EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 78

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE

ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the Otago Branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was opened on May 31 at the Technical School. Mr 0. D. Elamank (president) was in the chair, ind there were about 50 members present. Mr W. S. Fitzgerald and Miss MacGeorgc <v>r-e cordially vsvleumed to the meeting, and among the apologies reoeived for absence was one from Chief Inspector Goyen. THE LATE KINO. The president said it was fitting that the institute should record its deep sympathy with the members of the Royal Family in their bereavement by the death of King Edward VII. He moved, and Mr W. Davidson seconded —"That this Educational Institute, in annual meeting assembled, record its deep sorrow at the loss which the Empire has sustained at the death of its beloved Sovereign, Edward VII, and express its hi-artfelt sympathy with the the Queen Mother and, the other members of the Royal Family in their bereavement. The motion, was carried by all the ruara»eis of the institute standing. PRESIDENTIAL ADDBESS. Mr T. Begg then took the chair, while Mr Flamank read his presidential address, which was on the subject of "Moral Training" In the course, of his address the President said:—When we take into consideration the so-called aavantages we now passes, we are unwillingly forced to the conclusion that, in many instances, there is an alarming degeneracy in the quality of the home training of the present day. The causes of such degeneracy are, I take it, to be found in the Ml* ereased bustle of life arising out of the demands of modern civilisation, in the keenness of the struggle for existence, in the amount of labour and time expended in the production of material to supply the artificial tastes and created wants of the times, in the inordinate love of amusement and ■port, in the difficulty of procuring suitable domestic helps, and in the demands of the etiquette of much of our modern society. Surely, in the interests of ourselves and our children, there is need for a return to the simpler life. There w no time for home training nowadays. Hardworking parents of large families who have not the means to afford help even if they could obtain it deserve our deepest sympathy. And yet it is in such homes where many children, through the very force of circumstances, perform those little deeds ot krte and self-sacrifice which form the basis of noble character. On the other hand, no sympathy whatever can be extended to many parents who, though in a position to secure domestic help, often regard children as a hindrance to their social life, and their companionship as something to be tolerated rather than enjoyed.. The chief fault in ♦he home-training of to-day is the lack ot parental control. Unquestioning obedience, whether voluntary or involuntary, must be the rule of life from earliest childhood until a man becomes master of his own business. Otherwise all business would soon be at an end and utter chaos the result. Obedience soon becomes a habit, and in the interests of the child it should bo insisted upon from the very earliest stages. But what do we find in many homes to-day? Bribery is rampant. The child is bribed $o carry out its parents' wishes, and this is Wiled obedience. Young children are bribed with sweets and older ones with pennies until they look for payment ot same kind or other as the reward of good behaviour or of duty. The moral effect ©f such a practice is pernicious. It establishes a fake relationship between parent and child; self-indulgence, and not love, beoomes the mainspring of obedience; respect for those in authority vanishes; the will is enfeebled; and when temptation crosses the child's path he invariably succumbs to it. We often hear parents say, "I have never required to punish my children.' Ihere iTno need to tell us that: we recognise them the very first day they enter school. We might retort by saying to the parent, '•We have known of numbers of children who never needed corporal punishment at school; but yours were not among them. Cniidien who did not require punishment were not to be found in the time of Solomon or of Plato; they are the product of the present age, which mistakes indulgence forloudness. In years to come the punishment wfll probably fall upon the parents themselves in the form of many bitter heartaches over ruined lives. Too often then, the child leally rules the home He is pampered and indulged untd he has insufficient backbone to do anything that does not appeal to his sense ot enjoyment: his will is subservient to bis passions; he is wanting in obedience and respect; and he is allowed to stand, open-mouthed, drinking in the conversatwns of his elders, every now and then interjecting his own opinions on the merits of the case under discussion. Such onil-dfen-na-nd, unfortunately, they are not a. few—enter our schools not only without any moral bias, but often with an immoral ■ one, and the'teacher's energies are directed more to the correction of evil habits than to the continued: cultivation of good ones. ,We can do but little to influence the home environment of the child; and yet no one knows better than the teacher does how much his work is hindered and made dimcult by habits .contracted during the earliefet years of the child's life Such a child leaves school to take his place in the world, and if a life of shame and degradation follows it is because the restraint he has exercised during his school career has been •the result of fear, and not of habit._ lie enters the battle of life with an imperfectly controlled and regulated will, and again becomes the slave of his old habits in an exaggerated form. Truly ' the child is father to the man." On the other hand, many of our children receive a healthy and •judicious moral 'training throughout the earliest years of their home life. They pass through the school shedding a sweet refining influence upon the lives of their playmates; -they raise the moral tone of the ' whole school; they render the teacher's work less irksome; and they finally pass put of the school to grow up a credit to their home and their country, and' to cherish the fondest memories of their home life. We, as teachers, can say from the bottom of our hearts: " Thank God for the of good homes, for without such fluence a teacher's life would be intolerable." Were it not for the moral support we receive from the best types of our jscnior boys and girls I, for one. would throw up +ho mdiing profession tomorrow. Thrift is a virtue ana yet f.io

lack of thrift among our children is deplorable. Repeated indulgence with sweets has strengthened, if it lias not created, tastes, the means o? satisfying which can ba procured only with money. Is it to be wondered" at that when a child honestly earns a penny he cannot rest until he has spent it on souie trash or other which helps to ruin both his teeth and his digestive organs? Experience proves, however, that the worst leature lies in the fact that, ospuially where money is carelessly leit v -ithiu tho reach of children, disiionetft it cans arc often adopted to obtain it. Savings bunks encourage thrift among children, but I venture to say that the arrcunt deposited therein—even after allowing a good margin for profitable expenditure —is only a very small fraction ot the amount that is worse than wasted on »onie form or other of indulgence. There can be no question that the home is the place where the child e.houid receive his moral and religious bias, i use the word Tell gious" fullv aware of the fact that great moral truths are found in books other than the Bible; but it is no doubt owing to my own home training that I am unable to separate moral from religious instruction. The religion of the Bible has done more for" the moral uplifting of humanity than all other religions in this world put together. And yet no one' who comes in tkily contact with the young, dare deny that the children of this fair land are not growing up without a knowledge of the Bible and the truths which it Antains. It is to meat this deficiency in the home life that the outcry has arisen for the introduction of the Bible into our public schools. Those who have a place for the Bible in their homes and who themselves guard carefully the moral and religious instruction of their children do not support the agitation in the interests of their own children. They have no need to <xo so. They support it because they recognise that rcsny people, either through lack of time or through a feeling of unworthiness on their own part, neglect the religious instruction of their children. With their motives we' all have the fullest sympathy, though we may not see eye to eye with regard to the means our friends propose to adopt in order to secure religious instruction. I offer no apology lor referring to such debatable matter. In morality, as in all else, a standard must be adopted to which to work, and the highest standard of morality is to be found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. If the highest moral training must be founded on religious instruction, then the importance of the issue demands that such instruction shall be given, and if it can be conclusively proved that the best means of attaining that end is by making religious instruction compulsory in our public schools, then that course should be adopted, even at the risk of curtailing the present syllabus and throwing open the door to denominational teaching. The end would justify the means. I am perfectly satisfied, however, that the end we all have in view would net be best served by such a step. The- efficiency of all teaching, religious or otherwise, will ever depend upon the matter presented, the manner in which it is presented, and the personality of the teacher; not upon the time when, and the place where, such instruction is given. For these very reasons, then, the religious instruction, of the young should be in the hands of gifted men and women specially trained for such work. No matter which course we adopt, unpalatable though the truth may be, we cannot escape from our responsibility as parents. If we applied to ourselves that teaching which we are so anxious to see imparted to our children, the religious and moral instruction of the young would be in safe-keeping. But if a child grows up immoral through lack of religious principles, it is not the teacher, not the minister, not the exclusion of the Bible from our public schools that is to blame; the blame lies at the door of the parent who excludes the Bible from his home, and who makes no attempt to set before his children a pattern of the great Teacher. In spite of the best home training, many of our youth will continue to wander from the " paths of virtue. Nevertheless, the old proverb, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it," is in the majority of cases as true to-day as ever it was, and the exceptions to the rule do not justify its neglect. In our public schools we have many teachers than whom none could be better fitted to give religious instruction; but for many .reasons which I heed not here enumerate it is inadvisable "to delegate to our teachers the responsibility of imparting such instruction. Who, then, if the parent neglects his duty, are the best fitted for religious teachers? The ministers of our churches should 'be, and undoubtedly are. They have received' special training for such work, and are appointed to their positions in virtue of their special fitness as religious instructors. Many of cur ministers at present undertake such work at much inconvenience to themselves, and they deserve, and I am sure they receive, cur heartiest commendation and support. Ministers are universally recognised as the spiritual guardians of the young, and they have on that account access to the homes and the freedom to exercise an influence which would often be regarded as interference and impertinence on the part of the teacher. - They are, moreover, teaching their congregations of the future, and if they once gain the confidence of and retain their hold upon the young they will in all probability secure their attendar.ee at > church and Sunday school, and by so doing they are enabled to act as the moral and religious guardians of the children long after they have passed from the control of the teacher. Again, the visiting mini/lor is always seen at his best; he has not to stand criticism for fivo hours at a stretch, and he is as a rule immune from disparaging remarks in the presence of children. The very fact of his presence as a comparative stranger to them is a powerful stimulus to increased attention. Taking all the circumstances into consideration, I am convinced that the avenues at present existing for religious instruction, if taken ful) advantage of, provide the best means of obtaining what we all desire. The difficulty in the way of the voluntary method no doubt lies in the fact that so few men are available for the work. But once we are satisfied of its importance, the test of our sincerity lies in whether or not we are willing to put our hands in our pockets and pay for the maintaining of the most suitable men available. I have often wondered if we make the best possible use of our senior children as powerful factors in influencing the moral tone of our school;. It seems to me that a great amount of power for good is going to wests. Ilow that power can best be

made effective has often cost me a. deal of thought, but up to the present I have contented myself with working through the individual. If, however, a school society could be organised somewhat on the following lines, it would, especially in the larger schools, be productive of a vast amount of good. The qualification for membership should be rrood n;oral conduct in all the affairs of school life. Members should, on initiation, pledge themselves to refrain from all dishonest and deceitful actions, to be clean and tidy in their habits, to assist the teacher in everything that tends to the moral welfare of • the children, to be punctual in attendance, to be true to their God and loyal to their King. Officers ahc-uld be elected and meetings held at least once a month. Minutes should be kept and the children encouraged to read short, selected stories or original paoers on some moral theme Debates might be held occasionally. Such a society ■would strengthen the bond of sympathy between teacher and pupil, it would create a greater interest in the school life, it would impress upon the children their responsibility for the' -welfare of others, it would have a restraining influence upon their own evil habits, and it would form ■». health v meant* of civic instruction. If this institute deems the proposal worthy of any serious consideration, it would, perhaps, be well to set up a committee to go into the matter and report at a latei' session. The ability to withstand, fomr.tation depends largely upon strength of will, and yet the cultivation of the will decs not receive the attention in school that it deserves. Is not the tendency among; school children of te-dav to say, "I csn't" rather than "T will." The fault" is not the teacher's. Tf th<=, present, curriculum were spread over sev?n standard? Iwrertd of six, mechanical accuracy in arithmetic insisted on in place of so many problems, and the school sere raised to 15 years, there would be more time at the disposal of the teacher to say. "You must." But at present teachers are compelled through force of circumstances to show children what bv'their own efforts they should be left to discover. The result is miechflvioas t for many children give in too easily »nd experience nothing of the nleasnrable sensotlOß. of reliance in their own rtcwers. When a child leaves school and iJKf'.riG to ■r'.n.rn his own living he is into ck-se touch with other boys, and upon the comp'ani on ships he then forms depend? to a great extent his own good and his influence for good upon those aronnd_ him. The parent mav influence -his choice of comoanions when his daily work h finished, but he has not the cbofiing of his associates during working hours. This is a. most anxious time for parents until they see tl>eir boys and girls fairly established in the right path. And what, think you, is the evil that, pure-minded parents most dread? It may be summed up in the one word— Immirity. "Forewarned is forearmed," and yet even the wisest parents, often allow their children to <go out into the world without the slightest knowledgeof the many pitfalls in their paths: and in the vast majority of eases it is the ignorance of the baneful effects of their secret actions that leads to tHeir moral ruin. An eminent writer has said: " If parents do not teach their children what is right others will teach tJhem what is wrong. Schools of instruction are numerous. The question is not wether it is better for the child to know or not to know; but the question is wether it is better to know things right or to know them> wrong; whether certain facts should be imparted purely by parents or revealed in secret , by evil companions; whether the. moral teaching should be the wholesome teaching of the home or the tainted teaching of the streets." Principal Curtis, head of a school for boys in Brookfield, America, says, inter alia." What can be more natural than the innocent questionings of a child in, the face of the familiar phenomena of animal lif-o ? Can you check these inquiring tendencies? * Suppose you do. What next? A mystery has been thrown around the matter which renders it additionally attractive. There is nothing in the world half so powerful as right knowledge to suppress impurity of thought, word, and deed. Whoever is responsible for the training of children, and is unwilling to instruct them about the meanifag and the sacred relations of sex, take up an untenable position, for he practicaly confesses that ignorance is better than knowledge." Principal Curtis gives all his boys personal instruction in such matters, and he &ays that ho finds no inherent difficulty in dealing .with them. He' mentions one. result that' is significant. He says, "The boys are amenable to the control of women through a real courtesy and chivalry that cannot fail to impress one. In their faces, in their bearing, and in their confident ways before us, will be found convincing proof that too strong a claim has not been made out for the value of such teaching in, a child's life." The Scout movement for boye and girls, if properly conducted, should prove an excellent means for moral training. This movement, like all others, depends for its success on the type of young men and women selected to act as leaders. If strict discipline is maintained, and the Scouts endeavour to carry out to the best of their ability the vows they take* on joining, they will be all the better for the efforts put forth even though they often fail to reach their ideal. The movement will be productive of some good if it dees nothing more than take our boys and girls off the street and turn their thoughts to something more ennobling than congregating at football matches —seemingly for the sole purpose of training their lungs and making themselves obnoxious to all lovers of true sport. Men cannot be made moral by legislation, but there is much truth in the words, " How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done." We admire the strong man who can keep himself unspotted from the evils which are in the world, and if the world were peopled by men and women of perfect moral character, < the evils which now exist would soon languish and die. But such will never be; hence, for the sake of the great masses of humanity who suffer through the weaknesses of those connected with them, the only course is to legislate out of existence all that facilitates immoralitv. Those who have had the widest experience in dealing with youthful criminals contend that it is the street life of children after dark that leads to a great amount of immoralityXThe people of the United States are wide awake to this fact, and are makiner strenuous efforts to eradicate the evil. What is known, as the "curfew law" has been established in over 5000 cities in the States, inclusive of such cities as San

Francisco, I.os Angeles, Indianapolis, Richmond, St. Louis, Kansas City, St. Paul, Buffalo, and Minneapolis. A curfew bell is rung at 8 p.m. in winter, and at 9 p.m. in summer to warn all youths under 16 years of age off the streets unless accompanied by guardians. The first violation of the law leads to the child being taken home and the parents warned. For the second offence the parent is fined ; and if it can be shown that the child is beyond the control of the parents, he is removed to a reformatory institution. The testimony of public men, is almost unanimously favourable in support of the system, and the official returns from New York show that the. number of arrests among children for crime has decreased by 60 to 75 per cent. It is probable that steps will shortly be taken to bring the system into prominence in our own city. A love of sport for its own sake is praiseworthy. But it is feared that, in the case of horse racing, at any rate, the great majority of those Who frequent our race meetings do so, not from a love of clean, healthy sport, but for the facilities they offer for legalised gambling. The gambling spirit is undermining the characters of many of our youths. Can it be said that the peope of this Dominion, have at heart the moral welfare of their youth if they cease to demand the abolition of the totalisator? The totalisator and the bookmaker render the downward path of vice more easy, and the sooner the one is aboliheed and the other consigned to oblivion the better for all concerned. Of course part of the revenue of the Dominion is derived from such a source, but is it possible to assess moral worth in £ a d. The habit of intemperance and cigarette smoking, which arc sapping the colour, the health, the manliness, and the mental alertness of our boye, and which lead to their physical and moral downfall cry aloud for redress. I need not dwell upon them for their evil effects arc obvious to the least observing minds. Revenue must be derived from somewhere, but for the sake of our youth let it be derived from untainted sources, so that we may look the whole world in the face with the conscious pride that we are not ashamed to pay- honestly for the many privileges we now enjoy May our youth never be in sxich a position that, as they gaze on the reeling drunkard in, the street, or the i-uined gambler from the prison cell, they will be forced to contemplate that these unfortunate victims of legalised practises have, by their own indulgences, indirecth' contributed largely to the cost of an education system of which we are all so proud. In conclusion, I commend to your careful consideration the aims and objects of " The Eugenic and Moral Education Society," which it is proposed to establish in Dunedin. The movement is receiving the heartiest support of many of our leading citiasms, and the matter will be brought more fully under your notice at a later session, In order that the growth of immorality may be checked, I plead with parents for a more serious recognition of their sacred responsibilities. Devote more time to your children, make the home life more attractive than that of the street, inculcate respect, obedience, reverence, and virtue from the very earliest years, and, as you value the souls of your children, incur _ not the risk of allowing-them to obtain from immoral sources that information which it is your own sacred privilege to impart. With all who have at heart the highest welfare of the young, and who. perhaps, owe all that they are and hope to be to the fact that in their youth they have been mor-3 favourably . circumstanced than many of their less fortunate brethren, I plead for a never-ceasing warfare against the many evils besetting the paths of our boy© and girls. And what shall I say of ourselves? As teachers, we require great tact, skill, and patience, to enable us to deal aright with those placed under our charge, ami no doubt we often fail to achieve what we aim at, partly because of our own unworhhimess, and partly because of environing circumstances. Often, too, we receive little support and sympathy from those whose kindly words of encouragement would do much to cheer us> in our high calling. But whether we die in harness or live to enjoy a few years of wellearned rest, may it be said of us all that we have striven to the best of our ability to lead the young in the paths of righteoivsness and truth, not only by our teaching, but by our exemplary lives. Fame, in its popular and meanest sense, may not be ours. Our chief aim, however, is not to turn out brilliant scholars, but to leave behind us monuments in the form of noble characters. We may do both, and if we do so our lives will not have been lived in vain, for in years to come many _ will have cause to thank God for the privilege of having been placed under the control of teachers whose most zealous care was to guide their erring footsteps along the path of all that was right and true and noble. At the conclusion of the address congratulatory remarks and some comment were passed, and a hearty vote of thanks was moved to Mr Flamank. Mr Fitzgerald said the paper had been a treat to him, and he had enjoyed it thoroughly. He thought it was a pity that they should at that time debate _ the president's address. It had been decided in the past that such a paper should not be discussed, as any important point brought up by the president, not qiite in accordance with the views of members, could be brought, before the institute at a later session and fully debated; notice being given to all concerned. He fa.ncied that to debate it would do away with a great deal of the effect the paper would have upon them. He thanked Mr Flamank for the pleasure he had given' him. The motion was carried. Mr Flamank said he knew he had introduced debateable matter; and had* done so purposely. He knew that members would not agree with him in everything, and ho iioped the matter would not stop where it was. It was time they turned their attention to the moral training of the children. Annual repobt and balance sheet. The following is the annual report presented : "The membership of the Institute at last annual meeting was 284-, and the present membership is 297 —a nett increase of 13 for the year. As yet no nominations have been received for district officers, but the date for receiving nominations has not yet expired. If n<J nomination? come to hand, the officers will be •elected at the first session of the annual meeting." The President moved the adoption of the report, and this was seconded by Mr Begg. Mr Hilgendorf pointed out that there

T was no reference in. the report to the fate of resolutions carried at last annual meeting.

Mr Eudey drew attention to the fact that it had been the habit of delegates report on, what had been done, and he thought it might be revived. Mr Davidson, in speaking to the report, said they had reason to complain 1 about the attitude taken by many of the teachers in Otago as to the institute. He thought the teacher who was not a member was. guilty of base ingratitude. If teachers only thought of tho benefits they received through the Otago and the. New Zealand Institute they would see that by remaining outside them they were guilty of basa ingratitude. They complacently took the beirefits and stood on one side, and did not even pay their subscription. Mr Jeffery pointed out that there were 297 members, and about 60 or 70 were present. The attendance was anyth:ng but what it should be. The report was adopted. Mr Phillipps presented the interim balance sheet, and explained that the finarrcial year did not" end' till June 30. The subscriptions amounted to £l3l 10s 6d, which, with the balance from last year, £7l 5s 2d, gave a.n income of £202 15s Bd. The expenditure had been £l3l 4s 3d, and the balance left was £7l lis sd. The liabilities were about £27. and the arrears of subscriptions were nearly £37. Mr Phillipps moved that the balance sheet at the end of the financial year be sent to the committee of management for adoption, and this was carried. OFFICE-BEARERS. The election of office-bearers resulted as under: —President, Mr T. Begg; vice-presi-dents, Messrs F. Hilgendorf, and H. Jones; secretary and treasurer, Mr W. Phillipps; ■ librarian, Mr A. Mathews; and auditor, Mr I A. Davidson. GENERAL. It was mentioned that both Professor. Malcolm and Professor. Gilroy had written regretting that they found it inconvenient : to address the institute at the present time. I PAPER AND CARDBOARD WORK. ; On the session resuming at 2 p.m., Mr i W. M'Elvea, 8.E., gave an address on< papev cardboard work, during the progress of which he dealt with a complete course of work from the infants' department to the VI Standard, showing the correlation of the work with a study of arithmetic. drawing, mensuration, designing, and language. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr I M'Elrea at the close of his address. DEATH OF A TEACHER. The president said he deeply regretted to have to state that he had'just heard ! of the death of Mr Young-, headmaster of the Caversham School. Mr Young had, he understood, been away for a holiday, and he had die'd, but whether through an accident or not he could not say, somewhere in the Waipahi district—(a member: Kelso). He had known Mr Young as a very genial man, and the deepest regret would be felt at his death. He thouehfc the least they could do was to send "an expression of sympathy to Mrs Young, and suggested that they should send a telegram to Mrs Young before the Telegraph <&ice closed. This was agreed to, and shortly after 4 p.m. the institute adjourned as a mark of respect to deceased. SECOND DAY, JUNE 1. The Otago Branch of the Educational institute of New Zealand resumed its annual sittings on Wednesday morning, Mr O. D. Flamank presiding. The Rev. P. B. Fraser attended, and was made welcome. j It was resolved, on the motion of Mr I Mathews, to forward to Mr G. C. Israel ! a letter of condolence with him at the : recent loss of his wife, the mover refer- ; ring to the good service which Mr Israel i had done for teachers since he had been a member of the Education Board. , MEDICAL EXAMINATION. I The discussion of Mr Barnett's motion ! as to the advisableness of school children I being examined by medical experts was ! continued. | The word "advisable" was deleted from the motion, and <he word "urgent" inserted in its place. The motion, as amended, was carried unanimously. AN ALLOWANCE. Mr Barnett moved :—" That the sum of 5s be allowed for accommodation in Dunedin to any member of the Committee of | Management living at such a distance from this city as to prevent his coming and going in one day to a meeting of the committee." Mr Phillipps (secretary) said that the funds would not stand the allowance being I made. The second class railway fare was already paid. If the motion was carried it would mean paying eight members. Mr Jeffery said that any money spenj on bringing country teachers into touch with town life and town teachers was money well spent. They should get teachers to take a broad-minded view of things, and get away from the pounds, shillings, and pence question whenever it was brought U P- . . , The motion was carried. RACE CULTURE. Mr Eudey moved: —"That this institute recommends its members to give their heartiest support to the aims of the Eugenic Education Society." The name itself, he said, was new, but the idea was not a new one. It simply meant the science of race culture. They should deal with it from two standpoints—the moral and material standpoint. The aims of the society when ifc started in Dunedin would be: —(1) The study of (a) eugenics (or race culture), (b) The great moral needs of the young of our community. (2) To secure and disseminate (with the greatest discretion) literature cal< eulated to meet the need of—(a) the young, (b) those interested in, the welfare of the young, (c) those interested in the science of eugenics. (3) To consider the desirability of securing legislation with regard to the chief sources of evil among the young, especially these —(a) the presence on the streets of young! people under 16 years of age (unprotected) at a late hour of the night; (b) the oobm ducting of public dancing clubs ("shilling! hops"); (c) the publication of "penny dreadfuls" and other literature specially prejudicial to the youthful mind; (d) the sale of cigarettes to boys of tender years.' (4) To consider means of occupation for the leisure hours of the young. Miss Macgeorge, who was given the opportunity ot addressing the meeting, said that since she had started the work of establishing the society he<re she had been ama»ed at" the amount of public sympathy she had received. There was no doubt that the: ! public mind was ripe for this work being taken: in. hand. A public meeting would be held as soon as they got a medical mam

to take the position of president. They were going to have a very warm supporter in the Hon. Dr Findlay. The motion was carried. CLASSIFICATION FOB 'PROMOTION. Mr Phillipps moved —" That H;he Education Board be asked to classify teachers for promotion, and that a committee of the institute be appointed to consider asuitable scheme of classification." He said that a considerable amount of dissatisfaction existed with the present method of choosing teachers for promotion. Mr Tyndall seconded the motion, and said that they wanted a scheme of promotion whereby teachers would be encouraged. After considerable .discussion, and the negativing of one amendment, Mr Eudey moved as an amendment to the motion —"That the Education Board's attention be again directed to the urgent necessity for the introduction of a scheme of the classification and promotion of teachers as formulated by the New .Zealand Educational Institute in 1908." The amendment was seconded by Mr Canringtoh and carried by 16 votes to 12. PHYSIOLOGY AND HYGIENE. Mr O. D. Flamank moved—" That the elementary knowledge of physiology and hygiene be made compulsory in our public schools." Speaking to the motion, he said the question was not whether our children were as strong as other children, but whether they were physically as strong as it was possible to make them. One reason why they were not was the physical unfitness of parents. Supposing a child wafe physically fit at the time of its birth, eating, sleeping, proper clothing, care of the teeth, care of the skin, ventilation, etc., were matters to which parents should give attention; and which were) often neglected. They were neglected because parents did not understand them. There was no hope for the parents of the present, but for parents of the future it was possible to introduce into the public schools compulsory training in physiology and hygiene. .A matter he mentioned was the necessity of children attending school, especially those coming from a, distance in the country, having backs to -their seats. Mr .Hilgendorf seconded the motion. Mr Tyndall was opposed to the motion. He did not think if they taught children the secret of their "innards" they would know very much about them when they grew up. Mir 1 ; Pope agreed with Mr Tyndall's view. Mr Davidson said he hoped that Mr Flamank's motion would not' be carried as it stood, but he believed that if girls had a course of study in the health management of infants during the last two' years they were in Standard V and VI, they would leave school better fit to enter into the work of housekeeping, and later to enter the realms of wifehood and motherhood than they were at present. Mr Carrington considered this was a subject that could not be taught 'at school, but at home. Mr Jeffery said he thought Mr Flamank s view was quite the correct one. The motion was carried by 28 votes to 6. THE FREE BOOK ISSUE. Mr G. W Carrington ' moved that the institute endorses and asks the executive of the N.Z.E.I, to bring under the notice of the Minister of Education . the following motion recently recommended by the Auckland District Institute:—" That the free book issue, as at present conducted, is not a success, for —(1) It does not allow of the children taking the books home, and some preparation of work at home is essential to progress in reading and in spelling; (2) parents who have the welfare of their children at heart are purchasing books as heretofore, consequently very little saving results. Further, it is the opinion of this institute that assistance to parents in this direction can be given to the greatest advantage, by the free issue of all writing and-drawing requisites." Mr M'Elrea seconded the motion, which was discussed at some length and many reasons advanced in it® favour. It was finally carried with very slight dissent. OTHER MOTIONS. _Mr Phillipps. on behalf of Mr Jno. M'Kenzie., moved—" That the class D examination be taken in the same way -as class C, that is, that each subject may be taken separately, and that in group I, if there be a failure in one subject a partial pass bo granted."—The motion wa,s carriedi, and it was decided that a copy of it be sent on to the_ Minister of Education, through the executive. THIRD DAT, JUNE 2. m The institute concluded its annual meeting on Thursday at noon. Mr 0. D. Flamank presided. Mr Tyndall's motion was altered to read:— That a fairer way than the present of helping teachers to raise their professional grade or status would be to establish classes of instruction in every rural centre, and grant free railway passes to competent instructors." The resolution was sent to the executive for consideration. Mr Tyndall next moved:—"That some of the school inspectors ought to be women." He contended that it was in the interests of education that his motion should be adopted. There were lady inspectors in some >f the education departments of England, and if they were to be in the forefront here they should have them, too.—The motion was carried, with the addition of the following words: —"As they are specially fitted to examine and inspect infant departments and needlework." Mr Eudey said that those who had been teachers under Mr Goyen had received a good deal_ of assistance from him. It was doubtful if any man in Otago had done so much for raising the standard of primary education. All admired his great enthusiasm. To the speaker Mr Goyen had been a most sympathetic man, and, personally, he had received more benefit from his visits than from the visits of any other inspector _ Mr Eudey moved : " That the Committee of Management take steps to recognise in a fitting manner the retirement of Mr P. Goyen from the position of Chief Inspector of' Schools, a position he has held for many years with distinguished ability for the betterment of education in the_ Otago district."—ln seconding the motion Mr Davidson said that to have such a man as Mr Goyen was an honour, not only to Otago, but to the whole of New Zealand. His reputation as an educational author was known throughout the Empire, and there could be no doubt that he was responsible for the acknowledged high standard of work in the primary schools of Otago.—The Chairman also spoke of the great help he had received from Mr Goyen.—The motion was carried.

Mr Botting moved:—"That the New Zealand Institute take steps to provide for hon. members being attached to the institute." Mr Botting argued that, many of their experienced teachers were retiring on superannuation, and the institute did not wish to lose them.—The motion was carMr Burn moved:—" That the Education Department be asked, when considering applications for admission to the Training College, to give preference as far as possible to those applications received trom uncertificated teachers who have served two years and. more in 'out-of-the-way places." The matter was referred to the Committee of Management for consideratioMr Barnett moved:-" That the Superannuation Act be so amended as to the allowance to widows £26 per annum -He said that a. man or a woman receiving a pension should receive at least the minimum of the old-age pension. Mr Tyndall pointed out that the reason for the old age pension being increased- was the increase in the cost of living. The same argument applied to widows. xne Present amount iM) was not adequateMr Davidson said they would have to fece z ssrs sifffsiapsi- -^^^ d aS?nrf T fS that the library was not being used as it ought to be. 'Forty volumes were absent and only eight were acknowledged. It must be remembered that this was a reference library. Quite recently he had received eight returned volumes which he had never seen before. . Mr Davidson said he wished to Temind teachers that June 30 was the latest date on which contributors to the Superannuation Fund could elect undei which act (old or new) they would wish to come. In the past some very eerie™* blunders had been made. People "who did not elect to come in before June 30 would lose their chances. Votes of condolence were passed to Messrs W. and G. Turner on the death of their sister. •'" Votes of thanks were passed; to the Technical School autbonties, retiring officers, the librarian, and the press for the amount of space and sympathy devoted to the cause of education.