EDUCATION OUTLOOK

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1931, Page 3

EDUCATION OUTLOOK

A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE. MODERATOR’S VIEWS. ' How New Zealand had swung from an inferiority complex in educational thought to a form of self-conceit was frankly outlined 'by (Professor J. Collie, M.A., moderator of the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand, while addressing the students of Scots College, Wellington, last.week. In the earlier days . of New Zealand’s educational history , our removal from the great centres of ■ learning of the old world induced the idea that we could never equal the attainments of the British students. This outlook had changed and we now displayed a slight tendency toward selfconceit. ... “We discovered in the Boer War that our soldiers were equal to British trained men and we have also now discovered that New Zealand trained men can become equal to anything produced in the world,” the professor said. “Instance ; i of this is given in relation to an examination which took place a good many years ago now in which two of the en- “ trants have come out to be leaders in the intellectual and administrative spheres of life. The one who came out at the top is now known throughout the world, Sir William Morris. He wrote the school song of the 'Wanganui College, at which he was a student. He entered into the Indian Civil Service life and has risen to .be the Governor of the United 'Provinces. Combined with this he has attained to great literary and scholastic ability. Another student in the same examination, lower down in ■the list, is. to-day well known as Lord , ’ Rutherford. These examples should give incentive to all boys and should ■be an indication to them of what is possible in the attainment of ability and influence if they with interest .and diligence apply themselves to the advantages they possess. • ' Stressing the aims ' of education, the professor said it was not necessary ,to •have elaborate equipment for the ac- . quiring of knowledge. What was required essentially was the will to learn. “This overcomes other deficiencies and triumphs over various hindrances,” he said. “Instance of this is found in the - past where boys without the modern facilities were able' to attain to great heights of educational equipment and to serve the world through this with efficiency. However, the balance must be kept and in these days boys with such facilities should do even better in the educational sphere than those who had such hard straggles with circumstances in the past.” , -.xp