SPORT AND EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 996, 10 December 1910, Page 4

SPORT AND EDUCATION.

—— - MR. J. P. FIRTH'S VIEWS. "One view held by many who have closely studied the question of the training of boys," said . Mr. J. P. Firth, headmaster of Wellington College, speaking at the annual prizegiving yesterday; "is that the .amount of timo that can with profit be continuously allotted to mental work is. necessarily limited, that intervals must bo allowed for recreation and recuperation ; that these ' intervals should bo to a great extent filled up with suitable occupations and physical exercise; and that for this purpose games are of great value. I am one of those who hold this view. Hence the care we take to encourage games, swimming, training in life-saving, , drill, gymnastics, athletic. sports, shooting, and photography. "The writer of an article in a Now Zealand paper some weeks ago," continued Mr. Firth, "said that, no matter what high degree a man may hold, if he be lacking in athletic qualifications he could not hope to obtain an appointment in certain secondary schools in this country were it not that the governing .bodies of these institutions impose a very salutary check upon the craze for athletics with which so many. headmasters are so strangely imbued. I do not know of a single secondary school in this country about which this statement .can' be correctly made, and certainly it cannot be correctly made of this school,, for here, mere pursuit of sport is by no moans put on the same level as the supremely important object of the development of mind and' character, but is regarded as a. means to tho desired end of the making of the full man. "An indication of the recognition on tho part of the boys of the. relative importance of the different parts of their school activities is given in the fact that a number of the most distinguished of them in athletics have during p tho later half of this term petitioned to be excused from various exercises in order to devote more time to study. In all cases whero this petition has been regarded as genuine, and whero health lias not boon in danger of sacrifice, permission has been granted. Most of the bprs have worked .really well, and have therefore made 'good progress.' Tho 'slacker' is, of course, still, with us; but _he is in lessening numbers, and this improvement I attribute to tho fact that many of our hardest workers are among our prominent athletes. Indeed, nearly, all our leading boys in athletic exercises and games have been among our very best workers and our very best boys in every way."