EDUCATION.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16491, 5 March 1914, Page 4

EDUCATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Recent happenings throughout tho world and in this dominion in particular, 1 from an educational pbiiit of •view, demand grave consideration by thbse who have the best interests of the dominion and the education of tho children of the masses truly at heart. Within the last few weeks wo have witnessed events in our midst that should cause us much pain and sorrow on the one hand, and should awaken hope and stimulate untiring exertion on the other. We hove been shocked at. tho grave and sustained charges against eight of our young men, all made at the same time, and terminated in the same painful way; young men born and reared in this dominion, and educated in our district at high schools and commercial colleges; young men whose hopes, at one time, wero bright, and pointing high enough to justify the anticipation of a life of useful success in all that tends to make a true mail, devoted husband and lather, and a national builder. • -,y , If. these unfortunates were,. all who had fallen on evil days in this youthful dominion, or had taken the downward grade, there would not be so much room 'for serious comment ; but when we read the records of our various Courts of Justice, and view the many wending their way thitherward, and the many institutions for the reception of youthful degenerates, male and female, the question naturally arises (in the thoughtful mind at least)—What is our free education doing to arrest this downward tendency of such a large proportion of our juvenile and jouthful qomnmnity? _ Why is there a large proportion of the unlit ot both sexes? , The answer is not far to seek it we would bo true to ourselves, and felt, our relation to the young as wo should and evinced the same interest in their moral and spiritual prosperity that marks our earnest desire for the accumulation of wealth, at any cost ot mental and physical outlay, too often accompanied by commercial intrigue and questionable manipulation too dark to be viewed in tlie light of reason 01 Christian probity. Our social notions or ideas hare so marred tlm beauty and efficiency of our educational system, from tho primary school to the University, that parental control has become a matter of secondary consideration it any consideration whatever is given to it by man}. The good results of the teaching m our common schools hardly extends beyond tho children’s playground, and you have but to visit our universities on capping days to witness the utter contempt with which venerable and honourable professors, teachers, friends and visitors are treated by the mass ot the students of our universities, and .t you follow thorn into the streets, pandemonium. meets you at every turn, and you wonder where you are. The bovs and girls, and youths and maidens, 'wlm are so far from being under disciplino, arc not natmallj bad Tho idea that girls are women at ten, and little boys are all young men. is one of the vile products of a defective and contagious environment, for which society in many of its branches is responsible, and our educational system is far from satistactoi\ or perfect until it is able to carry its benign and hallowed influence into everv home and from every homo into the'common duties of every walk of life, and this object will novor be attained so long as the truths of our national Bible are withheld from our primary schools. , . . , , To accomplish this much-desired end, the Department of ..Education must do more" than purchase lands, erect schools, and employ teachers. It must include in its syllabus a system ot manners and morals that, can not only bo readily understood by the childion, l, n t it should form a manual of moral.; and manners suitable for every home. Parents would then know exactly what their children are being taught, and thus second the efforts of the faithful teacher to lay the foundation upon .which to' erect a glorious human structure. ... . When the writer was a member of

the Board of Education for the district of North Canterbury, ho introduced the subject by resolution, “that it be a. recommendation from the Board to the Department of Education to formulate a ; work on mprals and manners that could be used to advantage in the ho,me, as well as the school ” but the resolution was lost, on the ground that the subject was of too great a magnitude for the Board to consider. Personally, a feeling possesses me that such a work would bo most helpful to all teachers in more ways than one.—l am, etc., CHARLES JAMES RUSSELL, M.D. P.S.—Since writing the above letter. I have observed that Mr Asquith makes 6ome very pertinent remarks on the lines of my letter. These are his words as reported in the English news published in this morning’s “Lyttelton Times.” “Ho would welcome a revision of the educational system in order to pay more attention to physical improvement, and also moral discipline.;,, and self-control.” .