CANTERBURY WOMEN'S INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6127, 14 March 1898, Page 4

CANTERBURY WOMEN'S INSTITUTE.

The fortnightly meeting of the Canterbury Women's Institute was held on Friday evening, in Hobbs's Buildings. The chair ■was occupied by the president, Mrs Wells. A discussion took place on technical education. Mrs Blake, Miss Hookham and Mrs Henderson contributed short papers, and other members discussed the subject freely. Mrs Blake, in her paper, took up chiefly the subject of agriculture for women, and expressed the hope that in any scheme for technical instruction, special prominence would begiven^ to the . subject, as so much of the disappointment and misery prevailing amongst women was the result of their crowding into trades and professions already overcrowded. In support of her contention of the suitableness of many branches of agriculture for women, ahe read an extract from an account of the efforts of Lady Warwick to establish an Agricultural Training College for women and women's agricultural settlements. Misa Hookham spoke of the responsibility of the State towards the child, as being primarily that of seeing that after the child had been trained in any art, science, or handicraft, by wliich it might earn an honourable livelihood, an honourable livelihood could be gained. She also spoke of the increase and elaboration of machinery and boy and girl labour, as being partly responsible for the unemployed difficulty. Mrs Henderson deprecated the idea of manual instruction being given in primary schools during school ' hours, as a lowering of the standard of general education would necessarily result, the average school life being so, short ; but she advocated ' Sir ' K. Stout's idea of a scientific bias being given to the whole educational system. .She also urged the necessity for instruction in agricultural processes being made a feature in continuation classes. The Technical Education Bill of 1897 was reported on and discussed, and the following resolution was passed. by the Institute : — " That the Technical Education Bill has in it clauses subversive to .the principles upon which is based our present national system of education. The Canterbury Women's Institute^ believing as it does that these principles are in accord with our growing sense of the unity of the race, deprecates any change which would tend to disintegration or denominationalism. Under the Bill controlling bodies, other i than Education Boards, under the Education Act are entitlod to subsidy from the Consolidated Fund. The Bill also provides under order from any Board of Education . that manual instruction maybe given in schools during school hours, and the Institute, realising that the time spent in the primary schools is too short, feels that insufficient attention is already given to the three E's. The Institute believes that the lack 6f free continuation classes forces many children at too early an' age upon our labour market, and that . many parents would gladly allow their :. children to avail themselves' of the opportunities for free classes provided in the BUI. The Institute regrets, that insufficient prominence is given in the Bill to instruction in agricultural processes, and this in a country like our own is a serious defect." The following resolution was also passed — "The Canterbury Women's Institute congratulates those members who moved and supported amendments which uphold the integrity of our present system of education." A letter was read from Mrs Cunnington asking for the support of the Institute to the Samaritan Home. Several members spoke sympathetically of the- work done in the Home, and of the necessity for" an inBtitution of the kind under present penal conditions, and a resolution'to the following effect was passed: — That under our present penal system such, an institution as .the Samaritan Home is a necessity. As the subject of preferential voting is ■■-■'-■" to be discussed at the meetings of the National Council, it wag resolved that Mr Saunders should be asked to give an address on the subject at the meeting of the Institute on April 1, members of other societies to be invited to attend. The subject for discuMion at next meeting will be, "Education and its Practical Eesults."