PROGRESS IN RUSSIA

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1935, Page 7

PROGRESS IN RUSSIA

CULTURE IN THE SCHOOLS

FAVOURABLE IMPRESSION MADE.

MR. MAX RISKE GIVES OPINIONS.

FRIENDS OF SOVIET UNION MEET.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night.

Mr. Max Riske, a Wellington school teacher, and Mr. P. C. Warner, of the Hutt railway workshops, who went abroad last October as representatives of the Friends of the Soviet Union, returned to New Zealand to-day. Mr. Riske naturally interested himself greatly in schools in Russia. He said of the conditions and life of the people generally that one could not pretend Russia was a paradise of efficiency. In many of its works one could say definitely that it was a country where only useful working people could live. Moreover, it was making greater progress in social, intellectual and economic life than any other country they saw. He spent some time in England and also visited Holland and Germany, He spent eight weeks in Russia. Mr. Warner was not there so long. %

While at Moscow Mr, Riske was ill for a fortnight and during this period had a number of visitors, including Miss Louisa Todd, Invercargill, who has been teaching in* Russia for three years, and Mr. H. Millar, a well-known miner of Waihi in pre-war days.

Mr. Riske saw Russia only under winter conditions, but considered that an advantage. He visited some of the-best schools at Moscow where the knowledge of teaching organisation and care of children was of the highest possible order. In every school, the health of the children was supervised by medical practitioners and nurses attached to the staff. Arty case of sickness or undernourishment was given the greatest attention.

There were dining rooms in the schools where meals were served to children at very cheap prices. All round the children seemed very well fed, well clothed and extremely happy. Physical culture was almost a mania, children taking as keen an interest as adults in the care of their bodies and physical development to the highest pitch of efficiency. Literature and music Occupied a very high place. Contrary to the common belief a tremendous interest was taken in literature as literature rather than from the point of view of politics. He found great attention was paid to the study of English which was an alternative foreign language for all children over 12. English classics as well as more popular novels were translated in great numbers and Shakespeare and Dickens were extremely popular. Every night in the week there was a Shakesperian play on somewhere at Moscow. Children’s literature like Kipling’s “Just So” stories and “Treasure Island” were' translated in huge editions, excellently printed and bound. He saw some, extremely fine films and plays. Acting was universally of a high standard and the theatres were invariably crowded. He would have seen more plays had he been able to book ahead, this being an absolute necessity at Moscow if one wished to get a seat.

The night before he left Moscow he heard Rigoletto performed. The house was crowded out half an hour before the performance commenced, and at least 60 per- cent, of the attendance were persons under 21. At the close he was astonished to see children of 14 and 15 crowding to the stage to applaud the singers.