IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 25813, 8 June 1946, Page 9

IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION

EFFECT IN MODERN AGE SIR KEITH PARK AT OLD SCHOOL The importance of education in the modern age, and tile fact that the gieut leaiwrs ot the second wond war were Outstanding scholars, were the important racvois stressed by Air UhieiAiai'snai, Sir Jv.eith i'.ark, yesterday afternoon, in an audress to tue pupils of his old Buhoolj Otago Boys' High. "In every caning, lire has become very much more specialised and of a congested nature with regard to learning,-' said Sir Keith Park. "As the youth of to-day, you have one of the most interesting peridds in the history oi the world anead of you. You ale entering upon ah age which will be revolutionary in many things, and the boy with the good education will have the advantage over the bov who is not prepared." When he introduced Sir Keith Park to the pupils, the rector, Mr 11. P. KidsOU, said that he had waited seven or eight yeftiß to welcome back the school s most illustrious pupil. Mr KidsOtt Referred to the Air Chief Marshal's distinguished career, particularly during the trying days of the Battle of Mntiiiii and the evacuation of Dunkirk. " Even during the periods of stress and strain through which Sir- Keith passed," said the rector, "he remembered his school, and. found time to <jeiid messages from England, Malta, the Middle East, and Hurma." Sir Keith suggested that the boys might be gwen th« rest of the day free and there were rounds of enthusiastic applause. il During my undistinguished career at school, 1 ' said Sir Keith, " old greybeards from the Crimean War used to Visit u» and .we had to be tolerant and put Up With them. They used to console us by saying that many successful men in every walk of life had been bottom of their class at school, hut for my part, i always regret that 1 did not matriculate, because it would, have helped me in business, the Army, und the It.A.F, 1 The really big leaders of this war woro not bottom of their class at school.' said Sir Keith. "Mr Churchill, leader, orator, and statesman, was not bottom at Harrow > Of ali the leaders in this war 1 think ucmeral kißenhower was the most unpuble and he passed out of West Point at the top ot- his class. ~ In North'west Africa he told me he had read every book on psychology in the English language, Fieid-Marshai Montgomery is a great leader, as is Field-Marshal Alexander, and Lord i'oital and Lord Tedder gained scholar ships ut their respective schools. Although ht. had been brought up in the Navy Lord Louis Mountbatteu is a good all-round scholar. "Muring the 32 years which have elapsed since 1 left school 1 have often wondered what sort of chaps were filling the class rooms at Otago Boys' High School," Sir Keith added. " I hope you are a better lot than we were, for you are about to embark on careers in a world in which life has become specialised und highly scientific. After you have completed your formal edtication take any opportunity to travel abroad, because we New Zenlanders are apt to become parochial." Atomic energy had opened up many new fields and there had been other great scientific developments which made the new era probably the most interesting in history, concluded Sir Keith,

The chairman of the board of governors. Mr W, Ri Brugh, expressed the thanks of the school to Sir Keith, and the gathering closed with a haka and cheers for the distinguished old boy of the school.