OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

Otago Witness, Issue 2927, 20 April 1910, Page 85

OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS COLUMN

FOR SENIORS AND JUNIORS. IConducted by Magister. to whom all communications must be addressed.) THE TECHNICAL CLASSES AND BLIND ALLEYS. There doesn't seem to be much connection between them, does there ? The heading is suggested by an article that appeared recently in one of the English educational journals.. I should like to reproduce it in whole or in part, but I have too much else on hand just now. Briefly, the article warns parents about allowing their boys and girls to go into employment where the •wages at the beginning are fairly high, but where, in a year or two, the maximum is .reached, and then the wages, age being considered, are low, and the recipients have to remain at low wages, or leave, or are dismissed, and then go to swell the vast army of unskilled labour. Such employment the writer calls "blind alley 'employments," because they lead to nowhere in life's battle and leave so many without vocations—please don't use the word avocations for vocations/ And this is where the Technical School comes in. Join the classes at once and make yourselves more efficient for life work. As I write I have by me the report and prospectus for 1909-10, and in its honours list I see many names of expupils who are already making their way in life. I am glad to see, too, that last year 265 pupils were between the ages of 15 and 17, and ai good many are also over 21. But why are there not hundreds between 17 and 21 ? Didn't George Stevenson, the celebrated railway engineer, go to school when a young man to learn notIbooks? Don't let age keep you away from the classes, and remember that, apart from your personal welfare, the commonwealth and the Empire have a call upon you to use all reasonable effort to'make yourselves efficient units of the great Britannic Federation. It is said that the chief element in Germany's greatness is this: every German is taught to consider Fatherland first and himself after, whereas it is said that a Briton thinks of himself first and his country after Is that so? Whether it ie so or not, you will find that attending technical classes will nay you, in the long run, apart from citizenship or patriotism. ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES FOR APRIL. (By Alpha.) [Two or three weeks ago Dr Benham identified for me a pretty little moth—one of the Tatosomas,- —and at my suggestion "Alpha" has written a note upon this group. Fuller _ particulars, but not so interestingly written, can be got in Hudson's " New Zealand Moths and Butterflies."] " Magister " suggests that I should give a few notes on the genus Tatosoma, it® ha/bits and larvae. The notes on the larvae will not be more .difficult to w.rite than a chapter on snakes in Ireland. There are no snakes in Ireland, and nothing is at present known of the larval stages of the genus Taitosoma. It is possible that Mr G. V. Hudson, who does • bo much good work in following out the

life-histories of our native insects, may be acquainted with the caterpillars of some or all of the species, but as yet he has not published anything' on the subject. The genus Tatosohia is a most peculiar one. Though no closely-related forms occur in New Zealand, there are, according to Mr Meyrick, allied genera in Europe, South America, Ceylon, and Borneo. The nearest genus is that of South America, Rhopalodes. This is by no means the only case in which our moths are seen to have some connection with those of South America—a point of much interest. The most noticeable features of the genus are the smallness of the hind wing in. both sexes, the extreme length of the abdomen in the male, and the curious little fold or pouch oh the inner edge of the hind wing in the same sex. The length of the abdomen is remarkable. In the male it is as long, or longer, than the fore wing—a most unusual occurrence in the Lepidoptera,— recalling the long bodiels of the dragon-flies. But the most peculiar feature is the wing pouch. Part of the inner edge of the hind wing of the male is folded over on itself end forms a little pocket or pouch. No other genus in New Zealand possesses a structure of this kind, and throughout the whole of the order there are but two or three forms which have anything of a similar nature. Tatosomas, though not uncommon, are. owing to their habits, not very often met with. They are strictly nocturnal or crepuscular 'insects, never flying by day unless disturbed, and then losing no time in regaining shelter. Their ordinary flight is of a fluttering, hovering kind, and in conjunction with their unusual form leads to their easy identification when on the wing. At present four species aire recognised, but it is probable that several others remain to be discovered. The bush districts of the west coast of the South Island and the northern parts of the North Island have sofar received very little attention from entomologists, and as Tatosoma is essentially a forest-dwelling genus it" is in these districts that new forms may be expected to be brought to light. A short description of each species follows, which may enable readers to identify any they meet with:—Tatosoma agrionata: Expanse of wing about l£in, bright green, with many irregular wavy black lines crossing wing. Appears from October to March, and frequents ragwort blossom and also many native plants. T, lestevata: Expanse of wing llin; bright green, wings crossed by four distinct black bands. Extremely rare. T. timora: Expanse of wing ljHn; dull brownish green, often tinged with pink. Veins of wings regularly dotted with black. October to June; common at ivy blossom in May. T. topsfta: Expanse of wing almost liin: dull srreen, often with admixture of reddish. Male with broad white mark from upper margin reaching half across . wing. Female with conspicuous double central line. The first three species appear to be generally distributed throughout, New Zealand, but topsea seems to be confined to the southern portion of the South Island.

POETRY BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

"Countryside" wants to know of a good selection of poems for children. This is largely a matter of taste. A volume I have recommended to several is " The Children of the Poets" (3s 6d, I think; Walter Scott, London). It contains some delightful pieces about children. Its sub-title is "An Anthology from English and American Writers of Three Centuries." But as "Countryside" is.a teacher, and probably wants the selections for school use, I should advise getting some of the poetry books issued by the best publishers for schools. The Nelsons publish a very fine series—about 30 —called " A Cycle of Song," at 3d, in cloth, also at 2d', I think, in paper. Each of this series takes a definite subject, and many good poems are given, which are not usually found in collections for school use. I have referred to this series before, so I cannot enter into details now, but any bookseller will give a detailed list. The Macmillans publish several series, among them "The Globe Poetry Books," in three parts—junior, intermediate, and senior—at od each; "The Boy's Book of Poetry" and " The Girl's Book of Poetry," in three similar parts, at 4d each; and "The Globe Poetry Reader for Advanced Classes." cloth bound, at Is 4d. These contain a wide variety suitable for all tastes, and a great many copyright poems. Another series that has given mo much pleasure is " The Excelsior Poetry Books" (published by Oliver and Boyd), seven in number, at 4d each. Given a book for each standard, a large amount of poetry can be given in a school course, and the poems can be more finely graded and a more detailed classification is possible. These series contain many poems not usually, seen in selections. Blackie and Sons have several series among them —" The Model Poetry Books." in three grades, at a penny, twopence, and' sixpence; the "Little Recitation Books," also in three grades, 15 books at a penny each; and "English Poetry for the Young," at a shilling. Two books which I can recommend are " The Call of the Home Land," fitly described as " a collection of English verse, much of it contemporary, designed to illustrate tho extended conception of patriotism that is developing in the national literature both in the Mother Country and in her scattered family of young nations." These are Is 6d each. Then we have the two books, senior and junior. 6d each, nublished by Whitcombe and Tombs. These give a much more limited selection and very little copyright matter, but for teachers who just want to fulfil syllabus conditions they contain more than is needed. The notes, too, at the end. especially of the senior book, are an advantage, and are adapted to local requirements. There is a tendency, however, among young teachers to make notes take the place of wider reading, and to make the lessons stodgy and mechanical. While reading: and recitation are English lessons, the lessons must not be dull. Teachers might well bear in mind the following quoted in one of the Southern Cross poetry books :—" All teaching is English teaching, and every school exercise may be made, and should be made, an English lesson. English is a living language, not a dead one. There it is that its modern masters vary it. and add to it in ways that mark their genius. Pedantic Enelish is not the same teaching as correct English. School-taught English usually errs in the direction of pedantry; it lacks life and virilty. The corrective is to be fouri*dl by bringing the child, early and late, into contact with literature that has character and distinction. Teach him to love this, to return

to it often, and his own spoken and written English will be worthy. "—Nicholas Murray Butler. "■ And with this I shall stop, though I intend again to return to the subject of poetry in schools. NOTES ON CORRESPONDENCE. Last week we had a letter from, Canada and now I have received a letter from G. Aubrey Gow, an Otago School of Mines Associate, who is now domiciled in Sumatra belonging to the Netherlands. He appends his initials to his letter, but doesn't object to his name being given. The letter is unfortunately held over this week, but it will appear next week, because I am sure many of his former associates will be glad to read something from his pen. I hope sincerely that he will set aside a little- of his spare time to describe his environment for us; and he may make sure that his notes will be read with interest.

Mr Gow mentions books. I assume he haa read "The Malay Archipelago," by Wallace; for those who have not let me say it is in Maomillan's Colonial Library at 3s 6d. Darwin's " Journal of a Naturalist During a Voyage Round the World in H.M.S. Beagle " is now nrocurable at 2s 6d net, though with 16 illustrations instead of 100. Perhaps the 100 are in the 3s 6d edition. Several othois of Darwin's John Murray is now publishing at 2s 6d net! At the present time, with India in a sta,te of unrest, " The Revolt in Hindustan, 1857-59" (3s 6d), by Sir Evelyn Wood, F.M., V.C., G.C.8., G.C.M.G.. is interesting, though I do not think he underestimates his work. "The Broken Road" (A. E. W. Mason) and the trilogy, " Captain Desmond" (Is 3d), " The Great Amulet" (Is 3d), and " Candles in the Wind " (3s 6d), by Maud Diver, are worth reading, " The Broken Road" particularly so. . "Set in Authority," "a 6tudy of the relation between the English rulers in India and the educated natives," by Sara Jeannette Duncan, is promised immediately in Nelson's sevenpenny net series; and in. Nelson's shilling net series the same writer hais " The Simple Adventures of «, Memsahib," in which, in a chatty way, she shows her intimacy with Indian, social life. " Eight Days," a graphic story of the mutiny, also appears in the sevenpenny net series. 1 read this with interest when it came out several years ago. and have referred to it before in my notes. " The Life of John Nicholson," in the shilling copyright series, is another very fine book. G. A. G. mentions " David Harum," but how many have read "Our Uncle Lew," which inspired " David Harum," and, to go much further back, " Sam Slick, the Clockmaker " ? Curiously, in a preface to one of the editions of the last, David is regarded as a humorist descended from Sam. A delightful, but slight, book is " The Second Mrs Jim," extracts from which I purpose giving my young readers this winter. Jack London's earlier books dealing with Klondyke life are really good though not always reading for children. " The Silent Places" is a powerful book describing the pursuit of an Indian who had defrauded the Hudson Bay Company by two men told off <to run him down. The terrors of a severe winter, in the great expanses of an Arctic silence are vividly described. "The Blazed Trail" can now be obtained for sixpence. Some of these are not new. "David Harum" is also a sixpenny book now, and " Old Gorgon Graham" is cloth bound in Nelson's sevenpenny net series. And that reminds me that the vials of wrath have recently been, poured upon the Minister for Education because he has cut off the £3OOO subsidy to country libraries. It was a shabby thing to do, because country libraries should be by year. But I have a " but." ' The expenditure should not be upon eohemeral literature, and I a.m almost inclined to add, any literature that can be purchased for a few pence; but should be upon the dearer books which the average working man cannot afford to buy. Shall I gave one or two of my ideas upon country libraries? First, I should like to see every school an. intellectual centre, and in each school a school library and a district libnary. The school library »e,bould be under the absolute control of the teacher and subsidised bv the Education Board ; and the district library under the control of a committee elected by the district, as is supposed to be the case at present, and subsidised by the Government. But this is opening up a question to which I must ftive more space, and thiat I cannot give at present, so I shall shut of with "To be continued," if possible, in our next, when I shall give my reasons why the conditions governing subsidies to country libraries should be revised.

But that is all I shall say about the letter just now. I wonder would it be possible, though, to have for these columns a staff of honorary correspondents representing all parte of the world which the Times and the Witness reach.

I am much obliged t-o Mr Morris (Catlins) for his astronomical—or, should I say, luna.r?—note. _ It seems I was right, from an ordinary time point of view, but that, astronomically, the time given in the shipping columns of the Otago Daily Times was right too. To those interested in astronomical matters Mr Morris's details will be of great assistance. A beetle sent to me—from Portobello, I think—l'll try to get a note upon next week.

" Rubina " sends m© an exercise full of Nature Notes. I wish " Rubina " had sent them week by -week, for then I could have made use of them; as it is I cannot very well do so, but I'll try. There are msmy good things in them, and it is a pity they were not published at the time. CORRESPONDENCE. March 28. Dear "Magister,"—Your statement in re full moon is correct —namely, 26, 7.51 a.m., not 26, 8.51 p.m. The latter time would correspond nearly to the meridian passage 172.30 on that date of the moon's age. I say " nearly," because none of the above statements are absolutely correct —only relatively. The following abstract of facts in connection, with this subject may be of some interest to a good many of your readers. It will be seen that in addition to the correction due to the difference of longitude, another correction is due to the fact that the moon is a moving body—that she moves from W. to E. Now, suppose the moon to be a fixture ( which she is not), at 172.30 the N.Z. standard meridian, it would take the Greenwich meridian llh 39m to reach the moon's meridian, and if she moved further to the east (whioh she does), it would take proportionately longer than, llh 30m, but the meridian

172.30 E. is not the standard of calculation, but Greenwich is, and, consequently, the converse of the above, ment must be taken, and in that case full moon at 172.30 will take place sooner than llh 30m by a number of minutes called the daily variation. The nearer the earth to the sun the greater is the sun's power to diminsh the earth's sway on the moon, and consequently the more slowly does ,the moon move. Now, the earth is in perihelion in December and January, and in aphelion in June and July. Consequently the lunar month, as measured by terrestrial days, is longer in December and January than in June and July, because the moon is moving more slowly at the former period, she being then much nearer the sun, and consequently more perturbed then than she is in June or July, when the attractive force is diminished by distance. Another factor in determining the length of the lunar month is this: When the moon is perturbed by the sun she travels in a wider orbit. I would like to point out while on this subject that the correction for difference of longitude—in this case 11.30—is not sufficient, and another correction (especially when far east or far west) called the daily variation, must be made. Although the earth is a moving body, yet the moon is not stationary. Now, as the moon is constantly advancing to the eastwards in the heavens, she passes any meridian to the eastward of Greenwich sooner in the day, or a meridian to the westward later in the day, than she does that of Greenwich, by a certain number of minutes, which is to the daily variation as the longitude of the place.is to 360 deg. This daily variation of the moon's passage (over the meridian) has been defined as "the excess of time above 24 hours that elapses till her return to the same meridian.'-'

In calculating the time of high water this daily variation cannot be treated as a negligible quantity, and 1 the method laid down for applying the correction is very

simple: Take out the daily variation front ; v of the Nautical Almanac. Then,, at minute will be subtracted from the calculation when the longitude <s east, and added to the calculation if the longitude is west., The writer's method is to add to or subtract from the longitude turned into time before applying the correction to the moon a age at Greenwich meridian. Now. as the variation is not given in the Nautical Almanac, we must find it. Suppose the meridian of the place is east of Greenwich, take note of the moon's passage over the Greenwich meridiar (from p. iv, N.A.) on the given date, also for the preceding day, andi the difference is the daily variation. Thenstate the proportion-sum as above. Suppose the meridian of the place is west of Greenwich, then take note of the moon's passage over the Greenwich meridian (from p. iv, N.A.) on the given date, also for the succeeding day; the difference .will be the daily variation. Then state your proportion sum as above. Or you can get the number of minutes from a table in any set of mathematical tables by looking for the place where the daily variation columr intersects the longitude column. Jas. F. Moeeis, Sen. Tawanui, Catlins.