The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1913.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3830, 13 May 1913, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1913.

It will bo seen by reference to another

column that Mr. Were the Remarks Kirk has written Justified? in relation to sonio remarks made by Professor Mills iat his final mooting hero. Mr Mills, it may bo recalled, dealt, in the course of his address, with the question of education in tho United States, and had something striking to say on the matter of model schools. His aim was clearly to indicate that in this important regard this Dominion must be reckoned as considerably behind tho times. As is well-known, Mr Mills gave evidence of a similar character but at much greater length before tho Education Commission. Ho now suggests, it would seem, that one ofl the members of the Commission—viz., Mr Ivirk—did not know up till tho time in question of'the existence of such a class of school. What is more, Mr Mills suggested that Mr Kirk had questioned him as to whether New Zealand could afford such a system of schools and that he (Mr Mills) had in reply informed him that the system which he wan outlining would cost

loss money by far to the taxpayer than it costs-to maintain the system in vogue in this Dominion at the present time. Now Mr Kirk, it will bo noted, take; strong exception to those remarks by Mr Mills which have reference to himself’ In this connection lie sends ns an official copy of tlio Report of the Commission on Education in Now Zealand together with Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, and asks us if after perusing the report of Mr Mills’s evidence and cross-examination wo consider they support the assertions which Mr Mills has just made concerning himself. We may say that wo liavo carefully read the whole of Mr Mills’s remarks before the Commission, and incidentally may point out that to our way of thinking his evidence war, to say tho least of a very remarkablo character. In regard to education—as well as to industrial matters—Mr Mills clearly dwells “in the clouds.” To say merely that lie is an idealist would he to understate tho position. “It would seem to me,” said Mr Mills in the course of his evidence, “that the school ought to provide, not only in tho country districts, hut in the cities as well, the social resort for the community Along with the library there ought to bo provision for games, a general meeting place for people, a lounging room—in fact, the ordinary conveniences that arc essential to one’s existence in the community, and particularly that one needs to avail oneself of when any distance away from home. All these should be provided in connection with centrallylocated educational institutions. They should he made the centres of tho social life not only of tho boys and girls when in the school, but the meeting ground for them after they are graduated from the schools, after they are engaged in their regular occupations. Instead of permitting the common social resort to he made a matter of private enterprise and frequently of demoralising surroundings, I hold that the best place for tbc picture show, for the gaining table, for the evening resort, is tho school—that these tilings should he organised in connection, with the schools and made educational not only for the entertainment' of the children during the hours of tho school sessions, but for tlio entertainment- of their parents and elder brothers and sisters during tlio evenings, etc., etc.” If such an extraordinary scheme as is here outlined were put into operation, the difficulty, it seems to us, would be to locate a point at which its ramifications should stop. Hut ?di Mills was also, it should be mentioned, responsible for many other suggestions which the Commission did not see its any to recommend the Government to adopt. He explained, for instance, that it was Ids view that- city children should he taken to the country for their ordinary school work. 'Then again lie declared that the equipment of a school should provide net-only tools and the opportunity to have plants and flowers, but also particularly the opportunity to have animals. It was his view that tie 1 school should provide at least one meal each day scientifically prepared and served at the school. As to trade schools, Mr Mills contended that they ought to be extended to include adults

and that attendance at a trade school ought to be made compulsory in tho higher grades of work on all the young men and women in the eountrv. Mr

Mills further stated that an educational institution with no more than a million at the hack of it could be very rapidly developed, and instead o;i providing money for scholarships where the student goes and buys his living he would advocate dropping that and giving him an opportunity for two years’ study (and see to it that he takes it) whore lie would be earning his living while he continued his studies. Tf that were done he said it would not only give an enormous educational institution on a self-sup-porting basis, but if undertaken in Xew Zealand it would immediately attract an enormous reinforcement of the highest class of educators and the best class of immigrants from every portion of the world in order to take advantage of an opportunity of an institution that once equipped would cost the country practically nothing. That is of course all very grand, but our readers, we feel sure, will agree that there’ is no immediate prospect of a young country like Xew Zealand adopting any, far loss thq whole, ol these visionary ideas. Tint wo were forgetting all about Mr Kirk’s request. ft is a fact, as pointed out by him, that official reporters reported the evidence given before the Commission. In no place, however, can it be found that either Mr Kirk or any of the other members of the Commission expressed surprise at the generally known fact that many kinds of model schools are in existence in the United States. As to Mr Mills’s assertion that Mr Kirk asked him whether the Xew Zealand taxpayer could afford such a class of school—well, uo trace of any such question can be found in the report of the evidence! Under these circumstances there would appear to have been no justification for the remarks which Mr Mills made concerning Mr Kirk in connection "it'i the matter.