THE TEACHING OF HISTORY

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13713, 1 October 1908, Page 7

THE TEACHING OF HISTORY

(By Tohunga in ' New Zealand Herald." i

Than the teaching of history—J nil iUi handmaiden, geography—there k nothing mote-valuable to the nation, wliertforc it would be good to piifrh it ill tlic'Tcbuols as much a= possible, even at the point of the. cane and at the cost ol many leatc. But," fortunately for mankind. and proviug. the orderliness of the universe, all those thing-i which are fundamentally necessary to salvation arc pleasant to do, and desirable to our instincts. Eating when we are hungry, and drinking when w*: are dry. and coming in out of the wet when we art soaked, are not- depleting actions; and the learning of history to ilie- lad conscious of country and birth is 9& natural as eating and drinking to the lad who is hungry und dry. If, when we long for bread, wt are given stones, if. when we thirst for the sweet waters we ; ;tre bidden to drink of the =alt h-.a. wo naturally do not feci enthusiastic with our dkt. bo a lad who is ripe for the folklore and the buoklore of the greatest of romances, t.he romance of nationo and of his own nation, will turn in -wondering disgust from .1 socalled history " which is a charnel-house of mouldy boiicn. Sentence him to memorise all the battles in the. Wars of (ho R'jsic, and the leaders on each bide, and tht> principal men killed in them, and which side won, and the datec., and lie will very reasonably and : logically inquire within himself what good (litre is in having to fag up all (hat " rol." But. give him an iilea that the- |/eople he is part of are the outcome of an uubiukvn diyeloplneut, and that, liiotory tells of tlie tragedy and comedy of it. of the paints and pleasums of it, of the battling-and-strug-gling and fighting and working 'and thinking. and suffering of it. and Jit* (till bo eager to know how it was that. England went into the w;u;- of the Koses va a loijf.ily-kn'il emerged from ti a- true kingdom, over which Law at last reigned ; ntiprcuie, with the King jib law-maker und law-ward, and with Parliament already laying the foundations of modern democracy.

Il ii*. <]iiite impossible fur any ui;ui fn be a good citizen who knows nothing til the history of hi» nation, i>f the n'orld.. Ho may bo a, submissive vi'i/cii, -risking no questions of authority. vol ing quietly ' tvith the party which he approves, couleut if t>u)y lw, is allowed I<i jiiiihiic comfortably the general tenom- of jiis ways. Hut unit** lie kuous that his iighi.% have bi-Lii Minctilicd by tin; blood of heroes ami niHrlyib. In; cannot possibly vitltie tlicin; tmleeo ii« knows' that lie conie.s of a .flock which ha* u rough! 'great do.t!r> and tilled tin- world with its glory, lie cannot understand how lit- cuine' into the. of the land that i.s bis; unlet u liv;k« lalned of the inllueiictf .at, ti ork in Ihe jic(t>t. ot the hojw> and 1 the featw of ptat men ;ind of I lit; >t r-.ngl li and the weakness of common men, of. the part*. piaytd by thote who weiv fuillifiil and by 1 iio.-v win? wen unfaithful, ot. what womotl did ajid of what int-ii, did—.and girls Mild boys, loo—he cannot potnibly feel-in every .libiv of. hin being that. li*j owes a duty to h,V nation and to his people .which living or tlviui: he'can never discharge. !• * •

towards ill-.' romantic, in hi the. rcil'.u'jrpusclcis of our blood, is in th.v very marrow of our bonus. j list ilicl i\ fn■■ kilobaud fit! that ilktc i* comeiliing more in life than the monotony of ilailv doing ill ordund rocietv, 1 li:iii (In; smooth (leading mil nur road:?, Mian the «etkly winding ol Ihe vight-day chirk. We shall have lliir> feeling until »e ;tt>; only lit to - (li-.' ordered life, to tread the mad.- paths. io xjiik- mill go according toth£ tiim, l.ildr ;iml I lie calendar: ;uid then .>b;ill •lie otit because we lack the itwh-j stix'iif*ik wtio.lowif Ii Io ribL' to great, occasion. wherewith to jM'Jii' !i' new |mIlie, wheivu itlr t') (tun night into day. when from one man is asked'the work of tu o.

, Spurred. l.iy this vague instinct. buys pore over " penny dreadful*" and girls over llie .sorrows of the lady who loved a lord, while old and young devour ihrlioii with pathetic greediness. Yet of all romance, History is the greatest. Of all wild adventures and deadly suii'crings and amazing feats and thrilling lovo affairs, there ar« hoiio imaginable which eun compare to those* of which the heroes and the heroines were our fathers and mothers, near and far, ami of wbidi (hi; outcome i' tliat, wo am five men ami women hero in New Zealand, and that tho world is what it its. There is not a date which caliuol be niado dull, not a faet which cannot be robbed of all its intimation, not u its eord in' all tho magical arinals of our kindred i*oples which cannot lie made into a punishment for tho young and an opprcssiou to I lit; old. Hut- .wise historians, »vi«o teachers, know lhal. pi--damie exactitude is folly, and that- what N to be at(emplc<l is '"'hat. tho children all unwittingly ask for, tho revival of historical scenes and historical charade!s in dii", relationship to one (mother, so thai (he Drama, of the Nation, the Drama, "f tliij World, move* in inngniticenf pro n>siou across tho slago of menial im picssion. And so thai, to tho glowing lad thiie rouirs jn duo course tho great «.yiiitu;il < oncvption of nationality. which once felt binds him for ever and for ever in an imperishable s-ympathv witli liis own.

Ki'i' ihi.v welding ill't <il ;i (iCujilo i> tli'' |iiii]inso <>f fnlk luie ami JiiMoiv: 1 iiir» r'uiijji "f ;t < ,-tmi ii'inic i< tlic iasjiiiHtiuu l<i a cuiu--111011 ;uul hemic future. Liic.it is tlie memory of Marathon ami lh<- romance »f the 'lVii Thuusiml! Hut far is Mi-- mi-mmy <if li.inmn'kliuiil ami Trafalgar, ;md tin' mniainc of ill'- lllj/.alielli.iiis ami <.f our w (ti lil-n inning >il1■ i T Th<Alfnd hlhi <'am>d the ]>n•! in■ - honk ami lil.uli' til" iandk' .loci; ami Iniin'd 1 !f ami the tmju-u and Hnnl.iiid war worn jkvi » ; the Wal i.i'-' win; \\a« Im! ravti!. imt whuMr ivml lived: tin- tirinville ivhi» " mu'!i a light. I'ir a day and a Jiijjht.. a- iuv< i ».i> fought in-f.ii'the mil>lc-l and of ".hp :iii i; v. im <!e.'ii«'d the 01 <-an load from Biitain !•< N< " aland; thI' i m tii' 1 ; t »a- :im- to a InM i-aiuo: ill- \\'.lvlllll;;l">l! 1> i I • r : ' • ■ t II C *1 !" (ill a lie; tii- Wl-i-ii who did hj;» duiy ; air lmv t iicl'll! h.i|'ha/.,n d naming h"ln tin- I'.ll nt hi-ii.|y'.' M'.l thn iiw-. and Ih. ani! i i• i oiidil K'n • m! iln- : im.;-. ii.i.i.iy oi lin -r. lint. of t n i ii-ni- > 11 ■! i*t ii r i' l:i»h. S. i.? 1 1 i. H'r'di. \"i'. . and No: m.in. 11 ii^urnol. .NiiKi'aan. X' ir Xoilanii* r <'<»inni' , uioi a< <*ii in "h" nil I - i : hj.! i i: <• anil.;!- • Hl-'.|\ ain :li.- :iv doiit iind '.ln- .r.ii' « and i |i<lii].)-..;. - ..f ;i,.i low-d and tii. i. .: ..n- -ali..;! ihc\ !r. •■.! and i .-ill .is*-: Wilal - ■ I u - - 1 " 1... I - r i.»-;i tint!- a '.in "t 1! it ii' .IJ- trlllli^ lull! nils' 11;. . -.} i"i_v ii. 1-. » fi.it. ;ii.--. in.,-L I. . i.":i, \- •< '/.< : II ,'V -T,- i; r- ■ i.tiii ">

: his life-at- their call, to regard his franchise as' a sacred trust, to be a patriot in the fullest, deepest meaning, unless he has been shown some little of the historic past, unless he has felt, his heart burn and his eyes fill not at fanciful story, but. at the story of lis fathers, and of what- they did for him ? Until a boy suddenly realises. '' This was all for me," the mantle of nationality has not- fallen upon him; when once lie realises it he is no longer among the dumbdriven cattle, ha has beconie one of these who keep the nation alive. And if we would have our nations live we must so teach in our schools that, the generation growing up will know its story and will love it and care for it as our fathers loved it and cared for it, and be ready at need tto die for it as our fathers died—for its liberties against those who would deny them; for its independence against those who would conquer it; and for its greatness and its opportunities, without overmuch questioning, seeng how hstory teaches thatthe -whole world .has moved to better things because the sLrong nations made their lands wide and because the firsi. duty of Man is to find food for Woman.