EFFECTS OF COMPETITIONS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 23 April 1925, Page 5

EFFECTS OF COMPETITIONS.

STRAIN ON CHILDREN. NOT COOT) FOR THEM. (BY TELEGRAPH —PRF.Sg ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, April 22. The view time competitions should not he encouraged for children under 14, or even under 16, years of age was expressed by the Director of Education (Air. John Qa ugh ley) at the first conference of the Competitions Society here to-day. Too much attention in Now Zealand was -paid to the material side of life and not enough to the aesthetic side, continued Air. Caughley. In this latter direction the competitions societies could do much good. Competitions, however, meant an intense strain on the competitors, and that was not good for young children, and he did not think’ it aided their development in the best way, and it left distinctly harmful effects. Children should not appear in public until they reached 16. In a school sense their appearance was unsound. He did not think children should be. asked to express themselves in this way until they reached a much later age. ' They could not expect to produce a finished product, such as was required for the competitions, at a tender age. Children w-ere coached in an intensive way, and though they enjoyed tlie competitions they only served to make them precocious. He urged the conference to consider the suggestions he had made very seriously. Choir singing was worthy of every consideration. Air. J. W. * Carr, the AYellington president, said the director’s criticism had been very sweeping, and struck at the very foundation of the competitions. The conference, however, would give the suggestions made every consideration.