TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVI, Issue 832, 27 June 1890, Page 3

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

* A curious question came before the Wellington Education Board on the 29th. A country schoolmaster had ordered certain boys who attended tho school to go outside and stack some firewood. One of them refused, on the ground that it was not what he came to school for. The master first punished and then expelled him, whereupon tho local committee appealed to the board as to the legality of expulsion on such grounds. The committee wei'e informed that the master had no right to expel a pupil for refusing to stack wood, inasmuch as wood-stacking was not included in the educational curriculum, and the ordsr to do it was not one of those lawful orders which could not be legally disobeyed. The board to-day instructed its inspector to report on the matter, as the principle involved is somewhat important' — Extract. By the way, what a lot of negatives people sometimes use in expressing themselves. Why not say flt was ono of those orders which could bo legally disobeyed.' Well, I should think the principle was rather important. Wo have heard a good deal about technical education, but whether stacking firewood or the performance of other household duties for the schoolmaster can properly be considwed as technical education is doubtful. Children can learn to stack firewood at home. Surely we are not, in our Government schools here going to follow the method of Mr Squeers of teaching by practical illustration, as described in 'Nicholas Nickleby.' When Nicholas Nickleby was introduced into the schoolroom one of the boys was cleaning the windows in order to understand the meaning of the verb * clean,' and another was learning the .meaning of botany, or, as Mr Squeei'S spelt it, ' bottinney,' by weeding the garden. 'Third boy,' said Mr Squeers, * what's a horse V 1 A beast, sir,' replied the boy. ( So it is,' said Squeers. ' Ain't ifc, Nickleby V : • I believe there is no doubt of that, sir,' answered Nicholas. * Of course there isn't,' said Squeers. ' A horse is a quadruped, and quadruped's Latin for beast, as everybody that's gone through tho grammar knows, or else where'a the use of having grammars at all V 1 Where, indeed !' said Nicholas abstractedly. • As you're perfect in that,' assumed Squeers turning to the boy, •go and look after my horse, and rub him clown, well, or I'll rub you down. Tho rest of the class go and draw water up till somebody tells you to leave off, for it's washing-day to-morrow, and they want the coppers filled.' So saying he dismissed the first class to their experiments in practical philosophy. This style of things might have been all very well in Mr Squeer's Academy of Dotheboy's Hall in Yorkshire, but it is hardly suitable for our Government schools in New Zealand.