WEEK-END SCHOOL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 17 November 1924, Page 4

WEEK-END SCHOOL.

INTERESTING ADDRESSES. The Week End School lndd under the auspice-, of the Workers’ Educational Association was continued at the j Technical College on Saturday iiioni- j iny;, and lectures were given throughout the day hy I’roiessors .1. b. I Condli/fo and ,L Shelley. In the even- | ing Air W. S. G. Airav, M.A. lectured j on" “The Biitisli Empire and the i League of Nations" to a largo atteu- . dance, and a most instructive address | appropriately concluded a very sue- | cessful school. j THE MORNING LECTURE. I The earliness of the hour did not ! mitigate -.against the attendance to j any great extent anil there was a [ good- audience of .students at tin-, j Technical College at ten o clock when Professor J. R. Condldfe lectured on “The Constitutional Problems tlw British Empire.” Mr G. T. Roller presided. , At the outset Professor Condhtlo said the international developments of the last year had made the constitutional- problems of the Empire even mote urgent than they appeared when 'the. subject was discussed at the w/ek-end school last year. It had been pointed out then that the status of the Dominions within the Empire and internationally which had resulted from the development of the Imperial War Cabinet and the Empire PeaceDelegation was compromised by the series of conferences on reparations conducted without Dominion representation. Since then difficulties had arisen particularly between Canada and the Motherland which finally resulted in Canada’s refusal for a time to ratify the Treaty of Lausanne whic.. effected a settlement with Turkey. The problem had been raised again in con neetion with the London Conference which had done so much to effect a settlement of the reparations problem and in a more difficult form still proposed Anglo-Russian treaty. Iho actual evolution of the Empire had gone bevond its machinery of government and some better means of continuous consultation were urgently needed. The attitude taken up byCanada, who claimed equal status with I the British Government in what has been termed the Britannic League of Nations, had been regarded by so mo as savouring of disloyalty', but personally he did not think jit did. The Qnnadian Government, who represented a large and growing body of people, resented the English Government’s attitude m acting as a trustee over the Dominions. The local Governments, said the speaker, should have a voice m the international policies of the Empire. New Zealand or Australia should not be comm.tted to war by the actions, say of a Foreign. Secretary of an English Labour Government. Through the heads ot their respective Governments, the colonies should Rave a voice in Empire Government, and by the removing of their representatives could at auy time, at least voice their disapproval of any policy. f llie urgent need ot a bettei method of Empire government, _givnig domestic freedom to the individual governments, and freedom to act in any way, but w’ithout personal injury to any other members of the commonwealth, was stressed. In that connection Professor Condhlie said the question of individual responsibility' for the actions. of the controlling body also arose, as could be seen by the action of Canada in refusing to ratify' the Turkish Treaty. Thq clearer definition of the Dominions as a result: of . tRe PRS-tfe Treaty, and their equal grading with the smaller nations was also dealt with. The gradual drifting back to the position formerly occupied ,by i ? England as trustee for Great Britain, was shown hy the commencement of domestic problems in the various colomes, and the necessity of members of- the Imperial Conference being compelled to devote their attention to the affaiis of their individual colones. In the speaker’s opinion the instituton of a court ot colonial ambassadors who would be ablo to decide on matters of national importance would be a step m the right direction.

MODERN EDUCATIONAL TESTS. mere was a largo attendance ov members or tiie teach-ng profession at tuc second Jecture, delivered by i J rolessox slioitey on "Modern Educational It^ts. Mr J. G. Johnston, president or the Suutn Canterbury brancli of the Icachers’ institute, occupied, the chair. Dealing witn the examination system at present in vogue, Jdrolcssoi Shelley stated that proficiency examinations were intended as a means ol sorting out those who would not benefit by secondary educat on. lie instanced the case ol a child who had tailed in lour consecutive vears to pass the examination, and had’afterwards consistently secured honours in the second school at wli cli he had attended. He considered that the proficiency examination not only failed in its object, hut also con lined the teachers to a very narrow syllabus. Attempting to carry out two or three functions, the matriculation examination also tailed, and aflecting as it J d mostly children at about the age of sixteen, in most cases did more harm than good. Learning, he stated, did not affect a child’s health, but t ho work of preparing for examinations very often did. At that age, children, and more o,specially clever chihiieii, were verv sensitive to fatigue, and the ill effect of such examinations were often apparent in the. youth ol the nation. Basing Ins remarks on the assumption that examinations should bo the servants of man and not man thu servant of examinations, the professor dealt at considerable length, and in » very interesting manner with the modern educational tests now being employed in other countries, and which were rapidly coming into popularity as more clfic : eut methods ol ciasdiyhig Ine respective. abilities of young students. The address was followed with close attention, and the hearty vmt,o ol thanks carried liy acclamation evidenced the interest with winch Luo lecluro had been received.

DRAMA SINCE THE V7AR. Mr T. D. .Burnett, AI.P-, presided over a goou aLLeiiuuuee m tile ai lernoon wiien a lecture on "Urania Suice rite War," was ueiivered by .i/rotea.jor o.ietiL ft : ince the war, said the speaker, the trend of ur.una mul been to depart lrum the cyn,cal type 01 drama in the direction ol constructive plays, idealistic art in its earlier stages was now becoming apparent alul li.storical and Sh.ike.xperean plays also largely predominated Uu.Ls.de ol England the same revival in drama had also taken place. Israel /aim will's works, dealing mainly with secret diplomacy of the old regime and also the immigral ion problem ol America, were dealt with in a very inteiestmg matter. Other political plays had also been produced, and were dramas that were facing; big problems. He considered that, apart Irom the churches, dramatists were the only people lacing the world’s problems m a .straight forward fashion. Readings trom works ol Ualsworthy am! l)iiukwatcr were, delivered in humorous and dramatic vein, and proved an enjoyable finale to a most interesting address. On the motion ol .Mrs Bunion, a hearty vote of thanks was carried by acclamation.

THE EVENING SESSION. “The British Empire and Lhc League of Nations,” proved an attractive subject. and a large attendance of students assembled at. the Y.M.C.A. rooms on Saturday evening lo listen to Mr IV. T C. Airey, M.A, The. Mayor, Mr G. J, IV, llaee. presided. Ai the outset Mr All--'- S ■;,] I -.-I d was the contention of tlx Jiuj ai

I of the old school that the League of I Nations was incompatible w:lii fbv | Empire. Jf Ihe Empire was what, they womd Rave ;t, tm-y were right-, but m his opinion it would be far better for the Empire to cease to exist if they: were ngut. In reality the League needed the Empire and the Empire tho League. Thai was the principle that- governed the succqsslul co-operation of nations — no super state, but all equal anti possessing the will to agree. 'J be idea of the League owed much to the experience gained by British people, and the successful, relations of the -British Commonwealth would increase ~im: . menscly by r League experience. Iho status of the Dominions in the League —that of independent international States —was also explained, Air Airey .skating that although separatemembership would be obtained, their unity would also be preserved.- The importance of the League to the -Dominions was emphasised- in view of the question of foreign policy’, equalisation of labour conditions, 'disarmament, unemployment, and international morality. In conclusion the speaker st,sited that the League of Nations offered a splendid opportunity to the younger countries with their more enlightened democracy’ to give a lead to the older countries, who, while quite in agreement xvitli the wisdom of disarmament, could not carry it out alone. (Applause). A number of questions were then answered, after which a hearty vote of tßanks to the various speakers who had assisted at the AVeek-end School, was carried by acclamation.