FOR TEMPERANCE

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 138, 11 June 1920, Page 4

FOR TEMPERANCE

TEACHING IN SCHOOLS

IMPROVED SYSTEM PROMISED,

That a move definite place should 'be assigned to Temperance teaching in the school syllnbus was urged by a deputn* tibn from "the . New Zealand Alliance, which met the Minister for Education. (Hon. C. J. Parr) yesterday afternoon, The Rev. I?, S. Gray said that already instruction was given in some schools, but the giving of such instruction Avas optional. The time had come when it should be made compulsoi-y, and should be included in the school curriculum,, and made a subject of school tests. The Education Department now gave attention tff physical hygiene, and -physical' instruction, also the; care of the teeth. In the highest interests of national wellbeing the children should also be' taught scientifically the effect of alcohol on the human body. . The Minister : "It is a pretty heavy syllabus already." Sir. Gray said he did not think it was necessary ■at this stage to point out to • anyone who was really conversant' with the subject that the matter they spoke ■ of was equally important with, if not more important than, some of the subjects now in the syllabus. The Minister: "Do you ask me to wipe out some of tkose subjects?" Mr. Gray said not necessarily. They asked that room should be made in the syllabus for ths subject they referred to. He thought that even those who opposed them on the referendum would agree with them in this request, which was not put forward from the Prohibition point of view^ and in which they had the ■! concurrence of business men who mot them recently. A STANDARD WORK AS TEXTBOOK. Mrs. A. R. Atkinson said they asked for no political or party instruction, nor any reference whatever* to voting. They asked only that the instruction in hygiene should be much more fully given than at present. Already a certain amount of instruction was given by means of charts, but the former Minister of Education had found that those charts were not always properly displayed, and they were too crowded to be of the best use. Headmasters in this district also had refused to allow essay competitions on the charts. ■ They asked now that a standard work on the effect of alcohol on the human body shoould be used as a text-book in the training colleges, that temperance instruction should be given more intensively, and that it should be. a subject for which teaching marks would be awarded. The Rev. John Dawsou said that in scientific temperance teaching New Zealand was out of sight of other countries. In America, for almost twenty years, instruction had been given in almost every State, and in England in 1904 15,000 doctors had urged on the Government the nocil for specific instruction on the effect of alcohol on the human, body. The Alliance asked, not that the Prohibition view should be given, but that the science of alcohol, its effect on health, heredity, and government should bo taught so that the child would ba well-informed, and better able to decide its own course in' the future. FROM THE POINT OF VD3W OF THE PARENT. » The Minister said he realised the deputation did not come as a Prohibition Party. He chose to view the subject from the point of view of the pa lent, and he thought the deputation would be content to view it in that way. He did not think any' parent—whether Prohibitionist, Moderate, or Immoderate (if there xvere any such] —would object to sound scientific teaching of the effect of alcohol. It, then, became a question how best to fit it into the syllabus, and he thought the proper place was under the heading of health -and hygiene. There was provision now for temperance teaching, but he feared it had been rather of a casual and indefinite character. He was fully disposed to agree that the time had come when sound scientific teaching should be given on more detailed and specific lines. Ho had considered the subject, and proposed to see that in the time devoted to health and hygiene in the scheme of work which every teacher prepared some time should be devoted to the subject. The inspectors would be instructed to see that this was done, and would examine the school diaries showing the work done. The inspectors in their oral examination would be expected to put questions to the children to see the amount of instruction, given. A great deal of time could not be given to it, as they lmd to teach the three R.s in a limited time,.but the instruction would be much more definite, snenific, and real than at present Br. Wilkins, chief medical officer of schools, was, now engaged unori remodelling the system of teaching hygiene, including definite scientific teaching on the subject of alcohol. Of course, there would not bo a hint of Prohibition or thrt Referendum in this teitfhina- (Hear, hear.) Mr. Gray thanked the Minister for nis prompt and definite reply.