SENSE OF SOCIAL OBLIGATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19673, 15 December 1933, Page 4

SENSE OF SOCIAL OBLIGATION

WORK OF HIGH SCHOOLS

VALUE OF SECONDARY EDUCATION In his annua] report, which he presented at the “speech night” ceremony in the Theatre Royal last night, the Rector of the Timaru Boys’ High School (Mr W. Thomas, M.A.), said that in a perfect world, a boy, before he came to the school would first pass though the hands of a psychologist like Dr. Beeby (who was the principal speaker that night) and he would map out a course to suit his talents; he would then be taught those subjects which were suitable for the development of his type of mind and would afterwards

go from the school to the University to further his studies, or to a congenial occupation. All occupations which were of service to the community would be equally valued by that community so that there would be no enticement, for social reasons, to take one type of employment more than another. Unfortunately, this was anything but a perfect world, and the confusion of the last year or two had certainly added to the difficulties confronting parents and the school. In addition to the demands of social ambition, they had now economic pressure which forced boys more than ever into occupations they otherwise would not have taken. It certainly must be perplexing to a parent to know what to do with a young boy just entering a secondary school at the present time. One thing, however, was perfectly clear: specialisation at too young an age was economically as well as educationally unsound. The Timaru High School had always held this, and had tried to give a solid ground work in certain common subjects to pupils of all courses. Roughly their pupils might be divided into two classes: those who were interested in doing things, and those who were interested in verbal thinking. In order to equip the former as citizens for a civilised community, they had to train them as far as their talents went in verbal thinking. They could not spend all their time in handwork subjects. At the same time, they had to teach [he verbal thinker to do things. Training in Handwork. Mr Thomas said that now that they j tad their own metal-work and motor- I engineering workshop, they could give ! nore attention to the training of i landwork, for with a woolsorting shed j aid woodwork, metal-work and motor ■mdneering work Imps nil on the [rounds, those really interested would :et more oppoi :nity of working in .'.eir leisure hours at handwork sublets. The school had always been M-11-statled on the academic side; now t would be able to give its boys a s ’ler all-round education. Those who core going on to the University to premie for proftssions had a straight oad in front of them, but the others vho could nut be certain of a suitable ipening in their chosen occupation 'hen their time to leave came, must

be as versatile as possible in their attainments. The experience of the last two years had shown the wisdom of this. It was difficult to say into what niche economic conditions would compel some boys, and as far as possible they must be prepared for different contingencies. For this reason they were opposed to too much specialisation in the first years of High School life.

Social Obligation. One problem that was always with e High School was to help in the building up of a more vigorous sense 01 social obligation in the communitj itself. Just now, said Mr Thomas wherever there were groups of Ole Boys, this question should be discussed Democracy, as they knew it, depended for its vitality on the work of those who give their services to the different institutions associated with the community. The more freely the best trained of the people offer their services, the more easily should the W’heels of organisation move. Those who had been given most by the State should in common gratitude be willing to help that State, They wanted the boys and the Old Boys thoroughly to appreciate this. There were people—and they had shown their true colours during these days of depression—who

selfishly left control in days of prosperity to the honest and self-sacri-ficing, and who were loud in condemnation when the dark days came. The young people must be urged not merely to prepare themselves for parliamentary honours, but to offer themselves freely for the great number of very important unpaid services without winch democracy would be a failure. Secondary school education, if it was worth anything, should be helping to raise the level of these services. Among the quiet workers on school committees, education boards, relief societies, councils, etc., on games clubs, too, there should be a goodly proportion of Old Boys from secondary schools. In Timaru, as elsewhere, the busiest of men were among those who found the time for public duties. If a higher value were placed on the work of its voluntary workers by the community in general, might it not encourage more to offer their services? Aid to Community. The present crisis had emphasised ’one other method in which our schools should be helping the community, said Mr Thomas. It was in the cultivation of a scientific attitude of mind. With all the boasted progress in civilization and all our education, strong impulsive tendency to Jump to conclusions on very little evidence was still unconquered. They saw this in social life, and in national and international life. Of the multitude of economic theories for instance, that had filled the newspapers and magazines during the past three years, some at least, disseminated with such an air of authority, must be based on ignorance or iniperfect promises. And yet any plausible far-fetched hypothesis ' would soon gain adherents. The only way in which improvement could be made was to make students at school realise that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” that it was their duty, honestly to doubt and to weight evidence before they made judgments. The pupils had to learn that because something was printed it was not necessarily correct, and it was their duty to cultivate a critical attitude of mind. The danger of anarchy and of war lay in the neglect of this critical attitude.