THE BOY IN SCHOOL—AND OUT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 71, 17 December 1907, Page 7

THE BOY IN SCHOOL—AND OUT.

REMARKS BY MR. ,1. P. FIRTH. "Tho schoolmaster's work," observed Mr. J. P. Firth, at the annual prize-giving at Wellington College yesterday, "lies very largely in tho class-room; his elforts are directed towards tho boy's acquisition of knowledge, and, still more, towards training-tho boy's iniud. But these things do not by any means sum up his work and anxieties; for there, is a much moro important thing than either of them —which, indeed, includes them—the boy's character. An important means by which to inllucneo . the boy in the right way, to get more closely into touch with his feelings, to give him opportunities of developing his individuality and his manly rjualitics, among which I rank highly the qualities of .unselfishness and sclfsacrilict—is afforded by school games and athletics. That is why, apart from the physical good resulting from tho excrciso and wholesome 1 oiriploymont, so much trouble. is takon at this school with tho boys' out-of-class occupations; why many of tho masters spend much timo 'in directing tho' various competitions • for specialprizes—the camera club, drill, gymnastics, swimming, shooting, tonnis, cricket, football and athletic sports. " Of courso, thoso - things may bo allowed to occupy too much of tho boy's attention and thought—they may como to bo regarded as the only thing desirable; but at this school very strenuous efforts arc made to provent play from assuming a too important a placo. It is true that a boy's mind may wander from his class-work to his games. Of course it does. Only those who have nevor taught can think that it is possiblo to prevent the', minds of somo boys from wandering. It is true that, at times, the boy attaches too much importance to his athlotics; but tho danger ho thus incurs is as a grain of. sand to tho mountain of danger that threatons the boy, who, slack in his class-work, takes no part in tho athlc-.tic side of his school life. When his mind wanders—and assuredly it does wander—it doos not roam over tho cloan fields of health of the player of games, but wados through tho garbago of the gutter of idleness."