NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20086, 25 October 1928, Page 12

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

HEADY-MADE PLEASURES. "Wo livo largely by providing for one another's holidays," said Dr. L. P. Jacks, j Principal of Manchester College, Oxford, in an address recently. He observed that three-quarters of the things displayed in shops were luxuries for tho leisure part of modern life. "Leisure is increasing. There is much more than there used to be, and there will l>e more than now." he continued. "How is it going to be spent? Broadly there arc only two ways —playing the fool or playing tho man. Playing tho fool, which is a poor kinrj of game at the best, means that we suffer ourselves to be led by the nose this way and that by the offer of pleasures that arc put up for sale. Playing the man means that we create our pleasures for ourselves by exercising the skill for which we were created. No man or woman ought to he considered educated until ho or she has reached a stage of skilful perfurmanco along one or other of the endless lines of activity where skill is possible. Tho greatest social danger confronting us to-dav is the growth of a, vast multitude of people in all classes of society with no skill they can exercise for either their own enjoyment or other people's benefit, but with plenty of leisuro at their disposal and with plenty of money in their pockets for the purchase of ready-made pleasures." REGULATING AIR TRAFFIC. Instances of private aeroplanes falling into private property have led to a discussion in England of tho need fer regulation of civil aviation. English law already assures the freedom of tho air to aviators, subject to prohibitions of dangerous flying, imperilling persons or property. "A good many of us arc beginning to realise that aeroplanes, which we used to regard as rate, remote and rather interesting visitants, can bo. both annoying and alarming," says the Evening Standard. "The noise they create is more shattering than that of any motor vehicle, and no motor vehicle ever threatens to carry away one's chimneypots or to drop a ton or so of metal and flaming petrol on one's roof. The property owner has a genuine grievance against this menace, and means must bo found to protect him. The air has become as important to the community as any public highway, and it must bo taken away from private ownership. We must control the annoyance caused by aeroplanes. The excessive noise and dangerously low living must be dealt with on the sumo general principles as other nuisances, though no doubt special methods will bo necessary. And the sooner we begin to consider what special methods will be required, tho better it will be, both for tho progress of aviation and for the public at large." THE EXAMINATION SYSTEM. "I believe, though tho time is not yet, that the right courso will bo to! abolish all external examination for the average boy and girl, (hough leaving it as the avenue to tho universities and the professions," said Dr. Cyril Norwood, headmaster of Harrow School, at. the British Association meeting. "In the easy of the average boy and girl the properly inspected and efficient school will issue its own certificate that A or j 15 lias attended for four or six years as tho case may be, and has reached a satisfactory level of performance. Tho power to make such an award implies a high standard of professional honour, and perhaps a higher lovel of efficiency than yet exists, but it would enablo the schools to teach a pupil what ho could learn, to teach him in tho right way, and not drive him in the wrong way to a wrong standard." Roforring to (ho great number of candidates for school certificates in Britain, and the magnitude of tho examination work, Dr. Norwood said tlio in pro size and complication of tho examination system will tend to break it down. "Certainly Hie question will bccomo acute, whether so great an effort will bo repaid by any advantage which can accruo from (ho issue of (ens of thousands of certificates each year, certificates which stato that tho holders liavo in effect reached a very moderato standard of knowledge, such as you might expect from an averago person of their years. Would not tho issuo of a similar statement by a. responsible school havo » precisely eqnal value?"