EDUCATION OF GIRLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19859, 1 February 1928, Page 7

EDUCATION OF GIRLS.

" AGE OF FLAPPERDOM.'" SIR JAMES PARR'S VIEWS. Sir J»mes and Lady Parr paid a visit to Downs School, Seaford, on a recent Saturday, the occasion being the opening of a naw hall. The High Comissioner's two young daughters have been attending this school since their arrival in England. Miss Cameron (the principal of the school), after introducing Sir James Parr, referred to the subject of the franchise. Civilisation was on trial, she said. If the work of reconstructing our national life was to be carried through by girls, they must take their education from the beginning seriously and think of them as they did oi' boys, as future citizens. That was what the Downs School was trying in a modest way to do. If the franchise was to be given to girls of 21, they must see that those girls were not what was known as "flappers." In the course of his speech, the High Commissioner sftid the schools were the nursery of our great. Empire. "As your schools are, and as is the teaching today," he said, "so, largely, to-morrow, will your Empire be. Whether we shall fail cravenly in holding, and keeping developed, as Alnighty God intended w»3 should, our heritage of Empire, covering a quarter the space of the globe, and with a quarter of the people of the globe, or whether we sha!;l be worthy of that prize, believe me, depends largely upon the tone and attitude oil, and the instruction given in, the schools of the Empire today." It was a wonderful thing that, throughout the Empire, scattered all over the world in various countries they were all pursuing the same ideals of British education. The schools were the mosi important factor in binding this great Commonwealth of Nations together. By contributing to the ideals of public service, and by doing something for their King and Empire, their school was contributing to the great work of Empire building. Sir Jaincs remarked on the great change which had come about in nhe last fifty years iu regard to the education of girls.' Our schools to-day were giving cornea as liberal an education as was g;iven to boys, and rightly so. It was of as much importance to the nation and to the individual that Jane should have as good an education as Jack. Referring to the "flapper" vote, Sir James said he noticed that in England v the age of flapperdom was carried rather later than in New Zealand. In his country it finished at 17 or 18, but he understood that in England it was carried up to 21 or 23. "I have little fear," he said, "if women are given thj vote at (.' 21. My experience is that the averago girl of 21 or 25 is a much steadier being than the average boy of that age. I think \ the average girl, particularly the girl in employment, dislikes more than mfn do, the ideas of rough, unjustified, revolutionary change. I don t know that Mr. Baldwin is so far astray iiv giving these girls the vote."