GREEK ON THE FARM.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 170, 19 July 1924, Page 6

GREEK ON THE FARM.

The case for more and better agricultural education in New Zealand is so overwhelming that it is a pity to see it disfigured by such nonsense as was talked by one of the speakers at the Conference of the Council of Agriculture in Wellington. According to litis enthusiast for practical education "it was ridiculous that students should be compelled to study dead languages which would not be of the slightest use to them in life. A'brilliant scholar in England who had taught Greek some years at an English college had told the speaker that he had been unable to make himself understood when he had visited Greece." So complete a misconception of the purpose of education would not be worth noting were it not that many men have similar ideas. The primary purpose of education is not to fit a man for the particular calling he takes up in life, but to give him a general equipment of knowledge and to train his mind and form his character. That knowledge and appreciation of the poetry of Homer and Euripides and the wisdom of Plato, in the originals, docs not fit a man to talk to a fruit-vendor in Athens, is one of tbe quaintest arguments against the classical curriculum that we have ever met. It might also be asked of what use is the study of English literature. Does it help a land agent to sell sections? Agricultural education, of which this country stands in such great need—the discussion on this point at the conference was mostly valuable, and disturbing to our national self-conceit—should be imposed upon a foundation of general instruction. Early specialisation is bad policy; the most that may safely be done is to give a child a bent, and that must be done carefully. By all means let us have farmers trained in the science of their business, but let them have a cultural basis for their specialisation. So far from a farmer being a worse farmer for having learnt Latin and Greek, he might be all the better for it. His training might have sharpened his mind for his hours of work, and broadened it for his hours of leisure.

The level crossings connecting Khyber Pass and Carlton Gore Road require more than average cr.ution in negotiation. Warning bells are not as effective in this locality as elsewhere owing to the obscurity by dweUings, and the noise from businesses in the and it is natural that a fire engine dashing to its duty should be subjected to particular peril. The Newmarket Brigade had a close call last night, when responding to an alarm in Sarawia Street. Leaving the station with a full complement of men, it proceeded towards Manukau Road, via Victoria Crescent, sounding its siren. This drowned the warning bells which an approaching train had caused to sound, and it was only the glare of the engine's lights which apprised the driver of the danger. Fortunately he brought his vehicle to a halt a few yards from the lines. The brigade had little to do when it arrived at the scene of the outbreak—a wash-house on premises occupied by Air. S. A. Churton—and it was suppressed after being damaged to the extent of about £25. The trait of forgetfuiness is often demonstrated in the use of electric irons, and sometimes the consequences arc serious. Shortly after midnight such an incident occurred, a house at No. 9, Tole Street, being seriously damaged by a fire which originated in the overheating of the iron. The fire started in the washhouse and spread to the bathroom. The City Fire Brigade was promptly on the scene and extinguished the outbreak. Damage was confined to the washhouse and bathroom, a section of walls, • and the verandah. The dwelling was owned and occupied by Mr. F. Williams, and was insured for £0-30 in the New Zealand Insurance Company. The contents were insured for £350 with the Commercial Union Insurance. A Wanganui resident on Wednesday showed an interesting exhibit to some members of the "Herald" staff. It was an ordinary sewing needle which he extracted from his leg in the morning. Ho stated that he had noticed a peculiar sensation in his leg for some weeks past which was caused by the needle working out. On Wednesday morning the point of the needle was protruding through the skin. The needle was minus the eye and was black in appearance. The man has no idea how or when the needle entered his system, or how long it has been there. "I am very glad to sec that the New Zealand Government is taking this matter up seriously," is tho remark of a New Zcalanrler who has just returned from the Old Country, when speaking of the development of radio-broadcasting in this country. 'T was particularly struck," he explained, "by the enormous growth of radios in England, and the very fine programmes that are being broadcasted by tho British companies. The radio is booming in England and Amorica because both those countries have properly equipped stations, and good news, music, and speeches by prominent people, continually being sent out. And just as soon as New Zealand establishes a proper broadcasting station, or stations, you will find a big development in this branch of radio." At a meeting of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition Company, held in Dunedin yesterday, the following letter was received from the secretary of the Otago Expansion League;—" For some time past persistent and circumstantial rumours have been afloat that his Royal Highness the Duke of York, accompanied by the Duchess, proposes to make a tour of the Dominion during 1923. My league therefore respectfully suggests to your directorate that they might, through the proper channel, ascertain if such a journcw is being arranged, and, if so, issue an invitation to their Royal Highnesses to open the exhibition officially in Dunedin in November, 1025." It was decided to obtain further information on the matter. Mrs. Wintringham, speaking in London at a recent meeting of the Association of Teachers of Domestic Subjects, said :—" The Victorian age was an age of bondage which began to terminate when women were allowed to express themselves as individuals, and it was not taken for granted that every woman was necessarily born a cook, any more than every man was born a cricketer. Unfortunately, along with that freedom went the idea, that it was a little unfashionable to know anything about house work—to sew, cook, or look after the home—and that the right thing for women to do was to go into the world and become manlike. The greatest calling for a woman was to be a homemaker, and to make the best use of her home. Twenty years ago, when cookery was introduced into a school with which she was associated, one child told the teacher that she was not to learn to cook because her mother kept a servant. Thank goodness that day was gone, and they now recognised that the foundation of the national life was the home." The minor "crime wave" in Morrinsville has given a canny businessman much cause for thought. It had been this mans practice to take the electric bulbs from the sockets of the fixtures in front of the shop at night lest they should be stolen. He discontinued the habit on account of the number of breakages. Since the bulbs belonging to other business men have disappeared he has been puzzled whether to take the bulbs iii and risk breakages or to leave them outside and risk them being stolen. Dr. Pais, a noted scientist of Rome, claims to have discovered a new method of rejuvenation. He declares that he has proved that X-rays and radium not only stimulate living cells, but may cause their development to revert from old age to youth. Habits, peculiar to youth were induced in animals by Dr. Pais after lengthy experiments with prolonged weak radiations. If Dr. Pais's experiments are confirmed, it is stated that it will be possible to rejuvenate men and women without resort to surgical operations. A witty friend who had been entertained iby a South African magnate in his gorrreoiis house, at a very poor and insufficient dinner, was asked by his host: "Wh:ii .lo you think of my diningroom ?"' "Well,'' said the guest, surveying the auriferous deposits on the ceiling, "I should have preferred less gilding and more carving." Nearly all the primal things in life and nature are expressed in the English language by words of one syllable. Life and death, youth and age, joy and grief, love and hate, right and wrong, war and peace, night a::d day, heat and cold— these little words name great things. " If" and "but " are words of fate. They are the preludes of hope or regret ; of what may be or what might have been. " Yes " and "No " —what tremendous issues hang on those five letters ! The Port Auckland Band will give a concert in the Albert Park on Sunday afternoon. In the evening a sacred concert will be held in the Empress Theatre, a number of well-known local artists being engaged.

An Australian mail of 337 bags is on board the steamer Manuka, which left Sydney at 5 p.m. yesterday for Auckland, and will be due here on Tuesday afternoon. On the testimony of a lad, upon whom the necessity of thoroughness was impressed in a three years' course at the Palmerston North High School, a con- . temporary is informed that when he was called upon to sign a certificate in the Government Department which he had chosen as the field of life's work, "that he would make himself conversant with, and would abide by the ono thousand two hundred and twenty-seven rules and regulations contained in this book," he forthwith tendered his resignation rather than promise to perform the impossible feat. Reading Gaol, immortalised by Oscar Wilde in his famous poem—in which he tells in wonderful verse the mental anguish that was his after his downi fall, the sensational Old Bailey trial and sentence of two years, and the inevit--1 able banishment from the glittering ■ world of fashion and folly—is about to pass. For some time it has been a prison in name only, for most convicts since the war have been sent to Oxford Gaol. Now, the acute house shortage has led to a scheme for converting this long, low building set among trees, with , its high octagonal watch tower, into a block of flats. The minute amounts of energy required for operating wireless sets have recently been measured by Dr. Whitmey, the research chemist of the General Electric Company. He calculates that the efforts set free by a housefly in climbing one inch up a wall would be equivalent to the amount of energy received by a Ift. diameter loop of an antenna radio receiving set that was collecting its impulses at Schenectady from a transmitting station at San Francisco day and night for continuous period of thirty-five years. As our American cousins who are visiting Wembley would say, " Some fly 1 " Some amusement was created at a sitting of the Magistrate's Court (says the "Southland News"), when a member of the South Invcrcargill Borough Council was charged by the Inspector with driving a horse and cart without lights. Before evidence could be heard, counsel for the defence said that the information did not disclose any offence, as there was nothing to prevent a man from driving a horse and cart without lights. (Laughter). His Worship drew the attention of the informant to the omission of some such phrase as "after sunset," otherwise it was no offence. Informant agreed that it was a quibble on the part of the defence, and that his. evidence would disclose the fact that it occurred at night. His Worship, however, said he could not accept this view of tho matter. The case should be accurately stated so that the defendant knew exactly what he was charged with. "Oh! he knew well enough." interrupted the informant. His Worship, however, said that the information would have to be struck out. Similar action was taken with other informations similarly lacking in full details. H. E. Niciiolls, the Wellington halfback, has been included in the official party travelling with the All Blacks, on the understanding that he will not take part in any matches on tour. He is merely going as a spectator.