A HOMILY ON ART.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 144, 17 December 1908, Page 2

A HOMILY ON ART.

• THE ARTISTIC TASTE. • EDUCATIONISTS' VIEWS. Mr. Robert Lee, chairman of the Wellington Education Board, spoke on art at the distribution of Chamber of Commerce prizes 'to primary- school children yesterday. He granted that the New Zealand educational system was decidedly good as compared with other systems of the world. We had not, however, arrived at a state of perfection—if we- thought that, then our condition would be hopeless. Girls were now being educated as well as boys, and here he could not help referring to the change that had come over the appearance of the shops to be seen in any of the main streets of Wellington when compared with the appearance they presented years ago. The chop windows were now much more ornate, and more taste was displayed, in the arrangement of the contents. Now, it' had occurred to him when thinking of this change that the art or the aesthetic side of education had been lost sight of. No doubt the practical work was beneficial, nevertheless every girl would sooner or later have a home of her own, and &he would have to furnish it and make it attractive to those of the household and to those who visited her. Therefore, every girl should be so educated that she shall possess sufficient artistic taste to order her goings. On the male side there were many occupations that called for artistic training at least m the elements of art and a tastefor aesthetics, for such was a most essential thing. What he said of the primary school system, Mr. Lee continued, applied equally to secondary schools and to the university. An M.A. might be quite indifferent to a map or a 'picture hanging upside down or a picture hung close up to the ceiling. Feeling this need ot artistic teaching, Mr. Lee continued, was why he was so strongly opposed to a uniform reading book. English reading books were now so well got up that it could not be hoped to produce the like in the Dominion. At the colleg-s he asked if there was any art teaching, and he learned that the pupils went to the technical school if necessary. Now, that was not good enough. He was inclined to believe that the work done there^ — excellent as it was —was more practical than that which lie had in mind. " THE MINISTER'S VIEWS. The Minister for Education (Hon. G fowlds), m subsequently referring to Mr. Lee's remarks, said art education was certainly entering very largely into tha work of the teachers of botn primary and Fccondary schools. Teachers were now better equipped than they had over be^n before in giving an allround education. The present syllabus was much condemned by people wtio did not know much about it. But it gave a scope and a liberty to teachers which weie. entirely absent, in tho methods of the past. Education was now .nore practical and less a question of memory and books than it had ever ucen before.