THE WESLEY COLLEGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19798, 19 November 1927, Page 8

THE WESLEY COLLEGE.

mrcm of institution; STEADY GROWTH RECORDED. . AGRICULTURAL TRAINING. modern buildings PROVIDED. s'l No. n. : ;j| [B7 OUB 6PECUO, COMMISSIONED] In a previous article I referred to the Wesley College farm at Paerata, bat said practically nothing about the college, of which the farm is a* appendage. This college is one of New Zealand's oldest | ;§ and most valuable educational iastitu- " j tions. It was established by the Weeleyan mission 82 years ago, largely through the efforts of the 'Rev. W. Lawry. In 1845 the first school was opened in Grafton Road, Auckland, and was attended principally by Maori boys, some of whom were of high rank in the great tribes of the North. Even in those days agriculture was made an important feature in its curriculum, the old-time missionaries knowing full well the value of practical, as well as spiritual, education. By 1848 the pupils at the institution had grown so in numbers that more space was required, and since farming ? was such a popular feature a move was made to the Three Kings, where the old college of that name was established. In the early sixties, when war broke out between the Maoris and the pakehas the native pupils were withdrawn, and it is related that it was through their warnings that a threatened attack upoD Auckland was frustrated. In the seventies the college became a training ground for European and Maori divinity students, but in 1895 the divin ity students were removed to Prince Albert College, Auckland and the whole of the Three Kings College was devoted to the widest class of education for European and native boyr. In the course of time the grants and endowments given by the State and by the Maoris for the support of the college increased in value, and the applications for tuition grew so numerous that s new college became essential. Therefore » bold step was made. ■> The Move to Paerata. In 1914 property of 680 acres at Paerata' was purchased, and in 1920 a truly modern college was erected on a beautiful site. The buildings are substantial and roomy, being oJ ! on* storey and constructed of brick. Class rooms, dormitories and lecture halls are all on a large scale. There is room and scope for games and pastimes; there is an abundance of fresh millr and butter, of vegetables and fruit raised from the farm, so that the pupils should thrive physically. In case of sick, ness there is the delightful and wellequipped memorial hospital presented by Mrs. W. H. Smith. With regard to the system and value of the education provided by the college there is room for no doubt. A system that gives a sound moral, intellectual and technical training must be good, and particularly when the technical training includes such a wide and important subject as agriculture. Tho State's Neglect ol Agriculture. In New Zealand, it i» regrettable to eay, agriculture is one of the most neglected of subjects in our educational system, and probably too little attention is gives to the moral side. If this country is to prosper, if we are to build op a strong, stable and progressnre nation, our youths must be educated in all the higher knowledge of farming and the bulk of them must be induced to devote their energies to the cultivation of the soiL One of the most serious features of the present day for New Zealand is the fact that the number of farmers instead of increasing is decreasing, as is the numbthr of farms. Apart from financial and other factors one of the reasons for this alarming decrease is undoubtedly the neglect of agricultural education. In our secondary schools and in our university colleges the youths of the Dominion have been encouraged to study for the professions. All the teaching, all the honours and degrees and scholarships have been in this direction, with the result that our young people have been consciously or unconsciously influenced by the idea that to be a lawyer or a doctor or a schoolmaster was the highest ambition and that only those of inferior mental calibre should be satisfied with any other aim. Apart from this aspect of the case is the fact that in the whole of New Zealand only two small institutions exist for the technical and scientific training of youth in agriculture. Importance ol Agricultural Education. I have recognised for many years the seriousness of our failure to provide adequate agricultural instruction for our young people and have laboured in my own way to remedy this defect. No doubt this is one reason why I was so deeply interested in Wesley College, for it is making agriculture its main subject, tod, as I have already pointed out, it has all the facilities in its farm and its teaching 6taff to carry on this important work in a most effective manner. From the time that the college was opened at Paerata there has been a great demand for admittance, showing that the public recognises its value. At the present time 120 pupils are on the roll —just about as many as can be accommodated—and the applications are still so numerous that plans have already been prepared 'for buildingß which will hold another, 60 pupils, together with the teaching staff. Out of the 120 pupils at the college about 40 are Maoris or representatives of the Polynesian peoples over whom New Zealand has some control The value of agricultural education to such people is enormous and may have wide* reaching results. If it helped the rising generation of our native race to turn to agriculture and utilise their idle lands the work •of the college would be amply repaid, but there are wider results to be hoped for and expected.