(Jluarbiiin MjuONJl EOT YeEITA.8 ET PRjEVALEBIT SATU11DAY, DECEMBER 17, 1910. SCHOOL SCURRY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8244, 17 December 1910, Page 2

(Jluarbiiin MjuONJl EOT YeEITA.B ET PRjEVALEBIT SATUIIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1910. SCHOOL SCURRY.

In his annual report or statvinr nf. tlie Headmaster of the Ashbunoit High School (Mr \\. F. Watters) says some suggestive things concerning secondary education. Hiß chief point would aeom to be that the local High School is not seriously anil deliberately used by parents with a yi«w to their children receiving a. full course of tuition m secondary subjects. "Parents do not appear greatly to appreciate the ; advantages of higher education— their view, if I may say so without offence, is too largely -utilitarian. They wisli their sons and daughters to take bread-and-butter subjects, and to take these m the smallest possible quantities that will enable them at the earliest possible opportunity to oarn wages. While this may apparently pay, it is m the long run bad for the individual and for the race. We aro beginning to despiso the higher education — that which yields true? cultu.r6 — and arc devoting too much atteiffciojti to purely utilitarian subjects," says Mr Witters, who, however, also argues -by implication that not enough attention is given oven to these subjects. This view is supported by his statement that the sojourn of pupils at the Ashburtoii High School averages only on© yeai and eleven months, while tho average f»eriod throughout tho dominion is s ittle over two years and a half, whicl m turn is loss than tho corresponding period m England, Scotland, Germanj and Switzerland. It would thus seem that, apart froir the view that secondary educatior should bo used mainly as a means t< evolve and build up tho intellect anc cultivate character, there is a tendene] to use tho High School ineffectively oven as a means of instruction ir practical subjects. The time given ii too short, and tho result of this mus' be injurious m various ways._ Th< pupil will leave school lacking ii thoroughness. At most he will havi smatterings and inklings of know ledge, not m reality knowledge itself and though m this or that connectioi ho may bo superficially smart or adapt able, he will lack that steadiness ii perception and that sureness of grii which aro indispensable to good won "vi any vocation. In fact, the educa vional machinery provided by th State has been used to produce no fjiowledg© itself, but the pretenco o ii, Character must be injured by thi pocess, and inefficiency must beconv mvo or less prevalent m tho variou vocations of life. It will be a case o getting, through with a thing somehow or whatever it may be, am the idea of doing work well for th sake?, of doing it well, or m justice t one's self, or one's employer or th comniinity, will cease to be a stroni or active factor m the industrial o other -life of the country. - This;' is not sophistry, nor rhetoric nor is ft, we think, carrying the argu ment t«p far. The fact is just this the^meiis of secondary education ar being uaed m the production of tha non-thoroughness which is bad for th individual and bad for the country and this is to no one's true interesi but to everyone's injury. It is, there fore, obvious that some change or r< adjustment is necessary. It may con sist m. making the qualifications fo entrance considerably higher, or i: insisting on tests for thoi oughness before "a pupil is allowed t lnaye his secondary school course ; bu it is clear thiyt something will have t be done m tht name of mere practict commonsense. JThe question of whethe secondary education should consis t.hiefly m the evolution of intellect an the culture of character, or m mattei of-fact instruction m strictly practice subjects, is not at issue. It is a gue* tion of thorouglhiess or non-thorougl: ness m the use , that is made of th existing means of education. " B thorough or be nothing — at my e> pense," should bq the dictum of th State m so important a matter ; an of course the State should evolv means to give'efftct to its dictum.