AS OTHERS SEE US.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1923, Page 7

AS OTHERS SEE US.

NEW ZEALAND IMPRESSIONS. A VISITOR’S OBSERVATIONS. Interesting observations on various i phases of New Zealand life were made | by Captain R. W. Campbell, the welli known journalist and writer of humor--1 ous stories, in the course of a chat with , a Daily News reporter yesterday. His j observations have been directed to mat- * ters of moment, particularly education, . immigration, and shipping interests. i Two two thinga that impressed Captain Campbel] on his drive from the port to the town were, firstly, the general lay-out of the harbpr, which indicated progress, and secondly, the large produce stores at Motnroa, which suggested the rich country tha? lay behind Taranaki. The up-to-date bungalows, too, conveyed the idea that the old stereotyped houses he saw on his previous trip to New Zealand twelve years ago have departed, the new type indicating progress on the right lines. TOUCH OF OLD DEVON. “But the note that strikes the stranger in New Plymouth is the pervading atmosphere of old Devon.” said the captain. •‘Here and there one picks up the VV eat Country accent, giving a reminder of the race that gave Drake. Hawkins, Raleigh and the early fathers of New Plymouth. Being a Scotchman and having a share of the national vanity, it is a good thing to come to New Plymouth to correct one’s views and to realise that there are others In tne world besides the men from the land of the porridge pot. “A visit to the Church of England on Sunday night reminded me of a church in some little village of Devon,” added the captain. “The flags, the brassplates, and the memorial tablets give an atmosphere of antiquity and a sens? that Taranaki is interested in preserving all the old traditions of the men who founded it. It was interesting, too, to hear the clergyman deal with the litest craze of theosophy. I enjoyed the sermon greatly, for it is refreshing to hear a Church of England man who lias pluck enough to be unorthodox. °The social life here'strikes me as being friendly and intimate, without ‘side/ and the stranger is given a kindly welcome,” continued the speaker. “New Plymouth understands the need not only of pretty houses, but of good homes. The old standard of New Zealand hospitality still holds good, and when the time comes for me to leave. I shall certainly carry away very pleasant recollections of a kindly and progressive community.” HIGH EDUCATIONAL STANDARD. The cause of education lies very near the captain’s heart, and, its the author of “The Amazing Schoolmaster," he is deeply interested in this subject. Yesterday morning he visited the new Courtenav Street infants’ school and met the teachers. “I was impressed with the modern building,” he said. “Perhaps the thing that pleased me most was the construction of the blackboards by painting the fides of the wall black. Judging by the charming and fairy-like pictures of the Louis Carroll type, the teachers appreciate the ideals of Froebel and Montessori. The dental clinic at the school Is a great advance in the world of education. This is a courageous attempt to deal with what I understand to be a very serious problem, and this phase of education suggests that New Zealanders are, in many ways, pioneers of Utopian, as well as useful things.’’ * . At the Central School, Captain Campbell met the headmaster (Mr. D. P. Evans), an old comrade of the Boer War “I was very much impressed with the physique and' the thoughtful faces of the pupils,” the captain said. “There was an absence of gloom, which was replaced by a spirit of cheerfulness. One tods in schools of this order a reason for the great work of the men of Anzae. I cannot emphasise too strongly the fact that commercial men and the publie generally should venerate schools and school teachers. “The tendency of the age te to belittle education and glorify what the Americans call the Tie-man,” commented Captain Campbell. ‘You know the tvne I mean—he of the gold teeth, the wold albert, the large corporation, and the ciear which resembles a ship s mast on Are. This so-called ‘super-man is the god of the movies, but if we would substitute for him the school teacher, who lives not for self but for the chi - dren and for the country, the result would be an enormous gain to the nation.