NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 317, 2 October 1908, Page 11

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(By Socrates.). - . THE*'DECALOGUE |N SCHOOLS. i With'probably the best' intentions in tho woHdr Wellington Education gome, mouths ago,. accepted iv donattoii of .a number'of wall-copies of,lthe. ] Ten Comjfiaridmenfe from Mr. R. G. Knight, of Wel-liiigldn/-for distribution among tho. schools of ftfre"district.* There has. now damned upon 'th# of the board ,tho fact, emphnsisedfijy -the writer at tho 'time,., and .demongtrated : ':with commendable lucidity by Chaifean "of the Board at its -meeting last ifeakj ! ; ; ihat their responsibility in . connecmatter is much, greater .than at''" first realised. 111-advised as the b'ootra/wSis'in its action in the first instance, it''ha j.* certainly shown no reluctance to drop when its full significance .\faS'.,inSiciited by the chairman. _ ,i ■: #TfidTffioying spirit in the aftair, tne J>is- > tory 'ofJwhicn is not without a certain interefe'was Mr.-A. H. Vile, whose-motion: teachers in charge of in thisfdistrict be requested to exhibit on the wa'Us;: of .'their schools the copies of the Uccalpgiie:(Ten' Commandments), so generously • presented to the board by Mr. 11. G- Kuight, arididistributed' by the secretary, was carfiedj'sbini' months ago by three votes .to tyo.-':: Mr.' Vile then got into communication I «ith'!tho:other education boards in New Zea- i Ufi'di?and" asked,'for expressions of opinion dh-tthiVgeneral question-of the introduction ] 6f vthe";D,ecaloguo to the public schools of tho ; D6mirii6ii;>, The following-.is i.synopsis of theTreplies receivea:;.- ' -. ■ Education Board offers, no . objectloliVi'to;, copies.' of> the' Ten : Commahuniej(\ti;. being displayed in .the schools of . the ifcTHS'*^awke's.-Bay Board .states that any ■. scHijol* wishing may exhibit; ! a table of tho Ten , Commandments on tho walls. _ /'Tho'Otago Board, proposes to obtain . a . le|Sli'dpiliion as' : to their powers under the ActVto provide and display in their schools tlietbharts referred to. - i -; '■ The.,Gr'eyraouth Education Board states schools the clergy' gi£e instruction. They, suggest communicatian . ivith .the School Committees of i't he'' Grey. 'district. '; .., .... . THo Wangar.ui lioard merely acknowledged " receipt','of(the'letter.' . ' ' iTli« viWestlahd Board deferred considera-tio*nf':~.'ln-Hhe meantime-'-the Government . prM't^r!Us v to bs,..asked for specimens and the j Commandment charts. . . ' -iiThß - -Board\ .lias ~ instructed exliibit the Comman'dfnents on Wb'walls'. : ..- '; .. • iThefNprth'. Canterbury and South . Canter- . buryjßbards thoroughly-'approve of the pro"pdSajj^but..prefer to • giv.e discretion to the school'.'co'mmittees.'....,.. . ' ••• ■ understood that the. Southland Board and.is procuring copies of tho ' chirt.''•> 'oji'these' replies encouraged Mr. ' endeavour ' : to commit the board and .aJso .tho Government to an approval of tfie'i p'riiiciple, for. which, he had constituted ; himselfa:<.champion,, -and at .the monthly . mleting- l of 'the Wellington Education. Board . last';(yeelc'he.mo^ed:—■ ' ' . ; : 7^Thfftthis; fioard j draws; the, attention of mister'.for Education to tho fact that ' there''is;{iigenerardesire on the part of: tho of .the ; Dominion, that the ) I36fciil6gut ljQc.eshibijied: on. the. walls of. tho BcH6.ii.ls-;^tifatVthere is.no' board fund availa ? .purpose; .that the Minister bKre3pe,ctfully. requested to provide, a suf- . of .copies , of, the' Ten .Com*, -mandmfents ito serve* the • classrooms ■of the ; ofvthfe schools of' the Dominion; and this resolution bo transmitted , ' tiTliaVdispus'sion which followed was 'fully repot'ted/iii of Friday last; suf- /. td ' say.. that it -was of • such'• hostile hSture'-'that. the mover decided to withdraw his ymd|idhi. Had it been put it would "have bedn./lost;;for, Mr. Vile, was. supported by onlySonei'of ;h'isiMUeaguesa'' " ' > Jh.e..mtejcaico .toiff'tHat,.-. In •'effect)u recanted;'but it has hot altogether'divested itSelfCd^." responsibility :in the matter.lt . h|i.S ja 1 : duty to perform, and should not hesi'tate'.'injthe performance thereof. Firstly, it sn^UMf' to • .be - consistent, .rescind its proyi,o|us'frftßdlution; secondly, those education boards;jvh6 had previously been.informed of Board's previous attitude, as expressed? by the -first - resolution ; quoted above, be mado acquainted with tho - fact; tijat; that, attitude has been amended— reversed;iin-fact; thirdly,' it should acquaint - < its new point of since the'presence of cor-taih^.copies..of!-the'Decalogue in the board's is'.opposed to" the, principle which it has ,-h6w/.tacitly:adopted, these copies should bejwith^rawii; fifthly (and lastly), Mr. R. G. -Knight'is_entitled to an explanation.SCHOOU OF DOMESTIC INSTRUCTION.' : ','A;' : .SODferehce of ladies was held at the School iVof Domestic Instruction at Christ-church..-last week, at'the-suggestion of the Boijd|of: Governors of the Technical Collegej.w.in'i'order'; to: consider ivhether sometljingTjcould -riot..'be dono. 'to increase the usefulness .of :the- school, both by, extending its functions ,and. I) 3* making its work bettor * I j9S'®.".!'' ?he. advisory committee of the boa>d ™tjtha|'a wide/extension of the work was needed,ifirst among the large class of domestafe#Sr»ej9 wlio were so often badly trained 9J:/?'S9W\ untrained in" important branches of-- hoiiseniiery, secondly,-' among girl 3 re.ent; figgd ill factories or shops dur'■3n&7;i'?C:flayj and wore not preparing themthe. duties of wife and mothei 1 i.whith !mi)st of■ tliem would later, on assume. composed of ladies who had v and. varied experience in dealing Wi ? s expected to .'make" valuable -suggestions for .thd. development of tho work 1 .'of'i'the.a school;' ; ■ '/ruitiorij .' ih - . domestic work had been ' confined ipractically to classes of girls" in the;,'primary schools, of girls who had just . leftithe.'primary schools, and of adults. Some 600,' girls between twelve ; and fifteen years now being taught'the elements • .of.'cdpkory: about-.100- were being taught cookery, ayd '"needlework at the Technical Colr were learning laundry work, dressmaking, and millinery, and. still more important, the laws of health. In the adult ■classes,.mostly held in the School,of Domestuition was given in cook- '• needlework, and 'laundry- , •wpfk; v. -Tne adult classcs had not been very successful,; but it was hoped they would in--popularity.' The new centre that ''theiilßoara- of. Education was ."-establishing Blight, lead to their, greater popularity. The staff;.hidj been, so fully occupied with the preseht.; classes that it had be'en impossible • toi'exfend:the work of the school .during the pa'st-'year:, .When, the ccntre'-had been estab-lisheiK.atv-the Normal 'School a' number of the,-primary classes would be transferred to itjAjaiid'.more adult 'work could be, undertaken.V; -.:.Th6 advisory committee considered th.uUiAtension of the work was greatly that the "conference would a forward movement and an inc^ased 'popularity of the adult, classes. r£jU;-i'vvresult of the-'discussion a number '' were agreed upon, to be subthe Board of Governors of the Technical College. They' were as follow;— Tljat.;:vifidus places' of business should bo visited,;.; and circulars distributed bringing under 'tliu notice,of girls the advantages offer&d, ; by the institution; that existing orgaiiiSatioiis of girls and mothers should be circularised upon the same subject; that, with.oirculars, irritations should be extended totgirlsvto ivitncsii tree demonstrations so 1 -as to;, acquaint them with tho highly interest-' in'g.and' attractive naturo of tne work done »t;.theischool; that intermediate grade certificates',''covering, say, a six months' course, should he-granted; that special efforts should reach "girls in business"; that a boardinghnuse should be established in conn'ccUph ;with the Technical College to train gi^'ls'-irif-tho care and arrangement of tho home j otliat ■ the advantages of the school should bo,, set forth, not in. a book, but in ». v simpld circular letter; that tho fees should be-''reduced; and that servants should be allowed;.to- pay fees by the term instead of paying the year's fees at once. ' ■ ■ ' ;