THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE GARTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6818, 24 September 1883, Page 6

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE GARTER.

. TO THE KDtTOIt; • ... Sir, —The Board of' Education are at last awaking: to the great responsibilities which rest: upon ■ them; and are rightly insisting upon such, facilities, being given in the matter ,ot dress as will permit of the, "due ment of the body;" It is a miitnke' to suppose that.a Avell-trained mihdwill'" insure in the mothera of our/grandchildren that sweet attractiveness which? *viil the;; loving devotion, of their lords.'. No,' a well-deve-loped, body is at lea>t;aa requisite as a well developed,,mind. > The well modelled arm; v tha.nobUi bust; the erect head; the graceful gaic; ; these,, aided by .' the 1 addition, of '-Cour3o.in.it*' proper/, plaee;-of collapsing Princu-ss ' erinoiette, will'; go at least rquite as far as any; intellectual training to excite the; admiration, ahd ; to : secure the devotion of those v/hoin it is alike the pleasure, and advantage of our'danglr.ers to please. But as the. flowing and "gran)matical .se.ntenc.es.'of -.the.: Board's circular, 'recently' ;issued to- the young rhdies,at- the .Girl*'' High School, led,to .these reflections, I presently ; : caine. to paragraph three, that paragraph dealing with .the most delicate and ■ sensitive"'' article of the. .-female ; , dress ; —nnniely, the garter. Here, I think, the Board made a slight mistake or two. First; they, make" a physiological error. . They imply that' t'ght garters, ..tend, to produce hernia. Now, 1 do not think the doctors will ; bear them out in that implication. Brit whether or no, it would have beenprudent on the part of the Board to have drawn the line,at garters. Medicists tell us that one of .the greatesl; difficulties they ■ have to deal with in the treatment.of-diseases of delicate iOrgacs,' the eye, for instance, is the 'disturb-; ance induced- in the system. But what physiological disturbance likely to arise from any meddling, with), the human eye ; cah ap-, proach in its direful; effects- the 1 disturbance likely to arise from the treatment of the humaiC' garter ? ; Who V shall examine it ? Shall it be Mr. Heath,; with a : .deputation of the Board—say the Chairman, who will declare 'whether it be too tight ? Then the Board do not offer. . any suggestion as to whether it should be worn above or below the knee. Now, Ido not wear garters. Having a fino calf I do not require' them, but all are not so fortunate, and, although I know nothing about,it I gavei' reihs to imagination )' and can quite understand there ia a material advantage in tho garter above knee iti case of deficiency of calf. But truly these ■ inatters; ; are.; too, great for me, and 1. must ask ;io be allowed to-'clo^emyletter with a quotation from the great Roman poet whom Mr. Laishley quoted in , his work on teaching, viz., Aristophanes— ; ' . CACOSTHES SCBIBENDI JiOTII.