CHRIST’S COLLEGE HEAD MASTER

Evening Star, Issue 20998, 12 January 1932, Page 6

CHRIST’S COLLEGE HEAD MASTER

+ —-— MR RICHARDS ARRIVES AN INTERESTING GHAT [Speciai. to the ‘ Star.’] WELLINGTON, January 12. The new head master of Christ’s College, Christchurch, Mr R. J. Richards, arrived on the Tainui from England, and was welcomed by a number of old boys. The Wellington branch of the association will entertain Mr Richards to lunch to-morrow, when he will leave for the south. Mrs Richards and the two children will catch to-night’s steamer. Taking the liveliest interest in the recounting of latest cabled news regarding the European situation, Mr Richards commented that his circle was perhaps narrow, and he had to depend largely on the newspapers for his impressions, but the view he had gathered of English opinion generally was that it is very sympathetic towards Germany, and impatient with France. “Englishmen recognise that tho German people are making a valiant effort, and have been pushed to their last extremity, so that they require breathing time.” Discussing education tendencies in England, Mr Richards expressed the opinion that the secondary schools are running along pretty well on traditional lines. “There are developments on the science and mathematics sides, which have become strong subjects, but, curiously enough, I do not think tho modern side has become stronger in the last decade. English standard secondary education is < high for tho able boy, but the criticism continually hurled at it is that there'is too much specialisation. A boy goes for a scholarship at the university, and is examined for that practically in the one subject. Supposing he is strong in mathematics, he is examined in that, with one general paper, and an English essay; so that a boy often goes to the university lacking general culture. The dons deplore this, but still go on asking questions which should be asked of men reading for honours, and the schools have to prepare for that type of examination.”

As for the boys themselves, Mr Richards, whose pleasant personality is likely strongly to appeal to his new pupils, credited Clifton College boys with the capacity for hard work, declaring that under modern conditions all boys had to bo hard working, and the percentage who enjoyed university life with silver spoons in their mouths was now comparatively small. Economic difficulties had not so far appreciably affected the numbers at Clifton, though there were indications that the present year would see a decline, and he felt that parents were undergoing a sacrifice to secure their children’s education. He was hoping that things w’ould soon improve. “It is certainly true,” concluded Mr Richards, “ that the big business firms are going to the public schools for a lot of their boys. They look for initiative and activity. Initiative is the thing they like more than anything else.”