Education and Crime

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 15, 12 October 1933, Page 11

Education and Crime

Sir, —Why is New Zealand's proportion of crime and tliett so high? 1 venture to say the fault lies iu our educational system. It is illogical in the first place: we are supposed to be Christians, yet the history of Christianity is banued from our schools, i here is also great moral teaching in that best seller of books, yet it is banned also —why? The British laws, aiso our own, are founded ou that boon U.e., the Ten Commandments); are they aught to our children? Is the name of ibe best character we know of mentioned in our primary school books? 1 believe not.

But not only is New Zealand education deficient in moral teaching, it is appallingly wanting in the history of our own race —a few pages given to ancient Britons, a chapter or so about Roman, AngloSaxon and Dane, and then William the Conqueror downwards more or less fully. Does it tell us where we originally came from or how we get the various names, "Briton,” "England,” etc. Why are we called Anglo-Saxons and not Normans or Jutes? How many of our school teachers could answer these questions without reference books? I venture to say not one in ten. We hear a lot now of the word “Aryan.” Is it an ethnological or etymological term? The Germans claim cousinship; often conceded before the war. Is this true? What do our echool histories teach, I wonder. How many of our pupils or even masters could tell us straight off? 1 have never met one.—l am, etc.. FRANK WHITE. Eketahuna, October 10.