SOME PLAIN SPEECH.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1911, Page 7

SOME PLAIN SPEECH.

IDEAL IN EDUCATION. Muss Mary Richmond spoke plainly to women at the kindergarten meeting last evening. To her mind thero was, she said, "a lack ot' idealism in our education." The following are some of the points in Miss Richmond's speech :—: — We value knowledge as a wageearner rather than for its, own sake. We have become too worldly minded, too materialistic. 1 look to see a great change in oiu 1 education system, with women in the Education Department, women on Education Boards and School Committees. Do we use our rights as women in New Zealand ? No. I maintain that the modern women of New Zealand as a whole — I exclude the teachers and the wonderful mothers of the past — know nothing, do nothing, care nothing, about education. The whole thing is managed by men, and we women never trouble about it. This is wrong. We admire the courage and success of the men, but I am not at all satisfied with the way our girls -are being trained. The intellectual girl is well provided for ; but there is no sound, domestic training for the ordinary girl who is to become a wife and a mothea'. You have a woman inspector of lunatic asylums, but are .not our schools more important? Higher education girls for domestic life. "Baby is doing nicely now," said a girl to me; "but before I was married I knew more about a typewriter than a baby," ehe added. And" another girl : "I love dogs, I love horses; but I hate children!" Women ought to take an interest in the education of our girls. It is a grievous error to regard domestic ■ service as a degradation. Help is a holy thing, a honourable thing, and every kind of necessary work well done is an honour to the man or woman who does it. Girls, do not think that the cleverer you are in the halls of the University the stupider you should be in the kitchen.