WHAT TO TEACH IN SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144711, 21 June 1915, Page 4

WHAT TO TEACH IN SCHOOLS.

TO TITIC EDITOR.

I Sir, —Among the Australian Cables last evening was a lively item from Sydney giving Mr. Griffiths’ opinion of the liquor trade and what ho ir. doing to curtail it by preparing a text-book to teach the scholars in public schools tlie evil effects of alcohol. This reopens the whole question of temperance teaching in schools. By tho way, I would point out that temperance tcacb- , ing in schools is not what is asked for; ; what is needed is that children be ; taught the nature of alcohol and tho ; effects of alcoholic drinks on those who ; consume them —and on others too, very often. It is strange that anyone 1 should object to have the children taught about alcohol—beer and wine, in which--the active and principal element is alcohol. They are taught, or used to bo taught, that lean meat and cheese are flesh-forming foods, that fats and starchy substances arc heat-giving foods; thou why not teach what effect alcoholic drink has? Is it flesh-form-ing or heat-giving, or is it death-deal-ing? Of course teetotalers say the last,and utterly condemn intoxicants. But there is another view. Suppose the teetotalers are wrong, and that alcohol is a food and not a poison (as they say), a stimulant and not a narcotic, in fact “a boon and a blessing to men;” then ; in that case the children should most ; certainly be taught the truth on tho j matter ‘in the public schools, so as to, i in some measure, counteract the perni- ! cions teaching of Bands of Hope, and ; Sunday Schools, and Rechnbitcs. and ! Good Templars, that alcoholic drink is altogether bad. v When one thinks it over and has regard to the enormous quantity of intoxicating drink that is consumed, of the far-reaching effect it has on the people, in their inability to I do their duty to their country at this | critical time" where it is largely used, 1 and their superior ability for service ; where they abstain—as in Russia—then | there should bo a desire on all hands | to have tho subject thoroughly taught | in tho schools. But let anyone proI pose it to the Educational Institute, or | tho Board of Education, or the depart- ! ment in ’Wellington and there will be 1 a general outcry that the syllabus of education is already overloaded and nothing can bo done. Y'es, the syllabus is overloaded, I believe, but it would be quite easy to throw overboard- a lot of tho truck that is now overloading the syllabus, and then put in definite teaching about alcohol and its mixtures. Notwithstanding the manifest neglect of this instruction in our schools there ( is never a leading article or even a j, paragraph in any newspaper in New Zealand (except a letter such as’this) dealing with it.—not oven in defence of tho drink, and a desire that its bcnc-

fits (?) should bo taught to the children. The reason U hard to find — perhaps it is fear!—l am, etc., G.H.M.