <br />untuk menarik pelaburan langsung asing. TC <br />akan bekerjasama dengan Jabatan Imigresen <br />dan perwakilan Malaysia untuk merancang dan <br />melaksana strategi secara giat untuk menarik <br />modal insan asing dan diaspora Malaysia, <br />terutama mereka yang berkepakaran dalam <br />sektor ekonomi yang diberi keutamaan atau <br />bakal siswazah dari universiti terkemuka dunia. <br />Di samping usaha mengadakan roadshow<br />dan festival kerjaya, Kerajaan akan melatih, <br />mengenal pasti dan menarik modal insan asing <br />berkepakaran tinggi bagi memenuhi kekurangan <br />kemahiran dan pengetahuan tertentu di <br />Malaysia.<br />Program menarik dan mengekalkan modal insan <br />sedia ada seperti Program Menggalak Warga <br />Negara Malaysia yang Berkepakaran yang <br />Bekerja Di Luar Negara Pulang Ke Malaysia <br />dan Program Brain Gain akan digabungkan di <br />bawah TC dan diperkukuh untuk memastikan <br />penyelarasan yang lebih baik, lebih fokus dan <br />memberi impak yang lebih besar. Insentif di <br />bawah program ini akan dikaji semula dan <br />diperluas untuk menjadikannya lebih menarik <br />bagi kumpulan modal insan berkepakaran tinggi <br />yang disasarkan di luar negara.250<br />KESIMPULAN<br />Pembangunan modal insan merupakan <br />elemen asas dan kritikal dalam <br />mentransformasikan ekonomi Malaysia <br />daripada negara berpendapatan sederhana <br />kepada negara berpendapatan tinggi. <br />Untuk mencapai daya saing yang tinggi di <br />peringkat global dan ekonomi berasaskan <br />inovasi, pendekatan yang sistematik dan <br />menyeluruh untuk membangun, menarik <br />dan mengekalkan modal insan berkepakaran <br />tinggi negara diperlukan. Malaysia perlu <br />merapatkan jurang untuk mencapai modal <br />insan berkepakaran bertaraf dunia. Kerajaan <br />akan melaksanakan perubahan menyeluruh <br />di setiap tahap pembangunan modal insan <br />sepanjang kitaran hayat, iaitu daripada <br />menambah baik pendidikan awal kanak-<br />kanak sehingga peningkatan kemahiran <br />tenaga kerja sedia ada.<br />Pembangunan dan pengukuhan kualiti guru <br />akan diberi tumpuan untuk meningkatkan <br />pencapaian pelajar. Sekolah dan pengetua <br />akan dipertanggungjawab terhadap <br />pencapaian pelajar serta diberi lebih bantuan <br />dan autonomi sewajarnya. Dalam tempoh <br />Rancangan, lebih penekanan akan diberi <br />kepada latihan kemahiran bagi memastikan <br />negara dapat membentuk modal insan yang <br />memenuhi keperluan industri, meningkatkan <br />produktiviti dan rantaian nilai ekonomi yang <br />lebih tinggi. Pendidikan teknikal dan latihan <br />vokasional akan diarusperdanakan, dan <br />pendidikan tertiari akan dinaik taraf dengan <br />ketara melalui pemberian autonomi yang <br />lebih besar dan pengurusan berprestasi tinggi <br />dengan matlamat ke arah meningkatkan <br />kebolehpasaran siswazah dan mobiliti kerja.<br />Dalam tempoh Rancangan, sumber <br />akan ditumpukan kepada usaha untuk <br />membangun serta mengekalkan modal <br />insan terbaik bertaraf dunia. TC akan <br />ditubuhkan dengan mandat utama untuk <br />mengenal pasti dan membekal modal <br />insan berkepakaran tinggi yang amat <br />diperlukan oleh sektor ekonomi utama <br />bagi memastikan aspirasi negara tercapai. <br />Pada masa yang sama, usaha yang lebih <br />gigih diambil untuk memastikan akses yang <br />saksama kepada peluang meningkatkan <br />kemahiran dan menyokong golongan yang <br />amat memerlukan. Sehubungan ini, inisiatif <br />latihan kemahiran akan ditumpukan kepada <br />isi rumah 40% terendah serta program <br />penambahbaikan sekolah dan inisiatif <br />LINUS dilaksana bagi merapatkan jurang <br />pencapaian bagi pelajar yang ketinggalan <br />dalam pembelajaran dan meningkatkan <br />pencapaian sekolah berprestasi rendah. <br />Langkah ini akan memastikan setiap pelajar <br />di Malaysia boleh berjaya.251<br />Rancangan Malaysia Kesepuluh<br />Bab 5: Membangun dan Mengekalkan Modal Insan Bertaraf Dunia<br />Modal insan berkemahiran tinggi merupakan <br />asas terpenting bagi mencapai ekonomi <br />berpendapatan tinggi. Membangun dan <br />mengekalkan modal insan bertaraf dunia untuk <br />Malaysia amat memerlukan usaha yang tekal, <br />terselaras dan berfokus supaya kepelbagaian <br />dapat dimanfaatkan ke peringkat antarabangsa <br />serta untuk memupuk, menarik dan mengekalkan <br />modal insan berkemahiran tinggi di Malaysia.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-89492683127968962982011-09-21T21:49:00.000-07:002011-09-21T21:54:07.352-07:00Senarai Guru Yang Mengajar di Westlands 2011* Abdul Rahim bin Kader <br />* Chee Suet Fong <br />* Goh Guay Khin <br />* Goh Nai Sin <br />* Heng Chin Ching <br />* Lau Siaw Ling <br />* Lili Nazli bt Othman <br />* Lim Fern Fern <br />* Lim Fong Aun <br />* Lim Fong Thinn <br />* Lim Suan Choo <br />* Linggeswari a/p Ulakhanazan <br />* Loh Kok Kit <br />* Majemin Shafie <br />* Mak Poh Lin <br />* Mashita bt Mamat <br />* Mohd Hizami b Abd Hamid <br />* Muhammad Fairuz b Yusof <br />* Ng Li See <br />* Ng Seng Huat <br />* Noorul Salma bt Zakaria <br />* Norazira bt Zakaria <br />* Norhisyam Mohamad <br />* Ong Cheng Hock <br />* Ong Hock Lai <br />* Ooi Bee Ewe <br />* Ooi Ley Chu <br />* Poh Yong Kuan <br />* Rahimah bt Mohd Isa <br />* Salmah bt Mohd Zain @ Mohd Zin <br />* Sathia Subramaniam <br />* Shazmim bt Mohd Nor <br />* Sim Kim Hong <br />* Tay Poh Hiok <br />* Tham Siew Lean <br />* Thirumamani Sundaraj <br />* Wan Nurul AzeantyHocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-67250989922030269452011-09-05T08:45:00.001-07:002011-09-05T08:49:59.827-07:00InsuranceWhat is a RM200,000 insurance nowadays? If a family spend RM4000 a month, in about 4 years, the amount would have been finished. So how then? As compared to a father/husband who is alive and has many years in the work force?
<br />Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-79223401093741040972011-08-09T00:17:00.001-07:002011-08-09T00:17:39.268-07:00
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<br /> Life Gleanings:
<br />Electronic Edition.
<br /> Macon, Thomas Joseph, 1839-1917
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<br /> Text scanned (OCR) by
<br /> Claire LaForce
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<br /> Text encoded by
<br /> Natalia Smith
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<br /> First edition, 1996.
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<br /> ca. 200K
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<br /> Academic Affairs Library, UNC-CH
<br /> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
<br /> 1996.
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<br /> This work is the property of the University of North Carolina
<br />at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.
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<br /> Call number E605 .M33 1913
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<br /> Life Gleanings
<br /> Compiled by T.J. Macon
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<br /> Richmond, Virginia
<br /> W.H. Adams, Publisher
<br /> 1913
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<br /> The electronic edition is a part of the UNC-CH
<br />digitization project, Documenting the American South, or the Southern Experience in
<br />19th-century America.
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<br /> Any hyphens occurring in line breaks have been removed, and the trailing part of a word has been joined to the preceding line.
<br /> All quotation marks, ampersand and dollar signs have been transcribed as
<br />entity references.
<br /> All double right and left quotation marks are encoded as ” and “
<br />respectively.
<br /> Indentation in lines has not been preserved.
<br /> Spell-check and verification made against printed text using Author/Editor (SoftQuad) and Microsoft Word spell checkers.
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<br /> Library of Congress Subject Headings,
<br /> 21st edition, 1998
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<br /> Macon, Thomas Joseph, 1839-1917.
<br /> Virginia -- Social life and customs.
<br /> Richmond (Va.) -- Social life and customs.
<br /> United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal
<br />narratives, Confederate.
<br /> Virginia -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal
<br />narratives.
<br /> Richmond (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Personal
<br />narratives.
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<br /> 1996-12-12,
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<br />
<br /> LIFE GLEANINGS
<br />
<br />
<br /> Compiled by
<br />
<br /> T. J. MACON
<br />
<br /> Richmond, VA.
<br /> 1913
<br />W. H. ADAMS. PUBLISHER
<br />RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> PREFACE
<br />
<br /> My Life's Gleanings is not intended to be a technical
<br /> history cronologically arranged, but a reproduction of events
<br /> that my memory recalls. By retrospecting to occurances
<br /> that happened during my journey of life. To those who were
<br /> contemporaneous with the gleanings alluded to they will
<br /> recognize them. To the younger reader he will glean what
<br /> happened in the past. The incident and anecdote is founded
<br /> on facts. I launch the book on the highway of public
<br /> approval, hoping the reader will not be disappointed.
<br />
<br /> THE AUTHOR.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> MY LIFE'S GLEANINGS
<br />
<br />
<br /> COMPILED BY T. J. MACON
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER I.
<br /> The author of these pages first saw the light of day at
<br /> the family home of his father, Mr. Miles Cary Macon,
<br /> called “Fairfield,” situated on the banks of that historic
<br /> river, the “Chicahominy,” in the good old County of Hanover,
<br /> in Virginia. My grandfather, Colonel William Hartwell
<br /> Macon, started each of his sons on the voyage of
<br /> life with a farm, and the above was allotted to my respected
<br /> parent. Belonging to the place, about one or two miles
<br /> from the dwelling, was a grist mill known as “Mekenses,”
<br /> and how the name of “Macon” could have been corrupted
<br /> to “Mekenses,” is truly unaccountable, yet such as the
<br /> case. The City of Richmond was distant about eight miles
<br /> to the South. This old homestead passed out of the Macon
<br /> family possession about seventy years ago, and a Mr. Overton
<br /> succeeded my father in the ownership of “Fairfield”
<br /> and the mill. Later a Doctor Gaines purchased it. My
<br /> highly respected parents were the fortunate possessors of
<br /> a large and flourishing family of ten children, all of whom
<br /> were born at “Fairfield.”
<br /> The Macon manor house was situated just on the edge
<br /> of the famous trucking section of Hanover County, which
<br /> agricultural characteristic gave its soil an extensive reputation
<br /> for the production of the celebrated and highly-
<br /> prized melons and sweet potatoes of Hanover, known to
<br />Eastern Virginia for their toothsomness and great size.
<br /> This fine old plantation was surrounded by country estates
<br /> belonging to Virginia families, who were very sociable,
<br /> cultured and agreeable people. My father and mother
<br /> were thoroughly imbued with the spirit of that old-time
<br /> genial country hospitality, which was never found anywhere
<br /> in this country more cordial, nor probably even
<br /> equal, to it. It afforded them infinite pleasure to visit and
<br /> to receive the calls of their neighbors. It was then the
<br /> invariable custom, when guests were entertained, for the
<br /> host to set out refreshments, always the best the larder
<br /> afforded, and to insist upon a liberal partaking of it, for
<br /> a refusal of the good cheer was indeed a rare thing, and
<br /> it was not considered polite to decline joining in wishing
<br /> good health and prosperity to your friends and neighbors,
<br /> always of course in moderate bumpers, not in excess,
<br /> and then the viands bountifully spread out were truly
<br /> tempting, real old Virginia style of cooking, such as beaten
<br /> biscuits that would almost melt in one's mouth, and other
<br /> dishes almost too numerous to mention, and then such a
<br /> hearty welcome accompanied the feast and “flow of soul,”
<br /> and when the parting came there was always an appealing
<br /> invitation for a “speedy coming again” - a wish for another
<br /> visit.
<br /> Now there was no sham-pretence in these old Virginia
<br /> manners, but genuine heartfelt hospitality, which sprang
<br /> from kind hearts. A striking habit or custom at that
<br /> happy period in the “Old Dominion” life in the country
<br /> was the intrusting of the white children of the family to
<br /> the care of a good old colored nurse, or “Mammy,” as
<br /> they were affectionately called by them; their mothers
<br /> turned the children over to their watchful supervision
<br /> and they were truly faithful and proud of their control
<br />of the little young masters and mistresses, thus relieving
<br /> their “old mistress” of all care in rearing them.
<br /> Well do I remember my “old Mammy,” whose kindness
<br /> and affectionate treatment, not only won my heart, but my
<br /> prompt obedience to her commands and my cheerful recognition
<br /> of the authority delegated her by my fond mother.
<br /> I was the youngest of the family, and as time was welding
<br /> each link in the chain of my life, it was passing like, as
<br /> in all families at that period, situated as my parents were,
<br /> smoothly and unruffled by excitement or troubles abroad.
<br /> My mother owned a number of slaves, or servants, as Virginians
<br /> generally termed them, whom she treated with
<br /> kindness, and when sick she nursed them with the skill
<br /> and tender consideration accorded members of her own
<br /> family, and in return they looked up to, and respected,
<br /> her; indeed revered “Old Missus,” as they often called her.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER II.
<br /> At the time I am writing about, the life of the Virginia
<br /> farmer was one to be much desired, for he was a baron
<br /> in his realm, was lord of all he surveyed, and yielded no
<br /> obeisance to any one, but to his Maker and his country.
<br /> The dark shadows of coming dire events had not then cast
<br /> their war-like omens ahead. The question of the Missouri
<br /> Compromise, the admission of Kansas into the sisterhood of
<br /> the States under the Lecompton Convention, the decision
<br /> in the Dred Scott case, the political issues and measures
<br /> which were the precursors of the great war between the
<br /> States had not yet reached Congress. Everything that
<br /> could render life pleasant was vouchsafed the country
<br /> gentleman and planter, and his family about three-quarters
<br /> of a century ago.
<br />
<br /> What was to happen in the near future no one at this
<br /> early period could Cassandra-like predict, and yet there
<br /> was in the political horizon a small pillar of portentous
<br /> appearance, which was destined to cover the whole heavens
<br /> with gloom and bring death to thousands of peaceful citizens
<br /> in this country, through the clash of arms and fratricidal
<br /> strife in which brothers were arrayed against brothers,
<br /> and fathers against sons.
<br /> My father was an old line Whig and believed in the
<br /> theory of government advocated by Alexander Hamilton,
<br /> yet he recognized the autonomy of the States and approved
<br /> some of the tenets of Mr. Thomas Jefferson, but did not
<br /> agree with him generally, being in favor of a strong central
<br /> government at Washington, though disagreeing with
<br /> the extremists of both sections.
<br /> Being a close student of the political history of our country
<br /> he subscribed to, and carefully read every page of, the
<br /> National Intelligencer, owned and published by the Seaton
<br /> brothers, which was the best exponent of the legislation
<br /> of the time that has ever been issued; the editorials were
<br /> clear and forcible and the reports of the debates in Congress
<br /> were correct and complete. The political disputes
<br /> on the Door of Congress began to be warm, and indeed acrimonious
<br /> between the Northern and Southern members,
<br /> which brought out the great efforts for peace of Henry
<br /> Clay, of Kentucky, and prevented at that time a clash of
<br /> arms between the sections. The admission of Kansas into
<br /> the Union under the Lecompton Convention was but a link
<br /> in the chain of events leading to the great Civil War.
<br /> Well do I recall my respected parent's remark that the
<br /> trend of the speeches by the Free-Soil, or Abolition, party
<br /> in the North and those of the Seccessionists of the South,
<br /> would certainly bring about a disruption of the United
<br /> States if persisted in; and alas! his children lived to see
<br /> his remark verified in the year 1861.
<br /> Our family moved from old Fairfield to Magnolia farm,
<br /> only about two miles north of Richmond, which place
<br /> was then owned by the Nortons, and it was a quiet, pleasant
<br /> home “far away from the madding crowd” in a sociable
<br /> and agreeable neighborhood; it is at the present
<br /> time owned by the “Hartshorne” Colored Female Institute
<br /> and now is included within the corporate limits of
<br /> the city of Richmond, Va. How rapidly the wheel of time
<br /> brings changes in our surroundings. My father's children
<br /> are advancing in years, the older ones are sent off to
<br /> boarding schools, my oldest brother had just returned from
<br /> Philadelphia, where he had attended the Jefferson Medical
<br /> College as an office student of Dr. Thomas C. Mutter,
<br /> the president of the college, who was first cousin of my
<br /> mother - her maiden name was Frances Mutter.
<br /> From Magnolia we moved to “Rose Cottage,” owned
<br /> by a Mr. Richardson, the object in this move being to be
<br /> near “Washington and Henry” Academy, a boarding and
<br /> day school carried on by a Mr. and Mrs. Dunton; she was in
<br /> charge of the small boys and the girls, while her husband
<br /> taught the large boys. I was in Mrs. Dunton's department,
<br /> being but a small chap, and as to whether I learned anything
<br /> at this time it is a matter of considerable doubt. My
<br /> mother furnished six pupils to this institution. The principals
<br /> would come over to “Rose Cottage” two or three
<br /> times per month, bringing their boarders with them, which
<br /> visits they appeared to enjoy greatly as a good supper,
<br /> with a large and shady yard to play in, was certainly well
<br /> calculated to afford mirth and pleasure to both old and
<br /> young. A Mr. Osborne, a Presbyterian minister, boarded
<br /> at the academy, being a unique character and one of the
<br /> best men to be found anywhere; he formed the plan of
<br /> teaching the scholars, young and old, the catechism of the
<br /> Presbyterian Church, and all those who committed it to
<br /> memory received a nice book as a prize. The climax of the
<br /> scheme was an offer of a grand prize to any scholar that
<br /> would repeat the whole of it without a hitch or halt. The
<br /> children were thoroughly inoculated with Presbyterianism.
<br /> The final trial of reciting, or memorizing, the catechism
<br /> came off at the residence of Mr. Thomas Gardner. The
<br /> contest was one long to be remembered, a Miss Fannie Shelton
<br /> scoring the first honor, and Miss Newell Gardner the
<br /> second. The supper provided for this happy occasion was
<br /> a first class one in every respect. The best that a well-
<br />stocked farm house could produce, both in substantiate and
<br /> nicknacks, such for instance, as broiled chicken, roast
<br /> lamb and barbecued pig, with dessert of ice cream, yellow
<br /> cake and pies in abundance; it was in short one of the finest
<br /> “lay-outs” that I ever saw, and being an appreciative
<br /> youngster I did ample justice to it indeed, and fairly revelled
<br /> in the many good eatables so generously spread before
<br /> us, and to this day I remember it with pleasure. “Rose
<br /> Cottage” was truly a delightful home. The never-failing
<br /> wheel of time was turning fast, and the water of life that
<br /> once passed over it will never again turn it. We were all
<br /> growing fast as we advanced in years. At this time my
<br /> father bought a place on Nine Mile Road, about two and a
<br /> half miles from the city, it was named “Auburn,” and to
<br /> it we moved bag and baggage.
<br /> Just as with “Fairfield” and Magnolia,” we found hospitable
<br /> neighbors, and genial intercourse was conspicuous.
<br /> Among them were Colonel Sherwin McRae and family, a
<br /> Mrs. Gibson, Mr. Tinsley Johnson, Mr. Galt Johnson, and
<br /> many other well known families, nearly all of whom have
<br /> now moved away or have passed to the other side of the
<br /> river. Mr. William Galt Johnson lived about a quarter of
<br /> a mile from us, and there was a considerable intercourse
<br /> between the two families. “Galt,” as he was called, was
<br /> a character of renown and possessed of much personality;
<br /> one of his traits was never to give a word its correct pronunciation
<br /> and yet he thought he was right always. I was
<br /> visiting there one evening, and as supper was placed on
<br /> the table the bell rang; Galt arose from his seat and in a
<br /> clear voice said “the bell has pronounced supper ready,
<br /> let's go.” His wife, who was a cultivated lady, attempted
<br /> to correct him by saying “announce, William,” but she
<br /> could never get him to change his mode of speech. Another
<br /> of his peculiarities was his lack of fondness of church-going.
<br /> Mrs. Johnson, his wife, was a regular attendant to the
<br /> church and naturally desired her husband to accompany
<br /> her, a most reasonable wish, but Galt made several excuses
<br /> for not complying, and finally he urged as a last resort
<br /> that he could not sit in a pew unless he could whittle a
<br /> stick, and could not collect his thoughts sufficiently to listen
<br /> to the sermon; so she told him that should not be a
<br /> good excuse, and that he could take a stick along and
<br /> trim it as much as he chose, and he consented to go with
<br /> her, but did not receive much benefit from the sermon.
<br /> My mother determined to send me to live with my eldest
<br /> brother, Doctor William H. Macon, who had recently
<br /> married Miss Nora C. Braxton, the daughter of Mr. Carter
<br /> Braxton, of “Ingleside,” Hanover County, the owner of
<br /> the celebrated plantation “New Castle,” situated on the
<br /> Pamunkey River. The name of my brother's home was
<br /> “Woodland,” about three miles below the well-known
<br /> tavern at Old Church. The reason of my being sent to live
<br /> with him was to be convenient to enter the school kept
<br />by a Count Larry, one of the best teachers of his day and
<br /> time. The school house was distant about three miles from
<br /> my brother's place, and not too far away for a little boy
<br /> to walk at that time. I was duly enrolled as a day scholar
<br /> in Count Larry's establishment, which consisted of an unpretentious
<br /> structure, about thirty feet square, with two doors,
<br /> one for entry and the other for exit, and was lighted
<br /> by two windows with which to admit the sunshine and
<br /> fresh air in the summer time, and to shut out the “cold
<br /> chilly winds of December.” The school was composed of
<br /> both boys and girls, and the Count sat in a large wooden
<br /> chair, with a table at his side similar to those now seen
<br /> in a modern dairy lunch room in the cities. On the table
<br /> was placed all his text books and such other teacher's
<br /> implements, or fixings, and then to descend as it were from
<br /> the “sublime to the ridiculous,” he installed, within easy
<br /> reach, a large earthen “spittoon,” or more modernly
<br /> speaking, “cuspidor.” The master, enthroned as like a
<br /> ruler, or king, surveyed his pupils with great dignity and
<br /> gravity. And although very kind and lenient in his dealings
<br /> with his young charges, yet when occasion required
<br /> it he could wield the birch with great effect, but always
<br /> with prudence and moderation. He always kept a sharp
<br /> pen-knife ready for use in making or mending quill pens,
<br /> for steel pens were not then in use for the children; the
<br /> goose quills were the only kind of pens we knew about,
<br /> and it was no small job to keep a lot of chaps well supplied
<br /> with writing materials, for he was constantly called upon.
<br /> We were given an hour at playtime, and about a mile
<br /> and half away was a mill pond, which is probably there
<br /> now unless dried up, and to this, in the warm weather, the
<br /> boys, both large and small, repaired in great glee, but the
<br /> girls did not accompany us.
<br />
<br /> Well school boys are proverbially as prone to mischief as
<br /> are the sparks to fly upwards, and when the Count would
<br /> be absorbed in study the boys would throw torpedoes
<br /> upon the floor which would quickly arouse him from his
<br /> studies, but was soon made to believe that it was but an
<br /> accidental match dropped and trodden upon, though in
<br /> truth it was pure deviltry on the part of some of the larger
<br /> boys. An incident fraught with much concern to me in
<br /> connection with a boy by the name of Benjamin Tucker,
<br /> who was about my age, but much stouter and had by some
<br /> means gotten me under a sort of “hack,” and it becoming
<br /> very annoying I finally concluded that the thing had gone
<br /> far enough, so one day I lost patience with Benjamin and
<br /> I just “pitched into” him and gave him a gentle thrashing;
<br /> he had on a bran-new nine-pence straw hat which I got
<br /> hold of and tore to smithereens. Well, after this “scrap”
<br /> I had no further trouble with Master Benjamin Tucker.
<br /> Another rather humorous matter which happened about
<br /> this time at school was about a boy who was called “Phil.”
<br /> He was the pet and idol of his mother, who took a pair of
<br /> his father's old pants and made him a pair from them, but
<br /> the trouble was that the cloth was not sufficient for the
<br /> garment, and resulted in their being too small and too
<br /> tight in the body when his burley form was encased therein,
<br /> and became as solid as a drumhead, and we had a popular
<br /> game called hard ball and the mischievous fellows selected
<br /> him as a special target, and when the ball struck him
<br /> plumb it rebounded as if it was rubber, but at last he got
<br /> tired of being made a butt of ridicule and a target in the
<br /> game, so he complained to his mother and she reported the
<br /> matter to our teacher, requesting that gentleman that the
<br /> boys should be made to stop the treatment to her son;
<br /> the Count, after giving it careful consideration, told his
<br />mother that the only remedy that he could suggest was to
<br /> get her boy a new and a more roomy pair of trousers, and
<br /> cast the old ones which had caused his annoyance aside.
<br /> Our old teacher was a good and faithful one, and if his
<br /> pupils did not profit by his knowledge and training, it
<br /> surely was not his fault. He possessed of course some objectionable
<br /> habits, such as when school closed he would
<br /> get on a “spree” and remain on it until school was assembled
<br /> for work, when all traces of his riotous living had disappeared.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER IV.
<br /> My brother, Miles Macon, afterwards commander of the
<br /> Fayette Artillery, Confederate States Army, joined me at
<br /> “Woodland” and became a scholar in our school; he was
<br /> my senior by two years. Our country life there was very
<br /> pleasant, for on Saturdays we would hunt birds all day, as
<br /> my brother owned a fine pointer dag named “Roscoe,”
<br /> and we were hunting on “Spring Garden,” owned by Judge
<br /> Meredith, it being about seven miles from our place,
<br /> when the old dog broke down from the infirmities of age
<br /> and Miles and I carried him home on our shoulders, it being
<br /> his last appearance in the fields that he had so successfully
<br /> hunted, for he died soon afterwards.
<br /> About this period politics were coming strongly to the
<br /> front, and I remember when Mr. Chastaine White was
<br /> nominated by the Democrats for the General Assembly,
<br /> and William C. Wickham was put up by the Whig party
<br /> for the same office. My brother, Dr. Macon, was a Whig,
<br /> and a friend and supporter of Wickham. The Democrat
<br /> was of course elected, as at that time a Whig stood no show,
<br /> however superior his qualification for the position might
<br /> be. Another feature of the times was the muster of the
<br /> county militia, when the colonel commandant, arrayed in
<br /> a uniform as gorgeous as that of a field marshall of
<br /> France, put his men through a few drill evolutions and then
<br /> disbanded them, after which all hands went willingly up and
<br /> took a drink, and it was a field day, for Mr. Ellett who
<br /> then kept “Old Church” Tavern and profited greatly by
<br /> the crowd's liberal spending of money.
<br /> There were two churches near “Woodland,” the Presbyterian
<br /> was called “Bethlehem,” a name connected with
<br /> many good associations; the other was an Episcopal one,
<br /> and named “Emmanuel,” which name suggests many
<br /> Christian ideas. As a boy I attended both these churches,
<br /> and noticed one thing particularly that was that the male
<br /> attendants, both communicants and non-communicants,
<br /> gathered on the outside and discussed farming and
<br /> neighboring topics and conditions generally. I also observed
<br /> that those living a long distance from the church always
<br /> dined with some friend near the church, this being, I
<br /> thought, simply a species of “whacking” which was quite
<br /> admissable under the circumstances.
<br /> The planters, who owned and cultivated large estates on
<br /> the river, built summer residences on the higher lands
<br /> of the same, in order to escape the malaria and chills, produced
<br /> by the miasma arising from the marshes exposed to
<br /> the sun and night air at low tide during the heated term,
<br /> which the first killing frost in the fall would dispel and render
<br /> the river residents healthy and comfortable when they
<br /> would all return to their estates. I have never in my travels
<br /> seen a more productive country in the State than the
<br /> famous low grounds bordering the Pamunkey river, beginning
<br /> about Hanover Town and continuing down that
<br /> streaks to the celebrated “White House” plantation in New
<br /> Kent County, which estate originally belonged to General
<br /> Custis, who was the first husband of Martha Washington
<br /> (nee Dandridge).
<br /> Dr. William Macon, my brother, about this time came
<br /> into possession of the Mount Prospect plantation in New
<br /> Kent County, on the Pamunkey River, left to him by our
<br /> grandfather, Colonel William Hartwell Macon, it being
<br /> then one of the finest farms on the river; it adjoined the
<br /> famous White House aforementioned, which latter plantation
<br /> was inherited and occupied later by General William
<br /> H. Fitzhugh flee, son of the famous General Robert E. Lee,
<br /> of Confederate fame.
<br /> The York- River railroad passed through a portion of the
<br /> “Mt. Prospect farm.” A noted feature of the place was
<br /> its very large and beautiful garden, almost every flower
<br /> and plant known to Eastern Virginia florists was to be
<br /> found there, and considerable expense had been made to
<br /> render it a veritable Garden of Eden; and then, alas! when
<br /> the great strife began between the North and the South,
<br /> and our beloved old State became the battleground of the
<br /> contending hosts of soldiers of both sides, and the Federal
<br /> army, under General McClellan, advanced up the peninsula
<br /> from Fort Monroe the farm became the camping
<br /> ground, and his cavalry was picketted in that lovely spot,
<br /> amid the almost priceless roses and violets, and needless
<br /> to add that when those horsemen left it was a pitiable scene
<br /> of “horrid war's desolating effects, as hardly a trace of
<br /> its former beauty and vision of refinement remained.
<br /> A gentleman, Colonel Grandison Crump, taught school
<br /> near the place, and I was made a scholar of his; it was
<br /> quite like that of Count Larry's, except that the Colonel
<br /> had no girls in his school. He sat is the same kind of armchair,
<br /> and made and trimmed quill pens in the very same
<br /> way. He was a most excellent teacher and I fairly buckled down
<br /> to hard study, and as a consequence learned more
<br /> then ever before, or indeed afterwards, at school. Our
<br /> teacher was not a young man, as he was near sixty years
<br /> of age, and was deeply enamored with a certain beautiful
<br /> girl living in Charles City County adjoining; a Miss Maria
<br /> Jerdone was the fortunate one, a most attractive girl, and
<br /> quite young enough to be his daughter, but which did not
<br /> prevent the old Colonel from loving her with all the ardor
<br /> of youth. He was then living in the family of Mr. Braxton
<br /> Garlick at “Waterloo” plantation, on the Pamunkey,
<br /> which gentleman was one of the most hospitable men that
<br /> ever lived, and who joked with the Colonel about his attentions
<br /> to the young lady, but which did not dampen his
<br /> ardor towards her, though he did not gain his suit, as she
<br /> afterwards married a Mr. Pettus, an A. M. of the University
<br /> of Virginia, who taught, and was the principal of a
<br /> female academy in Tennessee; they made a very handsome
<br /> bridal couple, but she did not long survive the wedding,
<br /> and Mr. Pettus married, as his second wife, a Miss Turner,
<br /> and removed to Richmond, Va., where he had the misfortune
<br /> to lose his second wife by death.
<br /> About this date I, who had grown to be a good-sized boy,
<br /> remember well going down to New Kent Courthouse to see
<br /> the cavalry troop with their new and very shody uniforms
<br /> of light blue cloth with silver trimmings and metal helmet,
<br /> with white plumes. This old company, one of the oldest
<br /> in the State, was then officered as follows: Captain. Braxton
<br /> Garlick; first lieutenant, George T. Brumley, with
<br /> Southey Savage as orderly sergeant. On this occasion, after
<br /> the commanding Deer had put the troopers through a
<br /> few drilling paces, all of them, officers and private soldiers,
<br /> with one accord repaired to the tavern bar room and there
<br /> regaled themselves with several fine juleps each; this treat
<br /> had been set up by Captain Garlick, and he expected each
<br /> man to do his duty in this valiant attack upon the enemy's fort,
<br /> and truly was he not disappointed therein, although
<br /> it was one of the hottest days I ever felt in the month of
<br /> May.
<br /> Not far from my brother's residence, where I was then living,
<br /> lived a man named Tip Rabineau, a unique character,
<br /> his ways and dress were both similar to that of the
<br /> person described as Dominie Sampson in Sir Walter Scott's
<br /> novel “Guy Mannering.” Tip was about six feet and two
<br /> inches in height; he wore his pants too short and
<br /> coat sleeves not long enough to cover his big wrists,
<br /> and yet he had an accomplishment which gave him
<br /> much distinction in the neighborhood as being one
<br /> of the most successful hunters to be found anywhere
<br /> around, ranking as one of the best shots in Hanover County.
<br /> He used always a single- barreled shot-gun that measured
<br /> about six feet in length and carried powder in a small
<br /> round gourd, and the shot in a canvass shot-bag; for loading
<br /> this muzzle-loader he used newspaper for wadding;
<br /> the bore of this weapon was but little larger than a ladies'
<br /> thimble, but with this primitive outfit he brought down a
<br /> bird every time he fired at one. What finally became of
<br /> Rabineau I know not since I lost sight of him.
<br /> Colonel Frank G. Ruffin, just before the beginning of the
<br /> war, at my brother's invitation, came down to Mount Prospect,
<br /> our home then, for the puprose of lecturing on agriculture
<br /> to the farmers at New Kent Courthouse, on a court
<br /> day, where a large crowd had assembled to hear him, and
<br /> although whether theoretical or scientific farming had then
<br /> attained the high degree it now enjoys is a matter of much
<br /> doubt, yet he imparted to his listeners in a very pleasing
<br /> and instructive manner, many valuable ideas on the subject
<br /> of the new way of tilling “old mother earth”; how
<br /> poor, thin soil could be made to yield as much as the richest
<br /> Pamunkey low grounds under his advanced system of cultivation.
<br /> Of course there were some present who believed
<br /> the Colonel, and others who did not fully accept his theories,
<br /> for as a matter of fact, he was considered one of the
<br /> least practical of the prominent farmers in the State, but
<br /> one of the best theoretical ones. We passed a very pleasant
<br /> day at the courthouse and I enjoyed, on our return
<br /> home, as a boy, great pleasure and instruction from his
<br /> most interesting and amusing conversation. Ah, indeed!
<br /> was those the flush times in the old Commonwealth, the like
<br /> of which will never again be known.
<br /> At about the period I am writing the York River railroad
<br /> was being built from Richmond in an easterly direction
<br /> about forty miles to West Point, in King William
<br /> County, at the head of York River, and the junction of two
<br /> rivers, the Pamunkey and the Mattaponi. The young men,
<br /> the civil engineers employed about the surveying and construction
<br /> of this work frequently visited “Mount Prospect,”
<br /> it being convenient to the camp, and we all enjoyed
<br /> their society very much indeed, they being polished gentlemen,
<br /> whose presence was an agreeable addition to any
<br /> company; among them I can recall the names of Major
<br /> E. T. D. Myers, General J. M. St. John, Colonel Jno. G.
<br /> Clarke, Colonel Henry T. Douglass and others whose names
<br /> I fail to remember now, but all were then young, intelligent
<br /> men, each of whom afterwards attained important military
<br /> positions in the Confederate service during the war which
<br /> soon followed their railroad building on the peninsula.
<br /> Colonel Clarke, above mentioned, subsequently married my
<br /> sister, Lucy Selden.
<br />
<br /> The majority of them have now passed from this life
<br /> on earth to join those on the “other side of the river,”
<br /> though their names and deeds are revered by their survivors.
<br /> No State, nor country ever produced a braver or
<br /> more accomplished group of heroes than they were.
<br /> Well, after attending Colonel Crumps' school for three
<br /> years, when he closed for the summer vacation I bid
<br /> farewell to his excellent tutorship. There were many quite
<br /> pleasant associations connected with my school days there;
<br /> I was considered one of his best boys; I packed up my few
<br /> belongings there and returned to Auburn, my mother's
<br /> home. My respected father died in the year 1852, and my
<br /> mother then carried on the farming operations under the
<br /> supervision of our servant Israel as her head man and overseer,
<br /> who was one of the most efficient and faithful negroes
<br /> I ever knew, performing his duties fully and satisfactorily
<br /> to his mistress as manager of the hands.
<br /> Two of my sisters were then married, Sister Anne to Mr.
<br /> Peyton Johnston, the senior member of the drug house of
<br /> P. Johnston & Brothers, of Richmond; my other sister,
<br /> Betty, married the Rev. Dr. Alexander Martin, of the Presbyterian
<br /> Church in Danville, Va. Probably no minister in
<br /> that denomination had a higher reputation for pulpit oratory;
<br /> he preached with force and effect, and set an example
<br /> of a pure, unselfish, Christian life.
<br /> After consulting the wishes of her single daughters my
<br /> good mother decided to move to Richmond. She therefore
<br /> rented a nice roomy house in a pleasant street in the city,
<br /> and then a new leaf in the book of life was turned for me,
<br /> as I of course continued to live with the family, but an era,
<br /> or epoch in my journey of life now confronted me, as I
<br /> was about to start to work to earn my own bread and meat. I
<br /> therefore duly made application to the firm of Parker,
<br />Nimms & Co. for a clerkship in their establishment, and the
<br /> senior partner told me to call in a few days for an answer,
<br /> which I accordingly did in due time and received a favorable
<br /> one, and in a few days I began my life's work. I remained
<br /> with that firm six years and only left in 1861 to
<br /> join, or rather to go with the First Company Richmond
<br /> Howitzers into the great war between the States, being a
<br /> member before the same strife began, having joined in the
<br /> year 1859 when the company was organized. The house of
<br /> Parker, Nimms & Co. was one of the largest wholesale dry-goods
<br /> houses in Virginia at that time. When a young man
<br /> commenced his apprenticeship in a dry goods store, it took
<br /> some time to become acquainted with the routine of the
<br /> business; it was about twelve months before I was allowed
<br /> to carry a customer through it. It was not then as now
<br /> when there is a salesman in separate departments and buyers
<br /> are taken to another counter and clerks; but then in
<br /> my day when a salesman started with a customer or purchaser
<br /> he carried him or her through every department
<br /> until the memorandum of the buyer was complete. It was
<br /> then considered quite undignified for houses of established
<br /> reputation and standing to advertise their wares in the
<br /> newspapers; how different it is now, when most of the
<br /> articles are sold through the aid of printer's ink; then they
<br /> were sold upon their merits and intrinsic values, and also
<br /> by means of an agreeable mode of showing them off. The
<br /> house had a large patronage in the city as well as from all
<br /> parts of the State. By degrees I advanced and became
<br /> familiar with the whole business, and my sales were footing
<br /> up well, which gave satisfaction to my employers, and
<br /> consequently my salary was advanced, that being a very
<br /> important point to me.
<br /> The following incident occurred to a Colonel Jos. Weisiger,
<br />who was a fellow clerk in the house of Parker, Nimms
<br /> & Co., he was a very genial man, and had been the husband
<br /> of the daughter of a wealthy planter, Colonel Bolling,
<br /> who had settled on his daughter a handsome endowment
<br /> at the time of her marriage, devising all the property at
<br /> her death to the children by the marriage; so that when
<br /> she died a few years later not a single dollar fell to the
<br /> husband and he was then thrown out upon hits own resources
<br /> for his living. Under such circumstances, he applied to
<br /> the firm of Parker, Nimms & Co. for a position as
<br /> salesman and he was given one. He was at the time waiting
<br /> on a widow, Mrs. S_________ whose deceased husband had
<br /> left her a fine estate, on the condition of her not again taking
<br /> unto herself a help-mate, in which latter cases all of the
<br /> property should go to her children by her former husband.
<br /> She hesitated some time before again marrying the Colonel,
<br /> the meanwhile became very attentive to her, visiting her
<br /> frequently, and as she was very found of peanuts he bought
<br /> a nice lot of roasted ones, tied them up nicely in a box, and
<br /> placed them, as he thought, in a perfectly safe spot; when
<br /> another clerk and I slyly opened the package, took out the
<br /> “goobers,” and replaced them with paper and saw-dust.
<br /> Well, the fond lover, the Colonel, called on her and gaily
<br /> presented the box, and her disappointment and his great
<br /> mortification may be imagined when its contents were exposed
<br /> to view.
<br /> There was another incident which happened during one
<br /> of the hottest summers in Richmond, when the mercury
<br /> ranged from ninety-five to ninety-eight degrees in the
<br /> shade; the clerks in the store took it by turns in the afternoon
<br /> to go down into the basement, where it was cool and
<br /> dark, and stretch themselves out on a pile of goods for a
<br /> quiet nap, as there was nothing much doing up stairs. So
<br />one afternoon I went down there for my turn to sleep and
<br /> fixed myself very comfortably; was soon sleeping as sweetly
<br /> as an infant, when down came Weisiger, on mischief
<br /> bent, took away my gaiters that I had removed from my
<br /> feet and filled them up with paper, stuffed and rammed in
<br /> hard, after which he placed them some distance from where
<br /> I was, and then sprinkled water in the space between; he
<br /> then went to the top of the stairs and called loudly for me,
<br /> which of course awakened me, and I hurriedly reached for
<br /> my shoes, but they were gone, and in order to reach them
<br /> I had to walk on a wet floor in my sock feet, and hunt for
<br /> them, but I finally found them and got things straight,
<br /> to find out, when I went up stairs, that the thing was but
<br /> a good joke on me. I told him that I certainly would get
<br /> even with him yet on that; so some two or three evenings
<br /> later he went down stairs for the same purpose and he was
<br /> sleeping soundly when I got some paper, the kind that
<br /> comes on blocks of ribbons, and made a funnel; I then took
<br /> some lamp-black and placed in the top of it, going down I
<br /> gave the funnel a whiff and the whole contents wells on his
<br /> face, and the more he rubbed it the worse it became, so he
<br /> came up stairs one of the most furious creature that ever
<br /> I saw. A fellow-clerk, a Mr. Cagbill, furnished him with
<br /> soap and turpentine, and assisted him in applying it so
<br /> that his face was once more restored to its normal state,
<br /> and finally pacified him by saying, well you played a good
<br /> practical joke on Macon, who took it in a good spirit, and
<br /> now one who cannot take a joke, should not play one on
<br /> others. The Colonel was an old time Virginia gentleman
<br /> and we afterwards became the best of friends, and often
<br /> laughed at our tricks of other days.
<br /> The dry goods house of Binford, Mayo & Blair was one
<br /> of the largest and best in Richmond. Mr. Binford was the
<br /> managing head of the firm, and they had a customer from
<br /> the southside, who was a large tobacco planter, and came
<br /> to the city twice a year, bringing with him a memorandum
<br /> for dry goods to be purchased nearly a yard long, and the
<br /> first thing he would do on reaching town was to visit the
<br /> store and hand in his list of supplies - his memorandum -
<br /> asking that it be filled in the best manner, and with reasonable
<br /> prices, and when he collected from his commission
<br /> merchant he would call and pay his bill before leaving for
<br /> his home, which he never failed to do, and being a regular
<br /> customer the thing went on year after year to the satisfaction
<br /> of both parties. At last the planter died and his wife
<br /> took his place and attended to his affairs in the city; she
<br /> accordingly visited the store. Mr. Binford met her and
<br /> tendered his sympathy in her misfortune and after a few
<br /> minutes of conversation she drew out her long list and
<br /> asked to be shown several articles and their prices, after
<br /> examining them she remarked to Mr. Binford, I wish to
<br /> look around some before purchasing and will return
<br /> and go through with my bill. She called upon and went carefully
<br /> over the stock of every house in that line in Richmond
<br /> in order to see if he had been overcharging her husband.
<br /> She returned to the store in the evening. Mr. Binford
<br /> having preceded her but a few moments and was remarking
<br /> to a clerk that he wished the old lady had died instead
<br /> of her husband, who always came to town, gave me
<br /> his memorandum to fill and everything worked smoothly,
<br /> and now she comes in and runs around to every store in
<br /> the city, almost; she heard every word he said, but instead
<br /> of taking offense, she “pitched in,” and went through her
<br /> bill without a hitch. There was another incident in the
<br /> Binford, Mayo & Blair house; it appears that one of the
<br /> salesmen by the name of William Perkins, who was a bright
<br /> fellow, and a good clerk, had one especial accomplishment,
<br /> that of being one of the best draw-poker players in the
<br /> city, indulging in that game frequently. One morning the
<br /> senior member of the firm called Perkins to go down stairs
<br /> as he wished to have a little private talk with him. Mr.
<br /> Perkins, said he, I am informed that you play cards a great
<br /> deal. Perkins replied, sir, do I perform my duty satisfactorily
<br /> to your house? Is there anything in my conduct
<br /> here displeasing to you? If so, please let me know now.
<br /> Mr. Binford said, sir, you are an efficient salesman, and we
<br /> are well pleased with you. Mr. Perkins then said, well
<br /> Mr. Binford, I do not understand why you should bring
<br /> me down here to lecture me, to which he gravely replied,
<br /> Perkins have you any real good pointers in draw-poker?
<br /> Perkins told him that he thought he had, when Mr. Binford
<br /> said, then press them, which remark ended the conference
<br /> in peace and harmony.
<br /> Richmond about this time had some prominent hotels
<br />and restaurants, among the latter were “Zetelle's,” Tom
<br /> Griffin's, Charles Thompson's, and several others. There
<br /> were no dairy lunches, nor snack-houses in town. Cold
<br /> storage had not then come to the front. When a gentleman
<br /> entered a restaurant and ordered a piece of roast
<br /> beef, or a steak, he got home-killed beef, fat, tender and
<br /> rich in flavor, and when he called for oysters they were
<br /> set before him cooked with pure country butter, or genuine
<br /> fresh hog's lard, and not cotton-seed oil. Coffee was
<br /> then made of Java mixed with a little Rio, and not colored
<br /> water, as is found at some of the eating houses of the day.
<br /> To be sure one had to pay a little more for such a repast,
<br /> yet he generally received full value for his money.
<br /> Age and experience have improved many thinks in the
<br /> city. yet I do not believe that the restaurants of the present
<br /> time are as good as they were then. Among the hotels,
<br /> the Columbian, owned and conducted by Mr. Spottswood
<br /> Crenshaw, who was succeeded by Mr. Sublett, was situated
<br /> at the corner of Cary Street and Shockoe Slip, and was
<br /> the most popular hostelry for tobacco planters. It was
<br /> very well kept, the table was supplied with the very best
<br /> the market afforded; a marked feature of its dinners was that
<br /> pitchers of toddy were freely distributed to refresh
<br /> the thirsty guests. There was also the “American,” which
<br /> occupied the site of the Lexington - of the year 1912 - at
<br /> the corner of Main and Twelfth Streets. The Exchange
<br /> and Ballard on East Franklin and Fourteenth Streets, was
<br /> regarded as the leading hotel, and it was one of the finest
<br /> houses of its time; it was kept first by Colonel Boykin and
<br /> afterwards by John P. Ballard and brothers, and last by
<br /> Colonel Carrington. In those days there were no transfer
<br /> companies, and each ran its own omnibus to bring to and
<br /> fro the guests from the railway stations and steamboats.
<br /> I well remember one of Sir. Ballard's teams, consisting of
<br /> four fine iron-grey horses which he drove to one of his
<br /> turnouts, and they were beauties, being driven by a negrowhip,
<br /> who knew how to handle them to advantage.
<br /> At this period of time I was living in the country, and
<br /> came to the city to attend the ceremony of laying the corner-
<br /> stone of the Washington Monument in the Capitol
<br /> Square. It was during the administration of Governor
<br /> Jno. B. Floyd, and it was one of the worst days I ever experienced,
<br /> being cold, rainy, and snowing, all the military
<br /> of the city, besides the cadets from the Virginia Military
<br /> Institute, of Lexington, were in the parade. It took several
<br /> years to build the foundation for the monument, and
<br /> then some time elapsed before the equestrian statue of
<br /> Washington, which was designed by Crawford, arrived by
<br /> steamer from New York, when it was hauled from Rockets
<br /> wharf on a flat with a long rope attached to it and drawn
<br /> to its destination in the Capitol Square by citizens and
<br /> placed it on its pedestal. When it was soon afterwards
<br /> unveiled it was a “red-letter day” in Richmond and in
<br /> the history of the State. This splendid triumph in sculpture
<br /> dedicated to the renowned “Father of his country”
<br /> stands this day where it was erected more than a half-century
<br /> ago, and is considered by good judges to be the
<br /> finest equestrian statue in the United States; it is surrounded
<br /> by heroic size figures in bronze of several eminent
<br /> Virginians.
<br /> The retail grocery stores were a prominent element of
<br /> the city of Richmond's business, being an important part
<br /> of its commercial greatness. Among them there were the
<br /> firms of Walter D. Blair & Co., the senior member a genial
<br /> gentleman whose elegant manners not only retained all of
<br /> his old customers, but drew many new ones to his attractive
<br /> store; William M. Harrison, Joseph Weed & Son and
<br /> George Dandridge. These all kept liquors, as well as groceries.
<br /> Mr. Dandridge had a clerk who was a good salesman
<br /> and advanced the interests of his employer in every
<br /> way he could, and yet he had one failing, being an honest
<br /> frequent drinker, so one day his employer called him back
<br /> to the rear of the store and said, now sir, you are a good
<br /> salesman, and also a good man, and I have but one fault
<br /> to find with you, namely, you take a drink with every customer
<br /> that comes in here; yes, he answered I do, and if
<br /> they don't come in fast enough I drink by myself, just to
<br /> keep my hand in, and to encourage trade. Mr. Dandridge
<br /> retained him in his employ and he finally became a member
<br /> of the firm. The retail dry goods houses were distinguished
<br /> for their efficiency and size; there were on Main
<br /> Street five or six and about the same number on Broad
<br /> Street. I recall particularly the prominent one of Mann
<br /> S. Valentine, who was one of the most successful merchants
<br /> of Richmond. His son, Mann S. Valentine, Jr., was the
<br /> discoverer of the formula for extracting and manufacturing
<br /> for commerce the fluid extract of beef, known as “Valentine's
<br /> Meat Juice,” which at his death fell to his sons,
<br /> who organized the Valentine Meat Juice Company, which
<br /> has proved a boon to humanity, particularly to invalids.
<br /> The enterprising firm conducts a very large export, as well
<br /> as a domestic trade, and is composed of intelligent and progressive business men. Mr. M. S. Valentine, Jr., the founded
<br /> of the present house, at his death, through his munificence,
<br /> established and endowed the well known Valentine
<br /> Museum, which is a lasting monument to his memory.
<br /> It is kept in the best manner by his sons, who feel a great
<br /> pride in it. Within its spacious rooms are to be found
<br /> many of the finest relics of the arts of antiquity, and also
<br /> specimens of Virginian and Southern fossils and curiosities,
<br /> which have been collected and placed here at great
<br /> expense and trouble. The building occupied by the Museum
<br /> was originally purchased from James G. Brooks, and
<br /> he, from Mr. Jno. P. Ballard, and he bought it from Mr.
<br /> Wickham, so it is associated with historic memories, and
<br /> it is truly one of the most interesting places in the city,
<br /> and is visited daily by thousands of strangers visiting
<br /> Richmond, as well as by the residents of the city. Mr. Edward
<br /> S. Valentine is one of the most famous sculptors of
<br /> his day, who designed and created out of Italian marble
<br /> the celebrated recumbent statue of General Robert E. Lee,
<br /> now in the chapel of Washington and Lee University
<br /> at Lexington, Virginia. This is considered one of the best
<br /> specimens of the fine arts in the world. Indeed it is an
<br /> effigy in marble which produces mingled emotions of admiration
<br /> and awe, as it lies there in its silent vault illumined
<br /> by electric lamps in its darkened chamber.
<br /> The wholesale grocery houses of Richmond at this time
<br /> were large and served their purpose well. I recall to memory
<br /> the firms of E. & S. Wortham & Co., which did a very
<br /> large business, having the patronage from the extensive
<br /> plantations on the Pamunkey River in grain and produce.
<br /> Also Stokes & Reeves, Selden & Miller, Hugh Fery & Sons,
<br /> and Dunlop & McCauce, the latter firm dealt principally
<br /> in New Orleans sugars and molasses, carrying on the largest
<br /> business in that line of any house in the city. Next I
<br /> must mention the many tobacco manufacturers, which
<br /> business was a very important one, as it is now. The factories
<br /> of James A. Grant, William H. Grant, William Greanor,
<br /> Robert A. Mayo & Son, James Thomas, Jr., and many
<br /> others, all did a tremendous trade in this lucrative business.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XI.
<br /> A unique feature was the agencies for hiring out negro
<br /> hands and servants, it forming a large part of the business
<br /> of the real estate men. Richmond was then said to
<br /> have one hundred tobacco factories in active operation.
<br /> My memory reverts to an interesting event in the year
<br /> 1860, when Edward, the Prince of Wales, of the Royal
<br /> family of Great Britain, visited Richmond, coming here
<br /> from Washington with his retinue who were entertained
<br /> at the old Exchange and Ballard House - then in its prime.
<br /> The Prince stayed over Sunday and attended church at
<br /> Saint Paul's. Doctor Minnegerode was then the rector
<br /> of the parish, and he preached a good practical sermon for
<br /> the distinguished guests. I remember well seeing the
<br /> Prince, who was then a beardless youth, of a good figure
<br /> and looks, he returned to the Capital City the next day,
<br /> pleased with his trip; it was an epoch in the history of
<br /> Virginia, socially speaking. Another incident was the lecture
<br /> delivered here by Mr. Thackery, the great novelist,
<br /> at the Athenaeum, which building was then just in the rear
<br /> of the Broad Street Methodist Church, the subject of the
<br /> lecture was the “Georges,” and it was a chaste and interesting
<br /> address, full of anecdotes, with a vein of sarcasm
<br /> interspersed throughout.
<br /> Another lecture about this time was that of the Hon.
<br /> Edward Everett, delivered at the old African Church; the
<br /> subject was General George Washington. He was lecturing
<br /> under the auspices of the Mount Vernon Association
<br /> for the purchase of that place from its owners. The Mount
<br /> Vernon papers which were then published by Mr. Bowner
<br /> in the New York Ledger, were edited by him, and this
<br /> address by him here was a literary treat, as was everything
<br /> emanating from his cultivated mind; the church
<br /> was filled with a highly appreciative audience, and all went
<br /> home well pleased.
<br /> The local politics were to some extent interesting, as almost
<br /> every man discussed them in public. The African
<br /> Church was used on Sundays as a negro meeting house for
<br /> worship, and during the week for political gatherings by
<br /> the white people, it being the largest in town. The colored
<br /> people were of course paid for the use of their church
<br /> building. When a person announced his candidacy for any
<br /> office in the gift of the people, he was requested to define
<br /> his position and views on the questions of the day. For
<br /> instance when the subject of a free bridge between Richmond
<br /> and Manchester over the James River was debated
<br /> the people were called upon to express their ideas pro and
<br /> con in the old African Church.
<br /> There was a prominent local politician by the name of
<br /> George Peake, who whenever a speaker uttered a sentiment
<br /> of which he approved, would emphasize it by loudly
<br /> exclaiming, “Why, certainly,” and everybody knew where
<br /> the voice came from, as he was notorious. On one occasion
<br /> I was present at a meeting when a Mr. Martin Meredith
<br /> Lipscomb was a candidate for the office of city sergeant,
<br /> he was an illiterate man, but had the conceit and
<br /> obstinacy of a government mule, and was arguing the point
<br /> that when a man was born on the lower round of the social
<br /> ladder he should not be debarred from rising to the upper
<br /> ones, and to illustrate his point said he, now suppose I had
<br /> been born in a stable, just then some wag in the crowd interrupted
<br /> him by yelling out, then, sir, you would have
<br /> been a mule; this rudeness silenced the speaker for a moment,
<br /> but without taking any notice of it, he resumed his
<br /> argument. This Mr. Lipscomb was a notorious office-seeker
<br /> and never failed to announce himself as a candidate for
<br /> almost every position from the mayoralty down to a constable,
<br /> for nothing seem to daunt “old Martin Meredith,”
<br /> as he was called, in his attempts to hold some office, although
<br /> failure was his only reward.
<br /> In the celebrated campaign, just before the great war,
<br /> for Governor between Henry A. Wise, the nominee of the
<br /> Democracy, and the Hon. Stanhope Flournoy, the champion
<br /> of the Whig party, the “Know-nothings” excitement
<br /> was in its incipiency and they supported the Whigs in this
<br /> contest. Hon. Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland, one of
<br /> the best political orators of his day, spoke in advocacy of
<br /> “Know-nothingism,” and his remarks were good and convincing
<br /> from his standpoint, but the strong logic, and Herculean
<br /> thrusts of Mr. Wise utterly destroyed the fallacies of the
<br /> opposition, and the Know-nothing party died, then
<br /> and there. Governor Wise was one of the most gifted and
<br /> forcible, as well as interesting, speakers in the State. At
<br /> this time there were many fine public speakers; I will mention
<br /> Mr. John Minor Botts, an old-line Whig, one of the
<br /> most accomplished orators of Virginia, he spoke but seldom
<br /> and only on important occasions. Another prominent
<br /> one was Marmaduke Johnson, a distinguished lawyer of
<br /> the city, who was never surpassed in eloquence. There
<br /> was also Colonel Thomas P. August, whose addresses were
<br /> always received with delight by an audience of his fellow
<br /> citizens. Mr. John Caskie, who represented the city and
<br /> district in Congress; he was a very fluent and convincing
<br /> speaker, and it was a forensic treat to listen to him. There
<br /> were many others whose acquirements in oratory were not
<br /> easily equalled before, or since, this day and time.
<br /> Richmond about this period of its history was in its
<br /> prime, and prospects were very bright. The churches
<br /> were an important feature; among the most prominent
<br /> were old St. John's, on that part of the city called “Church
<br /> Hill.” In this venerable edifice, Patrick Henry delivered
<br /> that celebrated speech, which kindled the first sparks, that
<br /> fired the colonies to burst into rebellion against the tyranny
<br /> of old King George the Third. Also there was the
<br /> Methodist Church, which stood originally between Fourteenth
<br /> and Fifteenth Streets on East Franklin, the congregation
<br /> of which removed to their new building now on
<br /> Broad Street. The Second Presbyterian, on Franklin then
<br /> occupied the site of Randolph's paper box factory; this
<br /> congregation built a fine house at the corner of Fifth and
<br /> Main Streets. The pastor of this was one of the most celebrated
<br /> divines of his day; he was succeeded by the distinguished
<br /> pulpit orator Doctor Moses Hoge. The First
<br /> Presbyterian originally stood where the City Hall now
<br /> rears its lofty towers, and a large and more modern
<br /> church was erected at the corner of Grace and Madison
<br /> Streets. Doctor Moore was for a long time the beloved
<br /> pastor of this congregation. The Monumental Episcopal,
<br /> with so many historic associations clustering around it,
<br /> was built on the spot occupied by the old Richmond Theater,
<br /> which years ago was burned to the ground, consuming
<br /> many of the most esteemed and prominent citizens of
<br /> the city and State. Doctor Woodbridge filled the pulpit
<br /> of this sacred building for many years, and never was there
<br /> a purer and holier minister of Christ. I remember well
<br /> some of the vestrymen, such men as Mr. James Gardner,
<br /> Mr. George Fisher, and others of the same stamp; they
<br /> were as good men as the world ever produced, and their
<br /> memory is held in kindest remembrance by all who knew
<br /> them. Next, in point of age and reverence, I mention Saint
<br /> Paul's Episcopal, situated at the corner of Grace and Ninth
<br /> Streets. If all the religious and historic memories of this
<br /> church were fully recounted it would almost suffice to fill
<br /> a volume. General Robert E. Lee's family attended this
<br /> church, as did also the General, whenever he visited his
<br /> home during the progress of the great war, although he
<br /> was seldom away from the front. Miss Hettie Carey and
<br /> General John Pegram were married there, just before the
<br /> end of the hostilities, and if my memory serves me, about a
<br /> week later his lifeless body rested upon a bier in front of
<br /> the altar, where he had so short a time before plighted his troth to
<br /> his beautiful and most gifted bride. Doctor Minnegerode
<br /> was the rector of this parish and he was one of
<br /> the best theologians in the Episcopal denomination, was
<br /> a distinguished professor at the Theological Seminary near
<br /> Alexandria, Virginia, when called to the charge of St.
<br /> Paul's. It was while President Jefferson Davis was worshipping
<br /> in this sanctuary on a sabbath morning, that a
<br /> message informed him of the fall of Petersburg, Va. One
<br /> of the largest and most influential congregations worshipped
<br /> in Saint James Episcopal Church, whose first minister
<br /> for a long time was Doctor Empie, who was succeeded as
<br /> rector by the venerated and most beloved of pastors, the
<br /> Reverend Joshua Peterkin, of sacred memory, who was
<br /> regarded by all as a beacon light of undefiled Christianity,
<br /> and a lowly follower of the Blessed Saviour of mankind.
<br /> The Church of “All Saints,” on West Franklin Street, though
<br /> one of the youngest Episcopal congregations, is one
<br /> of the very best and most popular. Doctor Downman, the
<br /> rector, is a man of ripe scholarship in divinity and of sterling
<br /> piety. The vestrymen of “All Saints” are ever to the
<br /> front in every deed of charity, and for the amelioration
<br /> and uplifting of suffering humanity. I recall as members
<br /> of this vestry Mr. F. S. Valentine, Mr. John Tyler, Mr.
<br /> Peter H. Mayo, and several other well known citizens.
<br /> St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church, at the corner of
<br /> Grace and Eighth Streets, is one of the oldest churches in
<br /> Richmond. I remember when Bishops McGill and Keane
<br /> officiated there. There was once a theological discussion
<br /> carried on through the newspapers between the Bishop
<br /> McGill and Doctor Plummer, of the Presbyterian denomination,
<br /> who were two intellectual giants, and were well
<br /> matched in vigor and zeal. I recall an amusing incident:
<br /> there lived out on the Brook Turnpike a certain lady
<br /> who drove to church every Sunday to her carriage, a
<br /> pair of rat-tailed sorrel horses that always came quietly
<br /> down the street to the church, but when their mistress
<br /> was once in the vehicle, and their heads were turned homewards,
<br /> after services were over, they ran at a sharp
<br /> gallop all the way until they reached the front gate at
<br /> their home.
<br /> A very attractive feature of these churches was the
<br /> fine choir music, which I am sure has never been surpassed.
<br /> I remember when the choir of Monumental was
<br /> composed of Mr. John Tyler, Miss Emily Denison and
<br /> other noted vocalists, while at the organ presided Mr. Leo
<br /> Wheat. When the funeral services were held there of
<br /> Major Wheat, the commander of the New Orleans Tigers,
<br /> who was killed at Cold Harbor in 1862, Miss Denison
<br /> sang a solo, entitled “I Would Not Live Always.” I
<br /> thought it one of the sweetest and most pathetic hymns
<br /> that I ever heard. At Saint Paul's Madam Rhul was the
<br /> leading soprano, and her notes were as sweet as the warbling
<br /> of a mocking bird. On one occasion I heard her
<br /> when she sang that fine old hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My
<br /> Soul,” to the air of “When the Swallows Homeward Fly,”
<br /> and indeed I do not believe that it has ever been surpassed
<br /> in that grand old edifice.
<br /> Among the many interests, commercially speaking,
<br /> were the real estate firms, for instance I mention, Goddin
<br /> and Apperson, Taylor and Williams, Hill and Rawlings
<br /> and Holliday and Rawlings. The movement of real property
<br /> then was not quite so lively as it is now, but nevertheless
<br /> they all did a fair business.
<br /> Another important business was that of the wholesale
<br /> drug houses, among the largest were, Purcell, Ladd &
<br /> Co., Peyton Johnston and Brother, Adie and Gray, William
<br /> Beers & Co.; and I doubt if there has ever been any
<br /> larger houses in that line, before or since. Their trade
<br /> was extensive and came from all parts of the State, and
<br /> neighboring States to the south. There was then no selling
<br /> goods through travelling salesmen by samples, but the
<br /> purchasers came in person direct to headquarters and
<br /> laid in their supplies.
<br /> Another leading feature of Richmond's make-up was
<br /> its corps of physicians. A man who is a specialist nowadays
<br /> in any particular calling is termed a doctor, but I
<br /> am now only alluding to the Doctors of Medicine - the
<br /> M. D.'s - the followers of Esculapius of yore. Among
<br /> these was first and foremost, Francis H. Deane, whose
<br /> presence even almost revived a patient; many sick fellows
<br /> recall his genial face when entering the sick chamber. He
<br /> practiced in our family over thirty years. Also there
<br /> was Doctor Cunningham, who was regarded as one of the
<br /> best; Doctor Bell Gibson, who was esteemed the most eminent
<br /> surgeon in the State. Another noted surgeon was
<br /> Doctor Petticolas, whose general practice was very extensive.
<br /> Then I must mention those great and good men,
<br /> Doctors Skelton and Knox, who were shining lights in
<br /> their profession, whose memory is cherished, as well as
<br /> that of old Doctors McCaw and Marks.
<br /> The wholesale shoe houses were a big item in the city's
<br /> mercantile life. Among the leading ones were Hubbard,
<br /> Gardner and Carlton, which concern did the largest business
<br /> in foot-wear in Richmond; their trade was co-extensive
<br /> with the State. It is doubtful if there is now a house
<br /> in their line conducting a larger trade. Then there was
<br /> the old and staunch firm of Putney and Watts, and also
<br /> White and Page, besides several large retail stores.
<br /> At this gentlemen did not wear machine-made boots
<br /> and shoes, but had them to order by native shoemakers.
<br /> The fashionable footdress then was Congress gaiters and
<br /> boots; Oxford ties were worn in the summer. The change
<br /> in men's attire is quite distinct, as formerly gentlemen wore
<br /> broad-cloth made with a Prince Albert or frock coat
<br /> with pants and vests to match. A very popular style was a
<br /> blue cloth clawhammer coat with plain brass buttons.
<br /> Linen suits were much worn in the hot season.
<br /> At one time a Mr. Selden kept a large boarding house
<br /> called “The Richmond,” which stood at the corner of
<br /> Governor and Ross Streets. It was a fine house and was
<br /> particularly popular with young clerks, and among the
<br /> boarders was a unique person named Beau Lambert, he
<br /> was a very fastidious man in his dress, always wearing
<br /> a fine black suit with a dress coat, and was particular in
<br /> parting the skirts of his coat on sitting down. Accordingly
<br /> one day Henry Thornton, a young fellow, full of
<br /> fun and tricks, took from the dinner table a dumpling
<br /> of meal out of a dish of jowl and turnip salad and slipped
<br /> it in Lambert's coat pocket. It was a very greasy and
<br /> disagreeable joke, and Beau did not find out who was
<br /> the perpetrator for some days, and of course he was very
<br /> much displeased, but mutual friends arranged the matter
<br /> amicably, and they became good friends afterwards.
<br /> The gambling establishments were an important part
<br /> of the city's life at this juncture. The law against faro
<br /> banks was not strictly enforced as it is now. Their rooms
<br /> were elegantly furnished, and every night a sumptuous
<br /> supper was spread before their patrons, which was greatly
<br /> enjoyed by many planters coming to town to sell their
<br /> crops. Among the most popular ones were Worsham
<br /> and Brother, the Morgan Brothers and Nat Reeves. The
<br /> credit of these men was as good as that of any merchant
<br /> in town. I recall an incident in connection with these
<br /> games, to wit: There were three students at the medical
<br /> college who were gay and up-to-date boys, but were not
<br /> blessed with much cash, who frequently visited Mr.
<br />Reeve's rooms. On a certain Saturday night they went
<br /> out with a tumbrie cart to procure subjects for the college
<br /> to be dissected. They first backed up the cart
<br /> in front of his entrance, and then asked each other how much
<br /> money they had between them; one had a dollar and a
<br /> half, another two dollars and the other only fifty cents,
<br /> making all but three dollars, which was not enough with
<br /> which to get on a good “spree.” So it was arranged, in
<br /> order to carry out their fun to the best advantage, in
<br /> the following manner, they appointed one as spokesman
<br /> to run the small sum in their pool at Mr. Reeves' bank
<br /> in a game of fare, and as the boy walked up to the cashier
<br /> to invest it in “chips,” Mr. Reeves said, “I will not sell
<br /> you any, for if you should make a run on me you might
<br /> win from me several hundred dollars, and if I should
<br /> beat you in the game I should only gain three dollars,”
<br /> and so, at these words, he took out of the drawer a ten-dollar
<br /> bank note and handed it to him, saying, “Now
<br /> boys go ahead, and don't come back here again tonight.”
<br /> Now, that was all they wanted; it played right into their
<br /> hands, for the money enabled them to pass a gay and
<br /> joyous night. These three youngsters afterwards graduated
<br /> well, and all of them became successful practitioners
<br /> of the “Art of Healing.”
<br /> Before the beginning of the war between the States. In
<br /> those days on each “Fourth of July” picnics and barbecues
<br /> were held. On one of these days I attended a
<br /> barbecue at Buchanan's Spring, which was then outside
<br /> the city in the county of Henrico. A large and enthusiastic
<br /> crowd was present and there were various devices
<br /> for promoting mirth and pleasure. A Mr. James Ferguson,
<br /> one of the city's most prominent merchants, was there,
<br /> and also Mr. William F. Watson, a lawyer of high standing
<br /> Mr. Ferguson was a man of fine figure and was considered
<br /> one of the best dancers in town. Mr. Watson was
<br /> a portly man and weighed about two hundred and twenty
<br /> pounds, and almost as broad as long. The weather was
<br /> very warm indeed, and it was arranged to dance an Irish
<br /> jig, there being no ladies present. They stripped off
<br /> everything but their underwear and they footed it out to
<br /> a finish, and it was called one of the best displays of that
<br /> lively dance that had been seen for many days. The
<br /> championship was awarded to Mr. Watson.
<br /> One of the most noted military organizations in Richmond
<br /> at that time was the old State Guard, which occupied
<br /> the armory near the Tredegar Iron Works. It was
<br /> offered by Captain M. Dimmock, Lieutenant Gay and
<br /> Lieutenant Clarke, and was as well drilled as the cadets
<br /> at West Point. The officers frequently gave exhibitions
<br /> of drills on Capitol Square, and it was a treat to see their
<br /> skirmish drills, which drew a large concourse of spectators,
<br /> and was one of the most interesting sights I ever
<br /> witnessed. After the war the organization of the State
<br /> Guard was abolished.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XV.
<br /> Of the theaters of the city, the most prominent one
<br /> was the old “Marshall,” which stood where the Meyer
<br /> Greentree furnishing store now is located, at the corner
<br /> of Seventh and Broad Streets. It was leased by Mr.
<br /> Taylor. The stock company was composed of some of
<br /> the most distinguished actors of the day, who have appeared
<br /> on the stage of this country. Among them were
<br /> Joseph Jefferson, Booth, John Owens, Adams, Boniface
<br /> and Mary Devlin, who afterwards married Edwin Booth.
<br /> I remember seeing there Burton, in his famous role of
<br /> “Toodles”; Clarke, in “Our American Cousin,” and
<br /> Neaffie, in “Hamlet,” in which Jefferson took the character
<br /> of the grave-digger. These have never been surpassed
<br /> in America.
<br /> An entertaining gleaning is that respecting “Fairfield
<br /> race track,” situated on the Mechanicsville Turnpike.
<br /> This was the most prominent race course of its day in the
<br /> State. It was run and owned by a Mr. James Talley,
<br /> who was one of the best horsemen in Virginia. When
<br /> the place was at its zenith it had a long string of race
<br /> horses in its stables, among them being some of the most
<br /> celebrated the world has ever seen; there was the great
<br /> racer, and sire of racers, “Revenue,” owned by Mr. Botts;
<br /> “Talley Ho,” owned by Mr. Selden C. Mason; “Engineer,”
<br /> a splendid grey; “Red-Eye,” sire of “Planet”;
<br /> Martha Washington, “Iina” and many others. These were
<br /> the very flowers of the thoroughbred stock of the South.
<br /> Every Sunday evening in the spring of the year the
<br /> horses were exercised around the course and were given
<br /> a “right sharp brush.” Several of my friends and I
<br /> were in the habit of going out and viewing them while
<br /> at their exercises and it was well worth the while to
<br /> see such spurts of swift speeding. Truly those were the
<br /> palmy days of racing, and they will never again be reviewed
<br /> in Virginia, at least in this part of the State, for
<br /> conditions are greatly changed.
<br /> I recall the heaviest fall of snow one spring while I was
<br /> living in Richmond that ever took place in the memory
<br /> of the oldest inhabitants; it commenced on a Saturday
<br /> night and fell continuously until the Monday following.
<br /> I was then carrying the keys to the store of Parker, Nimmo
<br /> & Co., and had to open the house with the assistance
<br /> of the porter. We had to dig away the drift, which had
<br /> reached to the top of the door, before we could even see
<br /> it, let alone get in it. On that Sunday night a large fire
<br /> occurred near the Old Market House. It was so bitterly
<br /> cold during the snow spell that Doctor Cox, of Chesterfield
<br /> county was frozen to death just as he was about
<br /> entering the gate to his farm. On Monday the temperature
<br /> moderated and the younger ones had a galla time
<br /> snow-balling every one mounted or in sleighs that passed
<br /> on the main streets; each corner was occupied by squads,
<br /> who pelted them without mercy or hesitation.
<br /> There was in the city one George Washington Todd,
<br /> a beacon light of the sporting crowd. He was a man of
<br /> splendid physique, about six feet two inches in height and
<br /> built in proportion; possessing a fine voice, a good deal of
<br /> wit and humor and the cheer of a brass monkey. He
<br /> had no moral reputation and no one would credit him.
<br /> On a certain day when there was a political meeting over
<br /> on the Eastern Shore, Governor Wise was one of the
<br /> speakers, and after the speaking was over Todd walked up
<br /> to the Governor and passed the compliments of the day
<br /> thus: Cousin Henry, how are you to day? The Governor
<br /> replied I do not know of any relationship between us.
<br /> Todd then said, now, Governor, were you not born in Accomack.
<br /> He said yes. Well, then, as I was also born in
<br /> Accomack, does not that make us cousins? The cool
<br /> effrontery of the fellow somewhat astonished the Governor.
<br /> A noticeable feature was the elegant jewelry establishments.
<br /> The most prominent were Mitchell and Tyler and
<br /> C. Genet & Co. Then a person thought they could not
<br /> buy a reliable article unless it came from one or the other
<br /> store. The first named, Mitchell and Tyler, enjoyed a
<br /> very large and paying patronage. In their employ was
<br /> a gentleman by the name of Hicks, who was at the head
<br /> of the watch-repairing department, and it required quite
<br /> an artist in that line to fill the position, as then the simple
<br /> American watches had not come into general use, for
<br /> those mostly carried were of Swiss and English or other
<br /> foreign makes. This gentleman was full of pleasing
<br /> humor and wit, and as he was in the front of the store,
<br /> when a person would enter and inquire for a certain
<br /> clerk by the name of Christian, he would jokingly say
<br /> that in the rear were several young men, some members
<br /> of the church, but whether a Christian could be found
<br /> among them he could not say.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XVI.
<br /> I was attending the races at Fairfield and it was
<br /> a field day. Of course there was a large crowd present, the
<br /> gambling stands were well patronized, as usual and at
<br /> one particular table there was a large farmer betting
<br /> very freely, who seemed to have plenty of money, and
<br /> a smart fellow who lived in the city observed the way
<br /> things were running, for every time the farmer put down
<br /> a bet the dealer would win and raked it in. So after that
<br /> every time the farmer would make a bet, this man would
<br /> put one down opposite, or bet against him, and this continued
<br /> until the farmer had exhausted his pile; the Richmond
<br /> man winning all the bets, which did not please the
<br /> dealer, who said to him, “Why don't you let an honest
<br /> man make a living?” The man saw that the gambler
<br /> was fleecing the farmer, and he had coppered and won
<br /> of course, thus blocking the dealer's game.
<br /> President James Monroe's remains were brought to
<br /> Richmond and interred in Hollywood Cemetery, having
<br /> as an escort of honor the famous Seventh Regiment of
<br /> New York. This was the finest volunteer military organization
<br /> that I ever saw, it being the crack corps of that
<br /> city; they marched like a machine, their alignment was
<br /> perfect; the uniforms were grey dress coats. The hospitality
<br /> of the people of the city was extensive and most
<br /> cordial. The visitors were not allowed to open their
<br /> pocketbooks for anything purchasable; even if they went
<br /> in for a cigar, it was already paid for, they were informed.
<br /> Being composed of the best citizens of the Metropolis,
<br /> gentlemen all, they did not abuse the privileges granted
<br /> them in the slightest degree.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XVII.
<br /> Most important events were just on the eve of happening.
<br /> The election for the national Presidency was
<br /> booming in the near future, and politics were attracting
<br /> the attention of the whole country. The two main parties
<br /> which were confronting each other were the Democratic
<br /> on the one side and on the other the Free Soil or Abolition
<br /> party of the North, which had united and formed the
<br /> Republican, the strength of which latter party was growing
<br /> stronger every day. Its platform of principles was
<br /> antagonistic to the Democratic party and to the Southern
<br /> States on the slavery question. In November, 1859, old
<br /> John Brown, who had figured conspicuously in the fights,
<br /> organized a hostile gang of Abolitionists and came down
<br /> to Virginia, presumably to incite the negroes against their
<br /> masters and urge them to insurrection. Their field of
<br /> operation was in the county of Jefferson and adjoining
<br /> one. The government of the United States dispatched
<br /> Colonel Robert E. Lee, in command of a small body of
<br /> marines, to capture Brown and his party and to defeat
<br /> his diabolical scheme. The fanatical wretches took refuge
<br /> in the engine house at Harper's Ferry. They were then
<br /> taken to Charlestown and placed in the jail, being turned
<br /> over to the State authorities by Colonel Lee. Governor
<br /> Henry A. Wise at that period of time was filling the
<br /> gubernatorial chair, and he immediately dispatched the
<br /> military companies of Richmond to the scene of action,
<br /> in order to protect the citizens in this critical emergency.
<br /> Indeed it was the real beginning of the great war.
<br /> Old John Brown, the leader and arch-conspirator against
<br /> the peace and dignity of Virginia, was duly tried and
<br /> summarily executed. Next, one Cook was tried, who was
<br /> a very young man and nephew of the Governor of Indiana,
<br /> who employed Senator Daniel Voorhies to defend
<br /> him. The case was pathetic in the extreme; many persons
<br /> in court were moved to tears, but the law was inexorable
<br /> and he was judged guilty and shared the fate of his leader.
<br /> After the executions the military returned home. The
<br /> 1st Company of Howitzers had just been formed and organized,
<br /> and on this occasion acted as infantrymen. The
<br /> whole country was then in a great state of excitement
<br /> and unrest. In a short time the nominations for the Presidency
<br /> would be made. James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania,
<br /> was the President then, and the feeling between the North
<br /> and the South was becoming more and more intense, and
<br /> what would be the, outcome few could predict. A political
<br /> storm they all feared was to culminate in a dreadful, cruel
<br /> war between the States.
<br /> In the year 1860 the Democratic party held its convention
<br /> in the city of Charleston, S. C. It divided into two
<br /> section, one wing nominated John Breckinridge, of
<br /> Kentucky, as their standard bearer, and the other put
<br /> forward as their nominee Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois.
<br /> The Whig party chose John Bell, of Tennessee, to lead
<br /> it. The newly formed Republican party had nominated
<br /> Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois.
<br /> The canvass was conducted with force and vigor. The
<br /> Republicans had grown in numbers and strength and
<br /> presented a formidable menace to the South. The most
<br /> strenuous efforts were made by each section to elect its
<br /> candidate; the issue was great and clearly defined. In
<br /> the South the ablest speakers were brought out to present
<br /> the danger which threatened the institution of slavery
<br /> in the success of the Lincoln party; yet it seemed a forlorn
<br /> hope to expect to elect Southern Democrats like Breckinridge
<br /> and Lane, as there were two other Democratic tickets
<br /> in the field, which, of course, split the conservative or
<br /> Southern vote, while the North or Abolition party had
<br /> only one ticket in the field.
<br /> The Wigs of Richmond had built, on Fourteenth and
<br /> Franklin Streets, a large wooden structure capable of
<br /> seating a crow - that party had a large majority in the
<br /> city - and held frequent meetings therein. It was called
<br /> the “Wigwam.” I well remember that the night before
<br /> the election Mr. William L. Yancy spoke in advocacy of
<br /> Breckinridge at the Metropolitan Hall, on Franklin Street
<br /> near the Exchange Hotel. Others spoke at the “Wigwam”
<br /> for the Douglass ticket. The last speaker there
<br /> was A. Judson Crane. The evening was advancing and
<br /> the audience had been listening for hours to burning words
<br /> from the lips of gifted orators, and well do I recall his
<br /> closing remark, to-wit: “It makes no difference for
<br /> whom you vote, as before the sun of tomorrow goes down
<br /> Abraham Lincoln will have been elected the President
<br /> of these United States.” This prediction proved only too
<br /> true, since on the following fourth day of March he was
<br /> inaugurated, and in his address said that he would use
<br /> all the men at his command to bring back into the Union,
<br /> by force of arms if necessary, the seceding Southern
<br /> States. This was truly cold comfort for the Southern
<br /> people. John Letcher was the Governor of Virginia, and
<br /> the General Assembly was in session, which drew up and
<br /> passed a bill for the calling of a State convention that
<br /> the people indorsed by a large majority. Then came the
<br /> most important part, the election of delegates to it.
<br /> As a matter of fact the State was largely Democratic,
<br /> and in an ordinary election for State offices a Whig stood
<br /> no chance of election, but such was not the case in this
<br /> one, for no party lines were brought into play and therefore
<br /> the ablest and most intellectual men were selected,
<br /> irrespective of party affiliations. This important meeting
<br /> of Virginians, called the “Secession Convention,” assembled
<br /> in Richmond - the building used for its sessions
<br /> was the Mechanic's Institute, located on Ninth Street
<br /> between Main and Franklin Streets and then occupied
<br /> the present site of the building of Ebel and Sons, merchant
<br /> tailors. It organized, by election, Mr. Janney, of Loudon
<br /> county, as president, an old line Whig, and was opposed
<br /> to secession at the very start. Mr. Eubank was made
<br /> clerk.
<br /> I doubt if an abler, more intellectual and patriotic set
<br /> of men were ever before gathered together in this State
<br /> for the discussion of a subject so delicate and so portentous.
<br /> They seemed to fully realize the gravity of the situation
<br /> that confronted the old Commonwealth. The convention
<br /> was divided into two parts; the one the original
<br /> secessionists, who were in favor of going out of the Union
<br /> at once, as many of the other States had already done,
<br /> the other was mainly composed of old line Whigs, who
<br /> were in favor of preserving the Union as long as a chance
<br /> remained. The debates in the convention were of the
<br /> most absorbing interest to the whole population, and even
<br /> the heads of the commercial houses would leave them in
<br /> charge of clerks. The female heads of families, just as
<br /> soon as their morning duties were arranged, would repair
<br /> to the Mechanic's Institute to listen to the speeches, so
<br /> supreme was the general interest taken in the outcome of
<br /> it. And it was not at all surprising that such was the
<br /> case, for it was a most momentous era in our history.
<br /> Nobody could foretell the future at that early day. The
<br /> members did all they could to avert civil war. Several
<br /> delegates were sent to the seat of government at Washington
<br /> to endeavor to secure a peaceable solution of the
<br /> vexed questions. It was a time of suspense and almost
<br /> anguish; the Union hung as by a thread as it were, and
<br /> then at this critical juncture the President, Abraham Lincoln,
<br /> issued his celebrated proclamation, calling upon Virginia,
<br /> the “Mother of States, and “of the Union,” for
<br /> seventy-five thousand men as her quota with which to
<br /> assist him in coercing, by military force of arms, her
<br /> sister States. The convention did not hesitate an instant,
<br /> it promptly passed the Ordinance of Secession almost
<br /> unanimously, there being but one dissenting voice. With
<br /> the secession of this State the last gleam of hope for peace
<br /> vanished as the snow flakes before the rays of the sun.
<br /> The Federal government had sent reinforcements and
<br /> provisions for a siege to Fort Sumter, which was then
<br /> commanded by Major Anderson. The people of South
<br /> Carolina considered this a declaration of war, and at once,
<br /> under the direction of General Beauregard, attacked the
<br /> fort and caused its surrender. This was the beginning
<br /> of the great war between the States of the Union, which
<br /> was to call to the front every true Southerner to do or
<br /> die for the South land; it was the first clash of arms in
<br /> that bloody drama which was to last for four long years
<br /> of terror to the people of Virginia, and the sacrifice of the
<br /> life's blood of thousands of her noblest and most gallant
<br /> sons. Richmond, with her open gates of welcome to
<br /> the splendid troops from the South and Southwest, was
<br /> the rendezvous of all the soldiers to be organized hurrying
<br /> to the front. Everything then seemed bright and all
<br /> believed the war would soon be over.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XVIII.
<br /> The Southern ports were soon blockaded by the Federal
<br /> vessels of war and the South then had to rely entirely
<br /> upon her own resources. Excepting a few articles, such
<br /> as coffee and tea, brought in through the blockade, substitutes
<br /> were found for each of these articles.
<br /> During the first year the currency of the Confederacy
<br /> depreciated but little, but in the second year it began to
<br /> go down in value, until it became before the end almost
<br /> worthless. Richmond, in spite of the privations of the
<br /> people, was gayer and more brilliant socially than it ever
<br /> was since or before. There were in the city a great many
<br /> refugees from all parts of the South, which formed a
<br /> social element that made a delightful society. There were
<br /> dances and theater parties held frequently; many clerks,
<br /> male and female, employed in the government departments;
<br /> soldiers on furlough from the army, all combined
<br /> to form a gay company of ladies and gentlemen.
<br /> General Beauregard was in command of the Army of
<br /> the Potomac, as General Joseph E. Johnston was in the
<br /> Valley of Virginia opposing General Patterson of the Federal
<br /> forces. The first battle of Manassas was fought on
<br /> the 21st day of July, 1861, this being the first big fight
<br /> of the war, and in this the Southern troops were completely
<br /> victorious, driving back to Washington the Northern
<br /> army in a regular panicstricken mob. This victory
<br /> buoyed up the spirits of our people in the city and they
<br /> did not fully realize the gravity of the war until it had
<br /> been waged sometime. The social life in the city became
<br /> more pleasant as time passed, and large entertainments
<br /> were given almost every night. Mrs. Randolph, the wife
<br /> of the Secretary of War, who was one of the leaders in
<br /> society at this period, lived on East Franklin Street, two
<br /> doors from the residence of General Lee's family. Her
<br /> house was the centre of social attraction. She gave theatrical
<br /> rehearsals and readings, which were attended by the
<br /> soldiers who were in the city en route to and from the
<br /> front and while on furlough.
<br /> There was a prominent feature of nearly every family
<br /> then, which was the open house for the entertainment of the
<br /> soldiers, sick or well, all of whom received the heartiest
<br /> welcome and the kindest treatment. I recall Mr. James
<br /> Gardner, of the firm of Gardner, Carlton & Co., whose
<br /> house was headquarters for the distinguished artillery
<br /> company from the city of New Orleans, the Washington
<br /> Artillery, as well, also, for other Southern soldiers. Mr.
<br /> Peyton Johnston, of the firm of P. Johnston and Brother,
<br /> kept open house to all worthy Confederates. I well
<br /> remember meeting there a unique character, a Major Atkins,
<br /> of the cavalry corps, who divas an Irishman, and enjoyed
<br /> the soubriquet of “Charles O'Malley.” He was one of
<br /> the finest specimens of manhood that I ever beheld; he
<br /> was about six feet two inches in height and well proportioned.
<br /> He was of course in the service of the Confederacy,
<br /> but was unfortunately called to his home in
<br /> Ireland before the close of the war. He sent his young
<br /> brother to take his place in the Confederate ranks, joining
<br /> Mosby's men, but was killed shortly after joining.
<br /> Of the newspapers of Richmond, both before and during
<br /> the war, there was the Equirer, first owned and edited
<br /> by Colonel Thomas Ritchie and afterwards by William F.
<br /> Ritchie. Among the editors were Roger A. Pryor and
<br /> O. Jennings Wise. This sheet before the war was the
<br /> leading Democratic organ. And then came the Richmond
<br /> Whig, edited by Mr. Robert Ridgway, which was the
<br /> organ of the old line Whigs of Virginia; and then the
<br /> Dispatch, owned by Mr. Cowardin and edited by Messrs.
<br /> Baldwin and Pleasants. Next I mention that caustic sheet
<br /> the Examiner, owned and edited by John M. Daniel, who
<br /> was one of the most sarcastic writers of his time, whose
<br /> criticisms of public men and of the Confederate government
<br /> were biting and severe.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XIX.
<br /> The “Alexandria Sentinel” was removed to Richmond
<br /> at the beginning of the war. Of course, when hostilities
<br /> began all the old party lines in politics were obliterated.
<br /> They were only to be found and known as the Southern
<br /> or Secession party or States Rights men. The armies of
<br /> the Confederacy were achieving success in nearly every
<br /> encounter, while the North was making tremendous efforts
<br /> to fill up the depleted ranks by enlarging the drafts. The
<br /> South meanwhile was also putting forward all her limited
<br /> resources to counteract that of the North, and yet the
<br /> Southern cause was being worn out day by day by the
<br /> forces of attrition. Her ports being closed by the blockade,
<br /> she was becoming exhausted by slow degrees being
<br /> decimated by disease and lack of proper nourishment, as
<br /> well as by the bullets of the enemy. So when the strong
<br /> attack by Grant was made on the lines around Petersburg,
<br /> the thin grey line gave way, was forced back by overwhelming
<br /> numbers and began its final retreat to the
<br /> fatal field of Appomattox, where General Lee sadly signed
<br /> articles of peace and surrender of the remnant of the
<br /> gallant old Army of Northern Virginia.
<br /> The Southern people had fought and suffered for four long,
<br /> dreary years for what they believed was right, and there was no
<br /> unprejudiced commentator of the Constitution who did not give
<br /> the South the right to secede from the sisterhood of States when
<br /> her rights by the spirit as well as the letter of that instrument had
<br /> been withheld and denied her.
<br /> Now that the surrender had taken place a new era
<br /> confronted the people. I returned from the field of surrender
<br /> and stopped at Maynard's farm, where the
<br /> “Soldiers' Home” now is. I gave my parole as a private
<br /> in the 1st Company of Richmond Howitzers. After reaching
<br /> home I walked down Main Street, and could hardly
<br /> recognize my surroundings. The great conflagration
<br /> which ensued at the evacuation, had left a mass of debris
<br /> impossible to imagine or describe by an old resident of
<br /> the city. The South was now a conquered country, though
<br /> never recognized as a government de Jure, nor de facto
<br /> by the Federals, and according to the theory advanced
<br /> and upheld all through the conflict by them, we should
<br /> have at once enjoyed all the rights which belonged to
<br /> the seceded States before a separation occurred. But such
<br /> was never the case, as a system of legislation was begun
<br /> that was a blot upon the civilization of the nineteenth
<br /> century. I allude to the reconstruction era in Virginia,
<br /> which period has been depicted by several writers. As
<br /> the ashes from old Virginia arose Phoenix like from humiliation
<br /> and re-established her State government, thereby
<br /> enabling her to get rid of the barnacles which had nearly
<br /> sapped her political life and she struggled on through
<br /> many trials and hindrances until at last each year brought
<br /> new evidences of substantial success and prosperity. New
<br /> conditions now confronted this community, as before the
<br /> war the State had borrowed large amounts of money to
<br /> aid her infant enterprises and improvements, which by
<br /> lapse of time had accumulated in interest unpaid a considerable
<br /> amount. Then there sprung up the Readjuster
<br /> party, and its opponent, the “Debt-paying” or McCullough
<br /> party. The former maintained that as the State has
<br /> emerged from the conflict of arms financially ruined and
<br /> it could not be expected to pay in full the original debt,
<br /> but should be allowed to scale it so as to enable the State
<br /> to meet her obligations. The Funders or Debt-paying
<br /> party claimed that a just debt should be paid dollar for
<br /> dollar. The two parties went before the people, and Governor
<br /> Cameron was the nominee of the Readjusters and
<br /> John Warwick Daniel was the Funder candidate for the
<br /> office of Governor, and the Readjusters won and Cameron
<br /> was elected Governor with the whole legislature
<br /> Readjusters. With the election of a Readjuster State
<br /> government there was a complete change in the whole administration
<br /> at Richmond. Not a single “Funder” or Debt-payer
<br /> was left in office; there took place a regular clearance
<br /> of the Augean stables. There never was a more prosprictive
<br /> party formed. General Mahone exercised supreme control.
<br /> He had some very able lieutenants who aided him
<br /> in carrying out his drastic policy. The British bondholders
<br /> employed Mr. William I. Royall, a distinguished lawyer
<br /> of this city, paying him a large salary to look after
<br /> their interests. He kept the State on a gridiron by attempting
<br /> to force a reception of coupons cut from the
<br /> bonds as payment of State taxes. These coupons were of
<br /> no value as a circulating medium, and consequently
<br /> would deprive the State of all means of carrying on the
<br /> government if they were successful. The Funding party,
<br /> realizing that they had made a mistake in their way of
<br /> settling the debt, changed front and adopted the Readjuster
<br /> theory or plan of scaling down. They appointed
<br /> a committee of the best men in the country, with ex-President
<br /> Grover Cleveland as one, to formulate a settlment
<br /> on the basis of the Riddlebarger bill. The creditors accepted
<br /> the terms and the vexed question was thus forever
<br /> settled, at least so far as Virginia was liable. Mr.
<br /> Royal of course lost thereby his lucrative job. The Century
<br /> bonds were issued and a sinking fund set aside for
<br /> the payment of interest. This settlement killed the Readjuster
<br /> party and the offices of the State were restored
<br /> to the Conservative party. General Mahone and his lieutenants
<br /> flopped over to the Republican party. Virginia
<br /> has been steadily prosperious ever since then.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XX.
<br /> Virginia, after the permanent settlement of the “debt
<br /> question” and the subject was finally eliminated from
<br /> the State politics, sprang forward upon an era of great
<br /> prosperity and advancement, which continued without
<br /> interruption until the “Free Silver” and “16 to 1” craze
<br /> set in politics, and the false idea that sixteen ounces of
<br /> silver was always equal in value to one ounce of gold took
<br /> complete possesion of the field throughout the State. This
<br /> was one of the delusions championed by Mr. William Jennings
<br /> Bryan, one of the most plausible and eloquent
<br /> stump speakers in the country. He threw all of his most
<br /> forcible energy and talent into the attempt to convince
<br /> the people that it was the panacea for all the ills of
<br /> humanity - it was his idea that a purely economic issue
<br /> would be a cure-all for all the woes of the flesh.
<br /> In 1894 William Jennings Bryan was nominated by
<br /> the Chicago Convention upon the “Free Silver” platform.
<br /> General Simon Bolivar Buckner, of Kentucky, with Palmer,
<br /> of Illinois, were chosen by the gold standard wing
<br /> of the Democratic party as the standard bearers of the
<br /> Democracy. William S. McKinley, then Governor of Ohio,
<br /> was the nominee of the Republicans, also on a gold standard
<br /> platform and high protective tariff. When the election
<br /> was held that fall, the “Free Silver” motion was
<br /> overwhelmingly defeated and killed. In the campaign
<br /> Virginia voted largely for the Bryan ideas. So completely
<br /> had his influence infatuated many sober-minded, good
<br /> Democrats that they considered it almost treason to the
<br /> party in one who did become misled by this delusion.
<br /> When Lamb was nominated for Congress in the Third
<br /> District of Virginia he was an advocate for Free Silver.
<br /> A few nights before the nominating convention came off,
<br /> I met Captain George D. Wise and asked him how he
<br /> stood on the question, and he answered, “I am a Gold
<br /> Standard Democrat.” For this frank avowal I have
<br /> always admired him. It was a decisive and unequivocal
<br /> stand on the issue which was then at its height, and it
<br /> cost him his seat in Congress, for Captain John Lamb, the
<br /> opponent, was selected and afterwards seated as the member
<br /> from the Third District of Virginia - the Richmond
<br /> district.
<br /> The Honorable Charles T. O'Ferral, the member from
<br /> the Seventh District of Virginia, and who, with the aid
<br /> of Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, the former Speaker of
<br /> the House of Representatives, by their skill defeated the
<br /> infamous Force Bill offered by Senator Lodge, of Massachusetts,
<br /> which was antagonized by the whole South
<br /> as sectional and unjust to it. Governor O'Ferral was
<br /> almost ostracized by his party - that is, by the ring - because
<br /> he would not subscribe to the “Free Silver, 16 to 1
<br /> craze.” The old State finally emerged from this veritable
<br /> “Slough of Despond,” and its motto seems to be “Excelsior”
<br /> and progress. The former political issue of gold
<br /> or silver seems to be side-tracked and does not appear in
<br /> the platforms of any party, but is relegated to oblivion
<br /> as a subject of politics, and it is to be devoutly hoped that
<br /> it will remain there for all time and never again cause so
<br /> much unnecessary bitterness and division in the old party.
<br /> The State being relieved to a great extent from the
<br /> handicap resulting through the late canvass and excitement;
<br /> though her Congressmen and the State officers were
<br /> elected on the Free Silver platform, yet it ceased to play
<br /> a part in the policy of the State or the country at large.
<br /> The commercial and economic status of the old Commonwealth
<br /> improved every day. The General Assembly
<br /> drew up a bill calling upon the suffragans of Virginia
<br /> to decide whether a convention should be called or not.
<br /> They, the voters, decided that one should be called, whereupon
<br /> the Legislature so enacted, and the election was
<br /> held. In the year 1903 the convention to frame a new
<br /> Constitution assembled in the hall of the House of Delegates
<br /> in the old Capitol in the city of Richmond. They
<br />were confronted a great many intricate and difficult
<br /> problems. First and foremost was the question as to the
<br /> best manner to deal with the negro vote. Next in importance
<br /> was the creation of the State Corporation Commission,
<br /> or Railroad Supervision Act. Probably no member
<br /> of that body deserves more credit for the establishment
<br /> of this important branch of Virginia's judiciary
<br /> system than Allen Caperton Braxton. By his logical
<br /> reasoning and indefatigable energy was largely instrumental
<br /> in having that great measure passed. There were
<br /> many other salutary laws framed and incorporated in the
<br /> fundamental body of the State; which has put the convention
<br /> on record as having been one of the very best bodies
<br /> of men ever assembled in Virginia for the important duty
<br /> of forming the organic law of this old Commonwealth.
<br /> The grand work accomplished by them will ever be duly
<br /> appreciated until time shall be no more and forever ceases.
<br /> A question of absorbing interest to all the people is
<br /> the temperance issue. A large and influential portion of
<br /> citizens advocate a State-wide or general prohibition law.
<br /> The other portion oppose it strenuously. In the Assembly,
<br /> or Legislature, an act called an Enabling Statute was
<br /> introduced, which proposed to put before the voters the
<br /> question whether they should choose for State-wide
<br /> prohibition or not, and upon the verdict thus rendered it was
<br /> to be returned to the Legislature at its next session for
<br /> its final action, on the principle of the Initial and
<br /> Referendum.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXI.
<br /> The American people are upon the eve of a Presidential
<br /> canvass and election. The issues are vital and most
<br /> important and are clearly defined.
<br />
<br /> Governor of New Jersey, the Honorable Woodrow Wilson,
<br /> is at this writing - August, 1912 - the chosen standard
<br /> bearer of the Democracy, whose platform of nation-wide
<br /> issues contain the soundest principles of a true Republican
<br /> form of government ever devised by mankind. The
<br /> cardinal or main feature of it is the revision of the present
<br /> tariff downward; in other words a reduction of the same
<br /> down to a revenue basis.
<br /> The present President, Honorable William H. Taft, is
<br /> the nominee of the regular Republican party, which party
<br /> platform advocates a high protective tariff, which has
<br /> resulted in building up trusts in nearly everything and
<br /> advancing greatly the costs of living.
<br /> On the 5th day of November, 1912, the election will take
<br /> place, when the people of the United States of North
<br /> America will decide whether the theories of the Democracy
<br /> or those of the Republican party shall be the best
<br /> for their interests and national welfare. The lines are
<br /> now clearly drawn and all good Virginians are deeply
<br /> interested in the result of the great battle of ballots.
<br /> To return in retrospect and compare the present with
<br /> the past, the individual then sees the changes made by
<br /> the passage of time. I well remember when Mr. Cyrus W.
<br /> Field, the promoter of the Atlantic Cable, was considered
<br /> a regular crank, or semi-lunatic, for such unpractical ideas
<br /> as he advanced. Now nearly every part of the globe is
<br /> connected by submarine cables. Take up the numerous
<br /> inventions and discoveries of “Edison, the great wizard
<br /> of electricity,” and regard the chaining of lightning by
<br /> man, making it a motive power, and an illuminator for
<br /> dispelling the darkness of the past, as to its many uses
<br /> for mankind. Take the railroad engines, which were a
<br /> few years since small affairs. and the small and light
<br /> wooden cars hauled by them, and contrast them
<br /> with the palatial trains built of steel and the mammoth locomotives
<br /> that now draw them on the heavy 100-pound rails at the
<br /> rate of sixty miles per hour. Note the buildings in the
<br /> great cities called “skyscrapers” which rise almost to
<br /> the clouds, and the many other improvements in architectural
<br /> steel structures, as the splendid bridges of that material that
<br /> span large streams and bridge at dizzy
<br /> heights ravines and mountain gorges. Fifty years ago
<br /> the total population of Richmond was only about forty
<br /> thousand souls, while today - 1912 - it is nearly one hundred
<br /> and eighty thousand all told.
<br /> Thus we see what tremendous changes are produced
<br /> by the passage of “resistless time,” which even the most
<br /> far-sighted human being could hardly imagine or predict.
<br /> Now who can safely foretell what may happen within
<br /> the next half century? Nearly every day science is bringing
<br /> to fight marvelous inventions in the industrial world,
<br /> and the swift strides in everything pertaining to the everyday
<br /> life of the human family is most remarkable. Fearful
<br /> accidents and awful calamities, destructive of life and
<br /> property, follow each other almost equal to views of the
<br /> kaleidoscope in suddenness and variety. Truly is this a
<br /> wonderful period of the world's existence.
<br /> A striking feature of the great commercial advance of
<br /> the United States is its vast increase in the railroad connections,
<br /> which now penetrate the remotest sections,
<br /> bringing them into touch with all the large centres of
<br /> trade and commerce. That great artery of business, the
<br /> Union Pacific Railroad stretches from the Atlantic Ocean
<br /> to the great ocean on the west coast, the Pacific. And
<br /> now, as I write, in but a short time hence the famous canal,
<br /> the Panama, which will draw in the tides of the
<br /> Atlantic and discharge them into the Pacific, for the first
<br /> time in history, will be in operation, owing to the indomitable
<br /> energy and skill of Americans. And also regard
<br /> the wonderful achievements in the aerial world, the art
<br /> of flying by men..
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXII.
<br /> The individual views with wonder and almost awe the
<br /> great events which the evolution of time has produced.
<br /> If things are such in this, the twentieth century of the
<br /> Christian era, what may the next one show forth to the
<br /> eyes and imaginations of mortals? Can any person now
<br /> living even speculate? There are a few who predict revelations
<br /> in the invisible world, or the spiritual life, and
<br /> who can say nay to it, in the light of discoveries and
<br /> development of the present age? Time only can tell what
<br /> the veil of the future now hides from human view.
<br /> A prominent element of Richmond's professional status
<br /> was its legal bar, as its lawyers comprised many of the
<br /> ablest attorneys in the State. Among the most prominent
<br /> ones of the ante-bellum period were Mr. James Lyons, Sr.,
<br /> Jno. M. Gregory, Raleigh T. Daniel, John Howard, Alexander
<br /> H. Sands, Edward and Henry Cannon, Messrs. Johnson,
<br /> Griswold, Claiborne, Howison, August, Randolph,
<br /> Littleton, Tazewell, Marmaduke, Johnson and many
<br /> others, who shed a lustre upon their distinguished profession
<br /> of the law. The bar of Virginia has always ranked
<br /> as the highest in the land, and not even excelled in ability
<br /> by that of the old Mother Country, England. There were
<br /> two lawyers who were conspicuous men for their homeliness.
<br /> One was Mr. Joseph Carrington, of Richmond, the
<br /> other was William Wallace Day, of Manchester, Va. A
<br /> dispute having arisen as to which was the uglier of the
<br /> two, and as it was very difficult to say which was, so the
<br /> friends of each agreed to appoint a committee to decide
<br /> the matter, and the one who was adjudged to be the
<br /> uglier by it was to receive a prize of a fine penknife. The
<br /> prize knife fell to the lot of Mr. Day as the successful contestant,
<br /> and accordingly it was handed him as the award
<br /> of not beauty, but of plain features at least, if not downright
<br /> ugliness. Both of these worthy gentlemen were
<br /> prominent and successful lawyers of the Richmond bar.
<br /> The annexation to Richmond of the several adjacent
<br /> towns has added greatly to the population and proved a
<br /> decided benefit to each. The former city of Manchester,
<br /> which was for a long time an independent corporation (even
<br /> said to be older than Richmond as a town), was
<br /> lately joined to its sister city over the James River and
<br /> is now called Washington ward, or more properly speaking,
<br /> “South Richmond.” It is now rapidly advancing in
<br /> prosperity and is also improving in appearance in streets
<br /> and parks. Consolidation or merger of interests and cooperation
<br /> seems to be the spirit of modern times and of
<br /> the age of commerce and money-making.
<br /> Before the war Richmond banks formed a very important
<br /> element of its business equipment. The old Exchange
<br /> Bank occupied the building at present the home of the
<br /> First National, between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets on
<br /> Main, but which last named one will soon be removed to
<br /> its new home, southwest corner Main and Ninth Streets -
<br /> nineteen stories high. Then comes next in rank the
<br /> Farmers Bank, and then the Bank of Virginia, and the
<br /> Bank of the Commonwealth. A good deal of banking was
<br /> transacted by private bankers, such as C. W. Purcell & Co.,
<br /> Sutton, Enders & Co., Coddin, Harrison & Co. These were
<br /> all first-class and model institutions in their line, and
<br /> occupied a high place in the business world of the city.
<br /> One of the unique characters in the State was the celebrated
<br /> Parson Massie, as he was always called, though
<br /> he was a full-fledged politician of the Readjuster period
<br /> and was an efficient aid to General William Mahone. When
<br /> the debt settlement was made, he returned to the Old
<br /> Democratic fold. The “Parson” was truly one of the most
<br /> plausible and eloquent speakers on the Hustings. No
<br /> man in Virginia was more perfectly conversant with all
<br /> the issues of the day, and there lived none who could
<br /> “rattle” or disconcert him, for his extraordinary coolness
<br /> and his undoubted courage always discomforted his opposers.
<br /> He was elected and became the head of the whole
<br /> school system of Virginia for many years.
<br /> Among the military companies of the city was the old
<br /> Richmond Insight Infantry Blues, the organization of which
<br /> dates back almost to Colonial times, and whose military
<br /> record is as bright and efficient as a Damascus blade. It
<br /> was commanded by officers whose memory will be revered
<br /> and honored as long as time lasts. I can recall the names
<br /> of some as Captains Bigger, Patton, O'Jennings, Wise, and
<br /> its war captain, Levy. Since the War between the States,
<br /> it has been reorganized and formed into a battalion of
<br /> three companies. It still retains its former and ancient
<br /> prestige gained in the past, and is justly regarded as one
<br /> of the best military commands to be found anywhere. The
<br /> personel of this old crack corps is A No. 1. No higher
<br /> class young men are enrolled in any companies. Next
<br /> comes the old Richmond Grays, one of the best-drilled
<br /> companies in the State. The material of which this was
<br /> composed was unsurpassed in Richmond and its appearance
<br />
<br /> on the streets always elicited special notice and praise.
<br /> Then came the Young Guard of the Commonwealth,
<br /> commanded by Captain John Richardson. This company
<br /> always received praise for its soldierly bearing, for to
<br /> see this body of young men marching in open order down
<br /> Main Street was a sight well worth seeing.
<br /> Then I mention Company A, which was commanded by
<br /> Captain R. Milton Carey, which was another of Richmond's
<br /> crack companies, being composed of the very elite
<br /> of the city, and always reflected great credit on its native
<br /> city. Then next I recall the Richmond Fayette Artillery,
<br /> Captain Clopton, which was the only company of artillery
<br /> in the city.
<br /> Another prominent infantry company was the Walker
<br /> Light Guards. This was organized by Captain Walker,
<br /> but a short time before the war and it made a fine record
<br /> during the war between the States, being considered one
<br /> of the very best commands in the Fifteenth Virginia Regiment.
<br /> A large and fine cavalry company called the Richmond
<br /> Troop added much to the city's reputation for its
<br /> military organization, as it was drilled and commanded
<br /> by an ex-West Point graduate, Captain C. Q. Tompkins,
<br /> who was a splendid officer and made his troop a model
<br /> cavalry company.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXIII.
<br /> A striking evidence of the progress in Virginia of its
<br /> agricultural progress is the extensive plant of the Virginia
<br /> Carolina Chemical Works. The main offices are in Richmond
<br /> and the works are located near the city. The
<br /> different fertilizers, which are varied and adapted to all
<br /> important crops in the South, are distributed all over the
<br /> country through its many agencies in all the largest cities.
<br /> It is said that by the application of these to the soil, that
<br /> two blades of grass will spring up where At one grew
<br /> before. thus causing almost worn out fields to put on
<br /> a grass sward and then heavy crops of tobacco and other
<br /> products. This beneficial aid to nature appeals to the
<br /> farmers and encourages them to never despair, but to
<br /> always resort to the excellent fertilizers which are made
<br /> and adapted to each crop by the reliable Virginia-Carolina
<br /> Chemical Company, and then his plantation will always
<br /> yield a large and remunerative increase our its former
<br /> productions.
<br /> Among the pleasant and interesting customs of the past,
<br /> was the regular habit of Virginians to gather together
<br /> just before important elections and hold barbecues, which
<br /> were always well-gotten up and carried out by a committee
<br /> appointed for the purpose, who attended to the cooking;
<br /> there was always a quarter of fat beef, and a whole
<br /> mutton barbecued to a turn, and when dinner was announced
<br /> the political speakers adjourned the meeting until
<br /> the crowd had partaken generously of the meats and
<br /> also of the good toddies furnished freely to the voters assembled
<br /> on the festive occasion.
<br /> And when dinner was all over, the orators would resume
<br /> their pleas for votes. The last barbecue of this extensive
<br /> sort that I remember attending was at the Drewry
<br /> Mansion, near Manchester. It was a very delightful place
<br /> for such a meeting of suffragans; it being a handsome
<br /> dwelling in a beautiful grove of stately old oak trees,
<br /> commanding from an eminence a magnificent view of the
<br /> plantation and the winding James River below. Among
<br /> the speakers on the occasion were George D. Wise and
<br /> Richard Beirne, who pleased every man present and all
<br /> returned home well satisfied with the whole outing.
<br /> Among the well-known characters of Richmond was
<br /> one George Dabney Wootton, who came here before the
<br /> war and was employed by the South, a newspaper published
<br /> by Mr. Roger A. Pryor, and when the paper was
<br /> discontinued he scraped together a smattering of what he
<br /> thought was law, and hung out his shingle at the police
<br /> court. Many people credited him with having “rats” in
<br /> his head. One thing is certain, the man possessed inordinate
<br /> self-reliance, or “brass,” as it is called. He advertised
<br /> a good deal in the newspapers and a certain Western
<br /> man, who read his “ads,” came on to the city with a good
<br /> fat case of law, involving a large amount of money, which
<br /> he placed in Wooten's hands, but subsequently finding that
<br /> it would not be safe under Dabney's skill, in other words
<br /> he was not qualified to manage so large a case, he sent
<br /> and offered him a nice sum of money if he would give up
<br /> the matter, but the learned attorney declined to withdraw
<br /> from the case, and said that he proposed to go through
<br /> with it. His client then had to employ assistant counsel,
<br /> and obtained the legal service of Col. James Lyons, one of
<br /> the most eminent lawyers of the bar of Virginia. Of course
<br /> that settled it so far as Mr. Wootten was concerned.
<br /> I remember several years ago, when Mr. Isador Rayner,
<br /> the United States Senator from Maryland, spoke at the
<br /> Academy of Music, upon the subject of the tariff. Now,
<br /> as a matter of fact, this is a generally dull subject, consisting
<br /> of so much detail, and so many statistics and figures.
<br /> But on this occasion it was quite the reverse of dull,
<br /> for he discussed this intricate question in such an interesting
<br /> manner that our attention was rivetted throughout the
<br /> address, and every listener was charmed from the beginning
<br /> to the finish. It was indeed one of the very finest
<br /> speeches that I ever heard.
<br /> A prominent and remarkable man was in his day, Mr. Joseph
<br /> Mayo, who succeeded Mr. Lambent as the chief magistrate
<br /> or mayor of Richmond; he was a good lawyer, indeed
<br /> one of renown, and the author of the celebrated work called
<br /> “Mayo's Guide,” a book of high standing, and an authority
<br /> at the bar for all legal forms used in the Richmond
<br /> courts. At that time the Mayor performed the office of
<br /> police judge, and well I do recall seeing him seated in his
<br /> big chair with all the high dignity of a Roman senator;
<br /> he was always dressed in a blue dress coat with brass buttons
<br /> and ruffled shirtbosom. He dispensed even handed
<br /> justice, and was a highly esteemed citizen of Richmond.
<br /> When the army of Northern Virginia, under General
<br /> Robert E. Lee, was fighting at Spotsylvania Courthouse;
<br /> occurred the battle at New Market, between the Confederate
<br /> forces under General Jno. C. Breckenridge, and those
<br /> under the Northern General Siegel. When Grant withdrew
<br /> his dines of battle General Lee marched on parallel
<br /> lines to Grant's. We stopped at Hanover Junction and
<br /> there sharp skirmishing took place. The railroad train
<br /> conveying the cadets of the Virginia Military Institute
<br /> stopped a short time, and I went on board and inquired
<br /> if Cadet George Kennon Macon, my brother, was aboard
<br /> the train, and the answer was, to my distress, that he was
<br /> not, as he had been wounded in that celebrated charge of
<br /> the cadets at New Market, in the Valley of Virginia, by
<br /> a canister shot passing through his arm, and he had to be
<br /> left behind under the care of those kind and skillful surgeons
<br /> of the corps - Doctors George Ross, and Marshall.
<br /> Captain Miles C. Macon, of the Fayette Artillery,
<br /> my brother, also, was then just recovering from a spell of
<br /> typhoid fever, which had prevented his being in the
<br /> engagement at the front, went up to the valley and brought
<br /> our wounded brother down to our mother's home in Richmond,
<br /> and it is needless to say that everything that love
<br /> and sympathy could suggest or inspire was employed to
<br /> relieve his pain and hasten his recovery. He was the idol
<br /> of the family, and his wound was attended to by that most
<br /> skillful surgeon Doctor Petticolas. It was an ugly wound
<br /> and he suffered from it to the day of his death.
<br /> The brilliant charge of those young boys - cadets - at
<br /> the severe fight of New Market, forms one of the brightest
<br /> pages of military glory, and in all history there has
<br /> never been its equal. Their steady, stoical bravery at the
<br /> crisis of the battle, under circumstances and surroundings
<br /> that staggered the old veterans. As these gallant youths
<br /> moved across the field in the face of a withering fire of
<br /> artillery concentrated on them, they were literally mowed
<br /> down, but their ranks were filled up as cooly as if they
<br /> were on parade, and they never faltered in their charge
<br /> until they had captured the guns before them. This was,
<br /> as often written, one of, if not the most striking achievements,
<br /> of the great war between the States. Many have
<br /> blamed the commandant of the institute, General Smith,
<br /> for allowing the boys to be carried to the front, though
<br /> he had no option in the matter; it was a case of emergency;
<br /> of salvation to the army, and indeed of safety to the institute,
<br /> and accordingly General Breckenridge called forth
<br /> the corps, and they were eager for the fray, and proved
<br /> their mettle.
<br /> A gleaning of significance was: A certain lady was the
<br /> fortunate possessor of two sons whose ages were respectively
<br /> twelve and fourteen years; these boys were once
<br /> invited to a juvenile party, their mother having provided
<br /> them new roundabouts with plain brass buttons and trousers
<br /> to match with well starched collars, their faces having
<br /> been, of course, washed clean, and the chaps were well
<br /> dressed and smart looking. Before parting with them,
<br /> when they were leaving home for the entertainment, their
<br /> mother, after carefully inspecting them, said, now boys
<br /> you are both big fools, and now don't you open your
<br /> mouths while at this party. The host of the entertainment
<br /> came to them and complimented their behaviour and appearance,
<br /> and inquired about their mother. The boys
<br /> looked directly at one another, but remained as dumb as
<br /> oysters in the shells. Their hostess fared no better, and
<br /> received no satisfaction when she kindly inquired of them
<br /> about their parent. As she left the boys she remarked,
<br /> well those are certainly the greatest dunces that I have
<br /> ever seen. They overheard her remark, and one of them
<br /> said to the other brother, they have found us out. Let us
<br /> go home. Those very boys afterwards developed into intelligent men. It was truly wrong in their parent to thus
<br /> discourage her boys on their first start into society; she
<br /> should have taken an optimistic view of the matter, as the
<br /> final result proved, as they both grew up to be well informed
<br /> members of society.
<br /> A characteristic feature of the period of the time in
<br /> which I am engaged writing, is the friendly relations now
<br /> existing between the sections of the country; the North
<br /> and the South. Nearly half a century has elapsed since
<br /> the surrender at Appomattox. All the acrimony engendered
<br /> by the late strife, has ceased. The bone of contention,
<br /> the “Slavery Question,” which once divided the
<br /> States, no longer exists, and now we see the Southern girl
<br /> marrying the Northern beau, and the Northern knight
<br /> wooes and weds the Southern heroine, and thus results
<br /> a commingling of blood and interests.
<br />
<br /> During the winter just preceding the great war between
<br /> the States, a Miss Duryea, the daughter of Colonel Duryea,
<br /> of New York, was making a visit to my brother-in-law
<br /> and his family, Mr. Peyton Johnston, of Richmond, they
<br /> being strong mutual friends. The colonel consented to her
<br /> visiting in Richmond, and she was a very attractive young
<br /> lady, and as I was at the time a young man, I was, to some
<br /> extent, drawn to her. I well remember that she played a
<br /> good game of single-hand euchre, and that we had many
<br /> pleasant games together. She left for the North just before
<br /> the beginning of the war. Her father commanded the
<br /> Duryea Zouaves.
<br /> A unique character of the city was one Captain John
<br /> Freeman, who commanded one of the passenger boats
<br /> between West Point, Va., and the City of Baltimore. He
<br /> was a great epicure, and was noted for providing the
<br /> best meals on his steamer of any one of the line, and passengers
<br /> to and from Baltimore and Virginia deemed themselves
<br /> fortunate when they found themselves his guests
<br /> for the trip on the York River and the Chesapeake Bay
<br /> route. The genial old sailor had, by good feeding, acquired
<br /> a fine front of genuine aldermanic proportions. A
<br /> certain man once approached him and remarked that he
<br /> could give him a receipt which, if he would follow well,
<br /> would reduce his stomach to its normal size within thirty
<br /> days. The captain listened attentively to him, and then
<br /> he replied, “My good friend, it has taken me about
<br /> thirty-five years and several thousand dollars to obtain
<br /> the generous front that I have, and now you come and
<br /> tell me how to get rid of it in thirty days or so, after all
<br /> my time and money has been spent in acquiring it. Now,
<br /> my dear sir, I must most respectfully decline to make use
<br /> of your receipt.”
<br />
<br /> During the war between the States a certain quartermaster
<br /> with the rank of major, whose duty never took him
<br /> outside Richmond in extremely hot weather, when the
<br /> mercury in July ranged from ninety to ninety-five degrees,
<br /> had a negro boy whose sole employment was to fan him
<br /> and keep off the flies. Now, this worthy official of the
<br /> Army of the Confederacy always thought himself to be one
<br /> of the hardest worked men in the service. Peace to his
<br /> ashes; he has long since “passed over to the other side of
<br /> the river.”
<br /> A time of great interest to the Virginians in the past,
<br /> was the exhibition of the annual State Fair, when almost
<br /> every farmer and family came to Richmond during the
<br /> month of October to attend it. They would put off until
<br /> then to do the shopping and trading for the fall and winter.
<br /> The city would then be thronged with the visitors from
<br /> almost everywhere. All the hotels and boarding houses
<br /> were then filled, and all hands bent upon seeing and being
<br /> seen, would flock out to the Fair Grounds. At night the
<br /> Mechanic's Institute was open and filled with machinery
<br /> and mechanical products. The Fair Grounds were situated
<br /> then at now the corner of Main and Belvidere Streets,
<br /> which had been used during the war as Camp Lee. It
<br /> is now the beautiful spot called Monroe Park.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXVI.
<br /> One of the most important insurance companies in the
<br /> city is the Virginia Fire and Marine. This old and strong
<br /> institution antedates the great war, and its officers were
<br /> at one time as follows: President, Mr. Thomas Alfriend;
<br /> secretary, W. L. Cowardin, who afterwards became the
<br /> president. At this writing - the year 1912 - Colonel William
<br /> H. Palmer is the president and Mr. W. H. McCarthy
<br /> is the secretary. It has a corps of efficient clerks and its
<br /> business is vast, and constantly increasing. The prestige
<br /> and conservative mode of doing business of this model
<br /> fire company, commend it to the confidence of the insuring
<br /> public.
<br /> A unique man of Chesterfield county was a certain Mr.
<br /> W. B. C., who was considered the best set-back player in
<br /> Manchester, and could play longer on a small capital, or
<br /> “stake,” than could be found anywhere. He took few
<br /> chances in “bidding,” but when he offered so many points
<br /> for his hand, the board of players deemed it advisable to let
<br /> him have all the points that he claimed, as he was sure
<br /> in the end to score them all. He was a very genial, pleasant
<br /> companion, and he was welcomed in a game.
<br /> Many of the landmarks, in the matter of buildings, have
<br /> been torn down and thus removed, and in their places more
<br /> modern ones erected in Richmond. For instance, the old
<br /> Swan Tavern, which stood on Broad between Eighth and
<br /> Ninth Streets. In its day, before the war, it was a famous
<br /> hostelry. It was there that the celebrated trial of the
<br /> notorious Aaron Burr was held. Burr had been indicted
<br /> by the federal court for high treason against the United
<br /> States government, in attempting, by filibustering means,
<br /> to inaugurate a separate government in the then new
<br /> Southwestern States. Very able legal talent was engaged
<br /> in this case, among whom was Mr. Jno. Wickham,
<br /> Luther Martin and several others of national reputation.
<br /> Chief Justice John Marshall presided at this trial. Mr.
<br /> Burr was acquitted. He had been for several years an
<br /> important figure in American politics and history, and had
<br /> been a candidate for the nomination of the Federal or
<br /> Whig party against Mr. Thomas Jefferson, the nominee
<br /> of the Republican-Democratic party. In the election that
<br /> fall there was a tie vote in the electorial college, and in
<br /> consequence the election was thrown into the House of
<br /> Representatives at Washington. The leader of the Federal
<br /> party, Alexander Hamilton, gave the deciding vote
<br /> which elected Mr. Jefferson as the President of the United
<br /> States.
<br /> This embittered Mr. Burr towards Mr. Hamilton, and
<br /> he made a most severe personal attack upon him through
<br /> the newspapers. This drew from Hamilton a challenge
<br /> to mortal combat on the field of honor and resulted in the
<br /> death of the latter by the bullet of Burr's pistol.
<br /> Alexander Hamilton was considered by many as one
<br /> of the greatest men of his time, and was the brains and
<br /> leader of his party, then styled the Federal, or later the
<br /> Whig party. His theory of government exists to this day
<br /> and time.
<br /> A prominent citizen was Mr. Jesse Wherry, a man of wit
<br /> and humor, a good mimic and was a candidate at the time
<br /> for Commissioner of Revenue, to succeed Parson Burton,
<br /> who had died. During the canvass he attended a Methodist
<br /> religious meeting and when the preacher offered up
<br /> a long, earnest prayer, Wherry emphasized it by his approval
<br /> in frequent and loud amens. A party out of spite
<br /> informed the leaders of the meeting that Jesse was not
<br /> only not a Methodist, but not even a member of any church
<br /> whatever. This action came very near causing the defeat
<br /> of Mr. Jesse Wherry for the office, for the whole meeting
<br /> voted for his opponent. There once lived in Richmond a
<br /> man by the name of Hicks, who kept a livery stable on
<br /> South Tenth Street, between Main and Cary. He owned
<br /> a fine female pointer dog named “Sue.” She had a pedigree
<br /> nearly a yard in length. The puppies he found a
<br /> ready sale for at a good price. One day a party approached
<br />Hicks and said: “I wish you would give me
<br /> one of her puppies.” He replied: “You go to Major
<br /> Doswell and ask him to give you one of Sue Washington's
<br /> colts.” “It costs the major a good deal of money to
<br /> produce her colts,” exclaimed the party. “Don't you
<br /> suppose it costs me something to obtain my thoroughbred
<br /> puppies,” was Mr. Hick's reply.
<br /> I remember well the time when the last mortal remains
<br /> of the great Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson, were
<br /> brought to Richmond for interment. The body lay in state in
<br /> the rotunda of the capitol and all who desired
<br /> could view the corpse. There lay still in death, the man
<br /> who had been the right-hand and arm of General Robert E.
<br /> Item and but few, if any, who passed around his bier failed
<br /> to shed tears of sorrow at the great calamity which the
<br /> South sustained thereby. Upon a caisson was placed the
<br /> casket and conveyed to Hollywood Cemetery.
<br /> His faithful colored body-servant led the famous old
<br /> sorrel horse that had carried him through so many battles.
<br /> At the battle of Fredericksburg, General J. E. B. Stuart,
<br /> with the aid of his servant, had provided the old horse
<br /> with an entirely new equipment - new saddle and bridle -
<br /> and when his men saw their general seated on his familiar
<br /> old sorrel, bedecked and ornamented with the new trappings,
<br /> they were utterly amazed at the improvement. His
<br /> new uniform of Confederate grey, which had been procured
<br /> for the general without his knowledge, became him
<br /> well and was admired by all.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXVII.
<br /> In turning back a page of my life, my memory recalls
<br /> several members of the 1st Howitzers, to which I belonged
<br /> during the great war. One was Lieutenant John Nimmo,
<br /> who joined in the year 1861, just before the company
<br /> left Richmond for the front. He was living in New York
<br /> when the war began, but returned to his native State,
<br /> and joined us, being elected to a lieutenancy. His
<br /> physique was remarkable, being very tall, and as slim as
<br /> a fence rail almost, and with a long neck and mustaches as
<br /> flowing as those of a “grenadier of the foot guards” of
<br /> France. His individuality was marked; possessing a great
<br /> fund of wit and humor, enlivened by a slight vein of
<br /> sarcasm. He had read a good deal, and had also touched
<br /> elbows with the great world, which rendered his conversation
<br /> always very entertaining. His gallantry on the
<br /> field of battle was conspicuous, being one of the coolest
<br /> men in action that I ever saw. His memory is cherished
<br /> highly by every surviving member of the company. He
<br /> has long since passed to the “bourne whence no traveller
<br /> returns,” and rests on the other side of the river.
<br /> A striking member of our company, “the 1st Howitzers,”
<br /> was Carey Eggleston. He was a long, gawky looking
<br /> young soldier, and did not make a very good showing on
<br /> dress parade, but just as soon as fight opened, and our
<br /> guns were turned loose upon the enemy, his whole nature
<br /> seemed to change with the excitement, and he seemed
<br /> exhilarated with ardor of battle. At the battle of Spotsylvania
<br /> Court House he was acting number one at the
<br /> gun where I was number three, when a fragment of shell
<br /> shattered his arm. Gangrene afterwards set in and caused
<br /> his death. He was but a mere youth, only eighteen years
<br /> old, and was the only one I ever knew that really loved
<br /> fighting.
<br /> Of some interest to many is the 7:32 A.M. accommodation
<br /> train on the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad
<br /> from Ashland to Richmond. It conveys as passengers
<br />daily business and professional men to the city. A
<br /> prominent characteristic of these travelers is the haste
<br /> displayed by each in getting the morning's paper; indeed
<br /> it seems that to secure one at all hazards and risks, the
<br /> most desirable accomplishment in daily life, and then to
<br /> quickly board the train and rush for a seat on the shady
<br /> side - if it happens to be the summer season - while the
<br /> less fortunate make out the best they can on the sunny
<br /> side. The choice of seats, of course, is reversed in the
<br /> winter time, when the sun is the favorite side. After obtaining
<br /> his favorite seat the “newspaper fiend” draws his
<br /> paper, folds, presses down its side in the most skillful way,
<br /> and then holds its pages up to his eager gaze with the
<br /> thrilling delight of what he gleans in its perusal. This
<br /> folding and preparation of the journal is done with a
<br /> peculiar expertness by the veteran news fiend, for instance,
<br /> when he wishes to find the continuance of an article from
<br /> one page to another, he will turn it over and rearrange
<br /> it in a most adroit manner, that no amateur could perform;
<br /> only the genuine newspaper fiend could accomplish
<br /> such a result. He first folds the sheets into a quarto or
<br /> folio size with the greatest finesse, and takes fresh hold
<br /> reading. When you notice his lips quiver, he has come to
<br /> something especially interesting; he becomes quite oblivious
<br /> to all outside influences, being entirely absorbed in
<br /> what he is enjoying in the columns of the news items. As
<br /> a matter of fact he is not fond of books; a fine volume
<br /> of literature is not varied enough for his tastes. The
<br /> morning paper, fresh with news of the whole world, appears
<br /> to him as a perfect kaleidoscope of reading matter,
<br /> which he perfectly appreciates until the train reaches its
<br /> destination.
<br /> During the battles around Richmond, when the Federal
<br /> army under General Geo. B. McClellan invested the city.
<br /> One of the brighest pages in the history of the Confederate
<br /> war was enacted. The noble women of the South by a concert
<br /> of action, united in aiding the surgeons in alleviating
<br /> the pain and suffering of the wounded. The whole seemed
<br /> a veritable hospital. Even the churches were stripped of
<br /> their cushions to be used therein for the comfort of those
<br /> who were brought in from the front. The kind sympathy
<br /> and cheering words of these devoted women caused many
<br /> a wounded soldier to look and revere and thank his
<br /> Creator that such ministering angels had been provided
<br /> to sooth him and inspire hope in his weak and stricken
<br /> body. This gracious and noble conduct of the women of
<br /> the Confederacy forms one of the most valuable pages
<br /> in the annals of the great war between the North and
<br /> South. Many who took part in that memorable struggle
<br /> and strenuous time have passed over the river that separates
<br /> life from eternity, but their deeds and their memory
<br /> will be cherished as long as time endures.
<br /> A gleaning of some moment is the tearing down of the
<br /> old Reuger building to give place to a new and more modern
<br /> structure of ten stories. It will stand upon the site
<br /> of the original house, on the corner of Ninth and Bank
<br /> Streets, where it had stood for more than half a century
<br /> as a restaurant and hotel. It is doubtful if any establishment
<br /> of its kind ever dispensed better cheer in either
<br /> liquor or substantial refreshments, than the “Reugers” -
<br /> father, son and grandsons - served up to their many
<br /> patrons. In the new hostelry there will be maintained the
<br /> same high prestige hitherto enjoyed by the lovers of good
<br /> fare in Richmond and vicinity.
<br /> A prominent person in Richmond during the period
<br /> “antebellum,” was Captain Sam Freeman, who was the
<br /> superintendent of Capitol Square and the public buildings
<br /> within the same. It was he that introduced the
<br /> squirrels on the grounds, and took a good deal of interest
<br /> in and care of them, being his especial pets. After the
<br /> close of the great war, the former office was merged
<br /> in that of the Inland and Superintendent of Public
<br /> Buildings.
<br /> I recall a very high-toned gentleman, a first-class Virginian,
<br /> who was waiting upon a very attractive lady, who
<br /> was riding in a carriage with the window down. He being
<br /> at the time on horseback, and drawing alongside the
<br /> vehicle, he leaned over and remarked to her: “Miss Judy,
<br /> I have a disagreeable duty to perform, namely, to court
<br /> you.” She very promptly replied: “Well, Colonel, if
<br /> it is such a disagreeable task to you, I would advise you
<br /> not to perform it.” But being so full of his subject, he
<br /> continued his courtship, and, of course, was promptly
<br /> discarded. She afterwards married another gentleman
<br /> who was more tactful in his mode of courting her.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXIX.
<br /> An incident which I recall to memory was: There was
<br /> a Mrs. R. C. Cabell, a sister of old General Wingfield Scott,
<br /> one of the leaders of society in her day in Richmond. She
<br /> drove to her carriage a fine pair of slick brown mules,
<br /> well roached. It was swung on “C” shaped leather
<br /> springs, and had steps which were unfolded for the occupants
<br /> to descend or ascend. The seat of the coachman
<br /> was perched high up in front, and altogether it was a
<br /> truly unique turnout, which always attracted much notice.
<br /> In general appearance it was quite similar to the vehicle
<br /> exhibited in the wild west show of Buffalo Bill.
<br /> A significant evidence of the great commercial development
<br /> merit and advance in importance is proven by the establishment
<br /> in Richmond of the office of Winston and Company,
<br /> engineers and contractors. This eminent firm is
<br /> composed of native Virginians, “to the mannor-born,” and
<br /> their thorough knowledge of the profession places them
<br /> in the front rank in this country, and by means of their
<br /> skill and experience are able to handle the most intricate
<br /> problems that may be submitted to them in both civil and
<br /> mechanical engineering line. This distinguished firm of
<br /> native Virginians now has under construction the contract
<br /> with the City of New York, involving several millions of
<br /> dollars, to concentrate and dam-up the waters of several
<br /> streams in the Catskills, and then to convey by means of
<br /> tunnels and aqueducts under the Hudson River many
<br /> miles, for the purpose of adding to the supply of water
<br /> for that centre of population.
<br /> This is indeed a gigantic undertaking and is almost
<br /> equal in importance to the country at large as is that of
<br /> the Panama Canal, now being built by the United States
<br /> government. This firm of Southern men has built important
<br /> works for Boston, as well as that celebrated piece
<br /> of work, the settling basins, for Richmond, which gives
<br /> us such fine, clear water as we now enjoy.
<br /> The prominent firm, the Messrs. T. W. Wood and Sons,
<br /> seedsmen, is a business of large proportions. Its products
<br /> are thus distributed throughout this State and the other
<br /> Southern ones. Mr. Henry W. Wood, the head of the
<br /> house, is a merchant of great capacity, who through his
<br /> fine methods has built up the largest and most important
<br /> seed business in his city, and furnishes the farmers of this
<br /> State and elsewhere with a most important article of
<br /> agriculture, to-wit: pure and well selected seeds. This
<br /> eminent concern bears a striking evidence of the improvement
<br /> which the evolution of the wheel of time has
<br /> wrought.
<br /> On the Ashland accomodation train one day there were
<br /> seated two persons, whom we shall designate as Mr. T.
<br /> and Mr. S. They were sitting on opposite sides of the
<br /> aisle of the car and the latter had a horse that Mr. T.
<br /> knew, and the conversation ranged on the subject of horseflesh,
<br /> or rather their knowledge of the same, and incidentally
<br /> Mr. S. said that he would take twenty-five dollars
<br /> for his animal. Mr. T. at once produced the sum and
<br /> handed it over to Mr. S., who took the money and dashed
<br /> it down to the floor, exclaiming that he was only jesting
<br /> and did not desire to sell his horse for the price stated.
<br /> In reply Mr. T. said that it was a plain transaction with
<br /> him, and that he claimed a delivery of the horse, to which
<br /> demand Mr. S. demurred. The case was finally carried to
<br /> the court of Hanover county, and was at last settled by
<br /> awarding Mr. T. fifty dollars in lieu of the nag, which
<br /> belonged to the firm of S. and H. This was one of the
<br /> most remarkable cases ever on the docket of the Circuit
<br /> Court of Hanover for many years.
<br /> In the good old county of Goochland there lived two men
<br /> who were neighbors and great friends, and as a matter of
<br /> course took an interest in each other's welfare. They were
<br /> in one respect totally different in character: The one
<br /> was very neat and tidy in his attire; but his friend was
<br /> quite the opposite, being careless in his dress and rather
<br /> untidy in his appearance. As he was about to move to
<br /> Richmond to reside, his friend kindly offered him some
<br /> good advice. Said he: “Since you are going to a city to
<br /> reside, where one's dress is more scrutinized than in the
<br /> country, the first thing on reaching town go to O. H.
<br /> Berry's Clothing House, corner Eleventh and Main Streets,
<br />
<br /> and buy a fashionable cutaway suit of clothes. And
<br /> then I would advise with your white shirt you wear a
<br /> white necktie whenever an occasion offers, as it is the
<br /> proper thing to do.” He accordingly adopted his good
<br /> friend's advice and then wrote as follows:
<br /> “I have done as you suggested; went to O. H. Berry's
<br /> elegant establishment, where I procured the latest shape
<br /> in cutaway suits, but in regard to that white necktie, dear
<br /> boy! I am constrained to say that from my observation
<br /> here, they are, except by preachers, worn mostly by the
<br /> barbers and colored waiters in the restaurants. Still, to
<br /> please my good friend, I shall decorate my neck with one
<br /> when occasion offers.”
<br /> Edward S. McCarthy was elected captain of the 1st
<br /> Company of Richmond Howitzers at the reorganization
<br /> on the Peninsular in 1862. He was possessed
<br /> of a most decided personality; he was rather stout
<br /> in figure, with a large, full face, piercing eyes, and
<br /> in manner rather inclined to be reticent in speech; but he
<br /> had a heart as large as a barn door, was sympathetic
<br /> with all who needed a friend and as brave as Marshall
<br /> Ney. Careful of his men under fire, never seeking his
<br /> own protection, even under the most trying ordeal of a
<br /> very severe fire from the enemy's guns, such was the
<br /> character of Captain Edward S. McCarthy, the gallant
<br /> commander of the 1st Company Richmond Howitzers, who
<br /> was struck, at the second battle of Cold Harbor, by a
<br /> minnie ball from the rifle of a sharp-shooter. The brave
<br /> and noble soldier never uttered a word after the fatal
<br /> ball entered his body. I was within three feet of him
<br /> when he fell. No more gallant soul, no finer Virginian
<br /> gentleman ever yielded up the ghost on the field of patriotism
<br /> and duty than this Confederate warrior. What an
<br /> awful thing is war; when such specimens of manhood may
<br /> be immolated upon the red, gory alter of the God of War.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXX.
<br /> During that heavy snowfall in the winter of 1858, the
<br /> passenger train on the then called Virginia Central Railroad -
<br /> now named the Chesapeake and Ohio - was stalled
<br /> and completely held-up by a tremendous drift just opposite
<br /> the well known farm, “Strawberry Hill,” which is
<br /> about six miles from Richmond. On the train, as a passenger,
<br /> was a Mrs. Jones, a distinguished actress of that
<br /> time, and there was also aboard the cars a Mr. Hugh Fry,
<br /> of Richmond. The passengers all decided to leave the
<br /> train and go up to the house for diversion or entertainment.
<br /> Mrs. Jones found herself involved in a dilemma, as she
<br /> had on but a very thin pair of shoes, whereupon Mr.
<br /> Fry, with the gallantry of a Sir Walter Raleigh, came
<br /> to her relief and took off the boots he was wearing and
<br /> insisted on her using them. Then came up an unforeseen
<br /> difficulty to be overcome; the legs of his boots were too
<br /> small for the fair lady's understandings, whereupon Mr.
<br /> Fry with his pen-knife slit the tops so that they went
<br /> on smoothly and thus kept the feet of the fair wearer
<br /> dry and quite comfortable.
<br /> This incident of the antebellum days was regarded as
<br /> one of the best displays of knight-errantry in the annals
<br /> of the Old Dominion.
<br /> One of the most pleasant and entertaining clubs in the
<br /> 1st Company of the Richmond Howitzers was the card club.
<br /> Nearly every game in Hoyle was played, but the
<br /> most popular one was draw poker. We used corn grains
<br /> for chips, and the antes were not very large in amount,
<br /> as we were then receiving as pay only twelve dollars
<br /> per month, and that at long intervals. When a player
<br /> had not the cash to settle up with the game, he would
<br /> give an order on next forthcoming pay, which was always
<br /> honored. Some of the men became good poker players.
<br /> Many of those who were then participants in the game
<br /> of cards, as well as of “grim war,” have passed away
<br /> to the other side of the great river of life.
<br /> I recall some of the most pleasant times of army life,
<br /> while we were encamped in winter quarters, in the enjoyment
<br /> incident to a good game of “poker.” They were
<br /> as a rule genial, bright fellows, and good cannoneers as
<br /> well, but always ready for the call to arms. We were
<br /> then all young and hopeful; the survivors are now old
<br /> and quite “unsteady on their pins.” Their gait is slow,
<br /> and many winters have frosted their once sunny locks.
<br /> In the good town of Ashland, in Hanover county, Va., situated
<br /> about sixteen miles north of Richmond, on The Richmond,
<br /> Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway, is to be found
<br /> one of the very prettiest towns in the South. This place
<br /> enjoys the distinction of being the birthplace of the illustrious
<br /> statesman, Henry Clay, called the “Great Commoner,”
<br /> whose efforts in Congress postponed the dreadful
<br /> strife between the sections for many years. It was he
<br /> who uttered the lofty, patriotic words, “I would rather
<br /> be right than be President.” Ashland is not very far
<br /> from Hanover Court House, where John Randolph and
<br /> Patrick Henry, the renewed orator of the Revolution,
<br /> locked horns in the trial of the famous Parson's tobacco
<br /> case, in which the former, Mr. Randolph, came very near
<br /> putting the great pleader “on the gridiron.” The celebrated
<br /> college at this place, named after two distinguished
<br /> men, “Randolph-Macon,” is one of the best and most
<br /> prosperious institutions of learning in the State, with a
<br /> corps of professors of ripest scholarship and thoroughly
<br /> equipped for the respective chairs of instruction which
<br /> they fill. The town has good water and excellent social
<br /> advantages, being two most important elements for comfort
<br /> and pleasure in any place of residence. The large,
<br /> old forest trees, which still stand in their pristine grandeur
<br /> in the streets and yards of Ashland, add much to its appearance
<br /> and render it attractive. Many people come to
<br /> this village to spend the summer months and enjoy the
<br /> advantages it affords of country, pure air and also its
<br /> nearness to the city. Mr. Robinson, who was one of the
<br /> first presidents of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
<br /> Railroad, took great interest in Ashland and did
<br /> much to advance it in every respect. He established a
<br /> fine, turfed race course and started many other improvements
<br /> which have all now passed away and are only
<br /> remembered by the elder members of the community. An
<br /> attractive and well-kept hotel occupies a prominent position
<br /> on the main street fronting the railroad, and is well
<br /> patronized. So that taking into consideration all the
<br /> conveniences and beauties of the town, it may well be
<br /> called a desirable place for a home.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXXI.
<br /> The morning accommodation train on the Richmond,
<br /> Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad is, you may say,
<br /> somewhat unique, since among its regular passengers or
<br /> commuters from Ashland may be found almost every kind
<br /> of human industry represented. For instance, there is the
<br /> lawyer, and there the judge as well. The representative
<br /> of the steam and marine navigation insurance. Also a
<br /> representative of agricultural implements. The interests
<br /> of the tiller of the soil are likewise well represented, and
<br /> last, though not least, the grain and feed business has its
<br /> agent here, with various other lines of commercial life
<br /> well represented, all forming a most pleasant company of
<br /> genial and sociable men. The conversation abounds in
<br /> honest interchange of ideas, which are both instructive
<br /> and entertaining. In these cases there are but little or
<br /> no egotism indulged in, only a clear-cut discussion of
<br /> questions and topics which are daily presented to everybody
<br /> at this time. The daily morning and evening newspapers,
<br /> which are full of all the stirring events of the
<br /> day, being perused by all, and thus each and every man
<br /> obtains therefrom plenty of information as food for a
<br /> general diffusion of thoughts and ideas. Hence
<br /> this train may be truly a unique one.
<br /> An interesting incident was that of the independent
<br /> fire department of Richmond in the days before the war.
<br /> This consisted of several companies, between which there
<br /> existed a considerable degree of rivalry. The engine and
<br /> the reel, or hose carriage, were drawn by the men. Captain
<br /> John Fry commanded number three engine. Captain
<br /> Bargamin was chief of number one. As a matter of course
<br /> where there was so much rivalry among them, at every
<br /> fire there arose a contention as to which company was
<br /> entitled to attach its hose to the nearest plug, and it
<br /> generally resulted in a free fight between the two companies.
<br /> Then fighting was only regarded as a sort of
<br /> recreation of a manly sport. But time and the experience
<br /> in the late war taught them to look upon it in an
<br /> entirely different light. Such is the change of sentiment
<br /> and morals produced by time and trouble.
<br /> Our present splendid fire department, under the pay
<br /> system, is one of the city's best assets, presents quite a
<br /> contrast to the old days. With the new automobile fire
<br /> engines, carrying hose, ladders, chemical apparatus and
<br /> everything needed at a big fire, capable of throwing powerful
<br /> streams of water, the fires of today do not reach
<br /> often to conflagrations of the size as of yore. The whole
<br /> system now works like a clock. And the employment of
<br /> the best mechanical skill, in addition to the use of the
<br /> motor power to supersede horse power, proves the rapid
<br /> and great advance of modern conveniences as contrasted
<br /> with the old-fashioned, hand-power machines.
<br /> The people of the United States of North America
<br /> at this time are confronted with many important and intricate
<br /> problems of government for their solution. Indeed,
<br /> we have reached a crisis in the political and commercial life
<br /> of the country. At this writing, the fall of the year
<br /> 1912, the country is on the eve of an important presidential
<br /> election. Governor Woodrow Wilson, of New
<br /> Jersey, and Governor Thomas R. Marshall, of Indiana, head
<br /> the Democratic ticket. Mr. Wm. H. Taft, the incumbent,
<br /> is the nominee of the regular Republican Protection party;
<br /> while Colonel Theodore Roosevelt is the leader of the third
<br /> party of high tariffites, commonly termed the Bull Moose
<br /> or National Progressives.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXXII.
<br /> The letter of acceptance of each of the candidates gives
<br /> to some extent the policy of the administration that is
<br /> advocated by them. There are some wrongs to remedy
<br /> and some new measures to adjust and policies to inaugurate.
<br /> In the meantime the people are looking with eager eyes at
<br /> the contest and are anxious to know the final result in
<br /> November as to which party will be successful and the
<br /> kind of government that will rule them after the 4th
<br /> of March, 1913.
<br /> An interesting history of by-gone days was that of the
<br /> old James River and Kanawha Canal, which was in its
<br /> day a very important means of transportation to all points
<br /> situated in the valley of the James above Richmond to
<br /> the westward. The State of Virginia, which built and
<br /> owned it at the beginning of the war, sold it to the Richmond
<br /> and Alleghany Railroad Company, which constructed
<br /> a railroad on its bank known as the Richmond and
<br /> and Alleghany Railroad. This road finally fell to the control
<br /> of the Chesapeake and Ohio Company by purchase of
<br /> its stock and bonds, and thus the use of that fine work
<br /> as a means of transport became a thing of the past -
<br /> too slow for the age of steam and electricity.
<br /> A striking feature of Richmond during the war were
<br /> the levees or social receptions held at the Governor's
<br /> mission every Thursday night. They were largely attended
<br /> by the citizens as well as by the soldiers that were
<br /> passing through the city, affording a pleasant opportunity
<br /> to the boys in grey to and from the front, to meet the
<br /> fair ladies of the Confederacy, who lent their charming
<br /> presence and society for the enjoyment of the officers and
<br /> men, affording a very delightful recreation and change
<br /> from the hardships and many privations of field duty.
<br /> Colonel William Smith, nick-named Extra Billy while
<br /> in Congress, was one of the bravest and most popular officers
<br /> in the Army of Northern Virginia. His regiment
<br /> had won distinction on many fields of battle. An election
<br /> was held in the army and every man in all the Virginia
<br /> regiments voted for him to be the Governor of Virginia,
<br /> and it proved a wise selection, for his intense devotion
<br /> to the cause of the Confederacy, as well as his conspicious
<br /> gallantry, endeared him to every one who wore the gray.
<br /> Very well do I recall the occasion when the guests at
<br /> the Mansion passed in review and gave him the compliments
<br /> of the evening. His genial manners to all will long
<br /> be remembered.
<br /> Doctor Hunter McGuire, the medical director of Stonewall
<br /> Jackson's corps, by his sympathetic manner
<br /> and great skill as a sergeon, saved many a poor Confederate's
<br /> life and also soothed his suffering body when tortured by
<br /> wounds received in battle. He was the physician who
<br /> attended his mortally wounded chief, after he was stricken
<br /> down at Chancellorsville, by the accidental fire of his own
<br /> men. All that could be done, he did to save his valuable
<br /> life, but all was in vain, as pneumonia set in and the great
<br /> soldier passed away, to the deepest sorrow and grief of
<br /> the whole South. Doctor McGuire, after the war, settled
<br /> in Richmond and established a very large and lucrative
<br /> practice, gaining a national reputation as an eminent surgeon,
<br /> his operations in the line of surgery being quoted
<br /> all over the country for their skillful application of the
<br /> principles of that great art.
<br /> Doctor McGuire's great, tender heart was always open to
<br /> the needs of the Confederate soldier, or to the aid of
<br /> the “Lost Cause” in keeping alive in the memories the
<br /> glories of those who fell in defense of their homes and
<br /> families. His memory is still revered by the old and the
<br /> young for his many noble traits of character and his deeds
<br /> as a citizen and physician.
<br /> A man by the name of Robert Jennings was a sergeant
<br /> in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and when his regiment
<br /> was passing through the county of Matthews, during the
<br /> war, he was so much pleased with the surroundings that
<br /> he said if he came out of the conflict unharmed, he would
<br /> buy a farm there, and as he was fortunate enough to
<br /> survive, both sound and well, and being the possessor of
<br /> a snug sum of ready money, he carried out his intentions
<br /> by purchasing a nice home and launched out ill the very
<br /> laudable occupation of tilling the soil. “Colonel Bob,” as
<br /> he was called, being of a genial nature, attended court
<br /> at the county seat every court day, his object in so doing was
<br /> to become well acquainted with the citizens, and being a
<br /> man of means and of a liberal disposition, he treated, or
<br /> “set up” drinks and cigars to the people very freely. He
<br /> began by ordering the best to be had, such as fifteen-cent
<br /> drinks in thin glasses and Henry Clay regalia cigars, and
<br /> consequently became exceedingly popular, indeed was one
<br /> of the most popular men in Matthews county, on account
<br /> of his liberality and frequent attendance on court day. His
<br /> farm and affairs were neglected, which compelled him to
<br /> mortgage his property and was thus reduced to the necessity
<br /> of ordering ten-cent drinks and cheaper cigars. So
<br /> they, from calling him “Colonel,” changed his title to
<br /> “Major Bob,” and as he still neglected his farm and its
<br /> management, and was again forced by lack of money to
<br /> put a second deed of trust on his farm, he was now reduced
<br /> to the rank of “Captain Bob.” He then reduced the cost
<br /> of his drinks down to “shorts,” or five-cent drams, and
<br /> stogies for smokes. Well, finally things went from bad to
<br /> worse, and Captain Bob had to place a third deed or
<br /> mortgage on his place, and then it went into the hands of
<br /> the trustee and was advertised for sale. A man from Minnesota
<br /> came and said that he liked the place and also liked
<br /> the people, as they were in general simple-minded, honest
<br /> folks, he would send his son down in the winter and he
<br /> would come in the summer.
<br /> “Bob,” for they now only called him plain “Bob,” overheard
<br /> the man say “a simple-minded people,” remarked:
<br /> “Well, that is what I thought a few years ago, when I first
<br /> came down here, with about seventy-five thousand dollars,
<br /> and now I haven't got money enough left to pay my steamboat
<br /> fare to the city of Norfolk”; and whatever afterwards
<br /> became of Mr. Robert Jennings I do not know.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXXIII.
<br /> When General McClellan advanced up the peninsular
<br /> formed by the James and York Rivers, from Yorktown and
<br /> Old Point Comfort, and laid sedge to Richmond in the
<br /> spring of the year 1862, the Federal gunboats steamed
<br /> up the James River and attempted to pass by the Confederate
<br /> fortifications at Drewry's Bluff, called “Fort
<br /> Darling” by the Federals, and then began a fierce artillery
<br /> duel between them. At the crisis of the battle the principal
<br /> gun, a thirty pounder, was thrown from its trunions,
<br /> and by the skill and coolness at this critical juncture of
<br /> Major Jno. G. Clarke, the engineer in charge, it was
<br /> safely remounted and the enemy's fleet repulsed, thus
<br /> saving the city from bombardment. Major Clarke was
<br /> promoted to the rank of colonel of the engineer
<br /> corps, and was at the battle of Gettysburg, where he
<br /> directed and superintended the placing of the pontoon
<br /> bridges at “Falling Waters” for General Lee's army to
<br /> pass over after the fight. He was then promoted again to
<br /> be full colonel of engineers. Upon the death of Colonel
<br /> Harris he was put in command of Charleston, S. C.
<br /> During the important period of history known as “Reconstruction,”
<br /> General Canby sent one of his aides, a
<br /> Lieutenant Terfew, to the county of bleary, in order to
<br /> reduce the population to terms. The county seat was his
<br /> destination and court was in session when he arrived and
<br /> at the mid-day recess. This officer, upon dismounting,
<br /> very warm and dusty, it being the latter part of June,
<br /> found a large number of citizens assembled in front of
<br /> the hotel, to whom he stated, that by order of General
<br /> Canby, he was there to reconstruct the county and to
<br /> inaugurate amicable relations between the government at
<br /> Richmond and the good people of the county and thus
<br /> prevent friction. The crowd present selected as their
<br /> spokesman an old justice of the peace, and accordingly
<br /> addressed the officer in these words:
<br /> Lieutenant Terfew, sir: Any one coming to the good
<br /> old county of Henry with such good credentials as you
<br /> bear, to-wit: The sword in one hand and the olive branch
<br /> in the other, a slight or any discourtesy extended or
<br /> offered you will be regarded by each one of us as an
<br /> affront individually, and will be resented and treated
<br /> as it deserves.” After this the lieutenant inquired if he
<br /> could procure any refreshment, whereupon the landlord
<br /> stepped forward and said: “Oh, yes, just follow.” The
<br /> officer then invited the whole party to join him in a
<br /> sociable drink. Eleven of them accepted; among them
<br /> was the justice who had replied. They walked up the
<br /> passageway, then faced to the right and then front-faced
<br /> to the counter at the bar and each called for what he
<br /> wished. Each one took apple brandy. Then he remarked:
<br /> “Gentlemen, as I am tired and thirsty, I wish to repeat,
<br /> won't you all again join me.” Upon this the old justice
<br /> spoke up thus: “Now, lieutenant, we will repeat, but
<br /> not at your expense. Landlord, just chalk the last drinks
<br /> down to me.” As they were filing out of the bar the
<br /> landlord beckoned to the lieutenant and asked him who
<br /> was going to pay for those last drinks. “That old fellow
<br /> has been playing that trick on me for the last five years,”
<br /> he said. The result was that the officer was successful
<br /> in fully reconstructing the county.
<br /> Just before the close of the war a foraging squad of
<br /> Federal cavalry, under the command of Lieutenant Rowland
<br /> Wood, was sent out and reached the fine, old colonial
<br /> residence of a Mrs. Swann, whose plantation was well
<br /> stocked and in fair condition, as in fact many places had
<br /> not suffered from the visits of the foragers and prowlers
<br /> of either army. Indeed this was one of the fortunate
<br /> ones. It was named “Meadow Brook,” and was truly
<br /> a very fine estate. The ladies of the mansion used an old-
<br /> fashioned knocker on the front door; and Miss Ida Swann
<br /> answered the front door. The officer was struck as soon
<br /> as she appeared, as he recognized in her the same young
<br /> lady that he had known and greatly admired before the
<br /> war. She was the ideal Virginian girl, high spirited and
<br /> loyal to the South, with an independent bearing, a characteristic
<br /> of the well-bred country maiden. She was fond
<br /> of out-door life and exercises, like Diana Vernon, so beautifully
<br /> described by Sir Walter Scott in one of his novels.
<br /> The Federal officer stated his errand in the most polite
<br /> way, of course, which was to some extent a matter of
<br /> embarrassment to him under the circumstances, and after
<br /> having made an inspection and found that there was
<br /> comparatively nothing on the premises which would be
<br /> of any value to the cavalry service, he came across her
<br /> own riding horse, which he decided was too delicate to
<br /> bear a trooper. So he returned to camp, having done nothing
<br /> injurious to the place. It happened this was near
<br /> the close of the war, and shortly afterwards the Southern
<br /> army surrendered at Appomattox to General U. S. Grant.
<br /> Then the lieutenant cast aside his uniform and donned
<br /> a citizen's suit, and after things had quited down, he concluded
<br /> to make a friendly visit to “Meadow Brook,”
<br /> where he found Miss Swann in the bloom of health
<br /> and buoyant spirits. And by his manly and straight-forward
<br /> course of conduct, he gradually regained his former position
<br /> in her esteem and by degrees the old flame of affection
<br /> was rekindled, and in the old church near-by they
<br /> stood before the altar and plighted their mutual troth
<br /> and vows and were made man and wife by the sacred rites
<br /> of matrimony. Their life has been, and is now, one of
<br /> connubial bliss and contentment with their lot, because of
<br /> the pure love and congeniality existing between them.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXXIV.
<br /> In this, the first decade of the twentieth century, we
<br /> find new conditions confronting the people called by many
<br /> in the political sense, “Progressive.” There are many
<br /> conditions in both the commercial and political orders of
<br /> the time which are deemed by the leaders to need a
<br /> change. For instance, the control of cities through new
<br /> municipal legislation, and a Board of Control, or Administration.
<br /> In the national affairs: The election of Senators
<br /> by the direct vote of the people, and by the means
<br /> of primary elections in the States in the nomination of
<br /> candidates for the Presidency, instead of the old modes
<br /> of by conventions and legislatures. Time will surely prove
<br /> whether the changes called for, and now inaugurated
<br /> in some cities and States, will be any improvement over
<br /> the former system.
<br /> We are now living in an age of decided change and
<br /> advances. Everything that conduces to the progress and
<br /> betterment of society, in its general sense, ought to be
<br /> given a trial in order that the masses of citizens may be
<br /> uplifted and conditions of living be ameliorated and advanced,
<br /> both physically and morally.
<br /> It has been asserted that the Confederate soldier was
<br /> addicted to the evil habit of emphasizing his ordinary
<br /> conversation in a manner of speech not admissable in
<br /> a Sunday school room. As a matter of fact a great many
<br /> of the hardest fighters and most gallant commanders were
<br /> real profane men, that seemed to believe that an order
<br /> accompanied by an oath would be executed with more
<br /> dispatch than if not so given. Many soldiers were kept
<br /> from using oaths before a battle on account of the penalty
<br /> accruing from breaking the Third Commandment, to-wit:
<br /> “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,
<br /> for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh
<br /> his name in vain.” I do not think there was more swearing
<br /> among soldiers than there was before the war. To
<br /> say the least, the habit is very vulgar and unrefined,
<br /> aside from its wickedness, and should never be taught
<br /> children; yet there have been occasions when an oath
<br /> seemed to give an order more effect and vim; still it is
<br /> not advisable and should be only, if at all, used seldom
<br /> in any company, but such is the frailty of human nature
<br /> that soldiers are prone to do that which they ought not
<br /> to do. I am opposed to cursing, and think it ought never
<br /> to be resorted to if possible to avoid it. The human family,
<br /> if it tries hard so to do, can abstain from the habit, and
<br /> they can accustom themselves to speak without violating
<br /> the commandment of God.
<br />
<br />
<br /> CHAPTER XXXV.
<br /> Years ago there settled in the county of Hanover a
<br /> Mr. James Ames and Jane, his wife. They were very
<br /> industrious, thrifty citizens. He had purchased his farm
<br /> through a real estate firm of Richmond, on the terms of
<br /> three equal payments. He paid promptly the first two,
<br /> but six months before the third one fell due, he found himself
<br /> confronted with unforeseen conditions: There had
<br /> been a long, distressing drought, which had cut short his
<br /> crops, and one of his mules had broken his leg, so that
<br /> altogether he was in a sad state of mind. The third and
<br /> last installment on his farm was nearly due and his wife,
<br /> who was a sensible and practical woman, said to him, now
<br /> let me see if I can assist in this difficulty, to which he
<br /> assented. Accordingly she went to Richmond to the firm
<br /> from which the farm was bought, with that native dignity
<br /> inherent to the country lady, and asked to see the head
<br /> of the firm, and was told that he was not in, being detained
<br /> at his home on account of sickness in his family, upon
<br /> which she obtained the address of his residence, where
<br /> she went, and finding him, stated her business. He told
<br /> her that he was quite unfit to attend to any kind of business
<br /> by reason of his distress; whereupon she told him
<br /> that she was a skillful nurse, and that if he so desired it,
<br /> she would remain over in town a few days and would
<br /> assist in nursing his sick family that was suffering with
<br /> measles, requiring constant, careful nursing. Under her
<br /> efficient attentions and skillful nursing they were finally
<br /> restored to health and to their normal condition. So he
<br /> rode down to his office with Mrs. Ames, and asking for
<br /> the deed he marked the balance due paid in full. It thus
<br /> resulted that James obtained a clear title to his farm
<br /> through the cleverness of his good wife. Now what is
<br /> it that a good smart woman cannot accomplish?
<br /> A prominent, burning question of the day and time is
<br /> that of woman suffrage, and why not give them the right
<br /> to vote? This is a day of progress and change, and the
<br /> right of females to exercise the privilege of suffrage should
<br /> be freely accorded the sex which has really had a controlling
<br /> influence in the affairs of mankind since the day
<br /> of Adam and Eve. Did she not, by means of her persuasive
<br /> arguments, induce, through mother Eve, the
<br /> father of men, Adam, to eat of the forbidden fruit?
<br /> Woman has always been a beacon light to man in guiding
<br /> him in the paths of right and duty.
<br /> Yes, indeed, there are many worse things in human
<br /> economy than woman suffrage. So it is to be hoped that
<br /> the next General Assembly of Virginia may accede to the
<br /> petitions presented them in advancing the cause of equal
<br /> suffrage. Woman is now the great propelling force of
<br /> the present age of political economy. They have always
<br /> exercised the right to vote, I believe, in choosing vestrymen
<br /> of the church, and in some school matters in some
<br /> cities, and so why not give them the right to participate
<br /> in regular elections of State and municipal officers? It
<br /> is the inherent right or privilege of the sex to do as she
<br /> pleases or deserves, and there should be no law to prevent
<br /> her exercising her own sweet will in such matters. I
<br /> believe women are possessed of as much intelligence as
<br /> men are, and in some respects they have more, hence they
<br /> should not be debarred from the polls in the general
<br /> elections of those who are to represent them, as well as
<br /> men, in the administration of everyday affairs. I should
<br /> like to be a registrar of precinct which numbered a large
<br /> proportion of suffragettes. I would not challenge the vote
<br /> of a single one.
<br /> The Howitzer Association is formed of the surviving
<br /> members of the three companies, the first, the second
<br /> and third. It has a reunion and banquet on each thirteenth
<br /> day of December, which is the anniversary of the
<br /> battle of Fredericksburg. A good supper is spread on
<br /> that night and many recollections of the great war are
<br /> recalled and renewal of fellowship and general intercourse
<br /> is enjoyed, which cements the attachments between
<br /> each of the survivors of the three companies. Alas! How
<br /> sad to realize that so many of your comrades have passed
<br /> away.
<br /> In the voyage of life you sometimes meet persons, who
<br /> say that they wish to banish all reminder of the great
<br /> war between the States, or as we say, the Confederacy.
<br /> Such people it might be properly asked, did they fight
<br /> so hard, and were they so zealous that they dislike to
<br /> revert to their prowess on the field of battle? Or did
<br /> they shirk their duty to their country so very adroitly
<br /> that they hate to be reminded of it? The true soldier
<br /> of the Confederacy, the gallant boy who shouldered a
<br /> musket at the call to defend his home and fireside, and
<br /> who faithfully performed his duty, whether as a private
<br /> or as an officer, should have no desire to entirely wipe
<br /> out of memory that eventful period in his own history,
<br /> and of his country that awful time which tested the
<br /> metal of which men were made, but he should wish rather
<br /> to have a full and correct account of that great conflict
<br /> given to the present and the future generations.
<br /> The majority of the survivors of the Confederate armies
<br /> do not believe that they ought to forget or erase from
<br /> their minds all memory of the battles of Sharpsburg or
<br /> Antietam, of Spottsylvania Court House, of Gettysburg,
<br /> or of Chickamauga and Shiloh. I am at a loss to comprehend
<br /> from what basis these tender-nerved Confederates
<br /> reason, and I reflect that fortunately there exists
<br /> but a few such among those who “wore the gray.”
<br /> In the days by-gone there lived in Richmond a prominent
<br /> dealer in horses and mules by the name of Benjamin
<br /> Green, whose early career began as a contractor, having
<br /> built the bridge over the James River for the railroad
<br /> to Petersburg. His establishment was the largest entreprise
<br /> in the livestock line in Virginia. It was generally
<br /> conceded that any one who was so unfortunate as to have
<br /> a transaction with him was certain to be worsted, or at
<br /> least to get the small end of the trade. His intercourse
<br /> with the farmers was very extensive and it was said
<br /> that any man who purchased an animal and threw himself upon
<br /> Green's honor in the transaction, never failed to obtain
<br /> a fair, square deal. In the other hand, if the purchaser
<br /> relied upon his own judgment of an animal he was very
<br /> apt to get the worst of the bargain. Ben Green was a
<br /> smooth talker and a keen, first-class salesman. His residence
<br /> was a beautiful place about two or three miles west
<br /> of the city on the Broad Street Road, where he entertained
<br /> his guests in a sumptuous manner, and was looked
<br /> upon as one of the most remarkable men in the State.
<br /> Colonel Richard Adams was a prominent citizen of
<br /> Richmond and was at one time appointed high sheriff of
<br /> Henrico county. At that time the office was one of
<br /> dignity and emolument, and it was one that was
<br /> frequently sublet to a second party, and such was the
<br /> case with Colonel Adams. He then boarded at the old
<br /> Exchange Hotel when it was kept by Colonel Boykin,
<br /> he was a widower, being left with three children at
<br /> his wife's death. One of the latter was Mary Adams,
<br /> who married General George Randolph; another one,
<br /> Catherine Adams, who died while attending the school
<br /> conducted by Mr. Ice Febre, and a son by the name of
<br /> Samuel Adams, comprised his family. He was a life-long
<br /> friend of my father and his family and was a regular
<br /> visitor of the same. He was a great epicure and if any
<br /> one knew what was good in the way of living and the
<br /> proper way to cook a choice cut of meat, he was that
<br /> man. When we lived in the country he often came out,
<br /> and would always forestall his coming by sending us a
<br /> nice leg of mutton or lamb, a nice tenderloin of beef, a
<br /> roast of beef or a fine piece of sturgeon. My mother,
<br /> who was noted for her good housekeeping, always
<br /> directed the cooking of the particular dish which he sent
<br /> out to us. When it was placed upon the table, hot and
<br /> juicy, the old gentleman would exclaim that, “It is cooked
<br /> and served up to a dot, it could not be improved.”
<br /> Colonel Adams was not what is known as a gourmand,
<br /> but a high-toned Virginian gentleman, who preferred the
<br /> best meats to be obtained in the markets, and prepared for
<br /> the table in a manner that would cause the smiles and
<br /> approval of epicures. One day he was dining with a friend
<br /> whose custom was to invite his guest to join him in a
<br /> toddy before the dinner was announced. Well, as the
<br /> gentlemen were standing in front of the sideboard, their
<br /> drinks were made of fine old Clemmer Whiskey, five years
<br /> old, oily and fragrant. Holding their glasses in their
<br /> hands, Mr. J commenced to tell an anecdote, but
<br /> the suspense becoming too great, the Colonel appealed to
<br /> him to jump over the bars, and not wait to pull them down,
<br /> in other words to razee his story so as to proceed with
<br /> their drinking, which would serve to whet their appetites
<br /> for the good dinner awaiting their presence.
<br /> The First Baptist Church, which is situated on the
<br /> corner of Broad and Twelfth Streets, is one of the oldest
<br /> ones in the City of Richmond. It stands on the same
<br /> ground it was built on nearly a century ago. Its pulpit
<br /> has been occupied by the most distinguished divines in
<br /> the Baptist denomination, such, for instance, as Doctor
<br /> Broaddus, whose reputation as a pulpit orator has rarely,
<br /> if ever, been excelled, Doctor Burrows, who was
<br /> its pastor during the great war of 1861 to 1865 and after
<br /> the same Doctor Cooper, whose ministration as its pastor
<br /> is held in kindest reverence and esteem by all who were
<br /> fortunate enough to be under his pastorate charge.
<br /> This congregation is now served by one of the most
<br /> gifted clergymen in the church to which he belongs, but
<br /> also one of the most eloquent pulpit orators in the South,
<br /> namely, Doctor G. W. McDaniel. Were all the reminiscences
<br /> of this sacred and strong edifice written up in full
<br /> it would fill a volume.
<br /> A prominent representative of the female element of
<br /> Richmond society previous to the war was Mrs. Cora
<br /> Ritchie Mowatt, a leader in the best social circles. She
<br /> was formerly an actress of distinction and of excellent
<br /> reputation. She had considerable literary ability and had
<br /> written a history of her life as an actress, entitled “An
<br /> Autobiography of An Actress.” She afterwards married
<br /> William F. Ritchie, the editor of The Enquirer, the organ
<br /> of the Democratic party of the State of Virginia. This
<br /> talented and popular lady was truly a “beacon light” of
<br /> the social and fashionable society of the time.
<br />
<br />
<br /> A GLEANING OF HISTORY.
<br /> After the war the present or junior company of Richmond
<br /> Howitzers was organized or formed. It is well
<br /> officered, Captain Myers being its commander, Lieutenant
<br /> Pollard, first lieutenant, and Lieutenant Reese, second
<br /> lieutenant. Its commanders are young men of the first
<br /> character and material. The corps de esprit of the company
<br /> is the highest order. It has the advantage over the
<br /> old company, in as much as its battery and equipment is
<br /> of the very latest or advanced excellence of modern ordinance.
<br /> It is an ornament to the military organization of
<br /> the State and city, and no doubt may be entertained that
<br /> whenever an opportunity is offered it will sustain the
<br /> prestige of the old company. I do not intend to say that
<br /> the 1st, 2d and ad companies of Howitzers were superior
<br /> to other artillery companies in the Army of Northern
<br /> Virginia, yet I do say that they were never placed in
<br /> position in any line of battle that they did not hold it
<br /> until ordered out. The young company is composed of
<br /> the same kind of material, hence it may be safely asserted
<br /> that the junior organization will perpetuate the name and
<br /> prestige of the old company. At the reunion of the Howitzers
<br /> Association, on the 13th of December, the junior
<br /> company are always welcomed guests.
<br /> From 1861 to 1862 the army of the Confederacy was
<br /> under the control of the several States composing the Confederacy
<br /> on the peninsula. A reorganization of the army
<br /> occurred and the troops of the separate States were turned
<br /> over to the Confederate government and enlisted for the
<br /> war. New officers were elected and an entire change made
<br /> in reforming the Confederate Army. The name was then
<br /> changed from Army of the Potomac to Army of Northern
<br /> Virginia.
<br /> One of the most unique men Virginia ever produced was
<br /> Captain George Randolph, who was Secretary of War of
<br /> the Confederate States. He organized the First Company
<br /> of Richmond Howitzers; he had been in some way connected
<br /> with the United States Navy and he conceived
<br /> the idea of equipping the company with boat Howitzers
<br /> with a long trail attached to the piece and drawn by the
<br /> cannoneers. This plan was abandoned and the pieces
<br />were mounted on light carriages and drawn by two horses.
<br /> Captain Randolph was a lineal descendant of Thomas Jefferson
<br /> and a man of striking personality; in physique he
<br /> was tall and slender, with high cheek bones, with an eye
<br /> as clear seeing as an eagle. In social intercourse he was
<br /> rather reticent, though true as steel; he was a Democrat
<br /> and ardent advocate of the rights of the South. At this
<br /> time no Democrat received any political preferment in
<br /> Richmond, yet when they were casting around for the
<br /> ablest and best men to send to the Secession Convention
<br /> party lines were ignored and he was elected a
<br /> member, and a wise choice it was. His speeches and
<br /> debates were among the ablest, emanating from that group
<br /> of forensic and intellectual giants. Upon the secession of
<br /> Virginia he donned his artillery uniform and concentrated
<br /> all his force and energy in organizing the Howitzers
<br /> Battalion consisting of the first, second and third companies.
<br /> He was made Major. John C. Shields, captain
<br /> 1st Company; J. Thompson Brown, captain 2d Company;
<br /> Robert Standard, captain 3d Company. Major Randolph,
<br /> with second and third companies was sent to the peninsula
<br /> under General McGruder. The first company was
<br /> sent to Manasas under General Beauregard, thus forming
<br /> a part of the army of the Potomac.
<br /> After the lapse of time Mr. Davis realizing the brilliant
<br /> qualities of Major Randolph, appointed him Secretary of
<br /> War. Yet the ailment that he had long suffered with
<br /> caused him to resign and in quest of alleviation of his suffering
<br /> he took passage on a blockade runner and died
<br /> abroad. Mr. Seddon succeeded him as Secretary of War
<br /> of the Confederate States. General Randolph's name is
<br /> held in high esteem by all who admire a high type of manhood
<br /> and knightly bearing.
<br />
<br /> Captain Meriweather Lewis Anderson was mustered
<br /> into the service of the State of Virginia at the commencement
<br /> of the Confederate War as orderly sergeant of the First
<br /> Company of Richmond Howitzers. Subsequently he was
<br /> elected lieutenant when Captain E. S. McCarthy was
<br /> killed at second Cold Harbor. He, by seniority of rank,
<br /> became captain of the company. No braver officer ever
<br /> buckled saber around his waist than this gallant Confederate
<br /> soldier. He was with the company in nearly every
<br /> battle it engaged or participated in.
<br /> The record that Captain Anderson left is bright as the
<br /> finest damascus blade. He has passed to the other side
<br /> of the river, and may his memory be cherished by all who
<br /> honor indomnitable courage and devotion to the lost cause.
<br /> During the war my company, the First Howitzers Camp,
<br /> was surrounded by infantry regiments; it was in the fall
<br /> of the year hostilities had ceased, so a couple of cannoneers
<br /> and myself took a walk for recreation and to see what
<br /> was going on. We came to an infantry regiment going
<br /> through dress parade. It was a novel sight. The colonel
<br /> had an old cavalry sword attached to a cirsingle thrown
<br /> over his shoulders. The officers wore similar side arms.
<br /> The adjutant used a ram-rod for a sword; he formed the
<br /> regiment and presented it to the colonel. The company
<br /> officers marched forward and gave the customary salute
<br /> when the colonel put the regiment through a few evolutions
<br /> and disbanded. It was one of the best fighting regiments
<br /> in the army, yet paid little attention to the formula
<br /> of show on dress parade, but when charging the enemy
<br /> or holding their position in line of battle they were all
<br /> right.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-87667333038860413302011-07-21T20:25:00.000-07:002011-07-21T20:48:47.714-07:00Food Paradise<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9Xgmmy9tclE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-21069917042177370512011-07-21T20:02:00.000-07:002011-07-21T20:13:14.488-07:00Enrolment PelajarSehingga 30 Jun 2011, SMK Westlands mempunyai pelajar seramai 498 orang lelaki. SMK Westlands juga mempunyai seorang Guru Cemerlang Bahasa Melayu, Cik Hajjah Majemin binti Shafie, seorang Guru Cemerlang Mathematics, Encik Ong Cheng Hock, seorang Kaunselor Cemerlang, Encik Goh Nai Sin dan seorang Pengetua Cemerlang, Encik Loh Kok Kit.<br /><br />Sekalung budi dan seuntai kasih ditujukan kepada beberapa mantan pengetua SMK Westlands seperti Cik Norati Binti Mohd. Othman, Encik Toh Kim Hock (mantan PPPDTL dan mantan PJPNPP) yang telah bersara.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-13328489994429869632011-07-19T18:51:00.000-07:002011-07-19T19:00:03.767-07:00Hala Tuju PendidikanPerundangan Pendidikan<br />1957 - The Education Ordinance, 1957<br />1961 - Education Act, 1961<br />1963 - Akta Bahasa Kebangsaan 1963/67 (Disemak - 1971)<br />1971 - Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti<br />1974 - Akta Politeknik Ungku Omar<br />1980 - Akta Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia<br /><br />Laporan-Laporan Penting<br />1956 - Report of the Education Committee, 1956 (Penyata Razak)<br />1960 - Report of the Education Review Committee, 1960 (Penyata Rahman Talib)<br />1967 - Penyata Jawatankuasa Perancang Pelajaran Tinggi<br />1973 - Laporan Jawatankuasa di atas Kajian Pendapat mengenai Pelajaran<br /> dan Masyarakat (Laporan Keciciran)<br />1979 - Laporan Jawatankuasa Kabinet mengkaji Pelaksanaan Dasar Pelajaran (Penyata Mahathir)<br />1991 - Laporan Jawatankuasa Kabinet Mengenai Latihan<br /><br />Bahasa Melayu Dalam Sistem Pendidikan<br />1957 - Mata pelajaran wajib sekolah rendah dan menengah<br />1970 - Bahasa pengantar darjah 1<br />1975 - Semua Sekolah Rendah Inggeris selesai ditukar menjadi Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan<br />1976 - Bahasa pengantar Tingkatan 1<br />1979 - Bahasa pengantar Tingkatan VI aliran sastera<br />1980 - Bahasa pengantar jurusan sastera tahun 1 di universiti<br />1981 - Bahasa pengantar tingkatan VI aliran sains<br />1982 - Bahasa pengantar semua peringkat persekolahan<br />1983 - Bahasa pengantar semua kursus di universiti<br /><br />Peperiksaan Sekolah Rendah<br />1957 - MSSEE (Malayan Sec. Sch. Entrance Exam) dimulakan<br />1963 - MSSEE dimansuhkan<br />1967 - PDL (Penilaian Darjah 5) dimulakan<br />1973 - UDT (Ujian Darjah 3) dimulakan<br />1982 - UDT dimansuhkan<br />1988 - PDL dimansuhkan<br />1988 - UPSR (Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah) dimulakan<br /><br />Peperiksaan Sekolah Menengah<br />1957 - LCE (Lower Certificate of Education) dimulakan<br />1957 - OSC (Overseas Cambridge Sch Certificate) dimulakan<br />1957 - FMC ( Federation of Malaya Certificate) dimulakan<br />1957 - QT ( Qualifying Test) dimulakan<br />1960 - SRP (Sijil Rendah Pelajaran) dimulakan<br />1961 - UK (Ujian Kelayakan) dimulakan<br />1962 - SPPTM (Sijil Pel. Persekutuan Tanah Melayu) dimulakan<br />1964 - SPPTM dimansuhkan<br />1964 - FMC dimansuhkan<br />1964 - MCE (Malaysian Certificate of Education) dimulakan<br />1964 - SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) dimulakan<br />1967 - SRP/LCE soalan objektif mula digunakan<br />1968 - OSC dimansuhkan di Semenanjung Malaysia.<br />1969 - SPVM (Sijil Pelajaran Vokasional Malaysia) dimulakan<br />1976 - Peperiksaan Bahasa Melayu (Julai) dimulakan<br />1976 - MCE diambilalih oleh Lembaga Peperiksaan<br />1982 - HSC (Higher School Certificate Cambridge) dimansuhkan<br />1982 - STPM (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia) diambilalih oleh Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia dimulakan<br />1983 - LCE ujian Lisan Bahasa Melayu dimansuhkan<br />1983 - SRP Ujian Lisan Bahasa Inggeris dimansuhkan<br />1987 - Sijil SPVM ditukar kepada SPM(V)<br />1987 - SPM di seluruh Malaysia dimulakan<br />1991 - KHPP (Kemahiran Hidup Program Peralihan) SRP dimulakan<br />1992 - Tahun terakhir bagi SRP<br />1993 - PMR (Penilaian Menengah Rendah) dimulakan<br />1993 - SPM berdasarkan KBSM (Kurikulum Baru Sek. Menengah) dimulakan<br /><br />Kurikulum<br />1956 - General Syllabuses and Timetable Committee ditubuhkan<br />1964 - General Syllabuses and Review Committee ditubuhkan<br />1965 - Pendidikan Komprehensif dimulakan<br />1967 - Report of the Committee on Curriculum Planning and Development<br />1973 - Pusat Perkembangan Kurikulum (PPK) ditubuhkan<br />1982 - KBSR dilaksanakan di 302 buah sekolah rendah sebagai percubaan<br />1983 - KBSR dilaksanakan di semua sekolah rendah<br />1988 - Pelaksanaan KBSR sepenuhnya dicapai<br />1988 - Pelaksanaan KBSM bermula untuk mata pelajaran bahasa<br />1989 - Pelaksanaan KBSM bermula untuk mata pelajaran lain<br />1989 - Kemahiran Hidup Program Peralihan dimulakan di tingkatan 1<br />1989 - Pelaksanaan PKBS di tahun 1 hingga tahun 6 di semua sekolah rendah<br />1989 - Mata pelajaran Kemahiran Manipulatif dilancarkan di 100 buah sekolah rendah<br />1991 - Mata pelajaran Kemahiran Manipulatif dilaksanakan di 1000 buah sekolah rendah<br />1991 - Kemahiran Hidup bersepadu dimulakan di Tingkatan 1<br />1992 - Mata pelajaran Kemahiran Hidup Manipulatif dilaksanakan di 3000 buah sekolah rendah<br />1993 - Kemahiran Hidup mula dilaksanakan di Tahun 4 di semua sekolahrendah. Sekolah yang<br /> telah melaksanakan Kemahiran Manipulatifmeneruskannya di Tahun 5 dan 6 sekolah rendah<br /><br />Peperiksaan Khas<br />1964 - Penubuhan Unit Pendidikan Khas<br />1978 - Penubuhan Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan Komunikasi Seluruh<br />1981 - Jawatankuasa Antara Kementerian-Kementerian mengenai Pendidikan Khas<br /> (Kementerian Kebajikan Masyarakat/ Kementerian Kesihatan,Kementerian Buruh<br /> dan Tenaga Rakyat serta Kementerian Pendidikansebagai Pengerusi dan setiausaha)<br />1984 - Jawatankuasa Pendaftaran dan Penempatan Kanak-kanak cacat antara Kementerian-Kementerian.<br />1984 - Penubuhan Jawatankuasa Penempatan Kanak-Kanak Negeri<br />1984 - Jawatankuasa Kebangsaan Kurikulum Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Vokasional<br /> Shah Alam ditubuhkan<br />1985 - Penubuhan Unit Perintis Penerbitan dan Percetakan Braille Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia<br />1985 - Penubuhan Mesyuarat Majlis Perkhidmatan Kebajikan Negara<br />1985 - Jawatankuasa Kerja Penyelarasan Komunikasi Seluruh Kementerian Pendidikan<br />1987 - Penubuhan Sekolah Menengah Pendidikan Khas Shah Alam<br />1987 - Jawatankuasa Pelaksana Pendidikan Kanak-Kanak Bermasalah Pembelajaran<br />1988 - Arahan Y.B.Menteri Pendidikan mengkaji memberi bantuan penuh kepada Kanak-kanak<br /> dengan Perlakuan Autisme Ringan<br />1989 - Majlis Perundingan Pembangunan Masyarakat Negara<br />1991 - Lembaga Penasihat Kebangsaan bagi Pendidikan Kanak-kanak dengan keperluan-keperluan<br /> Pendidikan Khas<br />1993 - Jawatankuasa mengkaji Dasar, Perancangan, Penyelarasan danPelaksanaan Pendidikan<br /> bagi kanak-kanak dengan keperluan-keperluanPendidikan Khas.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-37059385728205417712011-07-05T18:59:00.000-07:002011-07-05T19:00:52.358-07:00World Heritage DayPulau Pinang akan menyambut Hari Warisan esok. Oleh itu pejabat sekolah Westlands akan ditutup sehari. Selamat bercuti.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-58529192108937492642011-06-28T17:26:00.000-07:002011-06-28T17:30:37.254-07:001M1S1MKementerian Pelajaran dengan rasminya akan melancarkan Program 1Murid1Sukan pada hari Sabtu ini (2 Julai 2011) tepat pukul 7.45 pagi. SMK Westlands juga mengalu-alukan kedatangan Penolong Kanan Pentadbiran (PKP) yang baru, En. Shapiee B. Hashim, dalam keluarga dan warga Westlands. Selamat datang!!!Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-78280157962456853642011-05-25T23:33:00.001-07:002011-05-25T23:33:43.105-07:00ESTEST telah dirombak daripada elektif yang wajib kepada elektif sahaja.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-57521694268803098032011-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:20:55.633-07:00Buta hurufKepada guru-guru Pulau Pinang yang menghadapi masalah pelajar buta huruf walaupun pelajar tersebut telah akil baligh, hantarlah pelajar kalian ke 5-1 Taman Seri Sari, Relau. Kelas celik huruf itu percuma. Nombor telefon boleh didapati dari 103 ataupun jika ada feedback/comments daripada cikgu-cikgu.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-57905156307222397732011-04-22T18:54:00.000-07:002011-04-22T19:08:24.920-07:00How to remove a ring stuck to a finger<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPoH4ovzXuU?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPoH4ovzXuU?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-67248244360153200892011-04-11T20:12:00.000-07:002011-04-11T20:13:42.434-07:00Panggilan LatihanSemua pelajar bawah 15 dan 18 akan mulakan latihan ke peringkat zon mulai hari ini.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-57869069569292646512011-03-10T19:04:00.000-08:002011-03-10T19:07:07.129-08:00Bola! Bola!TAHNIAH!!!! Pasukan bola sepak bawah 15 merangkul Johan Zon Kelawai setelah menundukkan St. Xavier Institution 2-0 dalam perlawanan yang hebat. Tahniah sekali. Westlands boleh!Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-69456938496849250272011-03-09T22:56:00.000-08:002011-03-09T22:59:01.585-08:00Semi FinalsTAHNIAH kepada pasukan bola sepak bawah-15 yang menewaskan Uplands 2-0 dalam perlawanan separuh akhir yang penuh dengan gerakan lincah dan mendebarkan. Kini pasukan bola sepak kita akan mara ke pusingan akhir (finals) bertemu dengan St. Xavier Instituition di padang bola Penang Free School.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-55287173267999440512011-03-08T22:22:00.000-08:002011-03-08T22:25:11.797-08:00Bola sepakSekalung tahniah untuk pasukan bola sepak bawah-15 yang telah menundukkan Tenby International 10-0. Kini pasukan bola sepak layak ke pusingan separuh akhir pada 9 Mac 2011 bertemu Uplands International.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-14639860143421065552011-02-23T21:26:00.000-08:002011-02-23T21:31:44.025-08:00Ujian SatuSemua pelajar SMK Westlands akan menduduki Ujian 1 mulai 7 Mac 2011 ini dan semua pelajar diseru agar membuat persediaan yang rapi.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-13296739913736354642011-02-15T17:49:00.000-08:002011-02-15T17:56:33.512-08:00Tajuk Kerja Kursus Sejarah 2011<h3 style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="post-title entry-title"> <a href="http://idrismkbesout.blogspot.com/2011/02/kerja-kursus-sejarah-2011.html">Tajuk Kerja Kursus Sejarah 2011</a> </h3> <div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="post-header"> </div> <br /><div style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="Section1"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 5.85pt;"><br /><span style=";font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 10pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />layari http://idrismkbesout.blogspot.com/2011/02/kerja-kursus-sejarah-2011.html<br /></div></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:";font-size:12pt;" ></span>Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-52338091611919892652011-02-13T21:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T17:36:28.897-08:00Jamuan Tahun BaruSemua guru dan staf SMK Westlands dijemput untuk menhadiri satu jamuan pada hari Khamis ini (17 Februari 2011) jam 12.00 tengah hari.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-50826008887896811692011-01-27T19:23:00.000-08:002011-01-27T19:24:38.049-08:00Tahun Baru<div>Berikut senarai guru bertugas Tahun Baru.<br /><br /><br />Tarikh Guru Yang Bertugas Masa Bertugas</div> <div>31 Jan 2011 (Isnin) Pn Mashita bt Mamat 8pg -- 1ptg, 2 -- 5 ptg</div> <div>1 Feb 2011 (Selasa) En Abdul Rahim b Kader 8pg -- 1 ptg, 2 -- 5 ptg </div> <div>2 Feb 2011 (Rabu) En Thirumamani Sundaraj 8pg -- 1 ptg, 2 -- 5 ptg<br /><br />Xinniankuaile.<br /></div>Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-67149834306869818052010-12-29T20:49:00.000-08:002010-12-29T20:50:50.383-08:00Selamat Tahun BaruWestlands mengucapkan Selamat Tahun Baru kepada semua warga Westlands dan para pendidik di Malaysia. Tahniah atas kejayaan pasukan bola sepak dalam AFF Suzuki baru-baru ini.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-89518395421093166292010-12-01T19:24:00.001-08:002010-12-01T19:24:52.614-08:00CutiKepada semua guru Malaysia..... cutilah tanpa stress.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-15881061673385736692010-11-18T22:44:00.000-08:002010-11-18T22:45:56.243-08:00Hari Orientasi PelajarSemua pelajar diminta hadir ke sekolah pada 31 Disember 2010 untuk HOP dan diwajibkan memakai pakaian seragam sekolah. Waktu: 0720 pagi. Sekian, harap maklum.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-6459533894592090172010-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:002010-11-09T18:08:19.497-08:00CutiKementerian Pelajaran Malaysia telah mengumumkan bahawa....<br /><br />CUTI TAMBAHAN SEMPENA SAMBUTAN HARI RAYA AIDILADHA 1431H<br /><br />Seperti mana kita sedia maklum Hari Raya Aidil Adha dijangkan disambut pada hari Rabu 17 November 2010 di mana cuti tersebut jatuh pada minggu akhir penggal persekolahan 2010. Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia telah mengambil maklum akan isu yang timbul terutamanya bagi murid-murid Sekolah Berasrama Penuh.<br /><br />2. Sehubungan itu, Mesyuarat Khas Pengurusan Pendidikan KPPM pada 16 hingga 18 Oktober 2010, telah membuat keputusan berikut:<br /><br /> 2.1 Sekolah-sekolah berasrama penuh (SBP) dibenarkan bercuti akhir tahun satu minggu lebih awal iaitu mulai 12 November 2010 (Kumpulan A) atau 13 November 2010 (Kumpulan B) walau bagaimanapun pihak sekolah hendaklah terlebih dahalu memohon kelulusan bertulis daripada Pendaftar.<br /><br />2.2 Sekolah-sekolah selain daripada SBP kekal bercuti seperti mana ketetapan asal iaitu pada hari Rabu 17 November 2010 dan Khamis 18 November 2010 (Kumpulan A) dan pada 17 November (Kumpulan B). Kelonggaran diberikan kepada sekolah-sekolah ini untuk memohon cuti tambahan daripada Pendaftar.<br /><br /><br />2.3 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Semua cuti tambahan yang diluluskan oleh Pendaftar tidak perlu diganti.</span><br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-1.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-3.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-4.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-5.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.jpg" alt="" /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-7.jpg" alt="" />Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5199917440948611078.post-22457749741643264662010-10-25T19:30:00.000-07:002010-10-25T19:31:52.289-07:00DeepavaliSMK Westlands mengucapkan "Deepavali Nalvatikal" kepada semua yang beragama Hindu.Hocklai Onghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17938580891237845306noreply@blogger.com0