The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1875.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 4452, 21 May 1875, Page 1

The Lyttelton Times. FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1875.

In our issue of last Tuesday we drlw attention to the general educational policy of the present Provincial Executive, as embodied in their proposed new Education l GtdihatieetO-ddy.|ve stall discuss a scheme of Peirs, vM<sh really forms a' part' of ’thfe. V general policy—we mean, the diversion from

their original purpose of the buildings which have been erected as Normal Schools. 'The Government appear not to have quite made up their mind on this matter; but it seems clear that they intend to offer the building, or part of it, to the Governors of Canterbury College, in place of the sum which was voted by the Council for college buildings last year. We need only briefly refer to what may be called the School aspect of this proposal; that side of the question was discussed in the letter by the ReV W. J. Habens, which we pub- ■ lished a few mornings ago. A misapprehension seems to have existed that ,the building was erected as a college in which schoolmasters and schpolfmistresses were to be prepared for the examinations required by the Board of Education. Nothing of the sort was ever intended; the School was built as/ a District School, and the inhabitants of Christchurch accordingly contributed a considerable sum towards the cost of the building. , The only difference between this School and other District Schools would have been, that instead of being under the management of a Local committee, it would have been under the direct management of the Board of Education, who would have looked upon it as a Model School, where teachers might see the best methods of imparting instruction, and where ’ those who were preparing to be teachers might leam the art of teaching under the supervision of the head master. Having thus pointed out the purpose with which this school was built, we wish now to call attention to the fact that it is both too large as well as unsuitable; for the purposes of Canterbury OoUege. The lectures given in connection with this institution may now be said to be: fairly started: the number of students who attended last term was /nearly ninety. This result we think must be exceedingly- gratifying to the Governors and other gentlemen who have prompted ■the welfare of the College, as well as encouraging to those who are actually engaged in doing the teaching work in connection with it. At the,same time, it .must be clear that, allowing for legitimate increase as the population of the colony grows and the institution becomes better known in our own province as well as in its neighbours’, it must be many years before so much room is required as is afforded by the Normal school. The Government, not altogether overlooking this fact, found here a fine opening for the exercise of the pseudoeconomical faculties; [they started the brilliant idea that one wing should be devoted to the College, and the rest of the building applied to its original purpose —that of a school. We ridiculed the idea when it 'first saw the light in the Council Chamber,, and it has since been rightly scouted as “ too absurd to “ be anything more than the most tem- “ porary of expedients indeed, we do not think that the Executive will venture actually to propose to the Council so ridiculous a scheme. Another suggestion has been made, viz,, that the College should have part'of the buildings, and that the other part should be devoted' to the Public Library., It is needless, however, to discuss this proposition, for, as was pointed out in the/debatc last week,' the Public Library cannot be movfed from its present site without incurring great 'expense in compensating the Ishareholders of the Institute from #hi(&ti ; 'the if./there werei no objection on ground that the. buildings, sgre lanjer than Canterbury dpUege ■ (tm there remains the objection that, they are utterly unsuitable. Not sene of the rooms is lofty enough to be converted into a lecture4heatre, ; ahd we 1 are sure that the Professors of •. ChemisttyE J&tthematics, end Biology,require feature theatres if their teaching is to be ejffiei,qnt.: How As it ppesibier that;..e3gg§: f rhnents or.specixnenp.shpuhi ; be all the seats, are 1 placedioii, a level flocSr, Unless indeed each : student . happens to be possessed of Sam Weller’s “.pair o’ patent double-toilhqn 1 magnifyin’.. gas microspopes of hextrai power Again, chemistry, in all its ’bitches forma a feature of our - College; systeih; it will be necessary, therefore, that there should be a laboratory for practical woi’hj alia it is quite certain -thatVisuch.a tiujhjing ought to be detached., For, in- the first place, there niust always be ' furnaces in any chemical laboratory, so that the risk of fire is not inconsiderable.- And again, the smell of some of the'gases in constant use is exceedingly .'. disagreeable. Some of our readers ' who attended Professor .Bickertqnfs ,course of lectures, last wtabey will doubt remember the odoriferous "experiments to which he uied.tb 'treat‘/them at the conclusion -of his lectures; probably some of them will recollect that pre-eminent amongst the'smells that obtrusively forced themselves 'on their attention, was that of sulphuretted hydrogen! '■ Now, eP paj analysis is earned on there /must' always he/ consider ablequantities" of’ tliisgas, as it is largely used to precipitate metals from spl u tiohar they : may to • l^<cont^^F^ : It ds ■•bad 'enough, for tti&e rstpSteMilt/whq are in the pf be obliged to put up with a smell which may. b.e. t de«jribfs's ( o£, trated essence of rotten eggs V but it would be unendurable that others p different parts of the building should he wantonly and continually [exposed to thp. same abominable stench, for it is well known that this, gas: will diffuse itself through the whole of the building; when the experiments may happen to he cairied on, We have merely selected this gas as an illustration; it is not by any means the only strong-smelling One used in a chemical laboratory.. We may point out in passing that this would v bp' a sufficient reason, were it necessary p) specify one, why it is impossible that j any building containing a chemicalj ‘laboratory should be used as a school. '

Although other reasons npght be giy£n,| enough has been said to justify us inj asserting that it would be exceediujgly unwise and false economy, to hand oVer| the Normal School, buildings, to the, Canterbury Collegb. Built for a.specifio purpose, they ai'e well calculated to fulfil that purpose/ but thatvery fitness) exactly unfits themfor a : id' l ; Jfitt^<iii.ore j |S|!i| HabensVietterinßU^^rtofoiu’opimonsi

He says:—“ It seems folly to devote a “ structure exactly adopted for school “ purposes to uses for which it iff not fit; , “ and then to wear the cost of Hitting ■ “up new sohoola elsewhere. In order “ to keep faith with the districts which i “ have! Contributed to the erection, it I “ will he necessary to v give them the “same accommodation upon new sites, “ and without subjecting them to any “ extra charge; so that the plea of “ economy is scarcely available. It “ cannot blit be wasteful to take a costly “ building; well -adapted for one neces- “ a ary use, and apply it to purposes for “ which it is not suitable.”

Mr Maskell, however, said that in this ;matter the Executive had no wish to carry things with a high hand, find that before they came down to the House .with a final proposition, the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College would be consulted. We hope this will be the case, for we think the Government have been guilty of a great want of courtesy towards the same gentlemen in their capacity as Trustees of the Museum.