PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 45, 21 February 1917, Page 2

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

AS ADVERTISING MEDIA

(Contributed.)

Are our public schools being diverted from their true functions? Is the Education Department, through its Ministerial head, wilfully or in ignorance assisting in this diversion? These are two questions that at present are perplexing the mind of the writer by reason of a remarkable publication that has come into his hands' through what by many people will be considered a remarkable channel. The publication, in question was brought home recently from one of our city schools by a youth who has buoyant hopes of getting his Sixth Standard proficiency certificate this year. His father, too, shares thoso hopes, l>ut in a more chastened spirit. Judge, then, ! the pleasure of the father on finding his boy, a night or two after school resumed this year, deeply immersed in what the fond parent rashly assumed was, homework. ' So he settled down to a perusal of the evening paper, at peace with the I world. But soon the peace was broken. "Dad, tell me a word that rhymes with ' street.' I can only think of ' feet' and 'meat/ and neither of these will do."

"Eh ! What?" was the perplexed reply. " Are they, starting this vocational training'in our schools that I read about, and beginning on verse-mongering as ..a good commercial calling? "■ ... „

"I don't know.what you are talking about, Dad; this hasn't anything to do with school—at least it hasn't-much to do with it—but I want to finish something here they call a limerick, and if I do it jolly well I'm going to get a free pass to a. picture show for a year." . .

"Oh, are you, my son —and who told you that? " -.-.■•

"Well, it's all here," rejoined the lad, handing his father a booklet. "Our headmaster brought a lot of them- in this morning, and asked Mr. to give one to each of us." - -

"WelL well, well," said the father, shaking his head. " Schools are not what they were in my time." "Of course : they aren't, Dad. You're behind the times, out of date, you want to get a hustle on." ....

But the father wasn't listening. He 'was turning over the pages of the publication, and any. irreverence, on his son's part was drowned in the wonderment that filled him as he read. For what this boy had given him was an advertising booklet, pure and simple. As such it called for no special comment. And 4t had been brought into the home through the public school. ■ Its publisher, besides being, an excellent man in his own line, was clearly also original and resourceful; gifted, one- . would imagine, with even more than the extraordinary persuasive powers which are a sine qua non in his particular calling. For he had added to his advertisement an original and brilliant sort of sideline. ■..■•;' :

Gracing the inside page' of : the 1 front cover one finds an excellent photo of the Hon.. the Minister of Education, and an equally excellent letter, full of inreproacha,ble sentiments to " His Young ■Friends:"—-the children of New' Zealand. On the inside of the back cover is another photo—just-as good as tho first —of Sir J. G. Ward, .W an address to the children of New Zealand; while on.tho other side 'appears'our venerable and revered Chief Justice and a third short address to; the children- of' New Zealand. ' " • .

The most carping critic would probably take ■ no exception to , the sentiments expressed by these leaders of thought. ' The address of the Chief Justice is as .one would'expect,-excellent and full of value. But why,.' why do these good things reach our children through the medium of an advertisement'distributed through our schools ? Has the Minister of Education ever ' heard of ssuch a publication as the School Journal? Would not that lia-TO been a much more ' appropriate medium for the transmission to oui- children of these excellent addresses?. And a much more profitable medium, too! Had the Hon. the Minister for Education ; allowed his admirable photo and equally admirable address to adorn the pages of the School Journal, lie would have been sure of an 'audience. The children would have read the one as a reading lesson (with exposition., no doubt) and have been shown the other. But now,'' alas, 'it is highly probable that' the kiddies have condescended to do neither ; for, child like, they have fonnd more alluring attractions, in the various competitions (another side-line),-which the.astute publisher lias launched ok tho public. Still, when our children are working assiduously to win a season ticket at a picture show, by trying to cap, artistically, a decidedly ricketty alleged LimeTick ; when, they are trying to win a pound of tea by writing out. a verse equally "groggy" to the aforesaid' 'Limerick* ; <Jr when they are attempting the dizzy achievement of winning aprize "to Be presented to them by his "Worship the Mayor of Wellington in a picture show," by writing out some more doggerel, whose only merit'is that it is worse than any other doggerel in their precious booklet; when our children are doing these tasks they can be happy, in the thought' that they are doing them under the auspices, of the Hon.-the Minister of Education (to say nothing of lesser luminaries), and of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand (for the books bears that imprint): Is not this a degradation of our public schools? Does not the Minister of Education deliberately or unwittingly prostitute his high position by associating his name and Ministerial rank with the publication? Whether Sir J. G. 'Wai-a. and the Chief Justice are equally to blame is not clear; a.t any rate neither of these, gentlemen has such a close official responsibility to.the schools as has the .Minister of Education. Our schools, have their true functions. But. to bo an advertising medium is not one, of those functions. And in sayjjjg that, no possible harm is intended or done to advertising. There are legitimate channels open • to the advertiser; but our schools are not such channels. Once admit that they are, and one can easily conjure up a.picture of our pedagogues, tottering to premature superannuation, whilst distributing bales of advertising literature setting forth the efficacy of So-and-So's Purple Powders, or the graces of somebody else's corsets.

So one finishes, as one began, with, these perplexing questions still awaiting answers. Are our rchools being exploited ? Are they being perverted to perform functions which in themselves aTe notwrong in their proper sphere, but aro wrong, in school,, and detrimental to the full development of its true functions. ■And, lastly, does the Minister for Education connive at this perversion ?