PAPERSPAST

OUR BOYS.

In his report on *' speech-6'ay" at the Timaru High School, the Bector (Mr Halkett Dawson, M. A.) made the .following very: sensible remarks:— "l must protest against what appears to ma to be a strange craze for genteel employ meat that many paren'S entertrin. In our colonial towns, ooth gieat and small, there appear to he g -owing up many youths wh© ought to have better ideas of the diguity of labour. By some, our system of instruction is b'amed for this. It is said, and I know there is much truth in it, that our curriculum produces almost wholly mental results • prepares boys for the professions and for merchants' and bankers' clerks, but f.»r little else. The only radioal cure for this is to change bur all but mediaeval system of education, and substitute technical instruction ; but this is a vast change, arid few of ns now living will see this result, I fear ; still the thin end of the wedg* might be inserted now with advantage and profit;. Let us make a commencement with some workshops, where the nse of common tools might ba acquired. We could easily have a -small forge and a joiners workshop, in which boys would be able to make many useful a; tides. picture*fra mes map-rollers, &c,. where a certain manual instruction would be begun at an age when that wonderful instrument, the human hand most readily acquires delicacy of touch and deftness in movement. Bovs would thus acquire better ideas of the dignity cf labour, they would recognise that the cultui e of the head and hand gowell together, they would see how valuable labour is when ski'l direc 3 , The needlework room of the girls is a good sample 'df skilful industry combined wLh .taste ; if the Governors grant a few pounds next year we might have a similar room filled with the pro fucts of a forge and joiner's 'shop. .

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