THE TYRANNY OF THE EDUCATION ACT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 14

THE TYRANNY OF THE EDUCATION ACT.

Sir,—lt is tima we had a few strongminded women in Parliament, instead of sotno of the. old women in trousers that wo have thorc at present. The logical conclusion of tho possession of the franchise for women is that they should be represented by their own sex in Parliament, and until it is so we shall continue to suffer under burdensome laws. The Education Act is the most unjust and intolerable that has yet been passed. It presses too- heavily upon tho women and mothers of New Zealand. It behoves tho women of New Zealand to rouse up and combino and demand from Parliament that tho law shall be modified and the compulsory clause only be up to twelve years of age. If the children are properly and faithfully taught what are commonly called tho "three R's," vizreading, writing, and arithmetic—they will have- a good foundation from which, if they or their parents wish I hem trj learn more, they can go on. Tha present system 'jv breaking i o^ll .the ■ health, • of

many a girl. At the ago of twelve, years | girls require activo exercise, and when they should be under the guidanco and training nf their own mother or somo other mothers who would b& only too. willing to pay them for little useful services, and it would he the salvation of tho girls. At present they are never satisfied unless they are parading tlio streets, all owing to the cramming—the brains are ovcr-excitEd with all tho rubbish tho authorities are trying to cram into them, and they can't settle down to anvthing useful. Their brains are' overexcited, ami their moral and spiritual naturo is utterly neglected. It is well known that many are not mentally capable- of more than simply learning to read and write, and do simplo arithmetic, and to try and teach them more is only waste of valuable time. The children are in a constant state of unrest, and aro never satisfied unless they are going somewhere, or seeing entcrlainments such as tho pictures. Some of tho pictures aro very good and instructive, others low and vulgar, and should bo eliminated. Through all the excitement, the young brains aro over-taxe<l, and the time that they ought to be learning to bo useful to their mothers and others, they are frittering away by learning useless rubbish that will bo of no practical uso to themselves or anyone else. The Minister of tho so-called free education system and his satellites are trying experiments with other peoples' children. Are you going to allow your children to bo tho victims, to carry out tho fads of one or two men who probably have no children of their own? Children are getting out of the control of their parents, and will eventually become lawless. Think of it seriously," all who have the future welfare of'their children at heart, especially the girls—tho future wives and mothers.— I am, etc., HUMANITY.'