ON THE LAND.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2378, 19 December 1908, Page 2

ON THE LAND.

AGRICULTURE THE BASIS OF EDUCATION.

f This is the title of a remarkably thoughtful and philosophical article in the “Monist,” by 0. E. Cook. The following extracts will give some idea of the strength and scope of the article : “By no system or method of formal education can children, confined to city homes, doorsteps, paved streets, and schools, be brought to their full mental stature; the chances are even smaller than that their bodies will develop fully under these unnatural conditions.

“Education lias no creative power in itself, as a machine of method* of institutions and methods, but has true value only when it adds something to the results of natural growth. “Interest is intellectual appetite. It is the index of the mind’s readiness for the assimilation of knowledge. Formal instruction does not arouse interest in nature and in human activities, hut can speedily deaden and destroy it, especially if the brain be fermenting already with other undigested materials. Minds are weakened by this scholastic dyspepsia, just as bodies would be if all athletes were •required to weigh 200 pounds. “More fundamental than all questions of subject matter and methods of formal education are the primal contacts of the child with nature and with the parents. “The actual labor of farming may pot have an educational superiority over other vocations, except for the greater variety and the more numerous contacts with nature. “Every year thousands of devoted parents move to towns and cities in the mistaken .belief that they will benefit their children by sending them to larger and more specialised schools. They often leave behind much more truly educational conditions than they can find in the cities. “Human culture when set apart from nature is only a hothouse plant, unable to maintain, justify, or enjoy its own existence. "“Men who clearly owe tlieir success in life to free contacts with Nature and their fellows regularly make tise of their -wealth to deprive their cfiiklren of any similar opportunities' of development. If the young people are diligent and tractable they are kept in. schools for 20 years or more in tlie complacent belief that- m tliis way can the full .parental duty be performed, ,so great is our blind and - superstitious faith in formal education. “Ideal education is the condition m which there is full development of human powers and talent, of body, mind, and spirit, or of hand, head, and heart as the popular a&literation has it. Education is not, primarily, a matter of schools and systems of normal education, but of maintaining tlie contacts with Nature and with preceding generations. Institutions which weaken these contacts are not truly educational, but have the contrary effect of arresting the development both of the individual and of the race.”

HORSES WE NEED. THE REMOTEST TYPE. Amongst the Aucklanders who have recently been visiting Australia is Mr. Noah Wood, of Mount Albert, and lie has returned with -a firm conviction that Auckland requires to improve the breed of its horses. In conversation with a “New Zealand Herald” representative, Mr. Wood said Victoria had ‘the best spring this year that it had liad for 20 years, and the journey from Sydney to Melbourne was like going through part of the Auckland province,, so beautifully green and fresh was tlie country, and the wheat and oat crops looked very fine. A point he had noticed was that the class of meat on sale in Sydney and .Melbourne looked well, but it could not compare for either quality or flavor with the Auckland meat Asked if he had taken the oportunity of comparing the horses in Australia with the Auckland horses, Mr. Wood, who takes a keen interest in horse-breeding, said he had noticed that the class suitable for doctor’s gigs, carriage horses, and ponies in Melbourne were the finest lie had ever seen. There was nothing to equal them here. The ponies were really bautiful speciment. What was wanted in Auckland was intelligent crossing. For alil-round purposes, the purebred Arab stallion was the best, as giving a good a bone as could be got. The trotter had been introduced here, and all these trotters were tall horses, with long pasterns, and they had tended to weaken the race, being onily good l for short distances. In Auckland there were many horses sup-, posed to be descendent® of the ’Frisco horse Electioneer, which had been owned by Governor Leyland-Stanford, but he, Air. Wood, had seen this famous old sire, and the supposed descendants did' not partake of Electioneer’s characteristics at all. Electioneer looked more like a light draught, and if put into dray sharfts could have walked off with a ton load with perfect ease. The long-pasterned horses, called' his descendants, could not do that; .they were weeds beside Electioneer. The tendency here was to breed a horse which could get up igreat speed over a short distance, but beyond .that they were done, and what iwas wanted very badly was ft,

Farm and Station.

weight-carrier, a-type suitable for remounts. The want was a purebred stallion mated with neat marcs, most carefully selected. Many years ago the New South Wales Government offered a substantial sum for horses, and some American people ran in a •lot of mustangs from thopmiries, and chartered a leaky old vessel to bring them across. That boat put into the Bay of Islands, leaking badly, and the best houses were picked out, and the rest turned overboard to swim ashore. Tlie best went on to Sydney, /and l those that swam ashore near Russell formed the nucleus of the native ponies that had been known here for forty years. They were as- nimble as cats; they were only weedy things, but had neat feet. A story was related of an English caul, who wiis offered a native <pony for. a 40-mile .ride, and made a wager that the horse would never do the journey, but he had to admit, later, that the i>ony not only carried him tho 40 miles, but back as well, and never stumbled over. These native ponies were running wild all over Taupo district now. to speak more particularly of the strain he recconimended, Mr. Wood sa.id: “Use the true Arab stallion and well-selected mares. We have suitable mares here ,but they want to be well selected, neat-joint-ed, neat footed animals, and yet compact and strong. In the old days of the wars the army officers, men who thoroughly knew what they were about, brought out Dainty Ariel, a full brother to The Barb, and there have never been such horses since. The descendnnts of Dainty Ariel were horses for all-round purposes such as .we cannot get nowadays, although the old charger was mated •with all sorts of mares. That horse used to win every nice until he was handicapped out if it. Beside the the short distance, -but would kill every one of them over a long run. That’s the kind of horse we want u» this country.”

Ellery 1. (Several prizes for attendance were also presented.

MR/S. HOGG’S PRIVATE SCHOOL

A very enjoyable (afternoon was spent yesterday at Mrs. Hogg’s private school, “Ettric,” Cli fiord Street, the occasion being the closing of the school for the Christmas vacation. The parents and children assembeld in the spacious new schoolroom, where the work of the pupils was exhibited, and excited much admiration on account of the great progress made in so short a period, tho school having been but recently opened. The following childrcui were awarded prizes: —Godfrey Redstone, Annie Fordo Matthews, May Fordo Matthews, Doreen Hamlin, general: (improvement ; Percival Alcroyd, drawing jEvalimo Akroyd, Kathleen Haultain, neat work. After the prizes had been distributed, the children sang several action,songs in a very creditable imanuer, showing careful training. The pupils presented Mrs. Hogg with a tasteful land pretty gift as a token of tlie esteem m which dlio is hold by them. The school reopens on February 2nd.

THINGS WE LIKE BEST,

WHY IT, IS THEY SO SELDOM AGREE WITH US. What’s the reason the things wo like best so seldom seem to agree with us? Maybe it’s because wo over-eat of them. Then follows a fit of INDIGESTION. Only lasts a day or two porhaps. But it’s a most uncomfortable day or two. If we disregard consequences, and indulge our appetites tlie certainty that we must suffer spoils the pleasure. We don t mean to abuse our stomachs, but we all do it more or less. We see things we want, and can’t resist the longing for them. When it’s too late we regret our rashness. But there’s a way io escape the consequences of such indiscretions. A dose of a good digestant like DR. SHELDON’S DIGESTIVE TABULES, which digest what you eat, will relieve your trouble at once. That is a sensible remedy. These TABULES are sold everywhere at 2s 6d for a tin containing 80 TABULES. Buy a tin,, eat square meal, and then take the TABULES according to directions, and j note tlie result. You will forget all about it if you are not careful, for there will be NO PAIN or disturbance, and the food will be DIGESTED just as it used to be when your STOMACH was WELL and STRONG. Furthermore, your stomach will soon be restored ‘again, if you keep on taking them, just as thousands upon thousands of other stomachs have been by the sole and exclusive use of DR. SHELDON’S DIGESTIVE TABULES Obtainable everywhere.