CITIZENSHIP

Southland Times, Issue 22490, 26 January 1935, Page 5

CITIZENSHIP

PURPOSE OF SCHOOLS. IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER BUILDING. MR S. RICE’S COMMENTS. “Schools are not merely places for the purpose of teaching children to read, write and add figures; they are factories where characters are made; the potter’s wheel on which the soft clay of humanity is shaped and moulded,” said Mr S. Rice, chairman of the Southland Education Board when replying to a toast at the combined schools jubilee banquet at Gummies Bush yesterday. “I personally think it is more important to train children for good citizenship than to turn out brilliant scholars.”

“To train citizens imbued with high ideals and with sufficient culture to enable them to appreciate the scientific and natural beauties of this wonderful world; to train them to read intelligently, and think intelligently, so that they may be able to apply the results of their reading and thinking to the solution of their daily problems—this is the aim.

“We realize the importance of initiative and to-day our training is directed towards arousing the intellectual curiosity of the child, and instilling into its mind the principles of honesty and self-control. “Nothing is more important in char-acter-building and good citizenship than self-control. It may seem difficult at first—but step by step it becomes easier and more delightful. I know of no truer triumph or more delightful sensation than to have thorough command over one’s body and thoughts. Especially thoughts, for at bottom man is what his thinking is, thoughts being the artists that give colour to our days. Every man has a train of thought on which he rides when he is alone and the usefulness of his life to himself and to others, as well as his happiness, depends upon the direction in which that train is going, the baggage it carries and the country through which it travels. “If then we can put that inner train of thought upon the right track, freight it with precious treasure and start it on its way to good honest citizenship what greater service can we render to our children.

“Our earnest prayer is, that when manhood, when womanhood dawns upon our children, it may dawn upon them as upon the clean dewy grass with birds singing in their hearts and innocence still looking out of their eyes. To you young men and women I say, don’t contemplate evil, and the desire of it will quickly fade from you. Run away from it if by staying near it you fear you may yield. And whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report think on those things.”