MODERN BOYS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 April 1938, Page 8

MODERN BOYS

“NERVY,” SAYS ETON MASTER. ‘ SYDNEY. April 6. 3 “The modern schoolboy is mor t nervy than his fellow of a few decade past, and needs quieter treatment. H I does not want the cane so much a [. understanding, and he gets this, fo masters are more indulgent and' mori sensible than they used to be,” sail the Rev. C. O. Bevan. Assistant Maste: j and Classical Tutor at Eton School fo; 25 years, now retired, who arrived ii • Sydney in the Empress of Britain oi . Saturday. “Modern boys are, at the same time more outspoken and less self centred,” he said. “They are prepared , to find life more interesting and mort difficult. Conditions nowadays make it more necessary for them to work and they, are prepared to do this ami to apply themselves to more subjects This characteristic makes discipline easier to maintain than it was. There is less need for the rod.” Mr Bevan said that the most important advance in school relationships had been the interest which masters now took in .the life of their pupils outside school. This also aided discipline, for it produced a camaraderie and a mutual interest but, at the same time, it could make discipline difficult, because familiarity bred contempt. CURRICULUM CRITICISED. Mr Bevan criticised the modern school curriculum, on the grounds that, although it was designed to cope with prevailing conditions, it was a moot point whether it was better for boys to learn “something of many tilings, or a great deal of a few things.” “Nowadays,” he added. “Greek is being largely superseded by French, I German, Italian, Spanish; mathematics, and especially science. All this makes life far more interesting fori a hoy than it was in my time, because’ his interests are fostered to a much: greater extent than previously. But modern subjects do not enable a boy to get such a fundamental and thorough grasp of languages as the old grounding in Greek and Latin did.” Mr Bevan said that all the old tra-J ditions were still kept up at Eton, S which was founded in 1440 by Herfy| VI. for 70 scholars- There were still;

70 “King’s Scholars,” and they were the only boys to live in the building. All the rest were boarded out. The “King’s Scholars" did not. have to pay fees, unless their parents were wealthy. “'fhe country gentleman type, which used to come to Eton in large numbers, is dying out, because that class is being taxed out of existence,” he said, “but there is great pressure to get in. About 1,100 boys are attending th© school at present.” -