OUR EDUCATION.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 144358, 24 March 1914, Page 8

OUR EDUCATION.

WHY IT HAS FAILED. A writer in the Auckland Star maintains that the apparent failure of our education system is largely due to the lack of good home .influence: In the course ot the article he remarks:— It is when the child is about the third or fourth standard that the parents . can exert an immeasurable amount of influence; an age, unfortunately, where but little influence of any kind is exerted by the home; for this is the age when the parents should enter into the child’s life and aspirations as much as possible, and mould with gentle hand the character so unconsciously unfolding before their eyes. Too much is left to the teachers ; how often we have heard, it said by ignorant parents that the teachers were, paid to teach, not they? Could more hopeless ignorance be displayed? Granted that many of the parents are educationally unfit as regards entering actively into their children's pursuits, still they can do much by a firm encouragement in homo lessons, by inculcating obedience to school discipline, by checking unruly behaviour; and. above ail, by sotting such an example of honest living and industry that want of education may never interfere with their children’s respect for them. If parents would only endeavour to do some of these things, and co-operate with the teachers in their efforts, much valuable time wasted in school hours might be profitably employed to a definite purpose. Further still, at ibis age parents might go, and by exerting an unobtrusive parental observation of their charges, inform themselves in what direction the child's talents and aspirations lie. and so avoid the mistake of the future, in lutrnessing the child to some totally unfit occupation. Perhaps the undeveloped impressions ; and mistaken ideas of some of our young folk may ho better illustrated by some of the daily examples of our rising generation, as exemplified by those just left school and seeking office employment. Hero are some examples at a recent scholarship examination held in Auckland (candidates 16 years of age). Extract from essay on ' Summer” : '“Storekeepers like the summer host, because they can put away their winter stuffs; and because it would he monotonous selling the same stuff all tho year round.” Here is one for the South Island:— '“The South Island boast of their hot springs at Hanmer, hut it is only a hit of a township about the mark where the middle of Canterbury and "Westland, but about five miles south of the Nelson border-line.” Extract from paraphrase of “Homo they brought her warrior dead. She nor swooned or uttered cry ; Rose a nurse of ninety years, Set his child upon her kneo; Like summer tempest came her tears. ‘Sweet, my child, I live for the©.’ ” Brought forth these remarkable results :—• ‘“Rose, who had been a nurse for ninety years, rose and sot his child upon her knee, and this upset her. and she criod, and said softly to the child that she would Jivo for fieiv” ‘“The dead husband, who had neither swooned or uttered a cry, was brought home,’hut she showed no emotion whatever. They wanted her to cry, but she wouldn’t. Then Rose put his child upon her kneo, and the old nurse said: “ “Sweet, my child, 1 live for thee.’ ” ‘'They brought her dead warrior home, but his lover did not do anything, but stood immovable and unspeakable. Soon tho lover was a nurse of ninety, and sitting tho child upon her knee with tears in her eyes, said that she lived for tho child”’ “'When they brought her soldier homo, she neither fainted or spake. 1 Her maidens stood looking on at her. and praised him, but she kept quite still and did not weep. Then a nurse took bis child ninety years old and put the warrior’s child upon her knee ; but the latter’s tears came freely, and she said ('presumably to the ninety-year old child); “Sweet, my child, I live for thee.’ ” Name some of tho chief industries of (a) North Island. (b) South Island. (a) Petroleum, gold, and hops. (b) Wool, greenstone, and bees. “Hclensville is in the Waikato Ba.sin, about two hundred miles from Auckland. Yon can reach it by either train or boat. It chiefly exports minerals.” “To reach Wanganui, take tho boat t-o Gisborne, then on to Wellington. Then come up tho south-east oi tho North Island on to the sea-coast, and you will find Wanganui.” Spelling: Austrian—ostrien. Aspirat ion—assperro tion, aspara lion, asperration. Attorney—etturnie, attorney, atournie, attournie. Barrister—barrester, harraster, barr ussier. Exasperation—oxassperrution, exasperation. exasspiration.