and destroy much of the grain and potato harvest. (33) Another resident in Kinkora, the second for the decade, sold his farm in mortgage. (34) And the exodus of young Island men and women continued.' One writer attribued the ”high exodus" to the "miserable, selfish, penurious and grudging policy of employers;" while another blamed it on aflselfish search for independence in the young. (35) These signs were not spurious; but few could see their full

effects at the time.

A somewhat similar picture to the economic situation holds for education in the 1880's. In his report for Prince County in 1886 the school inspector, John Arbuckle noted that the grammar school at Homerset "has been very successful in recent years in preparing candidates for entrance to Prince of Wales College and Normal School? (36) In fact in the twelve years from 1877 to 1889>thirty—one students from Somerset obtained teaching licenses, (see Appendix A). And two years later the same inspector reported that the supply of teachers in Prince County "now exceeds the demand. Those out of employment are chiefly females holding a Third class certificate." (37) In the , school year 1887—88 eighteen of the Somerset teachers were employed; (fourteen, female; four male). Sixteen of them held third class certificates. Thus while the general situation was not promising, the Somerset students were relatively secure. Teachers salaries had improved also

during the decade as Table 16 indicates.

74,