INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24716, 19 September 1941, Page 8

INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION ADDRESS BY DR HERCUS The Dunedin North intermediate School Parents’ Association held its monthly meeting on Monday night, when Dr Hercus. dean of the medical faculty of Otago University, addressed a large gathering of parents Mr A. Paterson presided. Dr Hercus had many interesting and instructive thoughts to place before parents regarding the health of their children. Health, he said, was a wellbalanced individuality, health and happiness going together. The school could and did do its part, and in a greater degree now than in former vears. when many of its theories were not backed up by practice. But the approach must be through the home. There was no royal road to health. It was more a case of obeying simple health rules. First, there should be a happv joyous atmosphere in the home; plenty of rest and tranquillity (in this respect the constant noise of the radio was deplored) and a varied and balanced diet. Dr Hercus spoke of the departures from health most common in New Zealand childern and showed how these could be counteracted, to a great extent. The ' house controlled the world, and the new world could be only as individuals worked for it. He also spoke of community centres which he had visited on his world tour and visualised the Dunedin North School as such a centre in the district —a social , centre with library, health centre, and sports centre; a centre where instructive demonstrations could be held. Why should it close its doors at 4 o'clock? he. asked,- Why not children during the day and, adolescents and adults in the evenings? There were big fields ahead which could only bo developed as each one realised the need for more beauty in their lives and in the lives of their children and more fullv understood the importance of living.

A hearty vote of thanks, proposed by Mr W, P. Birchall. was carried

Mr. D. Forsyth, principal of the school, briefly addressed the meeting find expressed the hope that that would be the forerunner of many such gatherings which, he felt sure, would be helpful to all parents who had the best interests of them children at heart. He urged parents to attend the monthly meetings of the association