EDUCATING THE MASSES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 810, 2 November 1929, Page 14

EDUCATING THE MASSES

PROGRESS IN ENGLAND NOT LAGGING BEHIND N.Z. In recent years there have been great advances in education in England. The Rev. G. V. Gerard, who for the past two and a-half years has been doing church work in some of the poorer districts outside London, stated yesterday afternoon that people in New Zealand do not realise just how much education among the masses has been revolutionised during the past few years. He returned ‘by the Rangitiki. Before going to England he was a well-known Rugby player and played for the South Island and South Canterbury in representative matches. Mr. Gerard said that at Barking, where he worked among the poor for a year, the children were taken to and from school in motor-buses. In the summer, week-end camps were arranged for them. FREE NIGHT TRAINING

“We are led to believe that England is behind the times in education ■when compared with New Zealand, but really she is well up to the New Zealand standard,” said Mr. Gerard. “There are a great number of night schools in London, and the children, as soon as they leave school, are given cards which admit them free to any of these schools. These cards must be presented in three months, otherwise* the .children have to pay.” Mr. Gerard’s work concerned itself with boys' clubs in the more or less slum areas, and he said that the work -was most interesting. “I do not think that the Church is falling back as we are led to believe by current comment,” said Mr. Gerard. “In England an enormous amount of social and welfare work is done—more than in t- r ew Zealand, I think—and this does not get a great deal of publicity.” He stated that the great real interest in the Church showed itself by newspaper articles on church matters. These were read widely and provoked much discussion, which showed that a deep interest in the Church existed. The poorer districts in which he worked were well organised. Mr. Gerard was interested in the work of Toe H. He said it was a wonderful sight, to see the Prince of Wales and between 4,000 and 5,000 young men at the birthday meeting of the organisation. Many of them were men one did not exf>ect to see at church at all, he remarked. The Boy Scout jamboree at Birkenhead was a wonderful sight, he continued. There were about 50,000 boys and men present, from all countries of the world. Mr. Gerard was very much impressed with the leaders of the movement, who seemed to be excellent men.

Mr. Gerard will take charge of a parish at Pahiatua after he has spent a holiday in Christchurch.