The Press. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1910. THE TEACHING OF HISTORY.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13740, 23 May 1910, Page 6

The Press. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1910. THE TEACHING OF HISTORY.

A hundred years ago the world was witnessing one of the most tremendous dramas of foiled ambition that history records. It is a long centenary, with Timiera in 1803, when Wellington and his men demonstrated to the world that tho French wot© not invinciblo, to the days of 1813. when Strait's men, fighting desperately, wore thrust, through the bloody passes of the Pyrenees. But how many pcoplo are giving those stirring times a thought to-day? How many of the younger generation could give Busaco, Badajoz, md VittoTw ihcir proper places in the great struggle? The enquirer would be lucky if ho wore not told that Salamanca was a racehorse. History is an *• extra" with and the immeasurably- rich story of out race, glowing with human, interest, and full of lessons for the present sad the future, receives nothing like- the attention-that is its due. Indeed, in one part of our scheme of education it is subordinated to drawing and. singing. • Perhaps in accordance with tho old saying that

constant dropping woars away & stone, tho repented protests of men and v omen in high positions in the scholastic world will .-joouer or later make an itnpession r on those responsible for the curriculum of our schools and univoreity collesw. The vSecondary Schools' Conference, v,c are ylad to notice, has

foren tvrprewine its opinions on the .noint in rnos.t emphatic tonus. Miss .AlcLcm. of the WHiington Gir's' Col- | did not exaggerate in the slight* *t when sho said that history did not occupy tho position it should cither in the primary or the secondary schools, ond that bettor me:hods of teaching verc needed. Many children, she said, camp to tho secondary schools with minds perfectly blank so far as history was concerned. Mr Morrell, headmaster of the Otngo Boys' High School, went, a little further, asserting that the neglect of history in New Zealand was » scandal. In tho public scliocii history is sniftering from tho reaction as-iinst the old system of teaching in detail, which undoubtedly attached too much importance to memorising. But the pendulum swung too far in the other direction. Too much reliance is now placed on historical readers. To give the best results tlicso ehould bo backed by personal instruction. Though flic teaching of history is compulsory in tho primary schools, the Department's regulations give tho teacher so much latitude that it is possible for a child to pass through the standards and ncrjuiru only the most trifling and disjointed knowledge of the subject. The best thought in the service recognises tho shortcomings of the methods now in vogue, and is trying to find a happy medium. No branch of tho educational course can afford to throw etonos at an 3' other part over tho teaching of history. The whole question should bethought out carefully in a broad light, and the teaching in primary and secondary schools and the University co-ordinated, so that a boy or girl who passes through all tho machinery of tho mill should have a good working knowledge of the history of tho race, and should at least know something of tho main facts of the history of the world. It is gratifying to find that expert educational opinion appreciates so fully tho importance of the subject. History is really an education in itself, and ivhilo it is impossiblo to teach a. child as much as ono would like it to know, it is not impossible to give it a sound grounding in tli<! great events that have shaped flic destinies'of our nation and of others, and to inspire, it with a desire to explore iv after life, tho supremely interesting and instructive records of the past. .