UNIVERSITY DEBATING

Evening Star, Issue 23325, 22 July 1939, Page 11

UNIVERSITY DEBATING

JOYNT SCROLL TO VICTORIA EDUCATION IN NEW ZEALAND Keen interest was displayed in tke interuniversity debating contest for the Jdynt Scroll, held yesterday afternoon and evening in the Allen Hall. Victoria carried off the honours, with Massey College a good second. Dr D. W. Carmalt Jones, representing the judges, pointed out that, with a large number of ipositive and sometimes contradictory statements, reasons for all allegations were looked for. In this respect Victoria were the most impressive speakers. Individuals who most impressed the judges were Mr R. C. Meek, of the winning team, Mr Smith, of Massey College, and Mr Gardner. The other judges were the Rev. W. Allen Stevely and Mr

0. B. Barfowclough. The first debate, in the afternoon, was marred by the fact that the_ opposing teams were arguing from different premises. Contestants were teams from the Canterbury University College and Lincoln (Canterbury Agricultural) College. For the affirmative Mr J. Dick and Mr G. D. L. White put up a fairly strong argument, but their opponents, Mr A. F. Glover and Mr B. B, Gardner, t of ’Lincoln College, arguing from the ( standpoint that education begins in the . cradle and ends with the grave, spoke ’ from what were evidently unrealised ■ standpoints. Mr Didk, opening the debate,_ main- ; tained that there were two functions of ’ education, the routine function being ; the transmisison and conservation of

knowledge. -There was.a function beyond this, the function of fitting the • citizen for his place in the community. He maintained that education half failed in the first function, and failed entirely in the second. It was either too academic, as in the high schools, or too technical, ■as in the technical colleges. There was no intermediate system which combined culture with mani-

pulative skill. Mr Glover, opening the case for Lin- ‘ coin College, defined education as the : mental, moral, and physical development of the individual, and maintained that life in New Zealand could be classified under the five headings—self-pre-servation, race preservation, citizenship, subsistence, and culture, or the employment of leisure time. On each of the first three points he contended that the education of New Zealanders absorbed throughout their lives as an entirety had proved efficient. Mr White spoke of the syllabuses that were hound up with tradition, based on necessities other than those of the period we live in. The test of the educated man was that he could “ read the newspaper without being humbugged.” Ready-made amusement, such as cheap radio entertainment and literature distorted by bad judgment and bad taste, reflected what had been absorbed from the current syllabus. The powers of ; clear thinking were not developed. The ' educated man was a useful member of his trade or profession, but not of the community. Mr Gardner, enlarging on the contentions of Mr Glover, spoke at length of the number of forces or institutions that impart education. AUCKLAND-MASSEY CONTEST. i In the evening Miss D. Morrel, for 4 Auckland University, stressed the I health aspect of education and its limitations when practised, in . this country; Sex-education here fell be-, tween the two stools of the school and the home. The child was not taught responsibility by being given a part in the running of school_ activities. For the first time in the debate Mr D. M. Smith, of Massey College, brought humour to the aid of argument, and in an effective speech appealed to the sympathies of his audience, refuting the assertions of the affirmative leader that education in New Zealand left its participants morally delinquent. Mr Takle reinforced the arguments of his leader and made the additional i point that children were taught in the ■ terms of the written word, and not to express themselves. Mr Dunlop pointed out the lack of division between classes. OTAGO’S CONTRIBUTION. The third of the series was opened by Mr P. L. Titchener, of Otago University, who commended the policy of the totalitarian States in so far as it concerned the education of children in the first vital seven years of life. It was noticeable that kindergartens in this country received no State assistance whatsoever. Children in _ the primary schools suffered by providing experience for the teachers, who only attended the training college for two years. There was a lack of co-ordina-tion between primary and secondary schools, and when the ultimate degree was attained there was a materialistic outlook which nullified the good to the country of the education received; Mr R. W. Edgley, representing Victoria College with Mr R. 'C. Meek, asserted that Mr Titchener’s speech was in itself an argument for the negative. Able and comprehensive, it could not have been compiled and delivered by anyone without an adequate education. He put forward a summary of all the detailed ramifications of education in these days

Mr E. F. F. Smith, supporting Mr Titchener, deplored the encouragement of the “ spectator spirit.” In the employment of leisure time we had not advanced beyond Grecian standards. Surprisingly enough, of all the members of various teams only Mr R. C. Meek, of Victoria College, quoted A. S. Neill, and that _ was in refutation of Neill’s own theories. His main contentions were that- education was entirely adequate to the needs of the people in the varying' degree in which they made use of it. Mr B. H. Holier occupied the chair A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr W. J. More, representing the Otago University Debating Society.’